A LONG-TERM patient was found on fire in a ward toilet in the middle
of the night, a fatal accident inquiry was told yesterday.
Hours later John Gallacher, 41, an epileptic who had spent 24 years in
Lennox Castle psychiatric hospital, died from his injuries.
His 47-year-old brother, William, claimed at the inquiry that
officials at the hospital near Glasgow told him they thought a cigarette
might have caused the tragedy.
Mr Gallacher, of Littleton Street, Summerston, Glasgow, said he did
not believe his brother could have a lit a cigarette or have made his
own way to the toilet.
He told Mrs Fiona Miller, leading the evidence at Glasgow Sheriff
Court, that his brother's hands shook badly and someone always had to
light his cigarettes. ''I have never known him to have matches or a
lighter,'' he said.
John Gallacher was found with his pyjamas and dressing gown on fire in
the toilet of Ward 25 early on May 23, 1991.
He was taken to Stobhill Hospital then to the Royal Infirmary in
Glasgow, where he died that afternoon.
Mr Gallacher told Mr Ian Carmichael, advocate for the family, that he
had gone to Lennox Castle with other relatives after he had heard about
the accident and they had met eight officials.
He said the staff did not give any direct answers except to say they
were ''looking into the incident''. But they mentioned a cigarette as a
possible cause.
He said they then went to the Royal Infirmary and told the doctor in
the intensive care unit where his brother died about the cigarette. Mr
Gallagher claimed the doctor had told him: ''There's no way a cigarette
could have caused that.''
Mr Gallacher said his brother's condition had deteriorated during his
long stay at the hospital and he could walk only with assistance. He
denied that his brother was simple, or that he had ever seen him being
aggressive. His brother had complained several times about being bullied
by other patients.
A consultant psychiatrist, Dr Pronub Kumar Thakur, who was in charge
of Mr Gallacher's treatment, said that the patient had been epileptic
since he was two years old. Dr Thakur said Mr Gallacher was moderately
mentally handicapped with an IQ of 36 and a mental age of six years
three months.
Questioned by Mrs Miller, the doctor said Mr Gallacher could be
unconscious for up to five or 10 minutes after a fit and would feel no
pain. In his opinion, he said, Mr Gallacher would have been able to
hobble from his bed to the toilet despite his leg being in plaster as a
result of an ankle injury.
Dr Thakur told Mrs Miller he had interviewed other patients in the
presence of a nurse after the death. These included two who had a
history of fire-raising.
The inquiry continues.
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