Family of Murder Victim Allege Hospital Complacency

The relatives of a man fatally stabbed 57 times by a woman who absconded from a secure medical facility have voiced criticism regarding the “complacency” observed in her treatment. Emma Borowy, aged 32, caused the death of 74-year-old Roger Leadbeater on 9 August 2023, during his walk with his dog, Max, in a Sheffield park. During proceedings at Sheffield Coroner’s Court, it was revealed that a friend of Ms Borowy had informed South Yorkshire Police five days prior to the killing that the mother of one had spoken of “hurting people”, yet this detail was not communicated to the mental health facility where she was detained. Dr Dilraj Sohi, representing the Royal Bolton Hospital, stated at the inquest that communication channels among collaborating agencies “are, or historically have been, inconsistent”. Angela Hector, Mr Leadbeater’s niece, who is acting on behalf of the family at her uncle’s inquest, informed the hearing: “Emma Borowy was clearly seriously mentally unwell.” Ms Hector noted that not all attempts by Ms Borowy to abscond from the hospital had been documented, further stating: “I think there was a lot of complacency.” The inquest heard on Tuesday that Ms Borowy absconded on 4 August 2023 following a period of leave. Police located her in Sheffield, where it was believed she had gone to visit a friend. Following their discovery of Ms Borowy, South Yorkshire Police completed a vulnerable adult form, in which they characterized her as “delusional, suicidal and talking about hurting people”. Dr Sohi, who authorized additional leave for Ms Borowy three days subsequently, on 7 August, indicated that there was no documentation of this report being communicated to the hospital. When questioned whether his decision to approve leave might have been altered given this information, he responded: “I would probably have waited to the ward round to have a face-to-face discussion with her. I would want to know what the context of this information was.” The inquest was informed that merely two days subsequently, Ms Borowy inflicted 57 stab wounds and 18 incised wounds upon Mr Leadbeater during an assault in a park situated off Shortbrook Close in Westfield. Senior Coroner Tanyka Rawden stated that Ms Borowy, who had received diagnoses of schizophrenia and psychosis, informed law enforcement that she “was being tracked by the devil” and had not slept or consumed any medication for a period of three days. Dr Sohi testified at the inquest that he had not encountered Ms Borowy personally when he assumed responsibility for her care on 7 August and subsequently approved her leave. When questioned about his rationale for granting her additional leave, he responded: “By all accounts Emma had been relatively settled over the weekend.” “She had shown remorse for her actions, wanting a new start, and really valued leave from my understanding.” He further noted that there were “no major untowards” incidents during her prior unauthorized absences, though he concurred with a proposition from Ms Rawden that Ms Borowy presented “a high risk of going AWOL again”. Law enforcement officers escorted Ms Borowy back to the hospital on the morning of 10 August. Ms Hector stated that Ms Borowy was found in the identical park where Mr Leadbeater had been murdered. However, it was not until later that same day that police contacted the unit to which she had been returned, informing staff of her suspected involvement in a serious incident. When asked if he would act differently with the benefit of hindsight, Dr Sohi responded: “We do need to improve our liaisons with our colleagues in the police and other forces over information where people are absconded from the ward.” Ms Borowy faced a murder charge but passed away while incarcerated prior to her trial. The inquiry remains ongoing.