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INQUIRY UNDER THE FATAL ACCIDENTS AND SUDDEN DEATHS INQUIRY (SCOTLAND) ACT 1976 INTO THE DEATH OF JOHN GLANCY

SHERIFFDOM OF TAYSIDE, CENTRAL AND FIFE AT PERTH

 

2015 FAI 29

B204/15

DETERMINATION

 

BY

 

SHERIFF C M SHEAD, ADVOCATE

 

UNDER THE FATAL ACCIDENTS AND SUDDEN DEATHS INQUIRIES (SCOTLAND) ACT 1976

 

into the death of

 

JOHN GLANCY

 

The sheriff, having considered the evidence adduced, Determines in terms of section 6(1) of the Fatal Accident and Sudden Deaths (Scotland) Act 1976:

  1. That the late John Glancy died at Her Majesty’s Prison, Castle Huntly, Longforgan, Perthshire on 5 January 2015 at 15:50.
  2. That the cause of death was atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.
  3. That there were no reasonable precautions whereby the death might have been avoided
  4. That there was no defect in any system of working which contributed to his death
  5. That other facts relevant to the circumstances of the death are set out in the findings which follow.

 

 

Findings in fact

  1. At about 14:45 on 5 January 2015 the deceased became unwell.He was pale and complaining of chest pains. He collapsed between 14:45 and 15:05 in the grounds of Her Majesty’s Prison, Castle Huntly.He was found by Mr Stuart Harris who performed CPR on him. Subsequently Ms Sue Fraser, a nurse employed by NHS Tayside who was working that day at the prison, attended and also performed CPR on the deceased.Paramedics were called and they treated the deceased but without success. The deceased was pronounced dead at 15:50 hours. His body was taken to the mortuary in Dundee.
  2. At the time of his death the deceased was a serving prisoner.On 8 August 2012 he had been sentenced to six years’ imprisonment at the High Court of Justiciary sitting at Glasgow in respect of his plea of guilty to a charge of assault and robbery.
  3. On the instructions of the Procurator Fiscal at Dundee a post-mortem examination was carried out on 7 January 2015. That examination established that the cause of death was atherosclerotic coronary heart disease.The authors of the post-mortem report expressed their conclusions in the following terms:“Taking all the findings together, particularly in view of the circumstances of his collapse occurring suddenly whilst working and after complaining of chest pains, death is attributed to atherosclerotic artery disease. This would account for sudden death due to an acute heart attack or disturbance in the electrical rhythm of the heart (cardiac arrhythmia) associated with terminal heart failure.”

 

Note

            The Crown called no witnesses but lodged a joint minute which the parties had agreed. Neither of the other parties led any other evidence.

            The Procurator Fiscal asked me to make formal findings only as required by section 6(1) (a) and (b) of the 1976 Act. Mr Bevan for the Scottish Prison Service and Ms Shippin for Tayside Health Board adopted that submission. 

            Given the terms of the joint minute and the documents produced I am content to proceed on that basis.

            In conclusion I should like to express my condolences to the family and friends of Mr Glancy.

 

 

 

 

 

Sheriff of Tayside, Central and Fife

Perth   19 November 2015