Inquest hears murder suspect absconded multiple times

An inquest has been informed that a woman, who fatally stabbed an elderly man after escaping from a mental health facility, was not considered to present a risk of violence to other individuals. Emma Borowy, aged 32, took the life of 74-year-old Roger Leadbeater on 9 August 2023, as he was walking his dog, Max, in a Sheffield park. During proceedings at Sheffield Coroner’s Court, it was revealed that Ms Borowy had repeatedly left a ward at Royal Bolton Hospital without permission prior to her assault on Mr Leadbeater, and on two separate occasions, police discovered her in possession of knives when they found her. Nevertheless, Dr Hayley Thomas, a consultant psychiatrist, stated that worries regarding Ms Borowy’s disappearances were linked to her “vulnerability, risks to her health, and substance misuse,” and that the apprehension of her posing a violent threat in the community “wasn’t a real concern for us.” The inquest was informed that Ms Borowy, diagnosed with schizophrenia and psychosis, had been sectioned in October 2022 and subsequently admitted to Oak Ward at the Royal Bolton following her arrest for using a knife to kill two goats. Dr Thomas mentioned that Ms Borowy, who had been known to mental health services since 2008, informed police that she had killed the goats “as a way of ensuring her own survival.” The hearing was informed that Ms Borowy confessed to the offense but displayed no remorse. During a search of her residence, police officers later discovered teddy bears floating in a bathtub, alongside a “shrine” dedicated to unicorns. She had previously communicated to social workers that she possessed the ability to converse with animals, and Dr Thomas informed the hearing that there had been concerns about Ms Borowy sleeping in a forest before her hospital admission. It was revealed at the hearing that Ms Borowy subsequently absconded from secure units at the Royal Bolton on a minimum of eight separate occasions. The inquest learned that after disappearing from the ward on one instance, she was located by police on the A57 in the Rother Valley. According to the officers present, she was carrying a Stanley knife and stated she had “thoughts to kill others and mentioned a bloodbath.” Dr Thomas stated that the Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust had been “unable to take it further” once Ms Borowy denied having made the comment. Dr Thomas also reported that following another departure from the unit, Ms Borowy informed hospital staff that she would “kill someone” if she were to return to the ward. Dr Thomas indicated that in a discussion held two months before Mr Leadbeater’s demise, Ms Borowy “wasn’t accepting of her diagnosis” and had also shown unwillingness to take medication for her psychosis. The inquest was informed that, notwithstanding her numerous attempts to escape, Ms Borowy was consistently granted periods of leave from the hospital. Dr Thomas explained that this allowance was extended in an effort to decrease the regularity of her absconding. She commented, “Patients don’t like to be detained against their will in hospital.” Dr Thomas stated that the choices made by hospital staff to continue discharging Ms Borowy “were very clearly thought through in relation to trying to manage somebody that would most likely be going back into the community.” “You can’t punish patients for going AWOL,” she added. “It’s a constant balance between the fact that you are detaining patients against their will and working with them therapeutically to move forward to move out of hospital. “We were struggling with a lady who didn’t want to conform to any of the work we were trying to do.” Ms Borowy faced a murder charge but passed away in prison prior to her trial. The inquest remains ongoing.