A POPULAR Southampton youngster known for her “wonderful smile” died after suffering from a fatal asthma attack, an inquest heard.

Shanique Edwards, who was diagnosed with asthma aged four months, died just hours after being sent home from school after becoming wheezy and suffering from headaches.

The eight-year-old was found collapsed on the bathroom floor of her grandmother’s Woolston home but despite attempts to resuscitate her she died later in hospital.

Southampton Coroners’ Court heard how Shanique, of Ellwood Avenue, Thornhill, had woken up on the morning of November 16 in good health and that she “was happy and running and skipping around”.

But during a visit to her GP, with her mum Keesha, for an unrelated matter, she started to become “a bit wheezy”.

However, after taking a few puffs of her inhaler, she seemed to recover and was dropped off at Ludlow Junior School at 10.20am.

But just after noon the school called grandmother Noreen to come and take Shanique home as they couldn’t get hold of her mum and the youngster had been to the office several times for her inhaler and “did not look well”.

Once back at her grandmother’s home she was put to bed but continued to suffer from headaches and wheezing.

It was when she got up to go to the toilet that her grandmother heard a loud bang and as she went running to the bathroom she found her granddaughter face down on the floor.

She tried to resuscitate the youngster, who was then taken to Southampton General Hospital, but she died at 2.40pm.

Pathologist Dr Samantha Holden told the hearing that acute asthma had been the cause of Shanique’s death.

Coroner Keith Wiseman said: “Shanique’s death was obviously a very considerable shock particularly to her family but also, of course, to her school.

I think she was a very well-liked child.

“I would like to express my personal condolences to the family. Today I think was too difficult a day for them.”

He recorded a verdict of death by natural causes.