On May 8th 2006, Raymond Atherton was viciously beaten and subsequently thrown into the river Mersey in Warrington, Cheshire where he drowned.
His assailants, “friends” as they called themselves, were jailed for “life” for manslaughter this month.
Nothing unusual about this story one could say. Young thugs frequently murder innocent individuals. Its become a societal phenomenon we read about each day of the week. It stood out from the pages of the daily newspaper for me for a number of reasons.
It also made me angry. I still am.
Firstly, Raymond Atherton was an individual in the community with a learning difficulty who also possessed a history of alcohol abuse. His death followed closely after the death of Steven Hoskin in St Austell, Cornwall, who also possessed learning difficulties and who was also murdered by people whom he had considered to be his “friends”.
The circumstances surrounding both cases are appalling to comprehend.
Steven Hoskin’s abusers had tortured him until he confessed to being a paedophile. He was not. It was simply to stop the pain of torture. Steven was then forced to swallow painkillers before he was dragged to the top of a railway viaduct and pushed 100 feet to his death.
And Raymond Atherton?
Lets take a quick whistle-stop tour of his life and subsequent death and lets ask a few questions of those in government, planning the next performance indicator to be flung at councils with sharpened pencils at tick box ready – paranoid with the ambition of three bright stars to illuminate dimly funded skies, and importantly, keep the regulators at bay.
Its not the outcome, but the tick that matters. The tick becomes the outcome. To be more precise, output, which now ranks above outcome. One can measure that. It has whatever quality parameter you want it to have and most importantly, the consumer can’t buy it elsewhere and is unable to articulate that it’s actually quite crap. That would fall into the trap of outcome measures and we can’t fall into that now can we? Hey ho, the benefit of monopoly.
And Raymond Atherton?
Raymond Atherton was born in 1965, in Merseyside. From an early age Raymond developed a chronic alcohol dependency and attended special schools throughout his educational life. He lived with his mother until the age of 30 and then a nomadic existence in hostels of varying types until he moved into his own flat in Warrington.
It was here where he was targeted by groups of teenagers who “befriended” him and abused his gentle nature and significant vulnerability. He was seen frequently in the community with bruises and swelling done by lads, as he put it, “for a laugh”.
On the morning of his death, Raymond Atherton called into his local off licence, badly beaten and smelling of excrement, barely able to articulate his words saying to the manager that he had been beaten up by some lads for no reason.
Later that day a neighbour heard a violent attack taking place downstairs. He witnessed one assailant dragging Raymond Atherton from his flat. Raymond was screaming at his neighbour, “Look how they’ve hit me. They’ve hit me. Look what they’ve done to my face.” Later that night he was found floating dead in the river.
In court one of the thugs boasted that he had hit Raymond Atherton so hard that his eyes appeared to be popping out of their sockets.
These thugs it transpired had befriended this gentle and vulnerable individual and in so doing had been given access to his flat – his manifestation of independence- where they systematically wrecked it, stole his meagre monies and ate his food.
It was stated in court that he chose to have the company of his abusers rather than none at all. Raymond Atherton was unable to say no. He was unable to articulate those who persistently abused him to the authorities charged with supporting and protecting him. He was, to all intent and purpose, a disabled animal unable to fight the predators that feasted upon him and ultimately killed him.
You might note in the August 2007 Health and Social Care Issues Section of this web site that the Care Services Minister Ivan Lewis has put £175 million into the pot as transition funding for people with learning difficulties currently living in campuses to be housed in the community. He says –
“This announcement will bring to a close one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history. Putting people with learning disabilities in hospitals and large scale institutions was a scandal which disfigured our society. People who are neither a danger to themselves or others have a right to live in the community…Every individual will receive high quality support at a level required to ensure they have a full life. No one will be left isolated and vulnerable”It is estimated that there are around 1600 people who will be moved into the community. There are many, many more currently living there, a significant number with carers who are getting older and more frail themselves, and who must be wondering what future there will be for there loved one when they are no longer able to care.
And Raymond Atherton?
An unqualified success. A community placement. A tick in the box.
1600 and more to shortly follow.
To be clear.
Its not about criticizing the support services, many are fabulous and creative and work effectively within limited resources.
Its about recognition of appropriate investment and the application of meaningful measures. Its not episodes of care driven by limited funds, it’s about a risk assessed complete package where it has to be acknowledged that it can cost significantly more than residential living.
If that is not available, keep the institutions and remove the hypocrisy of community living. Lets torture within four walls where it can be monitored rather than in the open where it cannot. £175 million is capital funding. What about revenue costs? Is that deemed to be cost neutral? Community Care, as I stated, is no cheap option. In fact, in the scheme of things, petty cash.
What happens to the capital receipt derived from the closure and sale of those brown field sites?
Perhaps the whole thing is cost neutral or there might even be a profit to be made.
And Raymond Atherton?
He has peace.
No doubt their will still be predators hovering, waiting in anticipation of those breaking institutional shells and mad scramble to that wonderful blue and independent sea.
Actually its grey. It has sharks and lots of nasty things with big teeth and bits that hurt and sting.
Somebody once said, the measure of a civilised society is how it treats its most vulnerable member.
For Raymond Atherton, Steven Hoskin and so many more, we have proved to be barbarian.
Time to move on.
The baton is firmly in your hands now Ivan – run with it – flat out…..