A CORONER has called for a review of procedures after a 33-year-old man who had been sectioned because of mental health problems died of a heroin overdose after escaping on a home visit.

Paul Moscrop had been released from prison a year prior to his death after serving a sentence for manslaughter.

The Bolton inquest heard that he remained haunted by the spirit of the person he had killed.

The inquest heard bachelor Mr Moscrop, of Bolton Road, Edgworth, had been accompanied by two nursing staff when he visited his mother in Gray Street, Halliwell, on April 19 last year.

He had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act at the end of March at Queen's Park Hospital in Blackburn.

Shop

After showing some improvement in his condition, he was allowed on a home visit to see his brothers and mother Margaret Hardman.

While chatting to the carers and his mother, he said he wanted to buy tobacco from the local shop.

However, about five minutes after leaving the house Mr Moscrop phoned the family home and told his brother Karl that he would make his own way back to the hospital when he wanted to.

He then visited his friends Craig Hamer-Piper and David Watters at their flat in Bedford Street and died later that day after injecting himself with heroin.

His 53-year-old mother told the inquest that none of the family had been expecting to see him on the day he arrived for the home visit.

She claimed he had asked permission to go to the shop, but the two nursing staff disputed this and told the inquest that Mr Moscrop had told them he was going out and had left too quickly for them to stop him.

Dr Mohammed Latif had sectioned Mr Moscrop three weeks before the home visit because his mental state was deteriorating and he had told staff he was under the control of the spirit of the individual he had killed a few years earlier.

However, Dr Latif told the inquest Mr Moscrop had responded well to medication and home visits are considered beneficial for patients.

Mr Peter McCombs, who accompanied Mr Moscrop to his mother's, said he had not received any training in how to restrain patients if they became violent or tried to escape and also admitted it would have been difficult for anyone from the hospital to contact himself during the visit as only a verbal address had been given out.

The second carer, Shaun Carrigan, told the inquest he had never received specific training in escort duties and admitted he was unsure of whether he would have been legally allowed to stop Mr Carrigan from leaving if he wanted to.

Coroner Aidan Cotter recorded a verdict of death due to abuse of heroin and said he had been impressed by the restraint Mr Moscrop's family had shown in giving evidence.

He also praised the evidence given by the nursing staff and said he appreciated it was difficult being questioned by someone who was not experienced in their field.

Powers

Mr Cotter said: "I believe that the nurses both care for their patients.

"But they had no training in how to restrain someone and were unsure of their legal powers in restraining a patient.

"They had no knowledge of what was in Paul's possession when he went out.

"It seems odd that the hospital did not know where they had gone when every child I see in the street has a mobile phone."

He added: "I will write to the Mental Health Commission and raise these apparent shortcomings and send a copy to the hospital.

"Somehow the public have to learn that those taking heroin sooner or later will all die of it.

"People talk about recreational use of heroin as if they were having a pint of beer, but this is nonsense.

"I've been in Bolton 10 weeks and have already dealt with lots of deaths of young men from heroin.

"I hope people will sit-up and take note."

Mr Moscrop's family told the BEN they were now considering legal action.

His father Malcolm Moscrop said: "I feel sick. This has been hanging over us for 13 months.

"I detest drugs. We will be taking the matter further."

Deputy Chief Executive of Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Healthcare NHS Trust, John Dell, said: "We would like to express our sympathy to Paul's family.

"Obviously, going to an inquest makes them relive everything. He had made significant progress at the hospital and we were saddened to hear of his unfortunate death. Our aim is to offer the highest level of care.

"We will consider the comments of the coroner in some depth and examine if there is anything we can change."