20 Jul £300,000 Settlement Against Leicestershire Police for breach of the Human Rights Act

Gold Jennings solicitors representing SP, the widow of a prison officer, has settled a civil claim for breach of the Human Rights Act for £300,000.

In September 2019, our client’s husband was on his way home after a night out with colleagues when he tripped and fell breaking his neck. He lay motionless in the early hours of the morning moaning and crying out in pain. This prompted a 999 call to Leicestershire Police from a neighbour that was wrongly categorised as a Grade 2 when the police later admitted it should have been a Grade 1 call. As a result, police officers were late attending the scene and failed to find him. He subsequently died of his injuries.

Gold Jennings represented SP in both the inquest and civil claim.  The evidence showed that if the 999 call had been correctly graded, police officers would have attended the scene much sooner, and would have been very likely to find our client’s husband before he died. The expert pathologist’s evidence was clear, if he had been found alive, it is probable that he would have survived the ordeal. The Coroner sitting with a jury found failings by Leicestershire Police which were likely to have contributed to the death.

Matthew Gold who represented SP states “I am very pleased that Leicestershire Police has been held to account during the inquest for the serious failings which resulted in the tragic death of our client’s much-loved husband. It has taken almost four years to obtain justice, to establish the failings, for the police to learn lessons and to obtain a settlement.  I have been asked not to name the family for reasons of anonymity.”

Nick Brown, barrister at Doughty Street Chambers represented SP.