Hospital failed car plunge man, claim

Aug 1 2008 by Paul Loraine, The Journal

THE family of a man who plunged 120ft to his death in a taxi he hijacked at knifepoint yesterday claimed he did not receive the care he was due at a North East hospital the day before he died.

Stephen Heslop, from Marsden, smashed through safety barriers at the top of cliffs at the Marsden Grotto car park in South Shields, South Tyneside, on Boxing Day last year.

On Christmas Eve, he had taken an overdose of prescribed medication and was rushed to South Tyneside District Hospital.

A ‘Deliberate Self Harm Assessment’ was carried out by psychiatrist Dr Krishnadas on Christmas Day to determine the best way of managing 22-year-old Mr Heslop’s depression.

It was decided he was medically and mentally fit to go home, though an appointment was arranged for December 27 and he was given a number for the crisis team at the hospital.

At an inquest into the death yesterday, at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court in South Shields, a spokesman for Mr Heslop’s family, said: “He asked for help. He didn’t get admitted and he didn’t get the help.”

Dr Krishnadas, who carried out the self harm assessment on Mr Heslop, said he believed him to be a relatively low risk patient.

The inquest continues today.