A schoolboy hanged himself after being bullied for being vegan by other pupils who threw meat at him in the canteen, an inquest heard.

Louie Tom Fenton, 12, was found dead in his family bathroom on January 19.

He had endured years of bullying because of his veganism and had meat thrown at him during his lunch break, Hertfordshire Coroner's Court in Hatfield heard.

His mother, Catherine Fenton, wrote a letter to the court about the bullying he suffered.

She wrote: "He had regular appointments with the counsellor and he started self-harming. They threw meat at him in the canteen because he was a vegan."

To avoid the bullying, the court heard that Louie would often go outside to eat and he picked up a smoking habit to deal with the stress of bullying.

The coroner was told that the mother approached the school, Richard Hale School, in Hertford, several times, but the bullying continued.

No statement from Louie's school was presented at the inquest, except police notes from an interview with head teacher Stephen Neate.

A coroner explained that he was not convinced that Louie Tom Fenton meant to kill himself credit: Hertfordshire Mercury/BPM MEDIA

In the notes, Mr Neate said that Louie had become a heavy smoker and was spending time with older children.

The coroner for Hertfordshire, Geoffrey Sullivan, told the court that he would write to the school to ensure that bullying and self-harming is dealt with in the right manner.

He said: "Given what you have said I shall write to the headteacher at the school to ask if policies are in place and up to date in respect of pupils who experience bullying and do self harm."

Louie's father, Graeme, wrote to the court explaining that he believed that Louie did not mean to kill himself and was "messing around".

The coroner said that there was no evidence that Louie, of Waterford, Hertfordshire, had intended to kill himself.

Mr Sullivan gave an open verdict and explained that he was not convinced that Louie meant to kill himself.