The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Police took two calls about abandoned van before driver found
Man discovered dead at the wheel days after first alert
The family of a man found dead in his van days after police were first alerted to concerns about the vehicle say they hope “valuable lessons” have been learned after an official report identified failings in the force’s response.
David Penman, 46, was found dead in his work van, which was parked in a layby on a quiet country road in Dunipace, near Falkirk, on Thursday December 15 last year.
Police discovered him slumped in the driver’s seat, having died from carbon monoxide poisoning. There were no suspicious circumstances.
A police watchdog investigation found it took three separate calls to a control room on three separate days before officers attended and made the discovery.
The Police Investigations & Review Commissioner (Pirc) found there were clear inconsistencies in how the force’s Area Control Room (ACR) at Bilston Glen dealt with the reports and said important lessons must be learned.
Commissioner Kate Frame said it cannot be determined whether Mr Penman, who had suffered bouts of depression, would have lived if police had acted sooner.
She has sent her recommendations to the chief constable.
The Bilston Glen centre was previously criticised following the deaths of John Yuill and Lamara Bell in July 2015. The couple lay undiscovered for days after a crash on the M9 despite a sighting of the car being reported.
The watchdog probe reveals that Mr Penman’s van was spotted on Old Northfield Road by a local resident on December 13. He contacted police with concerns the van may be stolen as he had seen it parked there three days earlier.
A computer check by staff at the ACR found that the vehicle was not stolen and a police officer closed the incident.
Another member of the public called Bilston Glen the next day, reporting similar concerns, but the report was dealt with by the same officer and no further action was taken.
A third call was made by another person at about 7am on Thursday December 15 about a lorry in the area. Officers, who were dispatched to the scene at about 11am, were unable to find the lorry but came across Mr Penman’s van around 50 minutes later.