Parents pay tribute to ‘perfect little boy’ who died in Cumbria farm shooting

The family of an eight-year-old boy who died after being shot on a farm have described him as “loving, kind and full of mischief”.

Jay Cartmell, who lived in the Cumbrian village of Frizington, sustained serious head injuries and died in hospital after the shooting last week.

A man in his 60s was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter and later released on bail.

In their first public statement since Jay’s death, his parents, Leigha and James Cartmell, said they were “heartbroken at the passing of our perfect little boy”.

“He was loving, kind and full of mischief, the best boy that anyone could wish for and the third corner of our beautiful family triangle,” they said.

“Jay loved being outdoors, the muddier he could get the better and was starting to follow in the footsteps of his dad with his obsession for speedway at Workington, where he first attended aged 1 years. He always went to the pit to fist bump his heroes, local racers Harry and Sam McGurk. Jay was a talented rider himself and was showing real promise for the sport.”

They said Jay was also a defender at Whitehaven Miners football club, his favourite player was Erling Haaland, and he dreamed of meeting Lionel Messi.

“He would occasionally score a goal, albeit an own goal, but that didn’t dampen his enthusiasm,” they said. “Jay enjoyed fishing and rabbiting with his dad and helped care for the family pets – four lurchers, five ferrets and his own bearded dragon [Spike] which he received following a school achievement. He loved school and had a talent for maths.

“Jay was extremely loved, not only by us, but by all who met him. He had fantastic friends and always had a smile on his face. We will miss him every day, but his love surrounds us and his memory will never fade.”

The family thanked the air ambulance service and staff at Alder Hey children’s hospital, as well as Workington Speedway Supporters Club, the Workington Comets speedway team and Whitehaven Miners for their support and tributes.

The incident happened on land near the A66 north of Warcop in Cumbria at about 2.50pm on 28 September.

Police and paramedics attended the scene, and Jay was airlifted to hospital where he later died from injuries to his head and face.