Posts tagged learning difficulties
Greater Manchester Police criticised over David Askew case
Police have been criticised for their handling of the case of a man with learning difficulties who died after being harassed in Greater Manchester.
David Askew, 64, of Hattersley, collapsed and died last March. He had been repeatedly harassed by local youths over a 10-year period.
An Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) report found there were “systemic failures” in policing.
It said Greater Manchester Police (GMP) viewed Mr Askew as part of the problem.
The IPCC report found the abuse aimed at Mr Askew and his mother Rose, with whom he lived on Melandra Crescent, had escalated rapidly in the three years before he collapsed with heart failure on 10 March 2010.
Tests revealed he died of natural causes.
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Greater Manchester Police criticised over David Askew case
Teenager who harassed man detained for robbery
David Askew was a victim of anti-social behaviour
A teenager from Greater Manchester who admitted harassing a man with learning difficulties who later died has been detained for robbing a man.
Kial Cottingham, 19, of Hattersley, threatened the victim, 57, with a knife and metal bar before ordering him to hand over cash, police said.
He was found guilty of robbery at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court and detained for five years on Monday.
He was detained for 16 weeks after admitting harassing David Askew, 64.
He harassed Mr Askew, also of Melandra Crescent, who he called “Dopey Dave”, over a three-month period from 25 January 2010 until the day of his death on 10 March.
He was sentenced for that offence at Tameside Magistrates’ Court in September.
Police said Cottingham and another man confronted a man who was visiting a client in Sylvester Close, Hattersley in February.
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Teenager who harassed man detained for robbery
OBE for Learning Disability Campaigner
Beverley Dawkins OBE
Learning disability campaigner Beverley Dawkins was honoured by the Queen this week, receiving an OBE for her outstanding and ongoing Services to People with Special Needs.
Beverley, who is Mencap’s national officer for profound and multiple learning disabilities, has worked with people with special needs and their families for more than 30 years.
She was a driving force behind the publication of the learning disability charity’s Death by Indifference report in 2007, which brought to light the appalling catalogue of neglect and ignorance that led to the deaths of six people with learning difficulties in NHS hospitals. (more…)
Valuing People Now Report Welcomed
Minister for Care Services, Paul Burstow has launched the Valuing People Now Summary Report, which covers progress made in the first 18 months of a three year strategy to improve the lives of people with learning difficulties.
Mencap head of campaigns and policy David Congdon welcomed the report. “We believe that progress has been made for people with a learning disability since the launch of Valuing People Now,” he said. “This good work must now be allowed to continue. It is vital that, in the current era of cuts, people with a learning difficulty do not move down the list of priorities.” (more…)
Support Schemes Celebrated on International Day
To mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (Friday 3rd December), St Luke’s Healthcare – which cares for adults and adolescents with learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorders, mental illness and brain injuries – paid tribute to residents at their Bostall House service in Abbey Wood, South East London, who have been volunteering their time in three local community schemes.
The first scheme, run in conjunction with Charlton Athletic FC, allows residents to attend weekly football sessions. After attending the scheme for a number of weeks, two residents have now been selected to represent the official Charlton Athletic Community Football Team.
Residents also took part in gardening at a local National Trust manor house, Hall Place, where they help to maintain the beauty of the grounds. (more…)
Tackling Hate Crime Must Be Priority
Delegates at a Hate Crime Conference organised by Mencap.
Figures from the Association of Chief Police Officers, showing an increase in hate crime, are a serious concern, according to learning difficulties charity Mencap – especially because of a likely under-reporting of hate crimes against disabled people.
Mencap’s head of policy and campaigns, David Congdon, said: “People with learning difficulties do not always go to the police. When they do, the police do not always record or investigate the crime as a hate crime, instead choosing to investigate it as anti-social behaviour.
“Hate crime against people with a learning disability needs to be taken as seriously as race-related and homophobic hate crimes. (more…)
