Libby Rose: MP Mark Pritchard backs Telford mum's call for an inquest into 16-year-old's death
The fight for an inquest into the death of Telford teenager Libby Rose has been taken up by Mark Pritchard MP.
The Conservative MP for The Wrekin met with Libby’s mum Rosemary Westwood-Rose to hear all about the tragic circumstances surrounding the 16-year-old’s death and said he would be pushing the coroner to open an inquest.
Libby died on August 26, 2017, at her home in Admaston after a battle with the eating disorder bulimia. A post-mortem concluded that Libby died from hypokalaemia, or low potassium levels that led to a cardiac arrest.
Because the causes were deemed to be natural, no inquest was held.
Rosemary has been calling on the coroner to conduct for “full and fierce” inquest and wants a court to consider whether anything could have been done to prevent her death, and whether care for people with eating disorders needs to improve.
The sooner someone gets treatment for an eating disorder, the better their chances of recovery. Anyone worried about their own or someone else’s health can contact eating disorder charity Beat’s Helpline, 365 days a year, via phone on, email, anonymous one-to-one webchat or social media messaging here. Or call: Adult Helpline - 0808 801 0677; Studentline - 0808 801 0811; Youthline - 0808 801 0711.
After the meeting Mr Pritchard said: “I will be taking up this case to try and ensure mistakes that were made by numerous providers are not repeated and that an inquest is undertaken by the local coroner.
“If this is refused, I shall be raising this case with the Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary.
“This is a tragic case, and possibly an avoidable death, that is why I hope a judicial and parliamentary spotlight will help reveal the truth surrounding the events leading up to Libby Rose’s very sad death.”
Rosemary started a CrowdJustice campaign to try and raise funds for her legal fees, and thousands have been raised since the Shropshire Star shed light on this story.
She has raised enough to pay for initial solicitor fees, but needs to raise more in order to get an expert psychiatrist to provide evidence to the coroner.
The coroner for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin John Ellery said he was unable to speak about individual cases.
If you would like to contribute to Rosemary’s cause then click here or follow the hashtag #inquest4libby on social media.
