Victims and their families’ despair
WE WANT ANSWERS
HUNTINGTON’S disease sufferer Christine Sonko died unexpectedly in the spring from a bleed on the brain. The motherof-four’s husband Ebrima, said his wife, 54, had been assigned one-on-one nursing at Rapkyns Nursing Home near Horsham and had to wear a safety helmet. The supermarket attendant, 47, said: ‘I’ve had no real explanation as to what happened to my wife. It is very disappointing as you put your trust in the home to take care of her and I feel let down. I have faith in the coroner and the police to get to the bottom of what has happened in that home. We do need answers, the family is unhappy but we will wait for the process to conclude.’
2 FALLS, THEN SHE DIED
GRANDMOTHER Valerie Tilley had two falls in three days before she died in November last year after suffering a fractured skull. The retired insurance agent, 79, had dementia and had been at the Longfield Manor home in Billingshurst near Horsham for five months. Her son Adrian Tilley, 56, said he still did not know how she had fallen and died. The plumber added: ‘We need answers. The public have the right to know.’
THREE YOUNG VICTIMS
THE deaths of three severely disabled young men are part of the police investigation into Sussex Health Care. A 22-year-old is understood to have died at Rapkyns Care Centre near Horsham on a weekend stay arranged every three months to give his mother a break from caring for him full-time. A 21-year-old man – also on a respite care stay – died of pneumonia before Christmas last year. A 20- year- old man’s death late last year is also being looked at.
BROKEN LEGS AGONY
TWO severely disabled men suffered broken legs at one home within a few days. Matthew Bates, 33, had his right thigh bone broken two years ago at Beech Lodge, while gary Lewis, 65, had his left leg broken. Both were taken to hospital within 24 hours in April 2015. The injuries are not part of the current investigation, and there is no evidence of wrongdoing. Mark Bates said his son – who has cerebral palsy – suffered in silence for 15 hours before paramedics were called. He said: ‘I can only imagine it would have been horrendous for him.’ Martyn Lewis said the injury nearly killed his brother, adding: ‘It was a very close call.’