The chilling text messages sent by a tragic 10-year-old to her grandmother just hours before she died in a fire have been shared in an inquest.
The inquest into the deaths of Garry Bolton and his daughter Paige Bolton was held on Thursday after they died in a horrific house fire in north Hull on January 25 last year.
They both died in the blaze at their home in the early hours of the morning, Hull Live reports.
Crews had to break into the property using a saw and then discovered the two victims lying together in the bathtub.
The inquest heard how Garry’s mental health seemed to have deteriorated having already suffered from anxiety, low self-esteem and paranoia.
Exactly what caused the fire remains a mystery, although Humberside Fire and Rescue Service believe it was deliberate.
But texts from Paige that night suggest her dad was acting strangely.
The texts to her grandmother and Garry’s mum Patricia Bolton said: “Daddy is scaring me. Why can’t you help me?”
Mrs Bolton unfortunately didn’t see the messages until the next morning.
Assistant coroner Ian Sprakes also mentioned text messages Garry sent to former partner Cherie Rangeley, which he decided not to read out but said “amounted to a suicide note”.
Independent fire investigator Dr Will Hutchinson carried out an investigation into the blaze.
At the inquest he said it was a smouldering fire which meant it took a number of hours to develop.
He also indicated such a fire would produce lethal carbon monoxide almost immediately and it could take effect in a matter of minutes.
He ruled out the cause being due to any electrical equipment, wiring or batteries and said it would be due to something like a candle, matches or smoking materials.
The smoke alarm was also not working, but he could not say for sure whether the fire had been caused accidentally or deliberately.
However, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service station manager Richard Gibson believed the cause was deliberate.
He said: “I believe the ignition was due to an unspecified naked flame.
“As the seat of the fire was in the centre of the bed, it leads me to believe it was deliberate.”
In a statement, Garry’s sister Tracey Bolton said her brother had suffered from bullying throughout school and in the workplace as an adult.
She said: “Garry was low on confidence and took the bullying to heart. He was a sensitive and shy man. He would not stand up for himself even as a grown man.”
Garry and partner Cherie Rangeley had twins Paige and Ethan in 2000 through IVF treatment.
Sadly, Ethan died of a heart defect aged just six months which devastated Garry and Cherie.
Tracey said in her statement: “The happiest I saw Garry was when he was holding his twins and smiling.”
But his mental health began to go downhill once more in the months before his and Paige’s deaths.
Tracey said: “Garry was a loving and devoted father to Paige who he absolutely adored and he always put her first.
“He was thoughtful and caring. He was a gentle giant with a passive nature. He cared for his family but never really got over the death Ethan.”
Garry did receive counselling and support for his mental health issues. He received cognitive behavioural therapy for his issues of low self-esteem, paranoia and anxiety.
Firefighter Richard Fowler described the rescue attempt that day in January and how a saw was needed to cut a hole in the front door to gain access.
He said: “We went upstairs but there was zero visibility and extreme heat.
“A second team shouted that they had found a casualty. I grabbed the legs of a young girl and there were no signs of life.
“She was carried downstairs and we headed back up. We found a male in the bathtub and we needed help getting him downstairs.
“The fire itself was in the main bedroom. We were getting low on air and exited the property.”
Pathologist Michael Parsons carried out the post-mortem examination on Garry.
Both Garry and Paige suffered smoke inhalation following the house fire.
Toxicology reports found Garry had no alcohol or drugs in his system when he died.
Dr Parsons told the inquest Garry died due to the effects of the house fire and the inhalation of “products of combustion”. It is likely he died within minutes and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
While Paige was pulled from the property not breathing and with no heartbeat, paramedics rushed her to Hull Royal Infrimary in a last-ditch effort to save her life. Despite 45 minutes of resuscitation attempts, they were tragically unsuccessful.
Professor Marta Cohen undertook the post-mortem on Paige and concluded she died of “inhalation of products of combustion“.
Assistant coroner Ian Sprakes says he will need time to reflect on the evidence and will not rush to any conclusions. He is likely to take a “few weeks” to come to his conclusion.
