Woman killed by neighbour was let down by mental health services
STAFF RECEIVED FOUR REPORTS ABOUT MAN’S ODD BEHAVIOUR
A WOMAN who was stabbed to death by her mentally ill neighbour was let down by mental health staff who failed to assess him despite FOUR separate reports of his ‘odd’ behaviour.
Maylyn Couperthwaite, 52, died after being attacked by Oliver Faughey at her home in Bury in February 2016 after he waged a long-running campaign of harassment against her and her mother.
Faughey, who was 63 at the time and lived next door to Maylyn’s bungalow on Woodward Close, Bury, previously claimed she had a hole in her wall to see into his home, the inquest heard.
Faughey believed his neighbours had installed cameras in the loft to spy on him and had hacked into his broadband.
Maylyn’s mother, Audrey Couperthwaite, who lived with her, and was her carer, told a jury at an inquest into Maylyn’s death how they complained for years about Faughey’s ‘odd’ behaviour, but police ‘responded poorly.’
The jury concluded mental health services failed to act on referrals and police did not share details of Faughey’s violent offences.
Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust admitted care fell below its usual standards.
Bury Council’s arm’s length housing association Six Town Housing was criticised for failing to invite mental health services to a meeting to discuss issues around Faughey’s behaviour.
The jury at Rochdale Coroners’ Court returned a verdict of death by unlawful killing.
Faughey, a paranoid schizophrenic, was jailed for life at Manchester Crown Court in September 2016 with a recommendation he serve at least 10 years.
He admitted the manslaughter of Maylyn in April 2016 and the grievous bodily harm of her mother Audrey, 80, who was stabbed and badly injured during the attack.
Audrey Couperthwaite said had authorities listened to her concerns “they would have found that man needed help”.
Assistant coroner for north Manchester Peter Sigee read out a narrative verdict from the jury.
It found mental health services failed to adequately follow up on formal referrals and should have taken decisive action to instigate mental health assessments of Faughey to highlight any risk of harm to himself and others.
The sharing of information between multi-agencies involved was inadequate.
The jury concluded: “Three psychiatrists have given their professional opinions that they felt at the time of the incident the neighbour was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.
“Four separate referrals sent to mental health services were not acted upon sufficiently and record keeping did not link these referrals.
“A formal mental health assessment should have been undertaken as a result of the first referral made in October 2010.
“Police have failed to share all relevant information and records between themselves and multiagencies in regard to the neighbour’s violent offences.
“Detailed housing records were not satisfactorily shared with the relevant agencies, for instance mental health services not being asked to attend a multi-agency meeting in January 2012.
“Previous tenancy records were not available to housing which would have highlighted previous long standing concerns.”
A GMP spokesperson said they accepted the findings of the inquest and since Maylyn’s death they had reviewed their practices.
Dr Henry Ticehurst, Medical Director at Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust said: “We fully accept the coroner’s findings and deeply apologise that the care provided on this occasion fell below the high standards we set ourselves.”
The trust had made “significant improvements, particularly around assessing referrals and risk, record keeping and safeguarding”.
The M.E.N. has asked Six Town Housing for a comment.