87-letni weteran II wojny światowej, który mieszkał od czasu jej zakończenia w Wielkiej Brytanii, zmarł w wyniku stresu spowodowanego niemożnością odnalezienia drogi do domu. Dochodzenie w tej sprawie zakończyło się właśnie przed sądem w Exeter (hrabstwo Devon).
Hipolit Łęgowski mieszkał w Shifnal (hrabstwo Staffordshire). 27 lipca 2008 roku policja zatrzymała prowadzony przez niego samochód w Devon – ponad 300 km od miejsca zamieszkania. Polak podróżował sam i wydał się policjantom nieco zagubiony, a jego sposób jazdy określili jako chaotyczny.
Gdy 87-latka przewieziono na posterunek, próbowano mu wyjaśnić, gdzie się znajduje, tłumacząc przy tym, jak długą drogę ma on jeszcze do pokonania. Mężczyzna twierdził jednak, że „to tylko pół godziny drogi”. Dodał też, że nie jest chory i trafi sam do domu. Funkcjonariusze eskortowali Polaka do najbliższej autostrady, aby upewnić się, że jedzie w prawidłowym kierunku.
Rodzina weterana zgłosiła jego zaginięcie 29 lipca. Następnego dnia - 30 lipca 2008 roku - ciało Hipolita Łęgowskiego znaleziono koło jego samochodu, na przydrożnym polu kukurydzy w Hartland (North Devon). Zdaniem lekarzy, Polak zmarł z przyczyn naturalnych – chorował na serce, a stres spowodowany tym, że się zgubił, dodatkowo je obciążył.
Pojawiły się jednak zastrzeżenia co do postępowania policji w tej sprawie. Zdaniem sądu, funkcjonariusze powinni być bardziej pomocni i nie zostawiać starszego mężczyzny zdanego samego na siebie. Jeden z policjantów został za to ukarany, a wkrótce mają być wprowadzone nowe procedury, mające na celu wyznaczenie odpowiedniego postępowania policji w takich przypadkach.
http://londynek.net/wiadomosci/Zagubion ... s_id=12840
Potwierdzają to źródła angielskie;
Officers escorted him on his way after he was stopped for driving erratically and taken to their police station.
An inquest jury in Exeter, Devon, was told told that Polish born Hipolit Legowski was found dead in a field at Hartland, North Devon, on July 30th 2008.
The deputy Devon coroner Darren Salter told the Exeter hearing that he set off for a local car journey in the Midlands on July 27th 'before becoming confused and seriously lost and ended up in North Devon'.
He said his erratic driving was spotted by police and he was taken to the Barnstaple police station in the early hours of the next morning before 'he was returned to his car and allowed to go on his way'.
On July 29th his family reported him missing and by 8pm the next day his body was found in the cornfield.
The jury was shown a 14 minute recording of Mr Legowski, from Shifnal, Staffordshire, in the police custody centre after he had been stopped in his red Ford Fiesta car.
A custody officer is heard telling him that he is a 'long way from home' to which he replies ' no it's not, it's half an hour'.
During the conversation, the pensioner, who had lived in Britain since the war and spoke good English, said:"I am not ill. I can find myself home."
Officers directed him to the motorway and escorted him part of the way but his body was later found in the field next to his car at Hartland - in the opposite direction to the main roads out of North Devon.
His family said the confused pensioner, who fought with the Free Polish Army in World War Two, had driven past Wellington, Somerset, on the M5 and thought he was near Wellington, Shropshire, which was 30 minutes from his home.
Pathologist Dr Jason Davies said Mr Legowski died from natural causes through heart disease.
After a three day hearing last week, the jury recorded a narrative verdict saying the 'stress and upset may have contributed to his death but we cannot possibly determine this'.
The jury also said:"We believe that there were some defects in the system which may have contributed to the circumstances which arose to the death."
Coroner Darren Salter said he would recommend stricter protocols between police and social services to ensure a safety net in cases where mental health is an issue.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission watchdog ruled basic mistakes were made by Devon and Cornwall Police when they dealt with Mr Legowski and said they should have helped him more. A sergeant was disciplined.
"We would like to extend our sympathies to the family of Mr Legowski following his death in July 2008," said a spokesman for the force.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... urney.html
hmmm,
