The twin sister of a six-year-old boy who died in a pellet gun incident sat on top of the horse-drawn hearse carrying his coffin as it arrived for his funeral with an honour guard of stormtroopers and superheroes.
Football-mad Stanley Metcalf’s friends and family gathered for the service in Hull a month after he died in an incident at a house in Sproatley, East Yorkshire.
His coffin was carried into the Chanterlands Avenue Crematorium on Wednesday in a horse-drawn hearse.
On top, behind the driver of the two white horses, was his twin sister Elsie May.
Like many others attending the funeral, Elsie May was dressed in a Hull City football shirt with “Stanley” and the number six on its back.
Other members of Stanley’s family followed the hearse in cars as it passed an honour guard of four Star Wars stormtroopers, Iron Man and Captain America.
The characters then led the cortege through the crematorium grounds to the service and stood guard as the coffin was carried into the chapel.
Both the horses pulling the hearse were adorned with Hull City flags and a football of flowers in the club’s black and amber colours had been placed on the coffin itself.
Stanley’s name was spelled out in flowers along the side of the hearse.
The private service was followed by a family fun day in the city to remember Stanley.
In a statement issued through Humberside Police ahead of the funeral, Stanley’s family said: “We are absolutely devastated and completely heartbroken without Stanley and it still doesn’t feel real we won’t see his happy, smiling face again.
“There are no real words to express how the loss of Stanley has affected us and we all miss him so much.
“He was so vibrant and full of energy, a typical six-year-old boy who just wanted to have fun and enjoy life, and he adored playing football.”
It added: “The condolences and support we have received has been incredibly touching and we would like to thank everyone, friends, the general public and the media, for their kind words and sensitivity during what is such an emotional and devastating time for us.
“Stanley’s funeral will be a day dedicated to him and for him, he is all that matters.”
The statement concluded: “Stanley was a loving, caring and beautiful boy, and there is a huge gap in all our lives now that will just never be filled.”
A Humberside Police spokeswoman said: “An investigation is ongoing and various voluntary interviews have been conducted by officers to assist with inquiries. No arrests have been made.”
Detectives have said Stanley was visiting family when the incident happened on July 26. He was taken to hospital with serious injuries and died later the same day.
An inquest into Stanley’s death was opened and adjourned earlier this month.
Senior coroner Professor Paul Marks was told that a post-mortem examination revealed Stanley’s cause of death to be “airgun projectile wound to abdomen”.
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