Local news report about the Safeguarding review of the sad death on 9 Feb
2018, of a lady named Hannah Leonard [aged 55] who had lived in
Camden in Bray Tower on the Chalcots Estate, Adelaide Road,NW3. I
didn't know Hannah but I hope she is at peace now.
Hannah Leonard: Murdered mother was failed by care system, report finds | Islington Tribune
http://camdennewjournal.com/article/murdered-mothers-care-failed-her-report-finds
Hannah
Leonard: Murdered mother was failed by care system, report finds
Hannah Leonard had been a victim of cuckooing
04
November, 2021— By Tom
Foot
______________________
Hannah
Leonard died after 55 knife and scissor stab wounds
A
VULNERABLE woman who was brutally murdered in her flat was let down
by a flawed system that failed to take responsibility for her, a
report has found.
The
body of Hannah Leonard, who had been a victim of “cuckooing” –
when a person’s home is taken over, often by drug dealers – was
discovered in February 2018 by builders who were stripping dangerous
cladding off her home in Bray tower on the Chalcots estate.
She
had 55 knife and scissor stab wounds and the shoe-print of her
killer, a woman she had met in a pub, was found on her face.
A
40-page, in-depth adult safeguarding review has revealed how various
departments “failed to share responsibility” for Ms Leonard.
The
55-year-old was suffering from an incurable disease and had become
known as a “repeat caller” to the emergency services.
There
had been too much focus by the NHS and local authority on her
alcoholism at the “expense” of her mental health needs, the
report suggested.
“The
system failed to piece together the jigsaw,” the report said,
adding that the set-up was vulnerable to miscommunication,
administrative errors and could allow a case to fall through the
gaps.
Ms
Leonard was traumatised by the Chalcots fire safety evacuation
The
review, which was mentioned in an annual report discussed by
councillors this week, has recommended social services and emergency
services combine better in the future when faced with complex cases.
Ms
Leonard had in 2016 fallen into a fortnightly pattern of binge
drinking, depression and suicidal thoughts.
She
made dozens of 999 calls, including on one night when she threatened
to jump from a window of her home, leading to “a night-long
deployment of emergency services and an out-of-hours GP”, the
report said.
In
another example, she had reported a sexual assault outside her flats
and that a man was in her flat aggressively asking for sex. She also
complained of chest and leg pain to paramedics.
“Hannah
was known to health and social care services in Camden and was a
frequent caller to emergency services,” the report added.
“She
had a diagnosis of Huntington’s disease, recurrent depressive
disorder, and was known to use alcohol.”
She
had reported a series of falls at home before her death in 2018.
Despite
her calls to the emergency services, the NHS and the council, she did
not meet the criteria “for a social care response”, the report
said.
The
review specifically focuses on a flaw that can leave vulnerable
people denied help, which they are legally entitled to under the Care
Act, because they are also regularly intoxicated with alcohol.
The
report said: “The organisational view seemed to have settled:
Hannah was making decisions to drink alcohol, was making decisions
about risk, and that she could therefore protect herself from the
adverse effects of both.
“Hannah
may well have had mental capacity in relation to patterns of alcohol
use and social risk-taking, however, it would appear there was
sufficient concern about this to have been more fully assessed.”
Ms
Leonard had grown up in the Irish care system and had been a victim
of sexual abuse and childhood trauma. But the care “system” in
Camden had “demonstrated a limited understanding of her adverse
childhood experiences”, the report said.
In
June 2017 the Chalcots tower blocks were evacuated over fire safety
fears, affecting hundreds of residents.
This
caused a “tremendous disruption” to Ms Leonard and may have
affected her drinking and access to anti-psychotic medication, the
report said.
“Due
to the unprecedented scale of the evacuation, Hannah’s GP surgery
was unable to support her while she resided temporarily in another
area,” it added.
“This
was a traumatic time for Hannah and may have contributed to her use
of alcohol as a coping mechanism.”
A
review of Ms Leonard’s death was launched in 2019. A series of
recommendations were made including better training of social workers
and a need “for the system to consider the whole person”.
Lucy
Casey was convicted of murder
“Health,
social care, and emergency services needed to work together, sharing
their own experiences to offer Hannah a holistic service that was as
unique as she was.”
The
report said her daughter had “demonstrated compassion and
understanding” throughout the process and had a “genuine wish for
organisations to heed the lessons of Hannah’s cases and make
changes to practice to ensure that lessons are learned”, the report
said.
In
a statement, the independent chair of Camden Safeguarding Adults
Partnership Board, James Reilly, said: “On behalf of Camden’s
Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board, I express our sincere
condolences to Hannah’s daughter and family. My thanks to her for
her contributions to this Safeguarding Adult Review and to the
partner agencies who also participated.
“Our
Board appreciates the clarity of the comprehensive report and we are
committed to fully considering his findings and to improving our
future responses to become demonstrably more holistic, informed,
proactive and integrated in keeping with the recommendations of this
Safeguarding Adult Review.”
Hannah
met killer in pub
LUCY
Casey, from Kilburn, was convicted of murdering Hannah Leonard in
2018. The 43-year-old had met Ms Leonard in the Sir Colin Campbell
pub in Kilburn High Road before going back to her home in Bray tower
with a man.
After
she was sentenced, Ms Leonard’s daughter Caroline Snowling said
there had been a lack of professional support for her and her family
following the tragedy. Ms Leonard, who was born in Cork, Ireland,
moved to London in the 1980s.
Ms
Snowling described her as a “true Irish lady” who was “a very
strong and independent woman who loved her community”.
At
the time of her mother’s death, she asked for floral tributes to be
left outside her door at number 73, adding: “I know for sure that
she was known in the community and loved. “She was really
sentimental about things and I know she’d like them at her door.
Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board HERE
Scroll down the page to read the report Safeguarding Adults Review (SARs): 2020 - "Hannah"
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