THE devastated mother of a little girl who accidentally strangled herself has told how she battled to save her daughter's life.

Sharon Birch found four-year-old Stephanie with a rope wrapped three times around her neck in the back garden of the family home in Christchurch.

Despite frantic attempts to revive her, both by her distraught mother, paramedics and hospital staff, she died on June 29 this year following the tragic accident at the Mude Gardens address.

Mrs Birch, who also has four sons, told through a statement how she and Stephanie, her youngest child, had been shopping in the morning.

When they returned home Stephanie went to play in the garden while her mother put the shopping away.

In a statement to a Bournemouth inquest, Mrs Birch told how she searched for Stephanie after spending around five minutes putting the shopping away.

District coroner Sheriff Payne was told she found her lying on the ground near a boat in the garden which was covered with a tarpaulin.

"She was curled up at the rear of the boat near the outboard motor," said Mrs Birch.

"My first thought was 'oh bless, she's asleep' and I decided to pick her up and take her into the house.

"As I got closer I could see there was a white rope wrapped around her neck. Her face was blue and her eyes were open."

The inquest was told the rope was one used to secure the tarpaulin.

The coroner also heard from neighbour Mary Thompson who told how Stephanie once wrapped a dressing gown cord around her neck while she was in her care.

"She wrapped it round like a scarf. I told her to take it off and put it out of her reach," said Mrs Thompson.

The inquest heard Stephanie had been a pupil of Homefield prep school before its closure earlier this year.

Attempts to find a suitable play group had failed.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Mr Payne said: "This is a tragic incident - it is quite clear that nobody else was in any way implicated in what happened.

"It did appear that Stephanie wrapped the rope around her neck - she must have done it.

"This seems to be a strange act which has sadly resulted in her death through her own inexperience."

First published: August 18