UK Inquiry Tracker

Barry Martin

PFD Report All Responded Ref: 2021-0302

Date of Report 10 September 2021

Coroner Christopher Murray

Coroner Area Manchester South

Response Deadline est. 5 November 2021

Community health care and emergency services related deaths Other related deaths

Judiciary.uk Report PDF

All 1 response received · Deadline: 5 Nov 2021

Coroner's Concerns (AI summary)

Following forced police entry, an occupied house was left with its main exit boarded up and the secondary exit unusable, creating a significant fire safety risk by denying residents alternative escape routes.

View full coroner's concerns

After concerns were raised for his welfare, Mr Martin’s front door to his house was boarded up following a forced entry by Greater Manchester Police on 10th December 2020. There were no other exit routes from the property as there was no key available to Mr Martin to be able to use the rear door being the only other door.

I am concerned that if occupied houses have to be boarded up that proper checks are made that there are other alternative safe exit routes for residents.

Responses

Jigsaw Homes Tameside Other

Noted
Jigsaw Homes Tameside states that its technician checked for alternative exits before boarding the door and the tenant had keys to the rear door. (AI summary)

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Dear After Inquest Team, We have now reviewed your request and provide the following information by way or response. Concern Raised: The concern raised within the Coroner's Enquiry into the death of Mr. Martin was as follows: 'After concerns were raised for his welfare, Mr Martin's front door to his house was boarded up following a forced entry by Greater Manchester Police on 10th December 2020. There were no other exit routes from the property as there was no key available to Mr Martin to be able to use the rear door being the only other door. I am concerned that if occupied houses have to be boarded up that proper checks are made that there are other alternative safe exit routes for residents.' Jigsaw Group's Response: We can confirm that on 14th December 2020, a Jigsaw technician attended an emergency call out to board up the front door of the property; following forced entry by the Police on welfare grounds. In such circumstances, our usual process is for technicians to enter the property, call out to see if anyone is in the property, and to check for alternative access/exit routes before boarding up the door. However, when our technician attended on this occasion, he was approached by a neighbour who confirmed that the tenant had been taken to hospital so was not in occupation at the time of the board up. Our technician noted that the property had rear door access and was therefore satisfied that the tenant had alternative access to the property. Our supposition, given the tenant was subsequently found to be in the property when the Police attended on the second occasion, is that the tenant had been able to use the rear door to access the property on his return from hospital. The Group's records confirm that when the tenant had signed up for the property he had been issued with four keys for the front door and four keys for the rear door and we can find no evidence to suggest that the tenant did not have a key for, or access to, the property via the rear door of his property at the time when the front door was boarded up. We trust this provides sufficient clarification / assurance on the concern raised. Kind regards,

Assistant Director - Corporate Services (Audit)

Sent To

Jigsaw Homes Tameside

Response Status

Linked responses 1 of 1

56-Day Deadline 5 Nov 2021

All responses received

About PFD responses

Organisations named in PFD reports must respond within 56 days explaining what actions they are taking.

Source: Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Report Sections

Investigation and Inquest

On 30th December 2020 an investigation was opened into the death of Barry Martin. On 25th February 2021 an inquest was opened into the death of Barry Martin who died at Hyde SK14 3EG aged 59 years. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest which I heard on 15th June 2021. Following a post mortem examination conducted on 30th December 2020 the medical cause of death was confirmed as : 1 (a) Acute left ventricular failure (b) Coronary atherosclerosis with superimposed acute pneumonia By way of conclusion, I recorded a narrative conclusion of Natural Causes contributed to by self-neglect.

Circumstances of the Death

Barry Martin had recent history of self-neglect, depression and heavy alcohol consumption. After concerns were raised for his welfare, Greater Manchester Police attended the properly and forced entry of on 10th December 2020. He confirmed he was dependant but had no intent to self-harm. The front door through which the police had entered the property was subsequently boarded up. Whilst it is possible there were no other exit routes through external doors he could have climbed through a window. Following further concerns raised by his family, Greater Manchester Police attended again on 24th December 2020 and found Mr Martin deceased. He died from acute heart failure precipitated by an acute pneumonia and bronchitis on a background of moderate coronary artery disease and physical frailty. He had neglected himself and had not been eating properly.