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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have some sympathy for Nicola Edgington?

162 replies

lougle · 04/03/2013 22:25

Report from BBC

This woman had killed before. She knew she was a danger to the public. She dialled 999 four times to tell them that she needed sectioning to prevent a killing.

I know she did what she did. I can't imagine what her victims' families are going through.

I do feel some sympathy for her though. She tried to get herself out of circulation.

OP posts:
MrsBW · 04/03/2013 22:31

YANBU

grovel · 04/03/2013 22:33

YANBU.

Pancakeflipper · 04/03/2013 22:34

Yanbu.

Could have been avoided. And that's so sad for all involved.

AmberLeaf · 04/03/2013 22:35

YANBU

Horrific for the family of the woman she killed, but Nicola Edgington tried to get help and was failed.

It's just awful all round really Sad

Kiriwawa · 04/03/2013 22:36

I do too. And the judge pissed me off saying that she was very manipulative. She tried to get herself sectioned several times but was ignored.

HeadFairy · 04/03/2013 22:37

Yanbu... I remember Jayne Zito being incredibly forgiving of he man who killed her husband. He was failed by the mental health system.

Talkinpeace · 04/03/2013 22:38

she tried to get herself sectioned
but then walked out of the hospital and bought a knife and then stole another one
and then

"tried to get help"
no
she walked away from the hospital

Montybojangles · 04/03/2013 22:43

She walked away as she as allowed to. She has a mental health issue, meaning she quite possibly was in crisis and not thinking at all clearly. The system let the murdered lady down and the murderer.
YANBU OP.

Montybojangles · 04/03/2013 22:47

Just to clarify, murder is quite likely the wrong word in this context, i just was a bit suprised (amazed) that someone would assume that someone in a MH facility would automatically be in full reasonable functioning capacity.

Owllady · 04/03/2013 22:49

I agree with you, awful all round :( and someones life was lost because yet again people in crisis are ignored

EllieArroway · 04/03/2013 22:50

The Judge's summing up was quite odd - he didn't accept that her actions were due to any illness and said she was manipulative & determined (or something, I can't recall). A psychiatrist gave evidence that she has probably never been mentally ill and displayed "borderline personality disorder".

Now, I'm no expert - but for fucks sake. She was clearly extremely, extremely unwell. EVERYONE was let down that day, including her. I gather she's being sent to prison rather than hospital?

I may be wrong, so happy to be corrected.

Owllady · 04/03/2013 22:52

I know it's completely different but I have a severely disabled child and I found just lately that unless you 'follow procedure' and complain accordingly via paperwork and legal documentation you are not listened to at all, in crisis or not. Someone in crisis cannot follow up paperwork or comply to a box ticking exercise
but as long as ss etc do, well that's fine, from what I have found (unless you have a very good social worker, which i do have now luckily)

Dowding · 04/03/2013 22:53

YANBU Lougle and so many people seem to be ignoring this aspect of the story. It's an absolutely appalling tragedy, but she did try to get help and people ignored her... she may have walked away from the hospital, but she's not well and wasn't able to control her actions.

Birdsgottafly · 04/03/2013 23:06

YANBU.

The Judge's summing up was quite odd

He seemed to be minimising the LA and Health professionals part/failings, in all of his statements and summing up.

I was glad that the News had straight after reporting his statement to Nicola,"you need to stop blaming others and not yourself", they had a family whose father was killed by "someone who shouldn't be on the streets" (their words).

Talkinpeace your point is ridiculous, whilst she had a stable enough mind to control her actions,she begged for help.

Her life has also been removed, she shouldn't be in prison for the length of sentence that she has been given, i hope it is challenged and she receives the treatment that she needs.

AmberLeaf · 04/03/2013 23:19

Just read bits from the IPCC investigation, the police missed several opportunities to prevent what happened.

Also the transcripts of her calls to 999 begging to be sectioned.

All very preventable IMO.

ICBINEG · 04/03/2013 23:19

just can't wrap my head around the judges statement.

I have been in a position regarding pnd where one moment I was sane but on the edge and knowing I needed to get out of the situation and the next I couldn't work out how to achieve that or why I should. My DH heard the last thing I said sane and unlike the people in this case, rescued me.

You can only keep yourself safe up to a point. When the battle is lost you are different person with none of the same protocols or understanding of the situation.

edam · 04/03/2013 23:23

Very sadly it's far from the first case of this kind. I heard a speaker at a patient safety conference once talk about the murder of his father, by a young man who had begged to be sectioned but was turned away. (Paranoid schizophrenic.) A woman in the audience admitted she was the person at her PCT responsible for the reports into these sort of cases - and that they normally sat on a shelf, changing nothing.

The judge sounds like an arse - and that's not unknown, either.

Birdsgottafly · 04/03/2013 23:27

We need the shake up in Mental Health that we had in Child Protection after V Climbie and Baby P.

Adult care isn't an area that any goverment is willing to spend money on.

She will now cost more in the prison system that she would under the right treatment programme, as do many others.

It is scary how many prisoners have MH/SN/LD's and when their cases are examined, their outcomes could have been so much different.

FreudiansSlipper · 04/03/2013 23:29

very very sad for everyone involved

I was recently approached by a man begging me to call the police as he wanted to kill himself he pulled a razor blade out and had cuts all over his hands. I called an emergency mental health officer I know but was advised to call the police. He should have been sectioned. The man is well known to the police and will no doubt do the same again what he needs is to be looked after :(

Flojobunny · 04/03/2013 23:31

YANBU
Victims and perpetrator were failed.
However, I think their are lots of mildly unwell people who threaten to harm themselves or others to manipulate the system. The main red flag here should have been a basic search on the woman to see if she was a 'regular' which should have highlighted her previous conviction for murder (only reduced to manslaughter for diminished responsibility).

FreudiansSlipper · 04/03/2013 23:33

what is mildly unwell?

IlianaDupree · 04/03/2013 23:35

Yanbu, vulnerable adult and her victim failed by the system. It shouldn't have happened and the judge is passing the buck by blaming Nicola.

squeakytoy · 04/03/2013 23:35

"In the hours before the murder, Edgington called emergency services four times asking for help, saying she was hearing voices again and that she was going to kill somebody."

"She was taken to two different hospitals, although she was able to walk out"

Not sure why the authorities should be blamed here.. she asked to be helped but then walked out.. twice!

VoiceofUnreason · 04/03/2013 23:35

YANBU and I too found the judge's summing up to be rather distasteful.

FreudiansSlipper · 04/03/2013 23:40

she asked for help she walked as she did not get the help she so desperately needed if she did we would not be discussing this

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