Lampard Inquiry: Sister of woman who took her own life vows to ‘get her voice heard’
In a photo her sister treasures, Paula Parretti smiles brightly. It was taken soon after she had decided to colour half of her hair bright pink.
“She was an amazing auntie, like the fun aunt,” Sam Cook recalls.
“She’d always be there for my children. Laughing, joking, buying them the noisiest toys, all that fun stuff and she wanted to see them grow.”
But Paula died in January 2022. It was Sam who discovered her in her flat.
“I want to see her beautiful face as a memory. But I don’t. I see that last image,” Sam says.
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Sam Cook with her favourite photo of her sister
Weeks earlier Paula had been discharged from hospital, despite being visibly distressed.
“They dropped her bags at my feet and said, ‘You’ve got to take her home, we need the bed’,” Sam recalls.
“I said, ‘Can you not see she’s having a panic attack?’ And they said, ‘Sorry, but we need the bed. There’s lots of people that need help’. So, I had to take her home and all she kept saying was Nobody listens. I’m never going to get any help. Nobody’s listening to me. There’s no point’.”
Sam is set to become one of the first relatives to speak on behalf of loved ones at a public inquiry into thousands of deaths of mental health patients in Essex.
The Lampard Inquiry began last week with its chair Baroness Lampard saying the number of deaths that will be looked at will be significantly in excess of the 2,000 that were being considered by a previous investigation.
The patients all died between 2000 and 2023.
Sam says her sister never felt listened to. During a previous stay at the Linden Centre, a mental health unit in Essex, she says Paula suffered broken ribs and bruising at the hands of staff. She says the NHS Trust admitted fault following that incident and paid some compensation.
Paula was ‘an amazing auntie’
Paul Scott, chief executive officer of Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, said in a statement to Sky News: “My thoughts are with Paula’s family at this difficult time and I am sorry for the distress caused during Paula’s care, and send my deepest condolences for their loss.”
Sam says she’s determined to keep fighting for change so other patients don’t suffer like her sister.
“I promised myself after she passed away that I’d get her voice heard… now I’m finally, finally giving her her voice,” she says.
Before her sister’s death, Sam had also lost a cousin and a friend who were both suffering with their mental health.
Since posting online about her loss, she’s been contacted by people concerned about mental health services around the country.
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“It’s nationwide,” Sam says. “People are saying they’re having the same treatment. They’re begging for help.
“I think people think they won’t speak up. And if they do speak up, are they going to get believed? Or are people going to put it down to their mental health?
“I think it needs us families to really put it out there that these were people. Just because they have mental health problems, it doesn’t mean that they’re anything less than a person. They have family, they’re mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles. They’re loved.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
The UK will “set out a plan” to lift defence spending to 2.5% of national income in the spring, the prime minister has said, finally offering a timeframe for an announcement on the long-awaited hike after mounting criticism.
Sir Keir Starmer gave the date during a phone call with Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, in the wake of threats by Moscow to target UK and US military facilities following a decision by London and Washington to let Ukraine fire their missiles inside Russia.
There was no clarity though on when the 2.5% level will be achieved. The UK says it currently spends around 2.3% of GDP on defence.
Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sir Keir Starmer and NATO boss Mark Rutte in October. Pic: PA
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A spokeswoman for Downing Street said that the two men “began by discussing the situation in Ukraine and reiterated the importance of putting the country in the strongest possible position going into the winter”.
They also talked about the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to fight alongside Russia.
“The prime minister underscored the need for all NATO countries to step up in support of our collective defence and updated on the government’s progress on the strategic defence review,” the spokeswoman said.
“His government would set out the path to 2.5% in the spring.”
The defence review will also be published in the spring.
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While a date for an announcement on 2.5% will be welcomed by the Ministry of Defence, analysts have long warned that such an increase is still well below the amount that is needed to rebuild the armed forces after decades of decline to meet growing global threats from Russia, an increasingly assertive China, North Korea and Iran.
They say the UK needs to be aiming to hit at least 3% – probably higher.
With Donald Trump returning to the White House, there will be significantly more pressure on the UK and other European NATO allies to accelerate increases in defence spending.
Snow, rain and strong winds are expected to disrupt travel plans and potentially cause flooding as Storm Bert hits the UK.
Several weather warnings are in place, while 16 flood alerts have been issued – warning flooding is possible – in England and Scotland.
Most of the UK is affected by yellow warnings for either wind, rain or snow, with a slightly more severe amber warning covering parts of northern England and central Scotland.
Two areas of Ireland have been issued a rare red warning for heavy rain until 10am.
Check out the forecast in your area
London, East Anglia, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Hull and swathes of the Midlands are the only parts with no current warnings in place.
The warnings in place. Pic: Met Office
Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern described a “multiple hazard event” going into Saturday morning.
“We’ll see two to four hours of heavy snow across parts of northern England and Scotland during Saturday morning,” he said.
“This snow will accumulate thick and fast, with five to 10cm at lower levels and as much as 20 to 40cm over hills accompanied by strong winds.
“You can expect blizzards over hills across northern England and Scotland, atrocious conditions for travelling and going over the hills and also the risk of power interruptions because of snow build up on power lines.
“So all in all, a multiple hazard event as we go into Saturday morning.”
Temperatures will rise quickly as the storm brings milder air from the Atlantic, he said, resulting in a “rapid thaw” by the afternoon.
What the weather warnings mean
• Yellow – people are advised to check the details of the forecast and consider extra steps to minimise any impact, while disruption is likely, particularly for travel;
• Amber – disruption is more likely and more widespread and people are advised to change plans impacted by weather;
• Red – reserved for very dangerous weather that can pose a danger to life and cause substantial travel disruption.
Travel disruption
While airports are not expecting disruption, rail companies have announced service changes over the weekend.
In Scotland, there will be speed restrictions on the West Highland Line, Highland Mainline, Stranraer Line, Glasgow South Western Line, Far North Line, and West Coast Mainline between Carstairs and the border.
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ScotRail has also withdrawn services from Inverness to Elgin, Aberdeen to Inverurie, and Glasgow Queen Street to Oban.
The TransPennine Express, meanwhile, “strongly” urged customers not to travel north of Carlisle on Saturday and Avanti West Coast advised against travel north of Preston.
UK
Gatwick Airport: Police release two people who were detained amid security incident as South Terminal reopens
Two people detained during a security incident at Gatwick Airport have been allowed to continue their journeys after a suspect package saw a “large part” of the South Terminal evacuated.
The terminal was closed for hours after the discovery of a “suspected prohibited item” in a passenger’s luggage sparked an emergency response. It reopened at around 3.45pm.
Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team “made the package safe” before handing the airport back to its operator, Sussex Police said.
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Passengers at Gatwick Airport after flights were cancelled. Pic: PA
Their statement continued: “Two people who were detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys.
“There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel.”
The force also thanked the public and airport staff for their patience while the incident was ongoing.
Earlier the airport, which is the UK’s second busiest, said the terminal was evacuated after a “security incident”.
“The earlier security alert has now been resolved and cleared by police,” it later said in a statement on Friday afternoon.
“The South Terminal is reopening to staff and will be open to passengers shortly.”
Gatwick said some flights were cancelled while others were delayed.
It said passengers should contact their airlines for any updates on flights.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of travellers heading away from the terminal building.
“Arrived at London Gatwick for routine connection. Got through customs to find out they’re evacuating the entire airport,” one passenger said.
“Even people through security are being taken outside. Trains shut down,” another passenger added, who said “thousands” of people were forced to leave.
Another passenger said people near the gates were being told to stay there and not go back to the departure lounge.
People outside the airport were handed blankets and water, passengers told Sky News.
The airport said its North Terminal was still operating normally.
Gatwick Express said its trains did not call at Gatwick Airport during the police response, but the airport said trains would start calling there again once the terminal was fully reopened.
More than 600 flights were due to take off or land at Gatwick on Friday, amounting to more than 121,000 passenger seats, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
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