Mental Health

Larry Fedja

Grieving mum: ‘More evidence needed on anti-psychotic drugs’

Jonathan Maliasource: The Voice Online
published: 21 October 2014

The family of a physically healthy young man who died after being restrained on a mental health ward has vowed to continue fighting for justice after an inquest returned a “natural causes” verdict.

Jonathan Malia sought help for bipolar disorder in January 2013 and was transferred to the private Cygnet Hospital in Stevenage Hertfordshire.

It is thought the 24-year-old died from a heart attack caused by a blood clot. But relatives say they learnt that the father-of-one had injuries to both his head and arms when he arrived at hospital, which they believe were sustained in transit.

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Tippa Naphtali

Mental health triage to expand across W.Mids after successful pilot

unmarked ambulancesource: Mental Health Today
published: 10 October 2014

The mental health triage scheme, which sees psychiatric nurses attend with police officers to people suspected of being mentally unwell, is to be rolled out across the West Midlands after a successful pilot.

Since January, West Midlands Police officers have been crewed with psychiatric nurses and paramedics to answer calls in Birmingham and Solihull involving people believed to be experiencing mental ill health.

This has meant medical experts, rather than police officers, have been on hand to carry out assessments on individuals at the scene. They can also access patient records to determine if anyone they encounter is on medication or has previously experienced mental illness.

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Larry Fedja

Police officers in Sean Rigg death in custody case will not be prosecuted

Justice for Sean Riggsource: The Guardian
published: 7 October 2014

Two police officers whose evidence on oath about the death of a man in police custody was contradicted by CCTV evidence will not face criminal charges, prosecutors have said.

The officers were investigated following the death of Sean Rigg, a musician who died in 2008 after being arrested and restrained by police in south London.

Sgt Paul White and PC Mark Harratt were arrested on suspicion of lying at an inquest into the death of Rigg, and during interviews with investigators from the Independent Police Complaints Commission IPCC.

An inquest jury in 2012 found police actions had contributed to Rigg’s death, after he was held down in a V shape in a prone position for eight minutes. The inquest verdict followed a flawed first IPCC investigation, which exonerated officers.

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