Inquest opens into the death of two young men who died at Dannsa House care home in East Markham

An inquest into the deaths of two young men, who died suddenly less than 24 hours apart, heard that no cause of death had been found.

Stuart James Hill, known as Stuie, aged 23, and David Dickson, 24, both died within a short space of time at Dannsa House care home in East Markham last year.

Today (November 20) marked the first day of a scheduled three-day inquest hearing at Nottingham City Council, which the coroner Laurinda Bower confirmed follows a 15-month police and coronial investigation.

The two men died within 24 hours of each other at the care home, operated by Kisimul Group, which provides care for young adults with autism, learning disabilities and complex needs.

It was heard that Mr Dickson was a senior support worker at Dannsa House and was staying at the care home after completing a day shift, as he had a meeting scheduled for the next day, August 25, 2023.

When he did not come out of his room for the meeting the next morning, a staff member went to check on him and upon finding the door locked, used a master key to enter the room, where Mr Dickson was found collapsed on the floor.

Today, evidence was heard from a forensic pathologist, a toxicologist, and Nottinghamshire Police.

Forensic pathologist Dr Frances Hollingbury confirmed in her evidence that Mr Dickson was last seen by another staff member at 1.30am on August 25, to whom he reported to be tired, however was described as being ‘fit and well’.

Dr Hollingbury who conducted the post-mortem on August 27, two days after Mr Dickson’s death, couldn’t determine a cause of death.

On the morning following Mr Dickson’s death, Stuie, a resident at the care home since August 2019, was found dead in his bed.

His mother, Leena Hill, read a pen portrait put together by the family, where she explained that Stuie had Glas syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects several areas of development.

Stuie suffered from severe learning difficulties, gastric and dental pain due to his condition and needed 24/7 care and supervision, the court heard.

His mother said: “Stuie was a true inspiration.

“When he was well and happy, he was the most loving and joyful human being I have ever known.”

She added that part of his routine was watching cartoons and animations, with Thomas the Tank Engine and Noddy.

Around 7am on the day of his death (August 26), he was seen in his room and despite being non-verbal, he indicated to staff that he wanted to watch cartoons on his iPad.

He was checked again by staff at 8.15am, when he was found lying on his side in bed with his iPad next to him, and staff assumed he had fallen back to sleep.

When he was checked again an hour later, the staff realised he was still on his side but wasn’t breathing.

After East Midlands Ambulance Service attended the scene, Stuie was pronounced dead at 9.52am on August 26.

Following an extensive investigation, Dr Frances Hollingbury concluded that both deaths showed no evidence of natural disease, no injuries, or toxicology evidence that could reveal a medical cause of death.

Toxologist Dr Paul Smith said that tests for over 2,000 different types of toxins were conducted on both individuals, ranging from heavy metals to fertilisers, mushrooms, both legal and illegal drugs and ethanol (alcohol), but the results didn’t provide any significant evidence.

Both men were described as being physically healthy and toxicology showed that Stuie had the normal quantities in his system.

In the afternoon, the inquest heard written evidence from the GP for both patients, followed by Tim Hill, Stuie’s father, who read his own evidence about Stuie’s time at the care home and his last few days.

The family would receive daily calls from the care home, detailing Stuie’s activities, bowel movements, and what he’d eaten that day.

Mr Hill concluded by saying: “What if we had done something else, would Stuie be at home with us? Would he still be alive?

“The investigation has not provided us with the evidence we have expected.”

Blessing Taiwo, Mr Dickson’s wife, said that the couple met in Nigeria, where they are both from, and came to the UK together.

He was described as being ‘determined’ and ‘caring’.

Mrs Taiwo concluded: “He had plans until he was 80 years old but life has its own plan.

“David was selfless and he had an impact on everyone he met.”

The three-day inquest finished for the day with Detective Inspector Luke Todd and Detective Constable Millie Gillett of Nottinghamshire Police providing evidence.

They assisted the inquest with a timetable of both Mr Dickson and Stuie’s death and went through the investigation conducted throughout the 15 months prior.

The Nottinghamshire Police investigation concluded to not be able to find the cause of death for either of the cases and have conducted all the reasonable lines of enquiry.

The inquest is set to continue tomorrow (November 21).