Chances were missed to help knifeman who killed sister

THE Black Country coroner will write to a hospital demanding action over “missed opportunities” to help a knifeman who went on to stab his sister to death before turning the knife on himself.

Zafar Siddique said he would contact the Royal Edinburgh Hospital expressing his concerns over the care and aftercare of patients after the deaths of Melvin James and his sister Anne-Marie on March 8 this year. Police raced to a tower block in Leasowes Drive, Wolverhampton, after their mother, Lynette James, rang 999 saying she had been stabbed and thought she was dying.

Anne-Marie, 33, had already been fatally stabbed and was lying on the floor by the front door with 17 knife injuries. James, a 36-year-old care worker, died from multiple injuries after stabbing himself more than 80 times. Lynette survived.

An inquest heard James had been a patient at the Royal Edinburgh for a week from February 4, after police found him walking without shoes.

Dr Norman Nuttall, consultant psychiatrist at the Edinburgh hospital, told jurors the patient “appeared to be acutely medically unwell”. He had been aggressive towards staff and claimed he was a robot ‘Transformer’ and his father was the character Optimus Prime.

Tests revealed he had opiates in his system and staff believed he was suffering from drug-induced psychosis.

James was given the anxiety drug Lorazepam but discharged after his mood improved over the next week. He was allowed to leave hospital without his family being given any advice on his mental healthcare, and with no aftercare in place.

Dr Nuttall told jurors it was “unfortunate” no formal handover of care had taken place with Melvin’s family.

In a narrative verdict, the jury said: “There were three missed opportunities. There was a lack of advice given to Melvin’s family by staff at the hospital. Records of conversations between staff and family were not recorded, and there was no follow-up aftercare in place.”

Coroner Mr Siddique said: “I am going to write a report to the hospital conveying my concerns about the lack of advice and support offered to Melvin’s family when he was discharged and the lack of aftercare.”