Medics failed man who killed his grandmother, Blackpool family say

A woman whose nephew killed his grandmother during a psychotic episode has said her family pleaded for help from medical experts before the attack.

Conor Clarkson admitted battering 71-year-old Marlene McCabe to death in Blackpool in September 2019.

Following an inquest, his aunt Sharon Whitlow said the lack of help had left her family ripped apart.

She said Conor, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility and was sentenced to an indefinite detention in a medium-secure hospital, and her mother had been inseparable, until 2014, when he started smoking high-strength cannabis.

She said he then became “withdrawn” and began “losing some of his personality”.

“He became a loner [and] sat in his room for days on end,” she said.

At Mrs McCabe’s inquest earlier in May, Timothy Holloway, the assistant coroner for Blackpool and Fylde, concluded that there had been numerous failings in the response of health services to Conor and his family, but stopped short of stating they contributed to her death.

He said there were “accepted prior failures in the collation and consideration of information, including from available records and family, and in the mental health assessment of and progression of treatment” of Conor, but they did not “more than minimally contribute to Marlene McCabe’s death”.

He said there were “issues relating to communication enabling proper assessment by appropriately-trained individuals” and it was his assessment that there was “an arguable link between the arguable systemic dysfunction” and Conor’s actions on 4 September 2019.

Ms Whitlow told BBC North West Tonight that despite what happened, she regularly visited her nephew in the secure unit where he was being held.

“Our lives have been destroyed,” she said.

“I feel that’s because we didn’t get the help.”

She said her mother had been a “very family-orientated” person, who “loved Conor” and had “lived for her grandson and her family”.

She said Mrs McCabe had brought her grandson up from childhood and they had been inseparable, until he started smoking high-strength cannabis.

She said by July 2019, his behaviour had become erratic and after an outburst at home, the police took him to hospital, but a mental health assessment concluded he was not a threat.

After he was discharged, Mrs McCabe and Ms Whitlow wrote a 10-page letter to Bloomfield Medical Centre begging for help and stating that they felt terrified and unsafe.

They also delivered a copy to the primary intermediate mental health team at Whitegate Manor.

Conor was later given a telephone assessment and referred for a face-to-face meeting in the future.

Ms Whitlow said she “just couldn’t believe it that this could happen”.

She said she had not only asked for help, but had been “crying and sobbing in some of these places, pleading with them to help us”, only to be “basically sent away”.

Less than two months later, she found her mother dead on 3 September 2019 after coming back from the local shop.

Mrs McCabe had been battered to death with a doorstop and as Ms Whitlow tried to call 999, Conor continually punched his aunt.

However, she said that did not stop her caring for him.

“Even when the police came and grabbed Conor, I said: ‘Please don’t hurt him, he’s suffering from a mental illness’,” she said.

“They got him in the van and he was taken.

“It was just total shock.”

She said the family also did not hold Clarkson responsible for what happened.

“I don’t blame Conor, his father doesn’t blame Conor, none of the family do, because we know the circumstances that were surrounding it,” she said.

She said Conor did not get the help he needed in time and “unfortunately, my mother had to pay the price for that”.

In his conclusion, Mr Holloway said Conor’s psychosis had been so deep-rooted by the time of the attack that no treatment would have worked in time to save Mrs McCabe.

The inquest also heard that the organisations involved in Conor’s case had made significant changes since the killing.

Speaking afterwards, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust executive director Ursula Martin said her organisation had thoroughly investigated the care provided to Conor in July 2019 and “fully acknowledge the care delivery issues that were identified as part of the investigation and during the inquest”.

“The trust has worked hard to address those issues through reflection with staff, significant system upgrades and focused training on the importance of collaborating with families and carers during assessment and treatment,” she added.

A Bloomfield Medical Centre representative said it was “working closely with colleagues across all partner organisations to ensure lessons have been learned”

“We would like to express our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of Marlene McCabe,” they added.

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [email protected]