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Patient's rapid decline led to fatal attack
14 Jul
Summary
- Man, 19, strangled hospital patient, 63, hours after admission.
- Attacker's condition 'deteriorated very rapidly' before the incident.
- Inquest heard of growing concerns over unpredictable behavior.
An inquest is examining the circumstances surrounding the death of Richard Laversuch, 63, who was strangled by fellow patient Owen Herbert, 19, at Parklands Hospital in November 2021. Herbert, admitted to a low-risk ward, had been sectioned after experiencing urges to kill. His condition, according to his care coordinator Donna Norris-Farmer, deteriorated rapidly, showing increasingly unpredictable behavior.
Norris-Farmer testified that she and Herbert's parents grew alarmed by his deteriorating mental state. During a visit on November 26, 2021, she found him "acutely unwell" and considered the risk to be escalating. Despite his opposition to hospitalization, the decision was made to continue community support with frequent reassessments.
Shortly after Norris-Farmer left, Herbert's parents contacted her, unable to manage his unpredictable actions and control a weapon. This led to a request for an urgent mental health act assessment for Herbert. Herbert was later given an indefinite hospital order in 2023 after pleading guilty to manslaughter.
