Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Serious life ending Sexual assault on a stroke ward

383 replies

mrshoho · 04/09/2025 09:44

Stroke 'played no part' in Blackpool hospital patient's death - BBC News https://share.google/E1kG2EjcGHJWiPXvA

Omfg. This is just horrendous. This poor woman. Bled to death on a stroke ward following a sexual assault on the ward. What on earth?

Valerie Kneale, with shoulder-length grey curly hair, wears a pink, lilac and green floral blouse as she is photographed in a garden. She is standing in front of a pebble-dashed house with a white plastic door and windows.

Stroke 'played no part' in Blackpool hospital patient's death

Valerie Kneale's inquest is told she died because of a "forcible sexual assault" while in hospital.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy9neq9e7qqo

OP posts:
Thread gallery
23
Tiredofwhataboutery · 04/09/2025 10:24

MyDeftHedgehog · 04/09/2025 10:09

It seems she was fine and chatting in the evening. Next morning she had deteriorated and put on end of life care. Did nobody notice what must have been a huge blood loss, which soaked the mattress? Did nobody question how it had come about?

I know it seems really strange but it was flagged up after death but no one bothered to come and check. I’m not a medic but am thinking she probably looked like she suffered multiple haemorrhages so covered in bruises and had lost a lot of blood rectally.

I had a relative who died from pancreatic cancer who suffered with lots of blood loss in a similar way before death

RedNine · 04/09/2025 10:25

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-64865699

I remember reading this article and not grasping what a 'haemorrhage caused by a non-medical related internal injury' actually was. It wasn't stated for a long time in reports that she bled to death after a serious sexual assault whilst lying helpless in the stroke ward. I couldn't think what the injury was apart from maybe she had fallen and injured her spleen or something.

So even then the cause of the dreadful injury and the nature of the injury was downplayed, obscured.

Rest in peace, Valerie. I am so sorry you were failed by the very people who were supposed to care.

Valerie Kneale

Valerie Kneale: Reward to catch Blackpool Victoria Hospital killer

Valerie Kneale was subjected to a "horrific attack" in Blackpool Victoria Hospital over four years ago.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-64865699

ARichtGoodDram · 04/09/2025 10:26

Dumbo12 · 04/09/2025 10:20

This may be insensitive of me, but did no one provide any toileting care to this woman, during the time she was internally bleeding out? Surely if they had the blood would have been found. She appears to have had no physical contact with any care staff!

I don't think it's insensitive as I was thinking exactly the same.

How did a woman on end of life care have such little care that nobody notice she was bleeding profusely?

That must mean nobody did any tooketinh care, no washing or cleaning, no adjusting her position or checking for any sores or pressure points. Either she was totally abandoned care wise or the only person checking her was responsible for the injuries.

SeaBreezeDewberryMusk · 04/09/2025 10:27

Truly awful! Shame on the police, NMC and Coroners Court for not investigating this properly! This is unlikely to be an isolated case, the perpetrator/s probably committed similar crimes before and are free to attack again. All staff who were on shift should be suspended until they speak the truth. Shocking and abhorrent!

Mirabai · 04/09/2025 10:29

My mummy has just been in hospital, if that happened to her I don’t know how I could ever get over it - my heart goes out to her family.

ArabellaScott · 04/09/2025 10:29

I have no words.

SeaBreezeDewberryMusk · 04/09/2025 10:30

And what about all the incompetent and overpaid NHS managers that work at the hospital/stroke unit? What exactly are they managing?! Outrageous! NHS is not fit for purpose.

guinnessguzzler · 04/09/2025 10:33

ARichtGoodDram · 04/09/2025 10:26

I don't think it's insensitive as I was thinking exactly the same.

How did a woman on end of life care have such little care that nobody notice she was bleeding profusely?

That must mean nobody did any tooketinh care, no washing or cleaning, no adjusting her position or checking for any sores or pressure points. Either she was totally abandoned care wise or the only person checking her was responsible for the injuries.

Agree completely. The whole situation points to a complete lack of adequate standard of care and is exceptionally concerning more generally, as well as being utterly horrific. I honestly don't know what I would do had this been my lovely Mum.

HappierTimesAhead · 04/09/2025 10:33

This should be front page news. It's utterly appalling. We are not safe, anywhere!

Haulage · 04/09/2025 10:33

Maaate · 04/09/2025 09:59

Do you remember the TRA plopper who was on here last week and accusing posters of "sexualising" care work when we said SSC is important to prevent patients from being assaulted.

I do...

Yes, I’ve just ASd to find it; I’d correctly remembered who’d written it - one of the usual shitposters.

Coccinelle2 · 04/09/2025 10:33

This is so appalling - this poor lady. I can't imagine the family's pain. I can't understand how this has been kept so quiet either. We're 7 years on since it happened! How has the rape and murder of a patient in hospital not been reported everywhere?

IOSTT · 04/09/2025 10:34

Just read the article, so awful, and it sounds likely a staff member assaulted her and then downplayed the amount of blood when she had died 😔

SeaBreezeDewberryMusk · 04/09/2025 10:36

Coccinelle2 · 04/09/2025 10:33

This is so appalling - this poor lady. I can't imagine the family's pain. I can't understand how this has been kept so quiet either. We're 7 years on since it happened! How has the rape and murder of a patient in hospital not been reported everywhere?

Public should have been made aware. I would not have wanted my loved ones ‘cared’ for in that place knowing this.

LlamaNoDrama · 04/09/2025 10:37

Another major hospital fuck up that will be covered up then

potpourree · 04/09/2025 10:38

Agree, nothing in this makes any sense. It's appalling. And the fact the perpetrator hasn't been found- or really looked for - is terrifying.

This needs a big noise making about this but I fear it's too late 7 years on for anything helpful to be done. Everyone will just walk away with no consequences.

Idontknowhatnametochoose · 04/09/2025 10:41

It's a cover up on all levels. It makes me feel sick to the core.

foxychox · 04/09/2025 10:43

Why was (is) this not all over the press? Life is cheap it seems

storminabuttercup · 04/09/2025 10:44

This is horrific. That poor poor woman, I simply cannot see how this happened and nobody noticed, in fact I refuse to believe they didn’t

whatwouldafeministdo · 04/09/2025 10:45

SeaBreezeDewberryMusk · 04/09/2025 10:27

Truly awful! Shame on the police, NMC and Coroners Court for not investigating this properly! This is unlikely to be an isolated case, the perpetrator/s probably committed similar crimes before and are free to attack again. All staff who were on shift should be suspended until they speak the truth. Shocking and abhorrent!

Yes, it won't be an isolated case. Agree, the staff need to face consequences.

It reminds me of the case of the rape of a woman on a woman's ward that the NHS denied for a year because it was a 'woman's' ward and 'no men were present'. At least in that case both witness and CCTV revealed a man had in fact been present.

The lies and cover up for predators needs to stop, but it seems honestly baked into the NHS. They're really shit at recording or following up on sexual assaults, the true numbers are probably horrific.

Motnight · 04/09/2025 10:45

SeaBreezeDewberryMusk · 04/09/2025 10:30

And what about all the incompetent and overpaid NHS managers that work at the hospital/stroke unit? What exactly are they managing?! Outrageous! NHS is not fit for purpose.

This isn't just about NHS management or indeed the NHS. This is about patient facing staff not giving a shit. It's about a vulnerable woman being raped and dying. It's about a broken system where even in death Valerie is being failed. It's about a family having to deal with this. It's about a rapist not having to answer for what he has done.

Mustbethat · 04/09/2025 10:47

The article says Valerie suffered blood loss after death, and it may not have been visible before due to clotting. It also says she showed no clinical signs blood loss- you’d expect BP, pulse etc to be affected.

the police were also called in “later that month” to investigate neglect and issues in the ward. That investigation then lead to Valerie. The body won’t have been forensically preserved initially. By the time the investigation was opened any evidence will have been long gone. So I don’t think we can blame the police and cps here.

to me this is a repeat of Lucy Letby. A failing ward, lack of proper care, fundamental infrastructure and staffing problems which led to deaths- including murder which is just horrific.

the investigation now needs to focus on how this was allowed to happen, and what the nhs needs to do to stop this ever happening again.

i worked in the nhs. Most cost saving measures are done by reducing staff. So not only are wards understaffed the staff are burned out. They simply can’t do any more, so again I think blaming staff is not the right path. They need to stop throwing money at new IT systems and SLT and seriously up the basic staffing levels.

whatwouldafeministdo · 04/09/2025 10:49

To a certain extent I have sympathy for staff, after all this nurse has been suspended for calling a convicted violent paedophile who used a racist slur against her 'mister'. They must be scared for their jobs if they speak up about predators. South London nurse takes legal action after NHS punished her for calling transgender paedophile ‘Mr’ | The Standard

caramac04 · 04/09/2025 10:50

MyDeftHedgehog · 04/09/2025 10:09

It seems she was fine and chatting in the evening. Next morning she had deteriorated and put on end of life care. Did nobody notice what must have been a huge blood loss, which soaked the mattress? Did nobody question how it had come about?

It reads that blood loss may have not been noticed due to clotting. I guess saying clotting caused blood to remain within the body. But surely the medication given after a stroke would inhibit clotting?
I don’t think it’s a cover up as such but a complete lack of care, particularly by the qualified staff.
This murderous attack was carried out by a very violent and sick individual. Probably walking the ward/hospital still. Almost certain he will attack again.

Sunbeam01 · 04/09/2025 10:51

It made me feel physically sick reading this.

EmpressoftheMundane · 04/09/2025 10:52

Good point @whatwouldafeministdo !

All the genderwoo has created a hostile environment for safe guarding. This case needs mire general publicity and discussion.

Swipe left for the next trending thread