Boy dies after allergic reaction to cheese ‘forced’ on him at school

A 13-year-old boy with a dairy allergy has died in London after suffering a severe reaction to a piece of cheese allegedly forced on him, prompting a murder investigation by the Metropolitan Police Service.

Karanbir Cheema was taken to hospital in a life-threatening condition on June 28th after becoming unwell during a school break. He died on Sunday after 10 days at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, devastating his family and school friends.

Officers from Ealing borough police, in the west of the British capital, were initially called to the school after it “became apparent that an incident had occurred which led to the boy coming into contact with the allergen”, the Met said in a statement.

Another 13-year-old boy was arrested and released on bail pending further inquiries, and the case has been passed to homicide officers.

'I love it': the Donald Trump Jnr Russia emails

---

Donald Trump jnr on Russians’ Clinton offer: ‘I love it’

---

Boris Johnson accuses EU of extortion over Brexit bill

---

Theresa May’s speech shows the limits of her insecure employment

---

Karanbir's father, Amarjeet, told the London Evening Standard newspaper he was heartbroken. "We were in hospital. I had to watch him die. No parent should have to go through that. While he was in hospital we were fully concentrated on his condition. Now we want answers. How could this have happened?" he said.

“My son had allergies, but he was very careful. He had an allergy to dairy products but was good at avoiding them. I don’t see how a piece of cheese hitting him could have killed him. It doesn’t make any sense. We have been told very little.”

A postmortem has been scheduled for Wednesday to establish the cause of what the Met described as “an unexplained death”.

The head of William Perkin C of E High School, where Karanbir was a pupil, said he was treated immediately in the school before paramedics arrived. "He had a full care plan, and all the normal steps you would expect with a child with an allergy were in place. We provided these medications, and they were delivered," Alice Hudson, executive head teacher, told the Evening Standard. "Everything that should have been done was done. Very, very tragically in this situation this was not effective."

She told the Daily Mirror that Karanbir, known as Karan, had come to tell staff he was having a bad reaction. "He was able to come to the school office to indicate that he thought he was having an extreme reaction, and they were able to immediately administer the normal treatment, which was kept in the office for his care."

Hudson added: “He had many friends, who are devastated at his death, as are the staff. He was a bright and keen student who excelled in maths. Our thoughts and prayers are with Karan’s family.”

© Guardian