Care home resident killed with fire extinguisher
GoogleA 90-year-old man died after being hit in the head with a fire extinguisher by a fellow resident at his care home, a coroner heard.
Geoffrey Kershaw, 90, was being given palliative care at Ostley Home in Barrow, Cumbria, when he was assaulted by William Price, 63, in March 2024.
Mr Price, who has himself since died, told the care home manager when she arrived at the scene minutes after the assault, Mr Kershaw had asked him to kill him. But the manager told the coroner Mr Kershaw had been bedbound and struggled to communicate.
At an inquest held in Cockermouth on Tuesday, Dr Nicholas Shaw, assistant coroner for Cumbria, concluded Mr Kershaw had been unlawfully killed.
The inquest heard evidence from the care home manager, Helen Silver, who was alerted to the incident in the care home and attended the scene at approximately 09:00 on 17 March last year, following the assault
A statement read out in court said Mr Kershaw was not actively bleeding when she arrived, but there was blood "splashed around his pillow", on the wall of his room, and on the carpet.
"He looked lifeless." she said. "I recall being relieved when I realised he was breathing."
'He asked me to do it'
With emergency services en route, Ms Silver said she went to Mr Price's room, concerned that he might try to hurt himself.
He told her Mr Kershaw had shouted for him and that he had heard him shout for help.
She told the court: "He said: 'He asked me to kill him, so I did; he asked me to do it.'"
Another carer described the assault as "surreal".
The inquest heard Mr Kershaw had severe dementia, was visually impaired and struggled to communicate.
He was also bedbound and required help from staff for all his needs.
Ms Silver said, while Mr Kershaw may have occasionally shouted, his exclamations were often merely noises, rather than words.
Mr Kershaw was taken to Furness General Hospital, where he required 17 staples to close the wound in his head. He died of his injuries five days later.
Crisis team referral
Notes from the care home said Mr Price had been a resident at the care home for about six months, having arrived there because he was deemed to be neglecting his own needs.
The inquest heard he had poor mental health, but had refused to interact with mental health services or take any medication.
The day before the assault on Mr Kershaw, he had received a visit from a family member who asked for doctors to be called as the visitor believed Mr Price was unwell.
On the phone to a mental health nurse, Mr Price had told her he wanted to kill himself. A referral was made to the crisis team, and it was recommended staff kept a close eye on him.
Later the family member returned and was heard asking Mr Price about an issue relating to bailiffs turning up at his house, but there were no notes about any further issues.
Police arrested Mr Price after the assault and took him to the police station in Barrow.
No further investigation
Dr Shaw said two months after the assault, he received a letter from John Graham-Cumming, a Det Ch Insp at Cumbria police, to notify him Price had died in custody at HMP Preston.
Dr Shaw said he was not made aware of the circumstances of his death, but he had told Mr Kershaw's family there would be no further investigation from the police, because of the suspect's death.
Dr Shaw, addressing Mr Kershaw's son in court, said: "I appreciate your dad was nearing the end of his life, but it's not the way to go."
He also paid tribute to the care home staff who dealt with the "extremely traumatic" situation.
"They seemed to have handled the matter very well and they should be congratulated for it," he said.
Mr Kershaw was born in Yorkshire and lived in Hull until World War Two, when he moved to Barrow.
He worked for companies including Vickers Shipbuilding in Barrow and Vulcan Naval Reactor at Dounreay in Scotland.
He was described as a "family man who always had time for other people".