Inquest Into Death Of Girl At Campsite

An inquest into the death of a six-year-old who died while camping heard today her parents found the youngster unresponsive in the tent they were all sharing.

Isabelle Harris died in the early hours of Good Friday in Southampton General Hospital.

She had become ill at the Holmsley campsite at Bransgore in the New Forest, Hampshire.

Southampton deputy coroner Gordon Denson heard evidence of identification and that no cause of death has been established.

Coroner's officer Howard Willis said that shortly after midnight Isabelle had been found ''unresponsive'' in the tent.

Her parents and then paramedics attempted resuscitation and she was taken by ambulance to Southampton General Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival at 1.16am on April 6.

''Concerns were expressed by a paediatric consultant about her condition, so it was decided that a post mortem should take place with a Home Office pathologist,'' he explained.

As no cause of death was found, histology and toxicology reports have been sought, the court in Southampton was told.

Mr Denson adjourned the hearing until a date to be fixed and said the case was now transferred to the Bournemouth coroner.

The youngster's parents Lee, 30, and Tracey, 40, from Gosport did not attend the brief hearing.

The couple had been arrested on suspicion of murder but were released the same day without charge after a post-mortem examination ruled out foul play.

Police said the death had been a ''tragic incident''.

Mr and Mrs Harris released a statement which said they were devastated at the loss of the youngster who they described as ''our whole world''.

''No words are strong enough to describe how we feel at the moment. Isabelle was our whole world; everything we ever did was for her. She was a really special girl and this is a huge loss to everyone who knew her,'' it said.

Mr Denson warned the media not to draw ''premature conclusions'' about the cause of death until the full inquest.