Sammy Alban-Stanley inquest: Ramsgate teen's death was 'preventable'

Sammy had autism and the rare genetic condition Prader-Willi Syndrome

A mother told an inquest her teenage son's death could have been prevented if she had received more support.

Sammy Alban-Stanley, 13, died four days after falling from a harbour wall in Ramsgate, Kent, on 22 April 2020.

He had autism and the rare genetic condition Prader-Willi Syndrome, and he had tried to take his life a number of times, the inquest heard.

Patricia Alban said she fought since 2014 for professional help for her son.

She told the inquest her son had violent episodes which resulted in him trying to take his own life, and on one occasion he tried to jump out of the family car on the A3.

The hearing, at Maidstone County Hall, was told in the days before his death, he suffered a series of episodes which led to police being called to restrain him.

Mrs Alban said Sammy was "a skilled craftsman" and was "hard-working, tenacious and kind"

Mrs Alban said he had become "increasingly destabilised by lockdown", his episodes were more frequent and she no longer had the strength to physically cope with him.

She said she needed professional help, but the child and adolescent mental health team had considered him to be low risk.

"I kept saying that I could not keep Sammy safe on my own. I could not understand why he was being judged as low risk," Mrs Alban said.

She added: "I strongly believe that if I had received more support, we would have been able to prevent this incident from happening."

The inquest heard he was a "gentle" and "peaceful" boy

Paying tribute to her son, Mrs Alban said: "He was an absolute joy. His loss was felt deeply by all who knew him."

She added: "He should not have been taken from us. There were enough near-misses for the dangers to have been picked up on."

The inquest, which is due to last nine days, continues.

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