House party burns victim died in ‘spray tan prank’

Steven Simpson was apparently celebrating his 18th birthday at his home in Pleasant View, Cudworth, last Friday night when the incident occurred.

Emergency services were called to the scene at around 2.20am last Saturday and found the victim, who is thought to have been autistic, seriously injured.

He was taken to Barnsley Hospital and later transferred to Wakefield’s Pinderfields Hospital where he died on Sunday.

Earlier this week, Mr Simpson’s family released a statement speaking of their devastation and describing him as a “lovely young man who will be missed by everyone”.

Police arrested six people, including three teenagers, on suspicion of attempted murder. A 16-year-old girl was released owing to insufficient evidence while the other five were bailed.

A post-mortem examination was carried out on Tuesday but the results have not yet been released.