Winchester Coroner's Court heard that the 15-year-old GCSE student — which is similar to an underclassman high school student in the U.S. — died instantly when she was electrocuted in the incident on April 20 last year. In the U.K., a coroner's court sometimes has to decide the cause of death after hearing testimony and weighing evidence in contentious cases.
The inquest was shown video footage of Amy waiting on the platform before she began marching on the spot and then fell onto the railway line. Coroner Jason Pegg, who presided over the inquest, gave an open conclusion and said that while Amy did not intentionally take her own life, the cannabis had a profound impact on her mental state.
The coroner stated that Amy's death was due to contact with the live rail, adding that had she not touched the rail, she would have likely escaped with only minor injuries. In his concluding remarks, Pegg emphasized the role of cannabis in the tragic incident.
He said, "Amy left the platform and landed on the live rail, causing her to be electrocuted. It cannot be ascertained whether Amy intended to fall from the platform, whether it was an unconscious and involuntary act, or whether she simply stumbled. There is a lack of clarity. But I'm satisfied that Amy had consumed a quantity of cannabis which likely diminished her cognitive function. I'm satisfied that the cannabis itself did contribute to Amy's death. It diminished her cognitive function and also her reasoning, which I think led to her death."
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However, he conceded that the exact circumstances surrounding the fall remain murky. Despite police statements from Amy's friends suggesting that she was known to smoke cannabis, her parents were oblivious to the fact.
Amy's father, Chris Hursey, fondly remembered his daughter as a loving and humorous girl who cherished her moments with family and friends. "She was funny, and she had a quirky sense of humor," he reminisced.
Chris shared that Amy was excited about completing school, landing a part-time job, and starting A-levels at Queen Mary's College. Having just finished her English GCSEs, Amy felt a sense of relief after the coursework.
In England, most students take their GCSEs, or General Certificate of Secondary Education, exams around the time they turn 16, and can opt into two more years of secondary education, called A-levels, before they "graduate" and move on to college, if they chose to take that route.
Despite the typical stress of school and exams, Chris assured that Amy faced no significant worries. He recalled a breakup in January that initially devastated her, but by April, she appeared to have recovered.
Meanwhile, Amy's cousin, Kayla Whittle, staying with the Hursey family, observed Amy becoming more secretive with her parents as time went on. In a twist, one of Amy's friends, who remains anonymous due to legal reasons, testified that Amy had used cannabis with two friends before the accident.
This friend received a Snapchat message indicating Amy was with them shortly before her tragic fall onto the railway tracks. The same friend mentioned that their group would often drive around Basingstoke, occasionally smoking cannabis in the car. However, both friends, present at the inquest, refuted claims of using cannabis with Amy, especially on the day she died.
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