A child who lived in rural north Pembrokeshire with his two ailing parents died of scurvy, “an easily preventable disease”, an inquest heard on Thursday.

Eight year old Dylan Mungo Seabridge was educated at home in Eglwyswrw by his IT teacher mother and stay-at-home father.

The pair, who have one other older child, had previously been jointly charged with neglect. However the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges against them in November 2014 deciding it was “not in the public interest” to pursue the trial. Formal verdicts of not guilty were recorded.

In the winter of 2011 Dylan had been experiencing pains in his legs and dental problems but had received no medical treatment.

On December 6th 2011 his father Glynn Seabridge rang an ambulance to say that his son had collapsed and stopped breathing after being “poorly for the last few days”.

An ambulance conveyed the child to hospital where he arrived in cardiac arrest, attempts to save him were unsuccessful.

Paramedics and police noted bruising to the child’s ankle and heel and a rash on his legs and swelling.

It was initially thought he had contracted meningitis. However a subsequent post mortem found, amongst other things, massive soft tissue haemorrhage, gum hypertrophy, bleeding gums and loose teeth.

Home office pathologist, Deryk Simon James, concluded that Dylan died of a vitamin C deficiency, known as scurvy. Expert paediatrician Dr David Tuthill added that there was no evidence to suggest the eight year old was unable to eat a normal diet and that he had died from “an easily preventable disease”.

The coroner heard that Dylan had had normal home visits and immunisations up until he was 18 months old. However his parents had been unable to attend his three year check up and declined to rearrange. Although he was registered with local doctors and dentists, no appointments had ever been made.

Two weeks after Dylan’s death Glynn Seabridge told police he did not realise that Dylan was in need of medical attention and thought the pains in his legs were growing pains.

In October 2012 Glynn and Julie Seabridge failed to attend an appointment at the police station and they were arrested. Again they maintained they were not aware that Dylan needed medical attention. They said that he regularly drank orange juice and had been given Calpol in the weeks prior to his death. A police officer visiting their property counted 15 bottles of Calpol, which the Seabridges said they bought in bulk.

Neither Julie nor Glynn Seabridge attended the inquest. Solicitor Katy Hanson, read out evidence from two medical experts on their behalf which stated that Dylan’s symptoms could have been caused by conditions other than scurvy.

“The parents don’t accept that Dylan died of scurvy or that was the cause,” she said. “Given the evidence you have heard this morning, an open verdict would be the correct verdict in this case.”

No alternative cause of death was presented to the inquest.

Pembrokeshire coroner Mark Layton concluded that Dylan had died of scurvy.

“Dylan was admitted to hospital by ambulance after becoming poorly at his home address,” he said. “By the time the ambulance arrived Dylan was in cardiac arrest. A subsequent post mortem examination gave the cause of death as vitamin C deficiency, scurvy. That is what I find.”