Police Officer's 'Failure in Judgment' Linked to Escaped Patient's Death

A police officer is set to face misconduct proceedings over failures in the search for an escaped mental health patient who was later struck and killed by a train.

An investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) determined that Inspector Collin Baker should undergo a disciplinary hearing regarding the 2020 death of 23-year-old Matthew Caseby. Caseby, a fitness instructor, had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act and was receiving treatment at the Priory's Woodbourne Hospital in Birmingham when he escaped after being left unattended in a courtyard. He climbed over a fence, prompting staff to report his disappearance to West Midlands Police.

Insp Baker, responsible for allocating resources, initially assessed Caseby as a medium-risk case, despite his history of a psychotic episode and a previous incident where he was found running on railway tracks. Two other officers later upgraded the risk level to high, but less than two hours later, Caseby was fatally struck by a train.

Following an IOPC investigation, Insp Baker will now face a misconduct hearing over his handling of the case. Caseby's parents had made several calls to police, warning them that hospital staff had reported their son intended to harm himself. His father, Richard Caseby, described Insp Baker's understanding of mental health issues as "staggering" and criticized his refusal to acknowledge any errors in his decisions that night.

During a three-week inquest in 2023, Mr. Caseby said Insp Baker repeatedly refused to admit his risk assessment was flawed. Desperate to find his son, he had driven overnight from London to Birmingham and came within 200 yards of him before the fatal accident.

"West Midlands Police utterly failed my family when we needed them most," he said. "Four years after Matthew's death, Baker still refuses to acknowledge any error in his decisions that terrible night. His intransigence beggars belief."

In 2023, an inquest jury concluded that neglect by Woodbourne Priory Hospital contributed to Caseby's death. An independent investigation found the hospital responsible for two root causes and 29 contributory factors during the three days Caseby was in their care. Following a Care Quality Commission investigation, the Priory Group was fined £650,000.

An IOPC spokesperson confirmed the conclusion of their investigation in December 2023. "We obtained statements from multiple witnesses and interviewed a police inspector under misconduct caution," they said. "We determined that the inspector should attend a misconduct meeting regarding their decision-making and handling of information after Matthew was reported missing."

The Johnson Partnership, Derby