Mum 'choked to death in marshmellow-eating contest in front of horrified crowd'

Accountant Natalie Buss, 37, was taking part in a fundraiser at Beddau RFC near Pontypridd in South Wales when she choked on marshmallows during a game for parents

A mum choked to death in a marshmallow-eating contest to find who could hold the most in their mouths, it was said in a hearing today.

Accountant Natalie Buss, 37, was called up by the DJ to take part in the contest at a party held to raise funds for the under-10s rugby team her son played for. She swallowed handfuls of the dozens of pink and white marshmallows lined up on the podium - but collapsed when she left the stage.

Paramedics were called as members of the audience including an off-duty nurse tried to help while a woman ran to a nearby school to fetch a defibrillator. But Mrs Buss couldn't be saved and the audience was left in shock with many in tears.

A pre-inquest hearing heard the event was held by popular entertainer Christopher Gibbons, 34, at Beddau RFC near Pontypridd in South Wales. Known as “Roly-Poly", he was described as an "established entertainer" and has hosted hundreds of parties as a DJ and entertainer for more than 15 years. It heard he has "since decided to stop introducing the game to people" since the marshmallow tragedy.

Mrs Buss won a bingo game where she was called up for the marshmallow contest. In the game, contestants were given a time limit of 60 seconds to see how many marshmallows they could swallow as they were cheered on by family and friends in the clubhouse.

Mr Gibbons has been interviewed by police - and the hearing was told he will give evidence to a full jury at an inquest at a later time. Rugby club Beddau RFC said the club and community were "heartbroken" following the tragic death of Natalie Buss. In a statement, the club said: "Everybody associated with Beddau RFC and within the community is nothing less than devastated at the weekend's tragic accident and we struggle to comprehend the sense of loss people are feeling.

"This said, we must acknowledge our loss pales into insignificance in comparison to the loss of a lady who was a wonderful wife, mother and daughter to what was an absolutely tragic turn of events. As a club we send out our sincerest, heartfelt condolences to all the family, the close friends and to all those that this has so badly impacted - you are all in our thoughts today.”

The inquest will hear from Mrs Buss’ husband Elliott Buss, Mr Gibbons, and two paramedics who were present at the scene on the evening Mrs Buss died. Her GP Dr Kate Spencer will also be called to give evidence of her health.

At the time, local Labour MP Alex Davies-Jones said: "My heart goes out to all those affected and my thoughts are with their family and friends. If there is anything I can do to help anyone who might be impacted, please get in touch."

Coroner Gavin Knox told the hearing at Pontypridd Coroners’ Court the scope of the inquest would "focus on risk assessment and risk mitigation relating to the game". He said it would assess what happened while she played the game as well as the cause of death - and the "appropriateness" of the entertainment provided at the club.

Mr Knox said he would feel “mandated to sit with a jury” for the inquest which is likely to be heard next year. He explained to the court he must sit with a jury if he had reason to suspect Mrs Buss’ death could have resulted from a “notifiable accident”. It has been reported to the Health and Safety Executive for investigation.

Mr Knox told her family he could not organise a full inquest for at least six months due to a backlog in jury inquests partly as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. He apologised to Mrs Buss' family and said he would decide on a date as soon as possible.