Stroke patient, 75, died as she lay helpless in hospital bed *content warning - sexual assault MNHQ*

[FightingtheFoo]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9563237/Stroke-patient-75-died-sexually-assaulted-lay-helpless-hospital-bed.html

"A stroke patient 'died after being sexually assaulted' as she lay ill in a hospital bed, an inquest heard.
Valerie Kneale had been admitted to Blackpool Victoria Hospital following a stroke and had later broken her leg when falling from a chair.
The 75-year-old's condition deteriorated and she died four days later.

A male hospital worker was arrested on suspicion of murder, rape and sexual assault and has since been bailed pending further inquiries.
Opening the inquest, coroner for Blackpool and Fylde Alan Wilson said: 'Concerns had been raised about a potential injury around the genital area.
'This prompted a police investigation by Lancashire Constabulary.'

The autopsy revealed that although Mrs Kneale did have a significant stroke, the pathologist did not think it was the cause of death.
Mr Wilson said: 'She said that was due to an internal and external haemorrhage which was in turn due to a vaginal laceration or tear.'

The pathologists' report believed it was caused by a sexual assault after she was admitted to hospital.
Mrs Kneale died on November 16, 2018."

I am just full of rage. She was at her most vulnerable and was failed, yet again, by the system. We should be marching.

How horrific. Poor woman.

Oh my god. That's made me feel sick to my stomach. That poor, poor woman.

FFS, this is hideous.

I believe in the sanctity of human rights but cases like this do sometimes make me wonder if all humans deserve their rights.

Absolutely horrific.

There really is no end to this is there?

What a sick evil man.

How tragic for the family, made so horribly horribly worse knowing how she died and how badly failed she was at her most vulnerable.

That's horrific. That poor woman

I’ve had enough of men and male violence. That poor woman.

This is the fucking pandemic!

I read that this morning and it's just so horrific. Poor woman (and it looks like she may not be the only one attacked). I also read this week that Anthony Williams the man in Wales who chased his wife and strangled her as she was trying to unlock the front door won't have his paltry 5 year sentence increased.

A murder inquiry was launched and information relating to other allegations of serious sexual assaults against two patients were received, in addition to the sexual assault of a health care professional working on the stroke unit.

The worker arrested has been suspended by Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The arrest is not linked to the ongoing investigation into allegations of poisoning and neglect.

This is horrific. The poor woman. But also what is going on at this hospital??

I wonder how widespread this is?
It’s a terrifying example of abusers targeting the vulnerable.

That is so upsetting. I think of my mother, when she was hospitalised in her seventies after a stroke. Unbearable for this Lady’s family to know that she wasn’t safe in hospital of all places, and was raped and killed.
What is wrong with men ?

And yet women are not entitled to single sex hospital wards.

Stroke patient, 75, died after being raped as she lay helpless in hospital bed

Ugh! This is what is so wrong with how all these cases are reported. Look at this headline again. So who raped this poor woman? Not clear from the original headline, is it? How about instead the media started to report headlines according to the truth: -

Man rapes Stroke patient, 75, as she lay helpless in hospital bed who then died.

All too often, we know the perpetrators are men but the media are always coy about owning it - they imply that these things just happen from nowhere in particular. It makes me so cross.

This is so upsetting. That poor woman.

What the fuck is wrong with men.

I've read some terrible stuff over the years, but fuck me. This is brutal. How did this even happen? Hospital wards are busy places, was no-one doing obs?

@Marcia1989 exactly my first thought too

That's awful. That poor woman.

Poor, poor woman. What a horrible way to die.

Totally unsurprising. This is quite common in America compared with over here and I recently heard about a case of a young woman who had been in a coma for something like 25 years giving birth and no one noticed she was pregnant until she was in labor!! Then the private home/hospital she was in was investigated and it was discovered she had multiple injuries and had likely been raped multiple times.

@SirVixofVixHall

That is so upsetting. I think of my mother, when she was hospitalised in her seventies after a stroke. Unbearable for this Lady’s family to know that she wasn’t safe in hospital of all places, and was raped and killed. What is wrong with men ?

MIL died of a stroke 18 months ago. She was so, so vulnerable. I feel actually sick to my stomach that a man could take advantage of someone in that situation.

[quote StarCourt]@Marcia1989 exactly my first thought too [/quote]
And mine. That there is even a question about whether women should be entitled to single sex wards - in hospital, where they are at their most vulnerable - is offensive.

@shroompie

Totally unsurprising. This is quite common in America compared with over here and I recently heard about a case of a young woman who had been in a coma for something like 25 years giving birth and no one noticed she was pregnant until she was in labor!! Then the private home/hospital she was in was investigated and it was discovered she had multiple injuries and had likely been raped multiple times.

Yes I was also reminded of that case. Here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HaciendaHealthCareesexualabuseecase

In both cases the rapist is a hospital worker. Which will no doubt get the TRAs telling us "well it already happens, so why not have wards mixed sex anyway". To which I say: murder also happens but we still make it illegal. We don't open the floodgates and say, "hey it's going to happen anyway so let's make it easier!"

No mixed sex wards. Ever.

JFC.

What might help stop this happening? CCTV in wards? Having similar policies to schools, where nobody is left alone with patients?

Having similar policies to schools, where nobody is left alone with patients?

Yes, surely that woman was a vulnerable adult?

No way this mans first offence was raping in a hospital. There was hundreds of times he could have been stopped but society would rather err on thr side of caution lest he loses his job or some respect. In every case like this (every rape I mean) that makes it as far as someone being charged there should be an investigation that highlights how many red flags were missed and by whom. I would volunteer for this (despite no experience) because I want the Sheriff, the detective, the social worker, the expert to have to read that another one of their judgement calls went the wrong way. And then I want MP’s to have to sit through a reading of how many men have raped and murdered after an opportunity to stop them was missed.
This is outrageous and there’s no excuse.