Mental health staff cleared of blame over death of two men killed by schizophrenic

Mental health staff were cleared yesterday of blame over the deaths of two men killed by paranoid schizophrenic Sean Crone in Sunderland.

An independent inquiry found no link between the actions of professionals and the deaths of Ian Lawson and Simon Richardson in two separate incidents in 2003.

Crone pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2005 and was detained indefinitely at Rampton secure hospital.

The inquiry, ordered by Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Strategic Health Authority, also found there was no indication to suggest Crone posed a risk of extreme violence.

And it suggested his “lack of engagement and unwillingness to disclose his feelings and experiences rendered any assessment of his mental state difficult”.

Crone was only diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia following his arrest.

However, the inquiry did find that the community psychiatric nurse service “demonstrated a lack of persistence” in its attempts to engage with Crone. And it said the presence of a mentally disordered offenders team may have allowed him an alternative route into mental health services.