RELATIVES of a murdered pensioner who died after being savagely beaten in Kingsbury say they hope lessons have been learnt from his case.
Alan Bailey was discharged from Northwick Park Hospital after being attacked in the early hours of November 27, 2007, and died shortly afterwards at his Boycroft Avenue home.
A coroner yesterday ruled more could have been done by hospital staff to examine Mr Bailey, and to discover the fractured ribs and two broken arms that contributed towards his death.
Brian Jeynes, Mr Bailey's cousin, told the Harrow Times after the inquest: “It's just very sad. We are not as a family trying to place blame, we just hope if anything comes out of this, it is that no one else is treated in the same way.”
Mr Bailey, a 66-year-old retired lift engineer, turned into a recluse after his mother died in 2004. He told paramedics who found him after the attack that he had been scavenging for food behind Pizza Hut during the night, and that he “couldn't be bothered” to collect his pension.
He became estranged from his relatives, ignoring cards and presents to mark birthdays and Christmas, and shut himself off from the outside world.
One of his neighbours would post notes through his letterbox asking how he was, and it was when one of the notes went unanswered in March 2008 that Mr Bailey's decomposing body was found, on the sofa in his living room wrapped in blankets.
Christine Thorby, another of Mr Bailey's cousins, said he had been sent home from hospital in a taxi rather than in hospital transport, and was left alone in a frail and malnourished condition with no heating.
She said: “Hopefully this will bring better liaison between social services and the hospital – he had no gas and no food in the house.
“It was his choice to live the way that he did, but that did not mean he didn't matter.”
The family questioned doctors through the inquest why Mr Bailey was not taken for an X-ray, which would have revealed the injuries placing immense strain on his already-diseased heart.
However, Dr Peter Tzakas, a junior doctor who examined him, claimed he was not showing signs of pain and gave him a clean bill of health, and consultant Dr Gillian Park suggested she was content with Mr Bailey being discharged after a brief discussion with Dr Tzakas.
The inquest concluded that a “fuller examination” of Mr Bailey would have revealed his injuries, and recognised that he was discharged from hospital with injuries that later contributed to his death.
However, Coroner Andrew Walker stopped short of placing the blame on any one person.
The investigation into the murder of Mr Bailey remains open, and anyone with information could claim a £20,000 if someone is brought to justice.
Anyone with information can contact 0300 123 1212.
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