Taxi Driver Online

Mother of Ellesmere Port minicab driver Stuart Lester says official complaint will be lodged over her son’s death


THE devastated mother of a depressed minicab driver who died when he decapitated himself inside his private-hire car says he would still be alive today if he hadn’t been released from hospital.

Speaking after the inquest into the death of her 38-year-old son Stuart Roy Lester, Marjorie Hall said the family would be making an official complaint to the medical ombudsman.

Mr Lester, of Horstone Gardens, Great Sutton, was found slumped in the driver’s seat of his Cozey Cars cab on the car park of Ellesmere Port Market at 6.45am on Tuesday, January 19.

The Wednesday prior to his suicide, Mr Lester had been admitted to the Countess of Chester Hospital after attempting to hang himself off a footbridge at Capenhurst train station the previous day.

Despite being described as a ‘medium to high’ suicide risk by a psychiatric social worker, the crisis team at Chester-based Bowmere Hospital agreed to a home care treatment plan for Mr Lester and he was released the evening before his death.

Mr Lester, who had suffered with depression since 2004, was a heavy drinker.

An angry Mrs Hall said her son phoned her up in Spain, where she lives, and was pleased because he thought he was going to be kept in hospital.

She added: “He went to hospital because he was suicidal. If they’d kept him in it wouldn’t have happened, he would still be here.

“Your child doesn’t die before you, it’s the wrong way.

“He shouldn’t have been sent home. “An apology would be nice.”

Sheena Cumiskey, Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust chief executive, said: “We would like to offer our sincere condolences to Stuart Lester’s family at this difficult time.

“If any further concerns are raised with the trust then they will be fully investigated.”

Nicholas Leslie Rheinberg, HM Coroner for Cheshire, reached a verdict of suicide. He said that in hindsight not keeping Mr Lester in hospital had proven to be an error, and it was ‘difficult to explain the inconsistency in the evidence’.

Mr Rheinberg explained: “In light of what has happened, it’s difficult to see that wasn’t a mistake. Nevertheless, looking after Mr Lester’s best interests, sooner or later, his problems would have to be addressed at home.”

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

I wonder if anyone considered this fella's suitability to take punters from A to B.

Clearly mum thought he should be locked away, but did she ring the council to inform them of his medical condition?

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IDFIMH

I must admit that's my first thoughts but didn't quite know how to put it. What if he'd decided to do that with paying passengers on board and driven into a telegraph pole? It's worrying.

Meanwhile our sympathy to his family.

I'm not so sure sussex often things like work are helpful in taking your mind off the depression adding to problems by putting somebody out of work is not the best solution

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector