Grieving family allowed to enter maggot-infested flat of Worthing woman who was ‘left to die’ by authorities

A grieving family were allowed into the fly-infested flat of a vulnerable Worthing woman whose body was found weeks after she died: one of several failings, they claimed.
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“She was left to die.”

These are the damning words of the sister of a vulnerable Worthing woman whose body was found weeks after her death, despite warnings she was suicidal.

Ruth Cox was found on June 9, inside her flat in Shelby Road, Durrington, after a neighbour complained of flies coming from their pipes.

Ruth Cox's body was found weeks after she died at home in Shelby Road, DurringtonRuth Cox's body was found weeks after she died at home in Shelby Road, Durrington
Ruth Cox's body was found weeks after she died at home in Shelby Road, Durrington
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Her sister Fiona Barnham has called for major changes to the system after a catalogue of failings – such as letting Ruth’s family into her maggot-infested flat.

She said: “No human being should ever die like my sister did, and no family member should ever have to face what my son and his fiancée 
faced.”

“Nobody helped her,” she added. “It was easy to fob her off with some tablets, check on her and then leave her be. They have failed miserably. The care just wasn’t there at all, especially when I warned them she would need help and I couldn’t do it.”

“I knew my sister would just give up and want to die”

Ruth Cox's body was found weeks after she died at home in Shelby Road, Durrington. Her family were allowed in to her fly and maggot-infested flat by the authorities, which her sister has heavily criticisedRuth Cox's body was found weeks after she died at home in Shelby Road, Durrington. Her family were allowed in to her fly and maggot-infested flat by the authorities, which her sister has heavily criticised
Ruth Cox's body was found weeks after she died at home in Shelby Road, Durrington. Her family were allowed in to her fly and maggot-infested flat by the authorities, which her sister has heavily criticised

Fiona said her sister had drinking problems, an eating disorder and mental health issues leading to several suicide attempts and stints in hospital.

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In October, Ruth, then 52, went to Meadowfield Hospital at Swandean and told staff she was suicidal.

But in a letter found recently by her sister, Meadowfield apologised as a staff member had dropped the notes they had taken while she was pleading for help.

Ruth visited again in January to no avail, said Fiona, who called the mental health team after their mother’s death on February 22.

Ruth Cox's body was found weeks after she died at home in Shelby Road, DurringtonRuth Cox's body was found weeks after she died at home in Shelby Road, Durrington
Ruth Cox's body was found weeks after she died at home in Shelby Road, Durrington

“I knew my sister would just give up and want to die. My mum was her world,” Fiona explained.

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The team told Fiona police had done a welfare check and did not seem to be concerned.

When Ruth did not turn up to their mother’s funeral on March 17, Fiona was worried: so she tried calling her and knocking on her door, with no answer.

Due to her mental state, Ruth would often not answer the door or her phone, or read her post – and the lockdown did not help.

Fiona said there needed to be better support systems in place for people like Ruth, who were known to mental health services but were hard to contact.

“It was just horrific”

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News of Ruth’s death was broken to Fiona three days after her body was found when a mental health team leader called to offer his condolences.

The police allegedly claimed they did not know Ruth’s next of kin, which Fiona rejected as she had been called by 
officers about her sister in the past.

An inquest into her death will be held.

Fiona claimed the coroner’s office suggested the family could visit the flat and find any sign of when Ruth may have died, such as a bottle of milk’s expiry date.

Despite being told by police the flat was ‘quite tidy’ when they were handed the keys, Fiona’s 28-year-old son and his fiancée, who went in ahead of her, were not prepared for the awful scene they were confronted with.

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Fiona said: “The outline of her body was black on the floor, and the flat was infested with maggots and flies.”

She added: “It was just horrific; worse than any horror film you could imagine. They were traumatised by it.”

“I hope she is at peace”

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which is responsible for mental health services in Worthing, wrote to Fiona to offer their condolences and ask if she would contribute to their review of what happened and ‘discuss what was done well and where you feel we could have done better’.

“Frankly, asking ‘what was done well’ when someone has died is ridiculous,” she said. “It is too little, too late.”

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Fiona hoped that sharing her sister’s story would stop this from happening to anyone else.

She said: “I hope she is at peace, and is free from her demons and with my mum; that is the only comfort I take from all this.

“Poor Ruth said she wanted to get better and write a book to help other people. That will never happen now, but maybe this will highlight the big changes that need to be made in the system.”

She added: “The most upsetting thing is how she was left to die in these circumstances on her own, with no help. She had just lost her mum, and I couldn’t get through to her.”

“We failed”, says police

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Superintendent Miles Ockwell said: “I have reviewed the circumstances around this case and it is clear we failed in our responsibility to work with the housing association to ensure the property was suitably cleaned before the family was provided access.

“This has caused the family additional distress at a very difficult time and I would like to offer a full and sincere apology for that.

“I have sought to make contact with the family and have offered a personal meeting so that I can offer that apology face to face.

“It is clear to me that we failed to communicate effectively with the family and the housing association, and I take responsibility for this on behalf of my officers.

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“There are a number of lessons to be learned from this case and I am determined that we take that learning on board so that the same mistakes cannot be repeated.”

Sasha Harrison from the Southern Housing Group housing association said: “Our thoughts and sincere condolences are with Ruth’s family and friends at this difficult time.

“We are sorry for the distress that they must be feeling.

“Unfortunately the tenancy law is clear that we cannot enter the home until the relevant notice has expired, which in this case is on July, 12, 2020. Naturally, it would not be right for us to comment further.”

A spokesman for the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said it could not publicly comment until the inquest was held.

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A West Sussex County Council spokesperson said: “We are very sorry to hear the distress this has caused the family. The coroner’s officer would not normally hold onto the keys to a property following the death of an individual. In this case the police held the keys and the Coroner’s service did not visit the flat or have access to the keys at any stage.”