A TEENAGE boy died after taking heroin.

An inquest heard a 999 call that said the woman he called mum had given him the drug.

But that was denied by witnesses at the inquest yesterday. The court heard that questions remained over the 16-year-old's death.

Swansea coroner Phillip Rogers recorded an open verdict on the death of Kyle Bates, of Villiers Street, Hafod, saying he was not satisfied that Kyle had taken the heroin himself, but could not be sure "beyond reasonable doubt" that it had been given to him.

Kyle died on January 29, 2008, after contracting bronchopneumonia, and taking a number of drugs which, when combined, had potentially fatal levels of morphine.

Yesterday's inquest heard the drugs Kyle had taken would have exacerbated breathing problems caused by the medical condition.

The inquest heard how Kyle — a heavy user for more than a year — had been in heroin withdrawal.

And much of the inquest evidence centred around the recording of the 999 call to the ambulance service.

During the call, Kyle's neighbour Helen Clarke told a policeman attempting CPR: "He hasn't had any heroin for three days. His mother bought a bag today so we put it into him and he was talking fine.

"Then all of a sudden we came up to check on him and found him like this."

Sandra Micaleff, who was Kyle's legal guardian after his biological mother gave him up, denied buying Kyle heroin to ease his withdrawal, and administering it. She said he must have taken heroin which was already in his stash.

The court heard from a number of witnesses, including serving prisoner Samuel Bevan, a statement from his brother Scott, and Miss Clarke and her former fiance Jonathan Harding, who had been in Kyle's house when he died.

Miss Clarke told the court that she couldn't say why she had said Mrs Micaleff had given Kyle heroin.

She said: "I just was completely traumatised that day. I'm so sorry. Sandra's a good mother, she did help Kyle with his habit, but she would never hurt her child that way. She may have helped him by giving him money, by selling things, but she'd never inject him, I wouldn't do it, and Jonathan wouldn't do it.

"I didn't know what I was saying or doing, and I apologise for that."

Mr Rogers, while summing up, said: "There are issues with the evidence that are very hard to reconcile."