Kebab Kills

Kebab Kills

Mum Shelly Curtis told today of her desperate fight to save her dying son. Ten-year-old Christopher choked while eating a kebab.

Shelly fought frantically to resuscitate the youngster when he stopped breathing while tucking into his favourite treat.

Basketball lover Christopher was having tea with his mum and her boyfriend John Belshaw when the tragedy struck.

And despite their efforts to save Christopher his heart stopped and he was pronounced dead at Newcastle General Hospital.

Today kitchen assistant Shelly, 35, spoke publicly for the first time about the terrible tragedy and paid tribute to her son.

So far she has not been able to return to the family home in Melbourne Court, Walker, Newcastle, where the tragedy happened.

From a relative's home she said: "I still can't believe it has happened and I'm coming to terms with it all.

"I went to visit him in the chapel of rest at and I spoke to him and told him that I was going to take him on a day out which seems much nicer than telling him that there is going to be a funeral."

Christopher, who was due to turn 11 on June 10, had impressed teachers at Christ Church Primary School, in Shieldfield, with his top grades in maths, physics and computers.

Christopher had been due to go to Heaton Manor High School in September and was looking forward to taking on more subjects.

Shelly said "He was very artistic and liked school a lot but he was always getting into mischief.

"He had a very cheeky grin and was always messing about but the teachers still loved him."

Christopher was a popular face around Shieldfield where he would go bike riding with cousin Mark, 13, and friends Reece, 11 and Alex, 10 and was a promising goalkeepers.

But tragedy struck the on Thursday when Christopher started having difficulty swallowing the steak meat from his kebab when they were having supper at around 7.45pm.

Shelly said: "Steak meat was his favourite meal and we'd picked up some kebabs from the local takeaway.

"When he started to choke I tried to pat him on the back and I was panicking.

"When I saw it was not coming up I phoned 999 and they told me to give him five pushes on his rib cage but it became too late and his heart stopped.

"It seemed like forever and it is all just a blur now. The paramedics tried to resuscitate him but it was too late."

She said: "I just can't go back home and I'm going to have to take one day at a time.

"I will go back at some point, it's just all so raw at the moment."

Christopher's auntie Andrea Tweddle, 36, added: "There is a lot of comfort there for us because he loved his bedroom and it has all of his special things in there - like his England flag on the wall and his England bedspread.

Since Christopher's death Andrea and Christopher's retired granddad Alistair Ralston, 59, have been comforting Shelly.

The family have received dozens of cards from friends and staff at school.

Shelly said: "The support from people has been overwhelming and unbelievable.

"Christopher had a really strong bond with his family and his grandad Alistair was like a dad to him. They were devoted to each other and would build boats and bird tables up at his allotment."

Pupils from Christ Church are planning to sing at Christopher's funeral.

His year six teacher and deputy head Karen Sample said: "The children are missing him a lot and they do seem quite subdued.

"We are trying to get on as normal but the children will start to talk about him and get sad, then there will be a few tears.

"They are remembering the funny things he did and have come up with all kinds of hilarious stories about him throwing snowballs and then hiding. He will be missed a lot.

"He was a very bright child and everybody knew in science he would always have the right answers. There was not a bad bone in Christopher's body."

Christopher's funeral will be held on Monday at 9.30 at followed by a service at the West Road Crematorium. Family and friends are asked to gather afterwards at the Shieldfield Club on Shield Street, Newcastle.

Bad crack

from a kebab aswell...

ahhhh R.I.P

Will I ever be able to face a kebab again!

Sad news

Only a matter of time before kebabs are banned

Ive gagged on a lamb/pigs trotter/horse tail/ cows tongue kebab before! its the long slithery bits!

kebabs

Kebabs


R.I.P though ...

very harsh

It was a shish kebab (steak meat)

Steak meat....thats what they tell you!!!

what sort of parent feeds there kid a kebab?

the greeks, the turks and the working classes

Rather my kids eat a kebab than a parmasan

your kids? the only way you could have kids is to adopt you fag

Hopefully got one on the way, never mind Tracy's two, who call me Dad ("Who's the fucking Daddy!") Changed 'man' Martin

fuck me! and i thought you were a crafty butcher all the way! ah well welcome to the straight world kyle + congtrats

dont let "you know who" near the kiddies tho... he's still got that restraining order and isn't allowed within 400 yards of schools and playparks

You have well changed now that you have a huge thumb print on your forehead

You didn't take me advances towards you seriously did you? It was all in jist