Family of man who took own life after COVID jab complications call for action on government compensation

Published

11 months ago

September 20, 2024

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The family of an NHS pharmacist who took his own life after suffering paralysing complications from a COVID jab are calling for urgent reform of the government’s compensation scheme for vaccine damage.

John Cross was told by the official medical assessor for the scheme that the jab had caused his rare neurological effects, but that he wasn’t disabled enough for a payment.

Mr Cross was unable to move, blink or breathe after his first dose of the vaccine.

He spent seven months recovering in hospital but was left with chronic pain and numbness – and suffered several relapses.

After he was rejected by the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS), his mental health deteriorated and he took his own life.

Speaking exclusively to Sky News, Philip Cross, John’s youngest son, said the family would seek to overturn the judgment and force reform of the VDPS.

“We want some good out of this and to get the system changed in memory of dad.

“You look at everything and it’s just wrong. It’s unjust.”

John was a staunch supporter of vaccination, eager to get his COVID jab to protect elderly relatives and help end the pandemic.

But two weeks later, he suffered rapidly progressive paralysis that swept up his body.

He was admitted to intensive care where he was given a tracheostomy, a breathing tube in his neck. And nursing staff had to tape his eyes closed so he could sleep.

He slowly learned to eat, walk and talk again. But he never regained the mobility and fitness he had enjoyed before his illness.

Doctors eventually diagnosed Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy, nerve swelling that leads to a loss of strength or sensation.

Adam, John’s eldest son, said his father dreaded intensive dialysis-like treatment to remove rogue antibodies from his blood because it left him severely fatigued for days.

“I think he knew that without the treatment, this long-term condition would yo-yo, possibly for the rest of his life,” he said.

“And he’d have to deal with that. It’s devastating.”

John was urged by his doctors to submit a claim to the VDPS.

The scheme was set up in 1979 to make a one-off payment of £120,000 to people who have suffered rare, but significant, side effects to a range of vaccines.

But after a two-year delay, with only a review of his medical records and no face-to-face assessment, his claim was rejected.

His widow, Christine, said: “Nobody spoke to him. There was no personal contact, nothing. Just fill in this form and that was it.

“I’m very angry. John went through enough with the illness and the recovery without going through the trauma of this bureaucracy.”

John began gathering medical evidence to have the judgment overturned.

But he became increasingly anxious and overwhelmed.

In October 2023, faced with more gruelling treatment for another flare-up, he took his own life.

Liz Whitehead, his daughter, said: “We’ve all had our vaccinations. And we continue to since we’ve lost dad.

“But now you start to question. If a rare, unusual thing were to take place, the system’s not got your back. It’s not there for you… is it worth the risk?”

Vaccination has long been seen as a social contract, with individuals taking the jab for the good of everyone.

But all vaccines have rare side effects, and the VDPS was designed to be a safety net for severe cases.

Under the VDPS, a medical examiner assesses patient records and testimony from doctors involved in the claimant’s care.

To qualify for payment, they must be deemed to be 60% disabled, a threshold with origins in compensation schemes for industrial injuries. Amputation below the knee would be sufficient for a payout.

But the Cross family’s solicitor, Peter Todd, of Scott-Moncrieff & Associates, said medical assessors struggle to make “apples and pears” comparisons with complex vaccine damage.

“The threshold is often misunderstood as being very high, akin to being totally paralysed,” he said.

“But it isn’t. It’s a much lower standard, and they have to take into account both the physical disablement and the psychological impact.”

Mr Todd has tracked applications to the VDPS.

Before the pandemic there were a few dozen a year.

But since the COVID vaccine rollout, 14,000 people have made claims, according to Freedom of Information requests submitted by Mr Todd to the NHS Business Services Authority.

Just over 6,000 have so far been notified of an outcome, with 180 people told they would be given a payment.

Another 350 people have been told that on the balance of probabilities the vaccine caused their complications, but that they didn’t meet the 60% disability threshold.

Mr Todd said people can struggle to explain the full impact of their vaccine damage on a complex form.

“There’s a real mismatch between what the claimant has understood about their condition and what the assessor is prepared to accept based purely on medical records that weren’t created for the purposes of this assessment,” he said.

“They rejected (John’s claim) in the most high-handed and unfair manner, which just broke him psychologically.”

The NHS Business Services Authority told Sky News that it did not comment on individual cases, but that it was in touch with the Cross family about their concerns over John’s assessment.

The Department of Health, which is responsible for the scheme, said the ongoing COVID Inquiry would investigate reform of the VDPS as part of its vaccination module starting in January next year.

In a statement, it said: “Assessments of VDPS claims are undertaken by qualified independent medical assessors, who use the medical records and information provided by the claimants’ healthcare providers to make their assessment.”

The Cross family are upset by the slow progress of the case.

“He was our dad, he was a really wonderful man,” said Liz.

“It’s a tragedy and the government needs to hear it. Don’t send me your condolences, don’t tell me how bad you feel for me or us.

“Do something.”

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

UK

Three teenagers charged with murder after death of man, 49, in Kent

Published

6 hours ago

August 13, 2025

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Three teenagers charged with murder after death of man, 49, in Kent

Three teenagers have been charged with the murder of a man in Kent.

Kent Police were called to an incident in Leysdown-on-Sea, on the Isle of Sheppey, shortly after 7pm on Sunday.

Alexander Cashford, 49, from Kent, was found dead at the scene, having suffered multiple injuries.

He was allegedly assaulted following a “disturbance involving a small group of people”, according to police.

A 16-year-old girl and two boys, aged 14 and 15, were arrested and taken into custody shortly after.

The three suspects, who were all from London, were charged with murder by joint venture on Tuesday.

They are due to appear before Medway Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. The teenagers cannot be named for legal reasons.

A 12-year-old girl was arrested on Tuesday in Basildon, Essex, in connection with the incident.

She remains in custody while enquiries continue.

Kent Police are appealing for witnesses who have not yet spoken to detectives to contact the force.

UK

‘Disturbing’ rise in abusive teen relationships – as experts warn of signs to look out for

Published

10 hours ago

August 13, 2025

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'Disturbing' rise in abusive teen relationships - as experts warn of signs to look out for

Marnie’s first serious relationship came when she was 16-years-old.

Warning: This article contains references to strangulation, coercive control and domestic abuse.

She was naturally excited when a former friend became her first boyfriend.

But after a whirlwind few months, everything changed with a slow, determined peeling away of her personality.

“There was isolation, then it was the phone checking,” says Marnie.

As a survivor of abuse, we are not using her real name.

“When I would go out with my friends or do something, I’d get constant phone calls and messages,” she says.

“I wouldn’t be left alone to sort of enjoy my time with my friends. Sometimes he might turn up there, because I just wasn’t trusted to just go and even do something minor like get my nails done.”

He eventually stopped her from seeing friends, shouted at her unnecessarily, and accused her of looking at other men when they would go out.

If she ever had any alone time, he would bombard her with calls and texts; she wasn’t allowed to do anything without him knowing where she was.

He monitored her phone constantly.

“Sometimes I didn’t even know someone had messaged me.

“My mum maybe messaged to ask me where I was. He would delete the message and put my phone away, so then I wouldn’t even have a clue my mum had tried to reach me.”

The toll of what Marnie experienced was only realised 10 years later when she sought help for frequent panic attacks.

She struggled to comprehend the damage her abuser had inflicted when she was diagnosed with PTSD.

This is what psychological abuse and coercive control looks like.

Young women and girls in the UK are increasingly falling victim, with incidents of domestic abuse spiralling among under-25s.

Exclusive data shared with Sky News, gathered by domestic abuse charity Refuge, reveals a disturbing rise in incidents between April 2024 and March 2025.

Psychological abuse was the most commonly reported form of harm, affecting 73% of young women and girls.

Of those experiencing this form of manipulation, 49% said their perpetrator had threatened to harm them and a further 35% said their abuser had threatened to kill them.

Among the 62% of 16-25 year olds surveyed who had reported suffering from physical violence, half of them said they had been strangled or suffocated.

Earlier this year, Sky News reported that school children were asking for advice on strangulation, but Kate Lexen, director of services at charity Tender, says children as young as nine are asking about violent pornography and displaying misogynistic behaviour.

“What we’re doing is preventing what those misogynistic behaviours can then escalate onto,” Ms Lexen says.

Tender has been running workshops and lessons on healthy relationships in primary and secondary schools and colleges for over 20 years.

Children as young as nine ‘talking about strangulation’

Speaking to Sky News, Ms Lexen says new topics are being brought up in sessions, which practitioners and teachers are adapting to.

“We’re finding those Year 5 and Year 6 students, so ages 9, 10 and 11, are talking about strangulation, they’re talking about attitudes that they’ve read online and starting to bring in some of those attitudes from some of those misogynistic influencers.

“There are ways that they’re talking about and to their female teachers.

“We’re finding that from talking to teachers as well that they are really struggling to work out how to broach these topics with the students that they are working with and how to make that a really safe space and open space to have those conversations in an age-appropriate way, which can be very challenging.”

Charities like Tender exist to prevent domestic abuse and sexual violence.

Ms Lexen says without tackling misogynistic behaviours “early on with effective prevention education” then the repercussions, as the data for under 25s proves, will be “astronomical”.

At Refuge, it is already evident. Elaha Walizadeh, senior programme manager for children and young people, says the charity has seen a rise in referrals since last year.

“We have also seen the dynamics of abuse changing,” she adds. “So with psychological abuse being reported, we’ve seen a rise in that and non-fatal strangulation cases, we’ve seen a rise in as well.

“Our frontline workers are telling us that the young people are telling them usually abuse starts from smaller signs. So things like coercive control, where the perpetrators are stopping them from seeing friends and family. It then builds.”

Misogyny to violent behaviour might seem like a leap.

But experts and survivors are testament to the fact that it is happening.

UK

US accuses UK of ‘significant human rights issues’ and restricting free speech

Published

18 hours ago

August 12, 2025

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US accuses UK of 'significant human rights issues' and restricting free speech

The US State Department has accused the UK of having “significant human rights issues”, including restrictions on free speech.

The unflattering assessment comes via a new version of an annual Human Rights Practices report, with its publication coinciding with Vice President JD Vance’s holiday in the Cotswolds.

Politics Hub: Follow latest updates and analysis

It says human rights in the UK “worsened” in 2024, with “credible reports of serious restrictions on freedom of expression”, as well as “crimes, violence, or threats of violence motivated by antisemitism” since the 7 October Hamas attack against Israel.

On free speech, while “generally provided” for, the report cites “specific areas of concern” around limits on “political speech deemed ‘hateful’ or ‘offensive'”.

Sir Keir Starmer has previously defended the UK’s record on free speech after concerns were raised by Mr Vance.

In response to the report, a UK government spokesperson said: “Free speech is vital for democracy around the world including here in the UK, and we are proud to uphold freedoms whilst keeping our citizens safe.”

The US report highlights Britain’s public space protection orders, which allow councils to restrict certain activities in some public places to prevent antisocial behaviour.

It also references “safe access zones” around abortion clinics, which the Home Office says are designed to protect women from harassment or distress.

They have been criticised by Mr Vance before, notably back in February during a headline-grabbing speech at the Munich Security Conference.

The report also criticises the Online Safety Act and accuses ministers of intervening to “chill speech” about last summer’s murders in Southport, highlighting arrests made in the wake of the subsequent riots.

Ministers have said the Online Safety Act is about protecting children, and repeatedly gone so far as to suggest people who are opposed to it are on the side of predators.

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The report comes months after Sir Keir bit back at Mr Vance during a summit at the White House, cutting in when Donald Trump’s VP claimed there are “infringements on free speech” in the UK.

“We’ve had free speech for a very long time, it will last a long time, and we are very proud of that,” the PM said.

But Mr Vance again raised concerns during a meeting with Foreign Secretary David Lammy at his country estate in Kent last week, saying he didn’t want the UK to go down a “very dark path” of losing free speech.

The US State Department’s report echoes similar accusations made by the likes of Nigel Farage and Elon Musk.

The Trump administration itself has been accused of trying to curtail free speech and stifle criticism, most notably by targeting universities – Harvard chief among them.