An inquest into the death of a man found within the grounds of St Mary’s Hospital almost 8 years ago has been adjourned just hours after proceedings began.
The inquest into the death of George Stewart Inglis got underway at the Isle of Wight Coroner’s Court earlier today (Friday).
At the start of proceedings, HM Senior Coroner Caroline Sumeray explained that the lengthy delay in holding the inquest was due to a “significant misunderstanding” between her office and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which she had believed was “still investigating” the death.
Ms Sumeray described the situation as a “mishmash of misunderstanding”, referring to the presumed investigation as the “longest known to man”.
George’s body was discovered by hospital staff on 28th November 2018, at the top of a stairwell near the pathology department within the grounds of St Mary’s Hospital.
A post-mortem examination was carried out at St Mary’s Hospital Mortuary on 11th December 2018, with Dr Adnan Al-Badri recording the cause of death as plastic bag suffocation. Several prescribed medications were also found in George’s system.
The court heard that George had a complex history of mental health difficulties, including anxiety, depression and borderline personality disorder. He had been referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) at a young age.
Referring to his extensive history of self-harm, Ms Sumeray described it as a “massive list of disturbed behaviour”, acknowledging the “great distress” it would have caused his family.
George had previously been under the care of Sevenacres, an inpatient mental health unit. A mental health nurse who had worked with him told the court that he had been detained under the Mental Health Act on numerous occasions, including following police involvement.
The court also heard from George’s approved clinician that, just over a week before his death, he had been discharged from Section 3 of the Mental Health Act, bringing his compulsory detention to an end.
George was described as being “nervous but happy” about the decision.
Following the lunch break, the inquest resumed with Mark Bradley, representing George’s family, making it clear that they were unhappy with how proceedings were progressing.
Mr Bradley raised concerns that George’s relatives had not been given sufficient time to review the extensive legal bundle and other important documents, having only been served with them a little over a week before the hearing.
He also questioned why the inquest had been listed for just 1 day, arguing that the number of witnesses involved meant proceedings would realistically require 2-3 days.
Mr Bradley stressed that, despite waiting almost 8 years for answers, the family did not want the inquest to be “rushed”. He said they needed more time to consider and discuss the findings of several reports together.
Acknowledging their concerns, Ms Sumeray said she did not “want the family to feel rushed at any point” and agreed to adjourn proceedings.
The inquest is now due to resume on Monday (1st February 2027) and is expected to last 2 days.
