Man Dies After Being Left at Station; Mother Cites Police Bias

A man died after being left outside a train station. His mother thinks police discriminated against him, citing his drug addiction as the reason. She believes better care would have saved him. Lachlan Campbell’s inquest began recently.

A bus driver found Lachlan near St Erth station after midnight on November 1, 2022. He was on his knees, face down, and the driver called emergency services right away.

Police officers arrived around 1 AM, after attending a domestic incident. They saw Lachlan was very intoxicated with drugs and he told them to leave him alone. The officers moved away but stayed nearby.

The officers requested an ambulance at 1:42 AM. The hospital was busy, so no ambulance came. It was cold and wet that night. The officers then left the scene entirely.

They returned just after 5 AM to check on him. Lachlan, 51, was still breathing but soaked from the wet ground. He had visited a friend, Tim Tempest, and brought him two paintings.

The officers called for an ambulance again, and it finally came around 6 AM. Lachlan struggled to breathe easily, so the officers started CPR on him, and paramedics took over at the station.

The ambulance reached the hospital around 7:30 AM. CPR stopped fifteen minutes later, and Lachlan was declared dead.
The cause of death included pneumonia and hypothermia, with drug toxicity and liver disease also contributing.

Heroin and similar drugs cause breathing issues, and cold temperatures made things worse. Pneumonia developed as bacteria entered his lungs while waiting to be taken to the hospital.

A police sergeant testified at the inquest, saying the officers should not have left Lachlan. He said they could have stayed with him or taken him to the hospital instead. He added their focus should be the main situation, and other calls were the sergeant’s responsibility. A chief inspector said the incident was reported to the police conduct office.

A new agreement now exists to help people like Lachlan. This involves police and the ambulance service; when someone is unresponsive, medical staff should deal with it, while if mobile, the police can take the lead.

Lachlan’s mother said she was heartbroken by his death. She said the hospitals were nearby and feels the police did not value his life enough. He was not deemed important enough to save.

She believes police discrimination played a role. Lachlan was an artist and a kind man. He deserved better than his fate, and had they helped, he might still be here. He will be greatly missed. The inquest is scheduled for three days.