Chapter 1

The truth will set you free

On the 15th. of November, 2001, our Son Arron died as a result of negligent prescribing by a G.P. This Doctor gave Arron 28 full strength Valium, against the advice of Social workers and Arron's Psychiatrist. He did not see our Son, just a simple phone call was all that was needed to end his life. The Valium were prescribed on the 12th. of November, 2001. Three days later, ourSon was dead! We strongly believe that the Valium played a major role in his death.
Arron was well known to the Mental Health Services and it was common knowledge that he abused his medication in conjunction with alcohol. We firmly believe that some measure of common sense should have been used by this G.P. It was not enough for him to write to us after his death and say, 'I do acknowledge, that with hindsight, it would have been better if I had not prescribed this quantity of these tablets.'
In the past, Social Services and Arron's C.P.N, had been in touch with this Doctor and asked him not to prescribe Zopliclone, because of the risk of overdose. This drug, is a short-duration sleeping pill. The Doctor, in his superior wisdom, stopped the Zopliclone and changed the prescription to the strongest Valium, which are also sleeping pills, much stronger than Zopliclone. In an overdose situation, they stay active in the system for 150 hours. The inevitable outcome of overdose, coupled with alcohol, is respiratory failure, resulting in death.
2 days before he died, he was wandering around disorientated and aggressive from the effects of the Valium but lo and behold, the toxicology report showed only a therapeutic dose in his system! The Inquest was nothing more than a cover-up for this very stupid Doctor. The toxicology results were inconclusive and the Post Mortem badly flawed. An expert was brought to the Inquest from Birmingham and used hyperbole to blind us with his knowledge but it failed; we had done our homework over several years. The Pathologist did not want to be there and looked very uncomfortable. So, all in all, the Doctor had about a dozen experts on his side, including the obtrusive Coroner. Arron had his Mum and Dad to fight his case and we might as well have not turned up. They ignored us throughout but they know we are not stupid and will continue fighting for closure until we join our Son in his grave. We are left totally disgusted with the behaviour of the system before and after the untimely death of our only Son.
We are victims of lies, deceits and secret combinations but we have documented proof of the systemic failures in this farce.
Ann & Mike McDaid.
August-September, 2001, Arron stopped taking his medication, (Haloperidol), as happened at this time every year. He saw his Psychiatrist, Doctor Agnew, who suggested trying a new medication called, Olanzapine. (Each and every time a Doctor prescribes a new pill or potion, he gets a kick-back from the manufacturing company). Arron agreed to try it but from the onset, I kept telling people that they were not hitting the mark. They all told me to give them a chance and saying that they were a wonder drug. Being Arron's Mum, I was not convinced. Arron started taking his medication in half the time it was supposed to last, 2 per day instead of 1 as prescribed. consequently he ended up with none and being told he would have to do without until he saw Doctor Agnew. I phoned Doctor Agnew's Secretary and said I didn't think it was a good time for him to be without medication as he was moving into a new flat. The appointment was brought forward one week. Arron's response to this was, 'Do I need medication or not? Why am I taking them at all if I could just do without!?' The appointment came and I went with him, as usual but while we were waiting he told me he didn't want me to go in with him and he didn't want me waiting and listening outside the room either. He told me to go back to the car, which I decided was the best thing to do as he was quite stressed. When he came out, he said that Doctor Agnew would leave a prescription at Hollins Park Hospital the next time he was there and put his tablets up to 2 per day. This was Thursday. Arron admitted to me, later, that he asked me not to go in with him because he wanted to ask for Valium. In any case, he had been refused. By Sunday, I was not happy with his attitude. He was going downhill. I phoned Gatehouse Assessment centre, who suggested I phone Hollins Park Hospital. They told me who to ask for. Hollins Park were helpful and said they would try to get the Psychiatrist on call to come out and look for Arron's prescription. About teatime, we went to Hollins Park and collected 4 tablets to get him through to Tuesday, as a prescription could not be found. When I gave them to him he asked why. I told him I didn't think he was well. He said, 'I'm not, Mum.' Monday evening I asked Arron if he was picking his prescription up the following day. He told me he'd already got some Olanzapine from Doctor Parkinson. I was quite surprised. At all other times we had to collect from Hollins Park. On Tuesday morning, 13/11/01, Arron was quite disorientated. He said he was going to collect his money from the Post Office in Lymm. When he got on the bus, I phoned Sonia, his CPN because by now, I was very worried about him. While I was on the phone, he came back into our shop, saying he'd got on the wrong bus. I passed him the phone, telling him that Sonia was on the other end. During the conversation he told her that Doctor Parkinson had given him some Valium. Now I understood why he was so confused. After he'd gone, on the right bus this time, I phoned Sonia back. She said that he sounded drunk but she knew he wasn't. He came back from Lymm, paid me some money he owed me and went off to Warrington. At teatime, he returned and wobbled through the shop, past the customers, my husband and myself. I stopped him from going upstairs, accusing him of having had a drink, which meant he would have to go to his flat. He responded angrily, saying he'd not had a drink. I told him that whatever he'd had, he wasn't staying, he had to go home. He left. A customer came into the shop and said that Arron was wandering all over the road. A few minutes later, he came back, demanding some cigarettes. I said no, because he'd had his money that morning. He left the shop. I decided to take him some cigarettes and see how bad a state he was in. When I got to his flat, he was sitting on the settee. He was being abusive towards me. I threw him the cigarettes and left. Next, I got a phone call, demanding I take him a sandwich. I told him his Dad was on a service call and I would take him a sandwich when his Dad came back to watch the shop. That wasn't good enough. He stormed into the shop demanding I make his sandwich. When I refused, he knocked me out of the way and banged up the stairs to make it himself. I phoned the Police. He stormed out of the shop. I cancelled the Police. Minutes later, he was back again, asking for Andy's phone number. He went to use the phone. I told him to use one of the mobiles at his flat, not my landline. He argued that he hadn't got a mobile at his flat. I told him he had 2, his and mine. He ignored me and used the landline. When he had finished his call I phoned the Police again and he left the shop. That was the last time I spoke to him! The following morning I saw him on the Warrington bus, at 9.15 a.m. on the 14th. of November, 2001. Sonia came to see him at mid-day. She said she had been to his flat but he wasn't there. I explained what happened the night before and she said, 'this G.P. won't do that again,' meaning give Arron Valium. I said we've got to get through this time first. She said she would come back the following day. The day progressed slowly as I made phone calls, trying to locate Arron, thinking, hoping that he would be back at teatime. When he didn't arrive we closed the shop. It was 8 p.m. We got in the car and began a search for him, starting at his flat and working our way out towards Warrington. We bumped into the Police who had been called the night before. They asked us if we wanted to report him missing. We declined and carried on the search. We went to a flat in Warrington, where he had a friend from years back. We failed to get an answer and made a last call at Warrington Hospital. They searched their computers but could not find any report of him. We returned home in very low spirits. Something was seriously wrong! Later that night, I phoned Social Services out-of hours team. They hadn't heard anything. We eventually went to bed. Sleep was impossible.
Thursday, 15th. of November, 2001.
We opened the shop as usual but feeling very worried that we hadn't heard from him. I phoned Paul Dalby, his Social worker. He said he'd ring Hollins Park Hospital while I phoned the Police. I had phoned the Police on many occasions when he had been missing and normally they could tell me immediately if they had seen him or not. This time, things were different. They told me they would ring back in a few minutes. I took Charlie, Arron's dog for a walk but was back in ten minutes, in which time 2 Police Officers had arrived. They were dressed in plain black clothes. They said they had found the body of a young men, which could be Arron. My whole world suddenly came to an end. I could not speak, my heart racing. If you have experienced this, you will know what I am trying to say. They took me to the Police Station and wanted to know the Family's life history but I was in denial. All I wanted was to see my Son. They refused. This made me have the hope of a chance that maybe, they had made a mistake and Arron was still alive. I asked if he was a big built lad. They didn't know. I asked if he was blonde. They didn't know. I asked them why they thought it was Arron and they told me that someone called Jason had told them that this was his name. Eventually, they told me they had found a benefit book. I still couldn't give up the idea that they had it wrong. After many wasted hours, I was taken to a Hospital Mortuary. On the way there, I told them I needed my Husband with me, could they pick him up? They said no. The thing that hit me hardest was how cold he was. This was our only Son and he was dead! The next thing I remember was getting back to the shop, where my Husband, Mac and my Mum were. Mac had kept the shop open all day so things looked normal to my Mum, until we found out for sure what had happened. My Mum was 80 years old and we were very worried about how she would take it. We went to the Mortuary at about eight o'clock. My Husband and my Mum wanted to see Arron and so did I. There are no words to express how we felt. By the time we returned home, Danny, our best friend, was waiting outside. Tears was the language but Danny was a tower of strength and we will never forget this! The next few days were spent in a pain-filled place. The following night, I went to the flat where his body had been found, to ask Jason what had happened. Arron and Jason had been friends. Arron stayed away for years because Jason and friends had started using Heroin. From what I pieced together, Arron went to Jason's flat at lunchtime on the 14th. of November. He was banging on the door and telling Jason he'd had 40 or 50 Valium, had a fight with his Mum and could he stay the night. Two other people were there, Jones and Pallister. We didn't know them. During the afternoon, Arron left the flat with Jones and they went into Warrington together. They stopped at an off-licence and bought drink. Arron was having trouble with his co-ordination and forgot to pay. The shop assistant had to ask for the money; the shop assistant should have phoned the Police when the physical state of Arron was obvious. From there, they went to a Bakery and on to a music store, Dawsons. Arron was falling asleep and had to be roused and raised to his feet. This incident was recorded on the shop security camera but it's doubtful that it still exists after all this time. The order and content of what happened next is confused but the outcome is crystal clear! When I called at Jason's flat on the Friday night, I discovered that they were next door, at Pallister's flat. When I entered the flat, Jones and Pallister avoided my gaze but Jason asked me what I wanted. I told him I wanted to see where Arron had died. He took me to his flat. He told me that when Arron arrived he had Heroin with him, which I knew would be a lie. I questioned Jason further and he admitted that Jones had supplied Arron with a twenty pound wrap of Heroin. He said they hadn't told the Police, for obvious reasons! Later, the Police called at the shop for statements. We put them straight about where the Heroin had come from and the lies that had been exposed in the Jason, Jones and Pallister statements. The three were reinterviewed. Jason and Jones made new statements. Pallister refused to comment, saying in a previous statement that Arron was no friend of his! Subsequently, Jason was charged with perjury and Jones with the supply of Heroin. Jason received a nine month prison sentence and Jones got eighteen months.

During this time, Arron was undergoing a full Post Mortem and we were awaiting the results. The Police had told us that they found a packet in Arron's wallet, which they believed to be Heroin. I phoned the Coroner's office and told them that I knew Arron had died from Valium overdose because of the state he was in on Tuesday...In an overdose situation, Valium stays in your system for up to 150 hours. The body reacts to this by making the person go to sleep and forget to breathe, resulting in respiratory failure and death. (Used in short-term operations to erase the memory of pain). So, this stupid, arrogant Doctor, gave our Son a death sentence

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