At the start of Day 4 the coroner explained to the jury that they would be hearing from staff at Mill View Hospital today, but before then she would ask Jessie’s father, Andy Seares, to come forward to clarify some things for them. Andy Seares / Disclosure and Barring Service Before giving further evidence the […]
Before the court adjourned for lunch on Day 3 the coroner said that she would ask her Coroner’s Officer, to read the statement of Steve Lawton onto the record. Steve Lawton / Social Worker Brighton and Hove City Council His statement was dated 29 September 2022 and in it he told the court that he […]
Doctor Sharon Cuthbert gave her evidence in the afternoon of Day 2 and morning of Day 3 of Jessie’s inquest. Dr Cuthbert / Consultant Psychiatrist and Jessie’s Responsible Clinician Day 2 She told the court she is employed as a Consultant Psychiatrist at Mill View Hospital and works on Caburn Ward. The coroner asked her […]
The first witness after lunch on day two was Dr Simon Rowe, a principal clinical psychologist. He told the coroner that he had qualified in January 2010. The coroner said that she would ask a few questions relating to the Transforming Care Autism Team assessment, known as a TCAP. Dr Rowe told the court that […]
The second witness on Day 2 gave her evidence before the court adjourned for lunch. Michelle Cook / Social Worker East Sussex County Council The coroner explained to her the format of proceedings and took her through her evidence. Ms Cook told the court she was a social worker for East Sussex County Council and […]
There was some difficulty with technical connections this morning as the first witness was joining remotely and it was hard for the jurors to hear. The coroner rose part way through her evidence for the clerks to try and find a better solution, which they did. Ms Woolfenden was accompanied by a senior colleague, Mr […]
In this post I’ll recap the evidence that the court heard when they reconvened after lunch on Day 1 of Jessie’s inquest. You can read my report on Jessie’s mother’s evidence to the jury here, and her father’s evidence and account of Jessie’s last five and a half years here. When we returned to court […]
The second witness that the court heard from on Day 1 was Jessie’s father, Andy Seares. Andy read his statement to the jury and he was giving evidence for well over an hour. I’ve tried to capture as much as it as I can. He described his professional background and told the court that he […]
Jessie Eastland Seares’ inquest hearing started this morning in a hotel in Brighton. Jessie died while she was detained under a section of the Mental Health Act. She was at the time of her death ‘in the care of the State’ so her inquest is an Article 2 inquest (Article 2 being the Right to […]
Jessie will be turning 21 in a couple of weeks but those who loved her are left to mark that day without her. Born in Brighton in early December 2002, Jessie was just 19 when she died 18 months ago, on 17 May 2022. Jessie loved her birthday, and her Mum, Kate, remembers how planning […]