Flicker of TV set kills Nichola, 12

BY STEPHEN HULL

We told her not to get too close to TV'

A GIRL of 12 has died from an epileptic fit thought to have been brought on by a flickering TV screen. The body of Nichola Coombs was found slumped in the living room by her stepfather Ian Puncher. She suffocated after falling to her knees, with her head in a flower pot, as he bent down to change a video. Mr Puncher tried to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. 'I found her on her knees by the TV,' said the 41-year-old, who was held up in traffic and was home half-an-hour later than usual.
'Her head was in a flower pot and her mouth and nose were covered so she was starved of oxygen.' His two sons, Robert and Chris. called for an ambulance and an operator relayed first aid instructions before a 999 crew arrived. 'They were here really quickly and spent hour trying to revive her,' said Mr Puncher. 'Then they took her into the ambulance but there was nothing they could do.'
Nichola, from Bridport, Dorset, spoke to her mother, Maija. 50 minutes before Mr Puncher came home She was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of seven and suffered several minor fits while watching TV. 'Because of her epilepsy, we told her not to get too close to the TV and just watch it from a chair,' said Mr Puncher. 'But on this occasion, something must have caught her attention. 'She looked at it, catching a flickering light which brought the fit on.her mother,39,said: 'Some people go into really big spasms, but Nichola only had little shocks. We usually put her on her side and let her come out of it in her own way. 'She touched everybody's hearts. She was mischievous but had those eyes - butter wouldn't melt.' A funeral for Nichola, who died a on Friday.

Fear adds up to maths 'dyslexia'

MATHS anxiety could be the reason some people struggle with sums according to psychologists The mental block interferes with the brain's memory, making even simple arithmetic impossible. Researcher Dr Sheila Ford, from Staffordshire University, said: 'Maths is precise- either right or wrong. The fear of getting an answer wrong may trigger maths anxiety in children.
[The Metro Apr4,2006]