Fiona Laskaris has been fighting for years for a change in law she believes could have saved her autistic son Christopher, as Romilly Weeks reports
Health secretary Wes Streeting has said he is considering “very carefully” a law change that a mother believes could have saved her autistic son, who was murdered.
As the Mental Health Bill returned to the House of Commons on Monday evening, cross-party MPs urged the government to back a change in law that would allow families to request mental capacity assessments for vulnerable loved ones.
It comes following years of campaigning by Fiona Laskaris, whose 24-year-old son Christopher was exploited and ultimately murdered by a convicted criminal in his own home in 2016.
She was repeatedly dismissed for years when she tried to get Christopher a mental capacity assessment, which establishes whether someone has the ability to make decisions about their own safety and wellbeing, and helps determine what support they may need. She believes that if her concerns had been listened to, he would still be alive today.
Since ITV News aired Fiona’s story and the prime minister’s subsequent pledge in the Commons to “look into” the law change, we have been contacted by other families who are also battling to get mental capacity assessments.
One father told of the “horrific” experience he had trying to help his autistic daughter out of a coercive and controlling relationship with a man, who exploited her and “drained” her finances.
Now, Fiona is determined to stop other families from going through the same pain that her family has endured.
And in what is the strongest indication yet that Fiona’s pleas may be answered by the government, the health secretary pledged in the Commons that he would work to improve the law.
As the mother watched from the gallery, Streeting told MPs: “We are considering very carefully the arguments that have been raised and looking at what we can do within this bill to advance things in the way that Fiona, and others like her, would like to see.
“We’ll continue that engagement throughout the passage of the bill and see if there is a workable way in which we can improve this bill to make sure that others do not have to go through the unimaginable heartbreak that Fiona is living with every day.”
The health secretary also thanked the mother for her “campaigning work in completely unimaginable circumstances for those who haven’t walked in her shoes and experienced the kind of grief that she is experiencing”.
Liberal Democrat MP Cris Coghlan, who is one of three cross-party MPs urging the government to back the change, paid an emotional tribute to Fiona’s refusal to give up in the Commons on Monday.
‘If we do succeed, it will be above all because of the voices of the broken but unbeaten parents, like Fiona, demanding change.’ Watch MP Chris Coghlan’s emotional speech in full:
Coghlan, who grew up in the same house where Fiona and Christopher later lived, promised her before he became an MP last year that, should he be elected, he would bring her fight to Parliament. He stayed true to his word and dedicated his maiden speech to her son – as well as his speech on Monday night.
He told MPs as he urged them to back the law change: “Although this amendment is only a small part of the answer, it is an answer to save lives.
“If one grieving mother can change the law, then perhaps we can answer the other things too, and if we do succeed, it will be above all because of the voices of the broken but unbeaten parents, like Fiona, demanding change.
“Now it is up to us, to make Fiona a witness that in our country it is possible for the vulnerable to be heard, injustice to be overcome and to find beyond grief, hope.”
‘Her finances were drained… she was forced to shave her head’
One father, who had been fighting for a mental capacity assessment for his autistic daughter with learning difficulties, told ITV News how she was placed by social services in a house with five unknown men.
Ian explained how this led to “horrific” consequences, with her being controlled “physically and financially” by one of those men. Despite Ian and his wife’s concerns, they were shut out by social services.
“We felt we lost our daughter for over 12 months,” Ian said, recalling the ordeal.
“This is a 25-year-old vulnerable young lady in a house with very limited support, with five adult males,” he continued.
“Within a couple of weeks she became involved in a controlling and coercive relationship with an adult who was over twice her age… it was just horrendous.
“Her finances were drained, she was doing everything that this individual was asking her or telling her to do.
“I think the worst bit for us as parents was when she was forced to shave her head.”
His worst fears were realised when he received a call from his daughter’s support worker asking Ian to provide her passport.
“It transpired that within six weeks of this controlling, coercive relationship, they were going to get married,” he said.
“I obviously wouldn’t release the passport. However, the support worker was told by the social worker team that our daughter had assumed capacity, so was able to make those decisions of her own free will.”
“No capacity assessments were carried out,” he added. “We were never asked. And they used the term ‘assumed capacity’. ‘Assumed’ all the time.
“I was in tears. Devastating to think that that could have happened.”
After a lengthy “battle”, Ian’s daughter is finally in safe and supported living accommodation and she – and the family – are in a “much better place now”.
Speaking of the proposed law change, he added: “The government have to act on this, it’s a necessity. I’m just one of many that could tell a similar story.”
What is the Mental Capacity Act and how could the law change?
The Mental Capacity Act was introduced in 2005 in a bid to minimise the number of vulnerable adults being detained unreasonably and indefinitely, and to give them more autonomy over their own care.
It states that as a starting point, everyone should be presumed to have the capacity to make their own decisions about their own safety and wellbeing, and that assessment should be carried out if their capacity is in doubt.
However, research has found that such assessments are either not carried out enough or are not carried out effectively – in particular on autistic people, adults with learning disabilities or those with severe mental health conditions, such as bipolar and schizophrenia.
‘Losing a child is the worst thing that can happen to anyone, but I think a preventable death is the very worst,’ Fiona Laskaris previously told ITV News.
Watch Romilly Weeks’ report:
Their insistence that they can cope is often taken at face value without considering their past history and loved ones’ concerns. This means that – as in Christopher Laskaris’ case – they are left without the support they need.
Fiona and three MPs – the former health secretary Jeremy Hunt (Conservatives), Chris Coghlan (Lib Dems) and Jake Richards (Labour) – are calling for an amendment to the Mental Capacity Act to ensure family members’ views are taken into account when deciding if someone needs a mental capacity assessment.
They, along with the National Autistic Society, agree that the current system is failing autistic adults like Christopher, as well as other adults with learning disabilities and mental health illnesses, at times with catastrophic consequences.
They are concerned there are potentially hundreds of preventable deaths per year due to this issue, with recent research by King’s College London finding The Mental Capacity Act was not followed in a quarter of the deaths of autistic people and those with learning disabilities in 2022 alone.
To hear more about Christopher’s life and the Mental Capacity Act, listen below to the podcast episode titled: ‘The mum fighting for a law change after her autistic son’s murder’…
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, help and support is available:
- Samaritans is an organisation offering confidential support for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair. Phone 116 123 (a free 24-hour helpline).
- The National Autistic Society offers free help and guidance for autistic people or anyone supporting someone who is autistic. Anyone who needs urgent support can find information here.
- Bipolar UK offers free support to anyone affected by bipolar. If you need urgent help, phone their helpline on 0333 323 3880.
- Access Social Care provides free legal advice and information for people with social care needs and helps them to achieve a better quality of life.
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