A west Auckland teenager who died after being punched at a rugby training session in 2013 had an underlying heart problem, with the stress of the assault inducing a heart attack, a coroner has found.
Stephen Dudley Photo: SUPPLIED
Stephen Dudley, 15, died in June 2013, after a pair of brothers he went to school with attacked him.
The two brothers charged over his death were discharged without conviction a year later and have permanent name suppression.
The name of the school has also been suppressed.
In a report released today, the coroner recommended the school in question develop a CPR training program and said the Ministry of Education should form guidelines on the use of defibrillators.
John Munro, the lawyer for one of the brothers involved, said the coroner's finding had no bearing on the question of criminal liability and did not affect the discharge without conviction.
