I won’t let people forget about him, vows mum of Lee
‘I’LL USE HIS NAME TO HELP SAVE OTHERS’
THE mum of murdered Lee Irving has vowed to use her son’s name to save others after a bid to get his inquest reopened failed.
Vulnerable Lee, who suffered from profound learning difficulties, was killed by evil James Wheatley, who befriended the 24-year-old before subjecting him to a prolonged campaign of horrific violence.
Lee’s mum Bev has always believed opportunities to keep 24-year-old Lee safe were missed because his vulnerabilities were not recognised and he was treated as an adult when he had the mental capacity of a child.
Earlier this year the Chronicle revealed how Bev had applied to the Newcastle Coroner to have Lee’s inquest reopened in the hope that the full circumstances leading to his death in 2015 could be heard in public. But the 49-year-old has now been told that because Lee was unlawfully killed and died more than five years ago a new hearing will not be possible.
Determined Bev has however vowed to fight on to raise awareness of just how much danger vulnerable adults can be. And she hopes that one day those who target the disabled will be held in as much contempt as criminals who groom children.
Bev said: “People don’t realise how vulnerable adults can be. Even parents of vulnerable adults don’t realise how much danger they can be.
“The majority of adults that are killed are vulnerable and have been involved with safeguarding or social services. Targeting them is as bad as grooming children in my eyes. Lee was groomed, he was used as a slave.
“People need to talk about this more, it should be taken more seriously.” Lee grew up in the West Denton area of Newcastle with Bev and his three brothers, Joe, Charlie and Owen. He was identified as having severe speech and learning difficulties at an early age, and was educated at the Percy Hedley School, which caters for children with additional needs.
Trusting Lee was befriended by Wheatley in 2014. He began spending time at the Kenton Bar home Wheatley shared with his mum Julie Mills, sometimes disappearing for long periods.
Bev said she would regularly report her son missing to the police and other agencies, but was repeatedly told that because Lee was an adult he was free to go where he pleased.
But the horrifying reality was that Lee was being held captive and abused by Wheatley, while his mum, girlfriend and their lodger were present.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how Lee was beaten and sedated with drugs, including morphine, to prevent him escaping his captors. After he died, his body was wheeled in a pushchair and dumped near to the A1 in Fawdon.
He had suffered a catalogue of injuries, likened to those seen in car crash casualties, including 27 rib fractures. Wheatley was found guilty of murder and jailed for life with a minimum of 23 years behind bars.
Mills was jailed for 10 years and Wheatley’s girlfriend Nicole Lawrence for seven, after both were found guilty of perverting the course of justice and causing or allowing the death of a vulnerable adult.
Wheatley’s lodger Barry Imray was also found guilty of allowing Lee’s
death and jailed for three years. In 2017 Newcastle City Council published a serious case review, which highlighted failings and missed opportunities to save Lee.
The report, prepared by Newcastle Safeguarding Adults Board, revealed despite repeated pleas from family members little was done to help Lee after he was targeted by Wheatley.
But Bev believes the review did not go far enough, and she had hoped a new inquest would shed light on why the danger Lee was in was not fully recognised or understood.
And the heartbroken mum is now coming to terms with the fact that there may be some things she will never know about her beloved sons death.
“The failures with what happened to Lee haven’t all been revealed,” said Bev. “If a vulnerable adult is killed people forget about them, but I won’t let people forget about Lee. “
Bev’s MP Catherine Mckinnell is also pushing for change.
The Newcastle North MP says she has written to the Attorney General calling for changes to be made to the way agencies handle concerns raised about vulnerable people, in a bid to prevent other families from suffering the same agony.
She said: “Since Lee’s horrific and tragic murder, I have been supporting Bev and her family. I led a debate in Parliament highlighting Lee’s case and the need for greater action to be taken against those committing offences fuelled by disability hate.
“I have worked with Bev in calling for greater protections for families when raising concerns about vulnerable loved ones being exploited, and earlier this year again contacted the Attorney General calling for changes in the way such cases are handled by agencies when concerns are raised.
“I will continue to support Lee’s family in calling for these changes to seek to prevent any other family going through what Bev and her family have had to endure.”