Police inspector to face disciplinary action over bungled search for vulnerable man

A West Midlands police inspector faces disciplinary action for failings in the search for a vulnerable man who had escaped from a mental health hospital and was later hit and killed by a train.

A two-year investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has found that Inspector Colin Baker should face disciplinary action over the death of 23-year-old Matthew Caseby.

The personal trainer had been involuntarily admitted to the hospital in 2020 after he was found running onto train tracks, but managed to escape after being left alone in a courtyard from which other patients had previously escaped.

Mr Caseby’s father Richard Caseby said that as soon as he learned of his son’s escape, he raced from London to Birmingham to search for him through the night, and got within 200 yards of his son before Matthew was hit by a train.

“I flagged down three patrol cars during the night of my search. Not a single officer knew anything about my son’s escape. West Midlands Police utterly failed my family when we needed them most,” Mr Caseby said.

An IOPC spokesperson said the organisation completed its investigation in December following the referral of a complaint by a member of Matthew’s family.

“Our sympathies remain with Matthew Caseby’s family, and everyone affected by his sad death,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the investigation looked at the initial police response to reports Matthew was missing, reviewed documents provided during the inquest and policies on missing persons and mental health.

“Our investigation considered the initial risk assessments and subsequent reviews by officers, the actions taken to locate Matthew, and what consideration was given to concerns and information relayed by his parents,” the spokesperson said.

“We obtained statements from several witnesses and interviewed a police inspector under misconduct caution.”

The spokesperson added: “At the end of our investigation, we provided our report and findings to the police force and Matthew’s father. We decided that a police inspector should attend a misconduct meeting in relation to their decision making and handling of information after Matthew was reported missing. It is for West Midlands Police to arrange the disciplinary proceedings. We won’t be in a position to make public any further information until after the disciplinary process.”

A West Midlands Police spokesperson said: “We have received a report from the IOPC which recommends a misconduct meeting is held with an officer. This will take place in due course.”

Mr Caseby said the IOPC found that Inspector Baker, who had been in charge of responding to 999 calls the night Matthew escaped, had dismissed information provided by Matthew’s family and failed to follow police procedure when assessing risk.

The IOPC also found the inspector classed Matthew as medium risk of serious harm even though he was suffering a psychotic episode and had been involuntarily admitted to hospital because he had been running on train lines.

Mr Caseby, who made a formal complaint to the IOPC about the way Inspector Baker handled the search for his son, welcomed the finding.

“Baker was utterly negligent about Matthew’s acute vulnerability. He dismissed the medical evidence he had that our son was at serious risk,” Mr Caseby said.

“Four years after Matthew’s death, Baker still refuses to acknowledge any error in his decisions that terrible night. During the inquest, he insisted he would do exactly the same all over again.”

The finding comes after Woodbourne Priory Hospital in Birmingham was fined £650,000 last year after it admitted safety failings in the death of Mr Caseby, twice the size of the previous largest fine the Priory had ever received.

A jury in an inquest in 2022 found neglect from the hospital had contributed to Matthew’s death.

Mr Caseby has campaigned for years over the failings of both the hospital and West Midlands Police.