Death of Harrogate man, 45, was due to drugs, inquest hears

The death of a 45-year-old man at a Harrogate hostel was due to “multi-drug toxicity”, an inquest heard today.

The inquest into the death of Stephen Paul Cattanach on October 26, 2020 was heard at Northallerton Coroners Court this afternoon.

At the time of his death, Mr Cattanach was living in temporary accommodation provided by Harrogate Borough Council at Cavendish House on Robert Street.

The inquest heard the 45-year-old was found in his room by a member of staff on the afternoon of October 26.

Dr Joy Shacklock, of the Spa Surgery in Harrogate, told the inquest Mr Cattanach had a “complex history of drug and alcohol addiction and mental health issues”.

Dr Shacklock added her patient had suffered a number of overdoses, most recently twice in July 2020. She said Mr Cattanach insisted neither was intentional.

A toxicology report performed after his death, found high levels of drugs, including morphine and heroin, in his blood.

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He had previously been helped by North Yorkshire Horizons, an adult drug and alcohol recovery service. Mr Cattanach reached out for support from Horizons five days before his death and had a follow-up appointment booked for October 27, the day after he died.

Coroner Jon Heath agreed with the post-mortem assessment and concluded that his death was drug related. He said:

“I am satisfied that the cause of death was multi-drug toxicity, this alongside the police evidence which found no suspicious circumstances or suicidal indications suggests he did not intend to take his own life.

“I am able to conclude that on the balance of probability his death was drug related.”

Inquest concludes no single factor led to Harrogate woman’s suicide

An inquest into the death of a Harrogate woman has concluded that no single factor contributed to her taking her life.

Sarah Tatlow, 57, died at home on March 26 last year. At the time of her death she was undergoing treatment for an aggressive form of cervical cancer.

The two-day inquest in Northallerton, which ended today, heard Ms Tatlow’s husband, Julian Tatlow, question the actions of her doctors in the months leading to her death.

Mr Tatlow said his wife only became fully aware of her “poor prognosis” when a letter was sent days before her death.

The letter was written by Dr Isa Edhem, a consultant urological surgeon at Harrogate District Hospital, to Ms Tatlow’s GP practice. Mr Tatlow described the letter as “cold and insincere” and said it contained details not made clear to them during their consultation with Dr Edhem.

Harrogate District Hospital.

Harrogate District Hospital.

Mr Tatlow questioned members of his wife’s care team during the inquest, asking if they had made it clear to her how aggressive her cancer was. The doctors said they were sure Ms Tatlow knew her cancer was aggressive.

The coroner, Oliver Longstaff, said he took Mr Tatlow’s arguments into consideration but that there was no evidence the letter had a direct link to Ms Tatlow’s death.

Mr Longstaff concluded:

“Since it’s not known when that clinical letter arrived and indeed whether she had seen it, it is inappropriate for me to consider that a direct causal link can be found.

“Even if the letter arrived on March 26 and even if she had taken in the content, is there evidence this letter provoked her suicide over other factors?

“She was facing drastic surgery. I find it unrealistic to single out one factor only and say one was a trigger to this tragedy.”

He concluded the death was due to suicide and there was a clear link to her cancer.

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Hospital action plan

Mr Longstaff then read out an action plan written by Dr David Earl, on behalf of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, setting out a number of recommendations the hospital had put into place following Ms Tatlow’s death.

These included a protocol whereby, rather than sending letters to a patient’s GP, they are sent directly to the patient, explaining their prognosis and management plan. This is due to be rolled out across all departments by autumn this year.

It also suggested doctors would be more proactive with referrals to the cancer clinical psychology team if patients are struggling to cope.

Mr Longstaff said the trust’s action plan meant there was no need for him to write to the trust outlining his own recommendations.

Dr Jacqueline Andrews, executive medical director at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said in a statement afterwards:

“We would like to offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Sarah Tatlow, and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.”

‘Cold and insincere’ letter from Harrogate hospital led to suicide, inquest hears

A Harrogate man has told an inquest a “cold and insincere” letter from Harrogate District Hospital led to his wife to take her own life days later.

Sarah Jane Louise Tatlow, 57, died on March 26 last year at the home she shared with her husband and two sons in Harrogate.

She had been undergoing treatment for an aggressive form of cervical cancer.

Julian Tatlow told today’s opening day of the inquest in Northallerton that his wife was not fully aware of her “poor prognosis” until she received a letter from one of her doctors at Harrogate District Hospital days before her death.

The letter was sent following an in-person consultation with Ms Tatlow and her husband on March 17.

Ms Tatlow, who was a director of management training and development consultancy Kronos Learning, did not share the letter with her husband, who found it in the days after her death.

He described the letter as “cold and insincere” and said it contained details not made clear to them during the consultation.

He said the use of words such as “slurry” to describe the kind of faecal matter that would have ended up in his wife’s stoma bag, and the shock of her “poor prognosis” would have made his wife question “what is the point?”.

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Mr Tatlow told the inquest in Northallerton:

“I believe if she didn’t receive a copy of this letter, I may still have a wife and my sons a mother.”

The consultant who sent it responded to say:

“The extent of her cancer was confirmed on 10th March after numerous scans. I believe Sarah had come to the conclusion [of the severity of her cancer] following numerous consultations with myself and colleagues.”

Cancer diagnosis

The inquest heard that Ms Tatlow suffered frequent urinary tract infections in late 2020. A routine cervical screening in January 2021 then diagnosed cancer.

Dr Allison Amin, a consultant gynaecologist at Harrogate District Hospital, said she knew instantly it was an aggressive form of cancer that had spread to her pelvic area.

But Mr Tatlow said in an opening statement, which was read out at the inquest, that neither he nor his wife was aware of her “poor prognosis”. He said all the consultations had suggested that operations could “give her a better quality of life”.

Mr Tatlow asked each doctor if they had made it clear to his wife how aggressive her cancer was. Each doctor said they were unable to confirm their exact words but were sure Ms Tatlow knew her cancer was aggressive.

Mr Tatlow said to one of the doctors “my recollection is entirely different”.

He also asked why none had referred his wife to her GP for depression during a time in which, he said, she was clearly struggling.

At the time of her death, Mrs Tatlow was waiting for two surgeries that were due to take place early in April.

The inquest, led by coroner Oliver Longstaff, is due to conclude tomorrow.

Inquest finds homeless Harrogate man endured a ‘drug-related death’

An inquest heard that a “fatal selection of drugs” was found in the body of a 40-year-old Harrogate homeless man.

Matthew Luke Chandler, a resident at Harrogate Homeless Project‘s hostel on Bower Street, was found dead by staff on August 20, 2021.

Staff grew concerned after Mr Chandler had not been seen since the previous evening. After discovering him unconscious they performed CPR but he was certified dead by paramedics at 4.40pm.

Yesterday’s inquest in Northallerton heard Mr Chandler had been homeless “most of his adult life” and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety in 2014.

His GP said he had a history of drug misuse and had been previously referred to substance misuse services in North Yorkshire.

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Coroner John Bainbridge read evidence from the police, which found no signs of a struggle or disturbance.

The police statement added that besides pain relief medication prescribed to Mr Chandler after he broke his leg, there were no other drugs to be found in his room at the hostel.

Mr Bainbridge added Mr Chandler did not leave a note and there was no indication from friends and others living in the hostel that he was thinking of ending his life.

The coroner said he would disregard suicide as a cause of death because there was no evidence to indicate Mr Chandler intended to end his life.

Concluding the inquest, Mr Bainbridge said:

“A toxicology report found a fatal selection of drugs in Mr Chandler’s system that contributed to his death. Therefore I believe it is safe legally and scientifically to make a conclusion that his death was drug related.”

Wanted man fell to death from tree in Harrogate district, inquest told

A man wanted by police was found dead in a field in the Harrogate district, an inquest has heard.

Marcin Mikulski, 42, fell from a tree after telling police he intended to kill himself. He had also posted a video on social media up a large tree saying this was where he wanted to “fall asleep”.

His body was found in a field 500 metres from the A6055 near Staveley, which is between Boroughbridge and Knaresborough.

The inquest heard he was a suspect in a serious incident in Boroughbridge.

The precise nature of the incident wasn’t revealed but statements from senior police officers revealed a helicopter and police dog units were deployed to find him.

Mr Mikulski died on July 16 last year — when police began searching for him.

Police intelligence and phone tracking enabled police to narrow their search for Mr Mikulski but his body wasn’t found until the day after his death.

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Coroner Oliver Longstaff told the inquest that letters addressed to family, which were found in Mr Mikulski’s car, acknowledged his involvement in the crime and expressed regret and upset at his actions.

Mr Longstaff said the letters, along with phone calls to the police, were enough to suggest Mr Mikuslki did intend to end his life.

He recorded a verdict of suicide at Friday’s inquest in Northallerton.

 

 

 

Inquest hears tributes to bikers killed in head-on collision in Masham

The families of two bikers who died in a head-on collision near Masham have paid tributes at a joint inquest into their deaths, which concluded today.

Paramedics certified Martin Ragg, who was from the Ripon area, and Michael ‘Mick’ Lynas, who was from the Thirsk area, dead at the scene of the collision on the A1608 on Sunday, April 25 in 2021.

Coroner Oliver Longstaff submitted written evidence and questioned a collision investigator from North Yorkshire Police at the inquest.

The inquest heard how the crash happened at a blind summit close to the Brymor Ice Cream parlour and that Mr Ragg had been attempting to overtake a car before he moved one and a half metres into the oncoming lane before the crash.

Both men died as a result of injuries sustained in the crash. Mr Longstaff said:

“The point of an inquest is not to apportion blame but to determine the facts which lead up to the deaths.

“On the balance of probabilities the collision happened in the northbound carriageway and Mr Ragg was on the wrong side of the road.

“What strikes me is, from listening to what both families have said, that these two men would have got on quite well and become good friends if they had ever met.

“I hope it is some comfort to know that they both died instantly while doing something they loved.”

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Tina Lynas, who was the wife of Mick Lynas, said:

“Mick was passionate about motorcycles — in fact, much to the shock of my mum, he picked me up for our first date on a motorcycle. He was a great rider and never a risk taker.

“He collected motorcycles and at the time of his passing he had 13 in his possession. On the day of the crash he went out with his daughter Eve on a separate bike to meet his friends in Masham. He was then going to see family in Middlesbrough.

“I was just getting to leave to meet him there when I took a call from Eve. Mick’s passing has left a huge hole in our hearts. He was a loving man, full of life. He was community driven and would do anything for anyone.”

‘Lives shattered in an instant’

Jayne Ragg, who was the wife of Martin Ragg, said:

“Our lives were shattered in an instant. Martin often left early for his trips and did not want to wake me up when he headed out. So I didn’t even get to say goodbye to him.

“He had a fantastic sense of humour and he was a larger-than-life character who loved his family with all his heart.

“We have raised more than £7,000 for Brake, a road safety charity, and Yorkshire Air Ambulance. We also sent £2,000 to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance separately.”

Inquest to explore how Harrogate boy, 16, died in adult homeless hostel

An inquest will investigate how a 16-year-old Harrogate schoolboy, who was exploited by county lines drug dealers and struggled with mental health issues, died in a homeless hostel for adults.

Benjamin Nelson-Roux, a student at St Aidan’s Church of England High School, died in Harrogate on April 8 2020. His body was found by his mother, Kate.

The North Yorkshire Coroner’s Office held a second pre-inquest review in Northallerton today to review the evidence ahead of a full inquest.

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Jon Heath, senior coroner for North Yorkshire, listened to submissions from lawyers acting on behalf of the family as well as the various agencies involved in the case. Mr Heath said:

“In the full inquest I must consider the risk to Benjamin and the responsibility Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council had for him.

“He was placed in this hostel because it was staffed 24 hours a day. The hostel is for adults. Benjamin was 16-years-old. He was deemed to be ‘at significant risk of death’ just two days before he died.”

Mr Heath revealed that he would call 23 witnesses at the full inquest, which is due to be heard over 12 days on a date to be determined before July.

Inquest opens into death of Harrogate suspected murder victim

A suspected Harrogate murder victim died from head and torso injuries, according to the coroner who opened an inquest into his death today.

Gracijus Balciauskas, 41, died just before Christmas on the night of Monday, December 20 at a flat on Mayfield Grove.

Jon Heath, senior coroner for York and North Yorkshire, said at the hearing in Northallerton today:

“Mr Balciauskas resided in Harrogate on Mayfield Grove. He was found deceased at the property the following morning.

“The provisional cause of death is by head and torso injuries. This inquest was formally opened on January 6 and adjourned pending further investigation by the police.”

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Vitalijus Koreiva, 36, of Mayfield Grove, and Jaroslaw Rutowicz, 38, of no fixed abode, appeared at York Magistrates Court last month charged with murder.

They did not enter pleas and the case was adjourned until February 4.

Suspected Harrogate murder victim named ahead of inquest

A suspected Harrogate murder victim has been named ahead of the opening of an inquest into his death tomorrow.

George Balciauskas, 41, died just before Christmas on the night of Monday, December 20 at a flat on Mayfield Grove.

A coroner will open an inquest into the circumstances surrounding Mr Balciauskas’ death tomorrow in Northallerton. The case is likely to be adjourned pending the outcome of the murder trial.

Vitalijus Koreiva, 36, of Mayfield Grove, and Jaroslaw Rutowicz, 38, of no fixed abode, appeared at York Magistrates Court last month charged with murder.

They did not enter pleas and the case was adjourned until February 4.

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Hearing begins into death of Harrogate schoolboy Benjamin Nelson-Roux, 16

A pre-inquest review hearing was held yesterday into the death of a 16-year-old schoolboy from Harrogate.

Benjamin Nelson-Roux, a student at St Aidan’s Church of England High School, died in Harrogate on April 8 last year.

The North Yorkshire Coroner’s Office, which is holding the investigation, heard that Benjamin was found dead by his mother while staying at a Harrogate hostel.

Benjamin’s parents, Kate and Barry, attended yesterday’s hearing. It was revealed they had instructed their solicitor, Ciara Bartlam, of Ison Harrison, to state that mental health was a contributing factor to their son’s death alongside drug misuse.

In a letter published after their son’s death, the parents had written about how their “funny, clever, caring” son had endured a “heart breaking struggle with mental health problems which he tried to fix with substance misuse”.

The inquest will examine the multi-agency response to providing Benjamin with the right support.

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Solicitors and representative from the various agencies involved, which include North Yorkshire County Council, North Yorkshire Police, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust  will now forward written submissions to the coroner before the inquest officially opens.

Jon Heath, the lead coroner, adjourned the hearing until another pre-inquest review hearing in January.

At the next hearing, the coroner will decide if further witnesses need to be called before the inquest opens.