Probe into why dad was allowed to lie dead in van
Police Scotland’s handling of case under scrutiny
An investigation has been launched after a man reportedly lay dead in a van several days after police were contacted about the vehicle.
The body of 46-year-old fatherof-three David Penman, from Denny, was discovered in the van in a passing place on the road to Northfield, Dunipace on Thursday (December 15).
Police received calls from members of the public concerned about the vehicle, which was parked on a rural road close to Boards Quarry, between December 13 and December 15 when Mr Penman’s body was found.
In a statement, Mr Penman’s family said: “David was a muchloved father, son and brother, and as a family we are devastated by his loss. We are now trying to come to terms with this loss.”
Mr Penman’s partner Ann Skinner, 46, said he had been in good spirits when he left home but was still struggling to come to terms with the death of his 21-year-old son who died in an accident involving a forklift truck several years ago.
Events leading up to the discovery of Mr Penman’s body in the van are still being investigated but it is understood he had not been reported as a missing person and the van had not been involved in a road traffic collision.
Police Scotland’s handling of the case is being investigated by the Police Investigations Review Commissioner (PIRC).
They will want to know why police failed to check out the vehicle following the calls of concern from the public.
A spokeswoman for the PIRC said: “The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has instructed the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) to carry out an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of a 46-year-old man following the discovery of his body in Dunipace, near Denny, on Thursday, December 15.
“A report on the commissioner’s findings will be submitted to the COPFS in due course.”
Superintendent Martin Fotheringham, of Police Scotland, said: “We will provide any necessary assistance to the PIRC as they conduct their investigation and we await the outcome of their report.
“Our thoughts are with the gentleman’s family at this time.”
Mr Penman’s body was found only miles from the spot off the M9, near Stirling, where the tragedy involving John Yuill and Lamara Bell occurred.
They had been travelling back from a camping weekend at Lochearnhead when their Renault Clio left the motorway.
The couple lay inside their crashed car for three days after police failed to answer a 101 report of the crash from a member of the public.
Mr Yuill is thought to have died in the crash while Ms Bell succumbed to her injuries four days after her body was discovered.
The incident led to major investigations being carried out into the failure by Police Scotland to respond to reports of the crash.
Assistant Chief Constable Kate Thomson, speaking in July this year following a review by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland (HMICS) into police call handling arrangements, insisted the lessons of the M9 tragedy had been learned.
Willie Rennie, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, demanded a thorough investigation into what happened at Dunipace.
He said: “It sends shivers down the spine to have another failureto-respond case so close to the scene of the M9 crash last year.
“The circumstances may be different but failing to respond to such an incident requires a thorough investigation. We need to know the role of Bilston Glen call centre, which was implicated in the M9 incident. We also need to know whether an overstretched and under-resourced police front line was a contributory factor.”