Inquest into musician Peter Doody's sudden death begins

An inquest has opened into the death of a young musician from West Yorkshire who had epilepsy.

Peter Doody, 21, died from a condition known as SUDEP, or sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, while asleep at his parents' home in Calderdale in 2019.

His parents have since campaigned for healthcare staff to warn patients with epilepsy about the risks of SUDEP.

Mr Doody's mother, Joanne, told the start of the inquest her son was an "incredibly special and unique" person.

In a video shown at Bradford Coroner's Court, Mrs Doody said friends and family had described her son as "incredibly genuine, kind-hearted, honest, loved".

He was the "best kind of human being and made life so fun", she said.

She added that he was "brave and courageous, living with his epilepsy in a way those without epilepsy can never understand".

The inquest is expected to look at the management of Mr Doody's epilepsy before his death on the night of 2 May 2019.

The court heard that Mr Doody had been diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy at the age of 17 and was initially cared for by Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (CHFT).

When he went to study at Leeds College of Music, responsibility for his care was transferred to Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT).

After his studies, he returned to his parents' home and he was moved back under the care of CHFT, the inquest was told.

Mr Doody occasionally forgot to take his epilepsy medication, the court heard.

His girlfriend told the inquest he had never been informed of the risks of SUDEP.

However, specialist nurse Joanne Geldard, who had been involved in Mr Doody's treatment at LTHT, said in a statement to the court that she had "advised" him of the condition.

Specialist nurse Karen Roberts, who saw Mr Doody at Calderdale Royal Hospital before his death, told the inquest that temporal lobe epilepsy was "difficult to manage".

She said she would expect all epilepsy patients to be told of the risks of SUDEP when they were first diagnosed.

According to the Epilepsy Action charity, SUDEP is a rare condition which affects around one in every 1,000 adults with epilepsy each year.

The risk of SUDEP was higher for people experiencing frequent uncontrolled seizures, sleep seizures, or for people not taking their medication regularly, the charity said.

Following Mr Doody's death in 2019, his parents launched the Peter Doody Foundation to help support young adults with epilepsy.

The inquest is due to continue on Thursday.

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