In 2006, a health care worker named Ashleigh Ewing was stabbed to death by her patient who was suffering from mental health issues. Ashleigh was working for Mental Health Matters Ltd a North-East-based registered charity. .
She had visited her patient named Ronald Dixon at his residence in Heaton,
Mental Health Matters Ltd provided housing and support services to people who suffered from mental illnesses. The organisation had been informed that Mr. Dixon’s condition was steadily deteriorating; however, it did they did not pay attention to any of the warning signs that it received. Even though the members running the charitable organisation knew that he was getting worse they did not take any steps to protect Ashleigh as they claimed that they were not in a position to afford such protection to her. Ashleigh had been working for Mental Health Matters Ltd for quite some time and would have completed her probation period on that ill-fated day.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) intervened in the matter and brought charges against Mental Health Matters Ltd. They charged the organisation under Section 2 subsection 1 of the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974 stating that it had breached the Act.
The company failed to provide the amount of protection that Ashleigh’s job demanded which resulted in the incident taking place, stated the prosecution to Mr. Justice Keith presiding in the Newcastle Crown Court. The prosecution acknowledged the fact that there were risks involved while dealing with mentally ill patients and added that Mental Health Matters Ltd had not taken any safety measures to prevent an incident from occurring even though the organisation’s managers knew about the mental state of Mr. Dixon.
After hearing the case, Mr. Justice Keith fined Mental Health Matters Ltd £30,000 as it pleaded guilty to the charge brought against it by the Health and Safety Executive. The fine excluded legal costs which amounted to £20,000
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