Article courtesy Gareth Dunning Warrington Guardian
A CORONER said the tragic death of talented local journalist Pete Magill at Warrington Hospital was a very complex case.
Peter, 49, died in June, three days after arriving at accident and emergency complaining of headaches, blurred vision and an aversion to light.
Cheshire Coroners Court, sitting in Warrington, heard he became very confused in the wards but was improving and had spoken about getting out and watching Warrington Wolves in the Challenge Cup Final when seen by a doctor on Friday, June 6.
However 40 minutes later he was found collapsed in his room on the acute medical ward and could not be revived.
Assistant coroner Charlotte Keighley told the court on Friday the case was ‘extremely complex’ and there was no way to determine Mr Magill’s intention that morning. He died from asphyxiation from a ligature.
Sarah Clark, Mr Magill’s sister, described the head of print at Newsquest north west and north Wales as being someone with a good sense of humour who was loved and respected by his family and friends.
He was devoted to his niece and nephews.
A huge Warrington Wolves fan, he had a close of network of friends, many of whom were in court.
A journalist since the age of 18, including at Warrington Worldwide’s publishers Orbit News, he had worked in newsrooms across the north west where he was loved and respected.
He went to his parent’s home on June 1 complaining of headaches and tiredness after being kept up by a party at a neighbour’s home on Academy Way the night before. He planned to take time off work as well due to his tiredness and stress.
He went to a scheduled optician appointment the day after but when his condition did not improve, his dad took him to A&E on the Tuesday evening.
Dr Jonathan Chevassut told the court the initial suspicion was that he was suffering with meningitis. Doctors later believed he had encephalitis, a condition which causes a swelling of the brain.
The court heard the following morning, Mr Magill became very confused, not knowing where he was and walking the corridors. He was given one to one care and doctors became concerned he had mental health issues as well.
Ms Clark said Mr Magill had suffered an episode of depression in 2004 and told family at the time. She said were he suffering with his mental health again, he would have spoken to his family and friends, who he was very close with.
Family and friends were worried when they saw him, but he appeared to be improving on the Thursday when he was on the acute medical unit. He was less confused although told doctors he was hearing an internal narrative and was trying to piece together what had happened in recent days.
A lumbar puncture was carried out that day. The court heard it showed he had neither meningitis or encephalitis and the post mortem confirmed he had neither.
On the Friday morning, Dr Joshua Longden saw Mr Magill on his morning rounds. He appeared in better spirits and while still hearing an internal monologue he said he had no thoughts of self-harm.
A short while later, the emergency alarm was called from Mr Magill’s room and he tragically died.
Dr Longden said Warrington Hospital had confirmed two changes since the incident.
First, whether someone presenting with mental health problems altered behaviours should be left in a side pod which often had no windows and curtains.
The second was whether someone with physical and mental health issues should received support for the mental health issues sooner. Dr Longden told the court currently referrals would only generally be made after a physical problem had been ruled out. This would be in line with the recommendations of the 2017 ‘Treat as One’ report which emphasises that patients should be assessed on their fitness to engage in an evaluation rather than solely on being medically fit.
Ms Keighley confirmed Mr Magill died from cardio respiratory failure from asphyxiation. He also had a gastric haemorrhage which pathologist Dr Chenggang Li said had probably been there for less than 24 hours before he died.
But in a narrative verdict she described it is a very complex case.
She added: “Although there is a great deal of evidence in this case, I consider it almost impossible to determine Mr Magill’s intention at the time or if had the capability. It is a very, very complex case with a complex background of diagnoses.”
Speaking after his death Roger Airey, Head of Production for the North at Newsquest, said: “Pete was a tenacious, brilliant reporter with the ability to turn the most complex strands of information into an easily intelligible story expressed with the fewest words possible – a skill only the best journalists possess.”
