Kamil Hubert: Three arrests after teenage boy, 16, killed while helping cut down tree

A 16-year-old boy was crushed to death by a tree that he was helping to cut down as a summer job.

The boy, named locally as Kamil Hubert, was killed by the 30ft tree a day after finishing his exams.

Police and paramedics were called to Nottinghamshire in the east Midlands of England on Saturday morning but Kamil was pronounced dead at the scene.

Two men aged 28 and 31 have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and a 28-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

All three remain in police custody. A neighbour, who lives close to where the tree fell on the border of two properties, said: “Apparently he had only finished school the day before, and this was some kind of summer job.

“He has somehow got in with these men, but they don’t sound very professional at all.

“They were using chainsaws, but obviously didn’t know much about health and safety, and it has cost the poor lad his life.”

Another woman, who lives nearby, said: “It’s really sad. We have been told he was helping a couple of guys cut the tree down when part of it has just come down and crushed him.

“There was a huge response from the emergency services but sadly they were unable to save him.

“It is a massive tree, about 30ft tall, and overhangs the garden of a house that has been empty and boarded up for years.”

She added: “It sounds like a tragic accident to be honest but people have to realise how dangerous something like trying to take down a big tree can actually be. They can weigh a ton.”

An online fundraiser to help pay for Kamil’s funeral has raised more than £5,000, with his mother Jadwiga Pawlowska writing on Facebook: “I will be very grateful for any help for my son. Please share the fundraiser and help us in this difficult time.”

She added: “Kamil was a kind and loving boy who was taken away from us way too early. If you can, please donate to help us give him the send off he deserves.”

Police described the death as a “tragic incident” and said his family was being supported by specially- trained officers.

Dozens also paid tribute online. Lisa Butterworth wrote that he was a “special young man”, adding: “Broke my heart when I was told this morning.

“You were always one of my favourites. So cheeky and pleasant. An honour to have met you. So glad it was my bus you travelled on. Gone too soon”.