Inquest begins into death of “brilliant father” who passed away after fall from Derbyshire viewpoint
The inquest into the death of a “supportive” and “caring” Derbyshire father after falling from a cliff has opened. Watch more of our videos on Shots! and live on Freeview channel 276
The inquest into the death of Richard Askew, 34, was opened yesterday (Monday, December 18) by Coroner Peter Nieto at Chesterfield Coroner’s Court. Richard passed away on June 9 2020 after a fall from a viewing area at High Tor, outside Matlock.
Richard was spotted on the wrong side of the railings at the viewing area, overlooking the A6, at around 7.40pm. The same witness called the police again to say Richard appeared to be back on the right side of the railings, and later that evening, they reported seeing Richard fall backwards off the edge of the cliff.
Richard Askew and his partner Danielle Hall.
A post-mortem report found that Richard had suffered multiple life-threatening injuries as a result of the fall and was pronounced dead at the scene. Danielle Hall, Richard’s partner, said that they had first met at Highfields School in Matlock – but it was not until 2017 that they became a couple.
It was at Christmas 2017 when the pair found out that they were expecting their first child, and Danielle said that, although Richard was “very shocked”, he was “over the moon” to find out that she was pregnant. Danielle said that she endured a “rocky pregnancy”, but that Richard was “very supportive” throughout – and that he “took to being a dad like a duck to water.” Richard was described as a “natural parent” who “fell in love instantly” when their daughter Ivy was born.
The inquest into Richard’s death opened yesterday at Chesterfield Coroner’s Court.
Richard was described as “so happy and laidback” – and Danielle added that his “constant reply” of “it’ll be reyt” was something that he said to everyone. Danielle was pregnant at the time of Richard’s death, and she said that they were “a little bit worried” due to the health complications she had suffered during previous pregnancies.
Danielle said that “nothing about what happened to Richard makes any sense”. In the fortnight before Richard’s death, he had been complaining of a shoulder pain – and that he had been prescribed Amiltryptaline. She said, however, that Richard had complained that the medication made him feel “drowsy” and “out of it.” Danielle added that, when Richard was taking the Amiltryptaline, he seemed like “he was somewhere else.”
When she was pregnant, Danielle had been prescribed Codeine and Tramadol, but she had stopped taking these painkillers as they made her feel sick. She said that, when looking around the house, she was unable to find these medications – and that she later discovered empty packets of these in Richard’s work bag. Danielle said that Richard had some concerns around money, after being furloughed during the Covid lockdown.
Richard had taken some unpaid leave in the weeks beforehand, after their daughter Ivy was born, and this meant that the money he received through the furlough scheme was less than expected. On the day of Richard’s death, Danielle said she found out that he had taken out two GBP1,000 loans – and that this was “obviously something that worried him.” Danielle last saw Richard at 5.40pm, when he told her that he was going to the shop to buy some tobacco. She realised after an hour that Richard had not returned, and thought he might have stopped to chat to someone at the shop.
She noticed that he had not taken his keys or phone, and messaged Richard’s mum to see if he had gone to her house. His mum and dad left to drive around the area to see if they could find him – but they were not able to do so. Richard’s mum had suggested that Danielle call the police, but before a 999 call was made, a police car arrived at her address.
Danielle said that PC Hussain and PC Gibson, who had been to High Tor to find Richard, told her that there was nothing to worry about and that everything was fine. Danielle added that PC Gibson said she had spoken to Richard, that he was enjoying some peace and quiet and that he would be home soon. Danielle said that, a few minutes later, she heard a call on PC Gibson and PC Hussain’s radios calling all units to reports of an incident at High Tor – and that both officers subsequently ran from the house.
PC Hussain and PC Gibson were made aware of a report of concern for an individual at High Tor at 7.44pm that day. Both officers confirmed that they had no memory of being informed that a witness had seen Richard on the wrong side of the railings at the viewpoint. When the officers arrived, Richard was sitting on the floor – and PC Hussain told the court he “didn’t really have any concerns” at that stage.
In footage from the officers’ body-worn camera, Richard confirmed that he had drunk four shots of whiskey. PC Hussain said that Richard did not appear to be under the influence of alcohol – adding that he was holding a conversation and responding to questions. PC Gibson said that she had noticed a bottle of what she thought was whiskey in the vicinity, and that there was a “large amount” left in the bottle.
PC Hussain told the court that he asked Richard if he was having thoughts of suicide or planning to jump from the cliff – to which Richard said no but did say that he was feeling down. PC Hussain said that they offered to take Richard home, or walk to the bottom of High Tor with him – but Richard told officers that he wanted to stay a bit longer and have some time to himself. If Richard had said he wanted to harm himself, PC Hussain told the court he could have been detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act.
PC Gibson, however, added that Richard did not meet the requirements for detention under S136 – and that nothing Richard said had indicated that suicide was a reasonable possibility. A report issued by Derbyshire Police after a complaint by Danielle over their handling of Richard’s death found that PC Hussain had asked “inappropriately closed questions” when speaking with Richard. The report added that the “information available” to PC Hussain and PC Gibson was “potentially restricted due to the manner of questioning.”
During questioning by Ms Lewis, representing Richard’s family, PC Hussain said he did not agree that Richard appeared subdued or stooped when they spoke. PC Hussain had noted that Richard was not wearing any footwear, but said he appeared to be dressed fine. He added that he did not find it unusual that Richard was not wearing shoes, saying that it was “quite a warm day.”
Ms Ballard, representing Derbyshire Police, said that PC Hussain repeatedly returned to discussing mental health, self harm and suicidal thoughts during his conversation with Richard. PC Hussain offered to get an ambulance for Richard, and to walk him down to the bottom of High Tor. He also asked how long Richard was planning to stay at the viewpoint.
PC Hussain added that he genuinely did not consider Richard as being at risk at this stage – and if he had, he would have had no hesitation in contacting a supervisor. When discussing his reflections upon the incident, PC Hussain said that he would now consider different approaches. These included leaving an officer with Richard, so that another could go and speak to Danielle, or possibly trying to contact Danielle while remaining at High Tor with Richard.
PC Gibson disagreed with PC Hussain – stating that she would not leave an officer alone at the scene. She said that contacting Danielle while remaining with Richard was an option, but low staffing numbers meant they had no option to send a third officer to attend Danielle’s address that day. PC Gibson accepted that she had said “oh mate, we’re going to get f****** ripped apart” when the radio call came through confirming that Richard had fallen from High Tor.
She said that this was a “natural reaction” – with PC Hussain adding that the pair were “in a state of shock” when they heard the call. The court also heard from Joanne Caffrey, who worked as a police officer for 23 years before moving into specialist police training. Ms Caffrey has worked with the Independent Office for Police Conduct and professional standards departments at different police forces – and stroll provides suicide prevention training.
Ms Caffrey said that, if police call handlers did have the information that Richard was spotted on the wrong side of the railing, she would expect that to be passed onto the responding officers – adding that this was a “significant red flag.” She said that, had this information been shared, it should have prompted further questioning of Richard from PC Hussain and PC Gibson. She said that probationary officers would usually have had around three hours of mental health training, covering the overt signs and symptoms of mental health conditions. She added that the closed questions put to Richard were signs of “inexperience”, and that longer-serving officers would be more comfortable asking open questions.
Ms Caffrey told the court: “Unfortunately, it is regular that the majority of staff are probationary officers” – adding that it is “not uncommon” to have two inexperienced officers working together and learning from each other. When discussing the possibility of detaining Richard under S136 of the Mental Health Act, Ms Caffrey said that probationary officers are told that there needs to be “immediate need of care and control” to arrest someone under S136. Had Richard expressed suicidal thoughts, Ms Caffrey said she would have expected the officers to arrest him under S136.
She added that, based on what the officers were seeing and finding out, there was no evidence of any need for a S136 arrest. Emma Hickman, Richard’s sister, also paid tribute to him in her statement. Richard was described as “very caring” and a “brilliant father.” His mother Lynn said that she “never saw such a look of love in a father’s eyes” as she did at the birth of Richard and Danielle’s oldest son, Dylan.
Richard loved football, cricket, concerts and music festivals. Emma said the pair were “best friends”, forming part of the same friendship group, and that she was always “very protective” of her younger brother. She also said that Richard was “very close” to his nephew, spending a lot of time with him.
Emma added that Richard was a “cheeky chap who loved his family”, and that she had “no idea he was suffering in any way.”
The inquest into Richard’s death continues at Chesterfield Coroner’s Court today (Tuesday, December 19).
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