An eight-year-old boy was killed with a shotgun during a rabbit shooting expedition, an inquest hearing was told.

Jay Cartmell suffered fatal injuries to his head and face on land near Warcop in Cumbria on September 28. He died in hospital the same day.

Dr Nicholas Shaw, assistant coroner for Cumbria, opened and adjourned the inquest into Jay’s death during a brief hearing at Cockermouth Coroner’s Court, Cumbria.

He said the adjournment was to allow police to investigate, with a man in his 60s currently on bail having been arrested at the scene of Jay’s death on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.

Dr Shaw said Jay, from Frizington, Cumbria, was rushed by air ambulance to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle for emergency treatment, where he was later pronounced dead.

He added: “The brief circumstances, it has been widely reported by the press, Jay sadly sustained a serious injury during a shooting, a rabbit shooting expedition, a suspected shotgun injury and was flown to Newcastle but sadly died.

“Police have started an investigation, investigating somebody, possibly for gross negligence manslaughter. At the moment it is left to the police to investigate.

“If charges are brought as a result of this and a court case concludes, we would then consider whether we need to re-open the case.

“The case is now adjourned to await the result of the police investigation.”

Leigha and James Cartmell, the boy’s parents, described their son as “loving, kind and full of mischief”.

In a tribute issued through Cumbria Police after his death, they said: “We are heartbroken at the passing of our perfect little boy – Jay Cartmell, eight years.

“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’.

“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 one years.”

They also told of how Jay enjoyed fishing and rabbiting with his father and helped care for the family pets, including four lurchers, five ferrets and his own bearded dragon named Spike.