Police inspector guilty of misconduct after psychiatric patient killed by train

Telegraph

3 days ago

A police inspector has been found guilty of misconduct after a psychiatric patient was killed by a train.
Insp Collin Baker, a West Midlands Police officer, has been given a written warning over decisions made in the search for Matthew Caseby, 23, who was hit by a train near Birmingham's University railway station in September 2020.
Mr Caseby, who lived in London, had absconded from the city's Priory Hospital Woodbourne by climbing over a courtyard fence and died 15 hours later.
He had been detained under the Mental Health Act after running onto railway tracks near Oxford five days before his death.
Insp Baker was found guilty of misconduct by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) at a private meeting on Wednesday, after being accused of dismissing information when deciding whether there was a high risk of serious harm.
He assessed Mr Caseby as being medium risk, meaning the search was paused overnight.
His risk was reassessed as high the next morning, but he died two hours later, when his father Richard was just 200 yards away.
'Utterly negligent'
Richard Caseby told The Times: 'Baker was utterly negligent about Matthew's acute vulnerability. He dismissed the overwhelming evidence he was given that our son was at serious risk.
'Baker has steadfastly refused to acknowledge any failure in his decisions that terrible night. During my own search I flagged down three police cars just a mile from the hospital and no officer knew anything about my son's escape. Now I know why.'
The inquest jury, which heard the University of Birmingham graduate should have been under constant observation but was left unattended, concluded that death was contributed to by neglect.
The IOPC meeting found misconduct was 'proven in respect of a breach of duties and responsibilities when it was found the inspector may not have included relevant information within his decision making and/or dismissed information when deciding that Matthew was a medium risk missing person'.
The officer has been given a written warning to last for 18 months.
An IOPC spokesperson said: 'Our thoughts and sympathies remain with Matthew Caseby's family and everyone affected by his sad death.
'We examined the initial risk assessments and further reviews by officers; the actions taken to try and find Matthew and what consideration was given to concerns and information Matthew's parents shared with the force.'
The IOPC said it had identified learnings for the West Midlands force in respect of procedures for investigating missing persons deemed to be medium risk, particularly on overnight shifts, with fewer staff on duty.
A spokeswoman for West Midlands Police, who also declined to name the officer involved, said: 'Our thoughts remain with Matthew Caseby's family and friends.
'A misconduct meeting took place yesterday and the officer received a written warning to remain on his file for 18 months. We note the recommendations made by the IOPC and the outcome of their investigation.'