A post-mortem examination has confirmed that eight-year-old Louie Isaac Webster died from a subarachnoid haemorrhage, a type of brain bleed, after being kicked in the head by a horse in Warrington, the Liverpool Echo reports.

The medical findings were presented at Cheshire Coroner's Court during an inquest into the death of the boy, from Wigan, who suffered fatal injuries at The Beeches Livery Centre in Croft on 15 June. Coroner Victoria Davies officially recorded a conclusion of accidental death.

Louie had gone to the yard with his mother, Rebecca, and his teenage sister, whose horse was kept at the livery. The court heard Louie had complained of being thirsty, prompting his mother to tell him to wait on a bench near the stables while she walked roughly 15 to 20 paces to their car to collect a drink.

Det Insp Joanna Morgan, who led the police investigation, told the hearing that Louie had not visited the yard before. His behaviour was described as "challenging" due to suspected ADHD, whereas his older sister was "experienced and confident with horses" and had used the livery centre for about three months.

Coroner Victoria Davies explained that Rebecca Webster's view back towards the yard was blocked by a horse box while she was at the vehicle. The coroner said Rebecca had been gone for "a matter of minutes" when she heard her daughter shouting at Louie to "get out", followed by a panicked cry of "mum".

CCTV from the car park showed the teenage sister running over to alert her mother and another livery user. When all three rushed back to the fenced-off arena, they found Louie lying unresponsive near the perimeter fence.

In an interview with police, Louie's sister explained that she had stopped riding and was sitting on the horse using her mobile phone when Louie slipped into the arena through a gap in the fence. He walked up to the animal and stroked its belly, which startled the horse and caused it to kick out with its back legs.

The inquest heard that the sister had previously owned two other horses, and Louie had enjoyed stroking the belly of one of them. She told officers she had warned Louie about the new animal being an ex-racehorse, though the court heard he may not have understood the warning due to his suspected ADHD.

Several people at the livery centre carried out CPR on the eight-year-old before emergency services arrived. Air and land ambulances attended the yard, and Louie was transported in cardiac arrest by road ambulance to Alder Hey Children's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7.45pm despite resuscitation efforts.

With the coroner's conclusion recorded, the formal inquest process has now concluded. I will continue to follow this case for any further developments.