FAMILY FURY AT INQUEST VERDICT (From Warrington Guardian)

FAMILY FURY AT INQUEST VERDICT

GRIEF-stricken parents may demand a judicial review after an inquest jury returned an open verdict on the death of their manic depressive son.

The body of Andrew McDonald, aged 28, was found lying face down in a farmer's field after he had escaped from a psychiatric ward at Leighton Hospital on January 6 last year.

The artist, from Close Lane, Alsager, drowned in a pool of water at Hoolegrave Farm, half a mile away from the hospital towards Church Minshull.

Andrew had forced his way past staff and visitors on ward 20 after a door, which was usually kept locked, was opened for a locum doctor to leave.

Dr Jonathan Cadman grabbed Andrew by the arm to prevent him leaving but, after the patient swung a punch which narrowly missed him, Dr Cadman was told by a staff nurse to let him go and they would phone the police.

At Wednesday's inquest, being re-heard after a jury failed to reach a verdict last October, Andrew MacDonald's family staged a dramatic walk-out when Coroner John Hibbert said he could not offer the jury possible verdicts of misadventure contributed to by neglect or accident contributed to by neglect.

"Neglect doesn't exist in this case. The coroner's court is here to ascertain facts and if there's an issue of negligence it should be argued in a court of law," he said.

Speaking after the verdict, at Crewe Magistrates on Wednesday, mother Norma McDonald said she was angry because neglect verdicts had been offered to the previous jury.

"We are not very happy at all with the decision because the coroner this time only gave the jury two options," she said.

"It's most unfair and we are going to consult our solicitors tomorrow. We are considering a judicial review, but we don't know yet."

The inquest, which lasted nearly five hours, heard evidence from Police Constable Roger Salt, the officer first alerted to Andrew's disappearance, who said the nurses on duty didn't immediately report him as a missing person.

"The impression that I got was that they weren't unduly concerned about his safety," he said.

"The male staff nurse said he didn't wish to report Andrew officially missing and that he thought he would return of his own accord and would contact us in 24 hours if he hadn't."

But staff nurse David Kendrick said he had known Andrew for four years and was very concerned for his safety.

"I said I thought from the police's point of view that someone had to be missing for 24 hours before they could be classed as 'missing,'" he said.

"I explained that he could be very unpredictable and was very concerned they didn't end up with a scenario where they were dragging him back to the ward."

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