The death of the Rev Paul Bennett, at the hands of a paranoid schizophrenic who fell through the cracks of the NHS, is a personal tragedy for his family and the Church in Wales, but also an indictment of the substandard care given to the mentally ill across Britain, the Archbishop of Wales tells The Church of England Newspaper.On Nov 27 a report released by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales found the NHS’s failure to provide adequate supervision and care for Geraint Evans contributed to the death of Fr Bennett.
“While the homicide of Fr Paul could not have been predicted, had (Evans) received appropriate care and treatment, the risk of him committing an act of violence or homicide might have been reduced,” concluded Dr Peter Higson, the head of the Healthcare Inspectorate
On March 14, 2007, Fr Bennett was murdered outside of the vicarage of St Fagan’s Church, Trecynon, Aberdare, by Evans. He was a “compassionate and diligent priest,” said Dr Barry Morgan; one “who cared deeply for all his parishioners and is still very much missed.”
Since the age of 11, Evans had displayed serious behavioural problems, including the sexual assault of young girl, but had never been properly assessed and diagnosed, the report found, noting that even after slitting his own throat outside the vicarage in Aberdare in July 2006, Evans was allowed to walk free from hospital because there was a 40-minute delay before he could be seen by the psychiatric team.
The Healthcare Inspectorate found that a lack of concern and communication meant that Evans’ GP and community workers were not notified of the suicide attempt.
The report went on to list a number of failures with the NHS system including failing to offer bereavement services to Mrs Bennett for over two months, the ambulance responding to the wrong address, the 999 operator’s request that Mrs Bennett check on her husband even though the killer was standing over the dying priest, and the paramedics failure to attempt resuscitation when they finally arrived 16 minutes after being dispatched.
In a statement read out by Ms Ann Clwyd, the Member of Parliament for Cynon Valley (Lab.), on behalf of Mrs Bennett after the report was released, Fr Bennett’s family asked how many more people would have to suffer due to the failure of government.
“Once more, society has been let down by the failings of our social services and health authorities,” she said.
“How many more innocent people are going to lose their lives in the most horrific of circumstances before these organisations begin to realise the consequences of their inadequate actions?”
In a statement released by the Church in Wales, Dr Morgan said he welcomed the report and trusted that “all its recommendations” would be taken on board “to lessen the chances of anything like this from ever happening again.”
He said he was encouraged the authorities had acknowledged their errors and “apologised for the failures highlighted in the report and have not tried to sweep them under the carpet.”
“It is difficult to know whether or not the killing of Father Paul could have been predicted or prevented, looking at it as we are with hindsight. What is clear, however, is that there were two tragedies here - firstly, Father Paul's death and secondly, the failure of society generally to notice the increasingly desperate circumstances of his killer, Geraint Evans, as he grew up and to recognise his many cries for help before it was too late. Perhaps Evans' tragedy reveals the stigma we attach to mental health - an area which sadly remains the Cinderella of the health service,” Dr Morgan said.
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