Teenager died because of care failures, jury says
Jason Pulman took his own life in 2022
- Published
The death of a transgender teenager who took his own life could have been contributed to by failures in his care, a jury inquest concluded on Friday.
Jason Pulman, 15, was found dead in Hampden Park in Eastbourne, East Sussex, on 19 April 2022, after telling a friend he was going to kill himself that night.
The jury at Hastings Coroner's Court said there were failings by all services involved in Jason's care and that police inadequately responded to his disappearance.
The Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Sussex Police have both apologised.
The jury said: "Systemic communication and administrative failures by all of the organisations involved in his care, with the exception of Bexhill College, may possibly have been contributing factors.
"We refer in particular to the fact the police responded inadequately to the missing person report and failed to keep the family informed, bearing in mind Jason was a child with a history of complex needs."
The teenager, who was born a girl, came out as transgender aged 14 and was referred to the Gender Identity Development Service in London in February 2020.
In October that year he was told there was a 26-month wait for his first appointment.
When his parents reported his disappearance to the police, it was classed as "medium risk" as officers believed there was "nothing to suggest immediate risk of suicide", the jury said.
An inquest jury has concluded that failings in Jason's care could have contributed to his death
Speaking through their lawyers, Mr Pulman and Jason's mother Emily said: “No parent should ever lose a child, and to lose Jason in the way we did, we will leave others to imagine.
"We just hope the lessons will be learned."
'Below standards'
A spokesperson from the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said: "We fully accept the findings of the jury and apologise that more support was not offered to Jason.
"We are committed to supporting children and young people who are experiencing mental ill-health related to their gender identity, and delivering care in a holistic way, in line with national guidelines."
A Sussex Police spokesman said: "Our service fell below the standards expected and we accept the coroner’s findings.
"Following a full internal review into the circumstances leading to Jason’s death, a senior officer met with Jason’s family in person to formally apologise.
"A multi-agency working group was launched to share learning and put measures in place to ensure vulnerable children with complex mental health needs receive the best possible service."
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