An inquest has been told that a promising 19-year-old student who had claimed to have been bitten by a spider was sadly discovered dead in a shared home with a wound the size of a £1 coin. Harry Bolton, a 19-year-old University of Hull second-year student, passed away at his house in Chancellor’s Walk after experiencing illness four days earlier due to what was likely a spider bite.
On October 7 of last year, factory security was called after a worried housemate received no response to a text message and there was no answer to a knock at his door. The door was then forced open. Harry Bolton was discovered lying on his back in his bed with his eyes and mouth open.
The bedroom light was on. The inquest heard that he was cold to the touch and that his housemates and the security team member had noticed that his chest was immobile. Paramedics were called and while watching him, paramedics noticed a £1 gash on Harry’s back which appeared to be infected. They confirmed he was not breathing and had no heartbeat and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Harry Boltoncomplained of being bitten by a spider
Harry’s buddy had suggested he visit the emergency hospital four days earlier after hearing from him that a spider had bitten him on the back and he wasn’t feeling well.
That evening at 9:40 p.m., Harry Bolton arrived at Hull Royal Infirmary complaining of a fever and rapid heartbeat. A blood sample was taken but no high risk was found – a CRP blood test gave a score of 54, indicating inflammation. Ben Rayer, an A&E adviser at Hull Royal Infirmary, told the court it was not something that the labs would flag as an imminent risk, and at 1.01am on October 4, Harry said decided to break free.
He told a hospital worker that he would go home to bed and go to a walk-in center the next day. The hospital staff had no reason to believe that Harry Bolton was unable to come out and he returned to his student house. The next morning, Harry was last seen by his housemates.
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