A jury found police neglect contributed to Lachlan Campbell’s death after officers left him exposed to cold weather in November 2022.
The inquest revealed key details. A bus driver found Lachlan near a train station. He was on his knees, face down. This happened after midnight on November 1, 2022. The driver called for help.
Officers Bishop and Baber arrived around 1 a.m. They saw Lachlan was likely on drugs. They told him to leave them alone. The officers stayed close to watch him. An ambulance was called at 1:42 a.m.
Bishop testified he thought Lachlan was okay at first. He said Lachlan was breathing and snoring. They considered moving him, with options including their police car or the hospital.
Bishop worried about Lachlan’s breathing. Putting him in the car might have been risky. The weather was cold and wet that night. The officers left but checked later.
They checked on Lachlan after 5 a.m. He was still breathing, but soaked. The officers then called for another ambulance. Lachlan struggled to breathe. He was 51 years old from St Austell.
The officers started CPR. Paramedics took over at the train station. The ambulance arrived at the hospital at 7:30 a.m. CPR stopped fifteen minutes later. Lachlan died.
A postmortem showed broncho-pneumonia and hypothermia were causes. Drug toxicity and fatty liver disease also contributed. The jury’s conclusion was reached after four days.
The jury said the ambulance delay added to his death. They ruled it a drug-related death, worsened by neglect. The ambulance service faced operational issues. Handover delays at the hospital were bad, and police and ambulance communication was poor.
The jury decided that the police actions were not good enough. The initial check was inadequate. At the second check, they should have taken him to the hospital. They also needed advice from a supervisor.
A police inspector, Fergus Paterson, responded. He said they reported the death. A new agreement exists with the ambulance trust. It focuses on “the right care, right person,” applying when people are drunk or drugged. Unresponsive people are best cared for by medical teams.
Andrew Cox is a senior coroner. He noted longer ambulance handover times. The coroner needs to contact health officials. He will write to the Royal Cornwall Hospital and to the ambulance service.
The senior coroner will also write to the government regarding ambulance delays. The inquest revealed learning opportunities that can help officers and improve police and ambulance coordination.
If police know ambulances are delayed, they can adapt. Timely information could have changed decisions in this case. Officers need guidance for waiting or transporting patients.