Jim Duffy has represented the family of Natasha Wild at the 8-day inquest into the 23 year-old’s death in November 2016. Natasha was stabbed by her boyfriend, Lloyd Brackenbury, who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. Mr Brackenbury, who had not been taking his required medication, had been discharged from secondary mental health services some three weeks before Natasha died, following an admitted failure to zone him as a high risk patient.
At the end of the inquest – which was conducted as an Article 2 ECHR investigation – the jury at Rochdale Coroner’s Court returned a conclusion of unlawful killing. The jury found that a number of failures by Rochdale Borough Council, the local mental health trust (Pennine Care) and Greater Manchester Police had possibly contributed to Natasha’s death. These included the failure to arrest Lloyd Brackenbury when police attended at the couple’s home 10 days before Natasha died, when she had presented police with a diary document detailing sexual assault and violent domestic abuse. It was accepted that this had not been fully read.
The court heard from the various organisations involved of a number of improvement measures taken since Natasha’s death.
Jim was instructed by Sarah Westoby of Leigh Day.
Read more about the inquest here.
