Crown Prosecution Report

We have worked extensively with police forces in cases of suspected manslaughter where pressure ulcers, wounds, or failures in care may have contributed to a suspicious death.

Our investigative approach is meticulous and clinically grounded. We examine all available evidence, including photographs of the victim after their death, the environment in which they lived and the environment in which they died, their NHS records relating to the period before death, witness statements, autopsy photographs, and direct discussion with the investigating officers.

By analysing these sources together, we establish whether there is a clear and defensible link between the person’s death and the actions or omissions of their caregivers, their underlying medical conditions and comorbidities, and the extent to which the wounds could have been prevented or treated had the relevant authorities recognised the risk or fulfilled their duty to provide the NHS care the individual deserved.

The resulting injury is often the most complex element of a clinical negligence investigation, and we map the sequence of events with precision, considering all plausible alternative explanations for the outcome. Our role is to provide the court with a clear understanding of how the negligence impacted the victim, ensuring that the evidence is presented in a way that is clinically accurate, legally coherent, and fully aligned with the standards expected of expert testimony in cases of this gravity.