Separate deaths of three people to be investigated in joint fatal accident inquiry
Crown Office points to ‘significant public concern’
A joint fatal accident inquiry (FAI) is to be held into the deaths of three people who were all involved with services provided by Scotland’s largest health board.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said the deaths of three people over the course of a four month period between November 2018 and February the following year occurred in circumstances giving rise to “significant public concern.”
It has announced a discretionary conjoined inquiry into the deaths of Stephen Britt, Andrew Judge, and Colleen Higgins, all of whom had been engaged with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s services before their deaths.
Mr Britt, 40, was found dead at his home in Govanhill, Glasgow on 28 November 2018. Mr Judge, 37, died in hospital on 4 December that year following an incident at Glasgow Central Station, while Ms Higgins, 22, died in hospital on 9 February 2019, following an incident at her home in Balloch, West Dunbartonshire.
The COPFS has lodged a first notice with Glasgow Sheriff Court to begin the court process for a conjoined fatal accident inquiry.
Procurator Fiscal Andy Shanks, who leads on fatalities investigations for COPFS, said: “The Lord Advocate considers that the deaths of Stephen Britt, Andrew Judge and Colleen Higgins occurred in circumstances giving rise to significant public concern and as such a joint discretionary fatal accident inquiry should be held.
“The lodging of the first notice enables FAI proceedings to commence under the direction of the sheriff. The families will continue to be kept informed of significant developments as court proceedings progress.”
Unlike criminal proceedings, FAIs are inquisitorial in nature, and are used to establish facts rather than to apportion blame. The inquiry will explore the circumstances of all three deaths, with an anticipated focus on the care and treatment the three people received.
The purpose of an FAI includes determining the cause of death, the circumstances in which the deaths occurred, and establishing what, if any, reasonable precautions could have been taken, and could be implemented in the future, to minimise the risk of future deaths in similar circumstances.
A preliminary hearing will be held on 4 October at Glasgow Sheriff Court.
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