Tragedy of schoolboy who could not grow

The tragic story of a schoolboy who just wanted to be taller was told today, when an inquest heard of the alleged medical error that cost him his life.

Richard Ensor, 13, was born with a congenital condition of the digestive system that made it hard for him to take food, leaving him shorter than his peers because of lack of nutrition.

Richard, of Bideford, Devon, went into the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children in 2001 for surgery he hoped would enable him to grow at a normal rate.

But surgeon Dr Richard Spicer mistakenly cut his stomach, spleen and liver, leaving a hole in the stomach large enough for food to seep through, the inquest heard.

Richard's condition, called reflux, caused him to vomit bile but was not life-threatening. The procedure involved wrapping his stomach around his windpipe, but due to complications left him unable to take food.

He complained of stomach pain after his first solid meal on 20 July and went back to theatre, where his stomach and spleen were cleared of a bacterial infection. But the hole in his stomach failed to heal and after further complications he was on a ventilator in intensive care.

His mother, Susan Howarth, said on 14 August a CT scan showed he had suffered a massive leaking of blood into his lungs and lost consciousness. On the advice of specialists his parents agreed to withdraw treatment and Richard died that evening.

Ms Howarth said: "He (Dr Spicer) said he had nicked the liver and spleen. He didn't mention it was next to the stomach."

Dr Spicer, who denies Ms Howarth's claims, told the inquest: "Part of the stomach was very pliable and, in handling, it ruptured. I hoped the fissure was closed spontaneously. This could only happen if the stomach was rested completely."

The hearing continues.