Mum says son died in 'hell on Earth' facility

Melanie Leahy, pictured with her son Matthew, previously said the Linden Centre was "the most unsafe place he could have been"

A mother whose son died in 2012 has told a public inquiry into mental health deaths that she stood before them "a broken person" and the facility where he died was "hell on Earth".

The Lampard Inquiry is looking into more than 2,000 deaths in Essex between 2000 and 2023.

Matthew Leahy, 20, was found unresponsive at the Linden Centre in Chelmsford and he reported being raped days before he died.

His mother Melanie, who has fought for an inquiry for a decade, said her life "has been totally destroyed”.

Melanie Leahy fought for a public inquiry for more than a decade after her son died

Speaking on the fifth day of the inquiry in Chelmsford, Ms Leahy said the last eight days of her son's life were spent "in a place… I truly believe was hell on Earth".

Ms Leahy said he was "alone, malnourished, over-medicated, scared, bleeding, bruised, raped, injected multiple times, ignored and frightened".

She said she had been told her son’s body "was a crime scene" and she was not allowed to touch him.

"The lack of compassion or empathy I experienced that day will stay with me for life,” she said.

"This [inquiry] is a place I’ve fought a long time to get to, for all the wrong reasons."

Addressing other grieving families, Ms Leahy told them: "I hope my determination serves as a powerful reminder that truth will find its way, no matter what the obstacles".

• If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this report, you can find dedicated support and advice through the BBC Action Line

Melanie Leahy stood with photos of her son Matthew as she read her statement to the inquiry

Nine other bereaved relatives gave commemorative statements, including Sofia Dimoglou who said her mother, Valerie Dimoglou, took her own life on 9 Oct 2015 within hours of being granted day release without her family knowing.

She said the 76-year old mother-of-four and grandmother-of-five was "a phenomenal person - full of vivacity and fun".

The inquiry was something Valerie "would have believed in", Ms Dimoglou said, adding "the loss of Val from our lives is enormous".

Loss 'difficult to quantify'

Paul Guille gave a family statement paying tribute to his sister Bethany Lilley who, he told the inquiry, took her own life, aged 28, while on Thorpe Ward at Basildon Mental Health Unit in January 2019.

Bethany was described as an "enormous fan of music", particularly Eminem, and loved her job as an assistant in a care home.

The inquiry heard she had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and was admitted to mental health units several times in the years leading up to her death.

Mr Guille said their loss was "difficult to quantify", and he told the inquiry about their last WhatsApp exchange.

"I told her that I thought that she was strong. She replied to say thank you, and that she hoped to believe it herself one day," he said.

Karon Pimm broke down in tears as she paid tribute to her son

Karon Pimm paid tribute to her son Terrence Pimm, known as TJ, who fell from a car park in Colchester in August 2016, aged 30.

The inquiry heard TJ weighed two pounds (0.9kg) when he was born prematurely, but grew up into a talented footballer who earned coaching badges from Colchester United.

Ms Pimm said her son's death had had a "great" impact on the family and added: "It hasn’t brought us closer to our grandchildren; it’s pulled us apart."

The trusts responsible for mental health services across Essex apologised to bereaved families during their opening statements to the inquiry, adding they would work with chairwoman Baroness Lampard's team to help provide answers that families, patients and carers were seeking.

The inquiry continues on Wednesday and for two days next week before a break and another three-week session in November.

After Christmas break, there will be further sessions in 2025, with a final report unlikely to be published before the end of 2026.