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Woman who was hit and killed by train alongside baby daughter was 'let down by the state'
A QC will allege that a mother, who was hit and killed by a train along with her baby daughter at Taplow railway station, was let down by the state, which failed to react to her psychotic crisis, a coroner’s investigation heard on Wednesday.
Leighane Redmond, 27, and her daughter Melsadie Parris, 3, had been at the train station for a considerable period of time, a pre-inquest review into their deaths heard, before the incident on February 18.
Major Crime Detectives from British Transport Police had treated the case as a murder-suicide following the deaths and the results of their investigation would be aired during the full inquest at a later date.
However, a top lawyer representing Ms Redmond’s family argued the troubled mother and her daughter had been let down by the state, who had failed to uphold their right to life, as enshrined in article 2 of the European Convention of Human Rights.
Senior Coroner for Buckinghamshire, Crispin Butler was due to make a decision on whether there was an arguable breach of the mother and daughter’s article 2 rights for, which would mean their families could claim publicly funded legal representation.
Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC, representing Leighane’s mother Yvette Redmond - who was present at the inquest - and her family, said: “This was a very vulnerable woman with mental health issues, with multiple red flags in terms of psychosis with multiple agencies, who was not picked upsooner.
“A particular concern of my clients is in relation to how long they were at the train station prior to the incident and whether there was active monitoring of the CCTV.
"Dealing with the length of time they were there, in circumstances where activity such as someone remaining in place for an hour on a platform and not boarding a train, what should be done?”
Ms Gallagher asked the coroner to take a view on: “Whether the threshold has been crossed for considering whether there has been an arguable breach of the substantial obligations of article 2.
The state may bear any responsibilities for the death where any state bodies are or may be implicated.
“Leighane may have been suffering psychosis or psychotic symptoms in the months prior to her death. Leighane’s GP used the terms ‘psychosis’ to refer to her behaviour.”
The lawyer added Ms Redmond had been described by her family as going through a ‘psychotic crisis’ or ‘acute psychosis’ on December 24 last year.’’
“That gives rise to a higher than average risk of self-harm or suicide,” Ms Gallagher said.
“On the material seen so far, it is plainly arguable that she was in fact suffering psychosis or a psychotic episode from at least December 18.
“It is also very important because regrettably, in some ways, the gateway for any funding to enable legal representation for bereaved families is primarily whether this is an article 2 case.”
She added Melsadie’s father Leroy Parris, who was present at the inquest but unrepresented, should have the option for public funding for legal representation during the inquest.
The coroner said he’d allow the Oxford Trust seven days to provide submissions to him on whether the case was an article 2. He said he would then come to a decision.
Ms Gallagher said the family may wish to respond to any submissions made by the Trust, adding: “There are slightly different issues rising in relation to the mother and the child.”
There were 16 items before the coroner in terms of statements, one of them BTP’s major crime analysis.
Buckinghamshire County Council was expected to submit a serious case review, and the Oxfordshire Trust was to provide a root cause analysis.
A lawyer for the Oxfordshire Health NHS foundation trust was present at the pre-inquest review in Beaconsfield, and Ms Gallagher argued Ms Redmond’s GP and social services should be contacted and offered the choice of being interested persons.
Ms Gallagher also said the Redmond family wished to provide ‘pen portraits’ of Melsadie and her mother in a commemoration before the full inquest commenced, a rare practice which has taken place at major inquests such as those investigating the deaths of victims of the Hillsborough disaster and the London 7/7 bombings.
“This is an incredibly tragic and difficult situation”, Ms Gallagher said, “in which two lives have been cut short and we should commence the inquest in a recollection of these two individuals as people and their lives and the promise that has been cut short.”
Leroy Parris and his family were raising money in Melsadie’s memory to donate to Great Ormond Street Hospital on the crowdfunding website JustGiving.
Mr Parris had said in a tribute: “On Monday February 18 my beautiful three-year-old daughter Melsadie Adella-Rae Parris was cruelly taken away from me and my family with no warning, no reason or no explanation.
“No words can describe the feeling of excruciating pain a parent has to endure when coming to terms with losing their child and then having to find the strength to plan their funeral to say goodbye in the weeks to follow is truly heartbreaking.
“Melsadie was a very happy, clever and loving child who had such a bright future ahead of her. She loved to learn how to do new things whether it was a fun activity or an educational task.
“As heartbreaking as this is I am so proud that in such a short period of time my little girl had managed to touch so many people’s lives, which made her such a special child. We will all miss her terribly.”
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Last updated by System Admin on 27th August, 2018