Carer who left suicidal teen alone ‘was working under fake ID’

An agency care worker who failed to supervise a suicidal teenage girl at a scandal-hit mental health hospital was working under a fake ID and fled the country shortly after she died, an inquest has heard.

Ruth Szymankiewicz, 14, died after she was left alone at Huntercombe Hospital, near Maidenhead in Berkshire, despite requiring constant one-to-one observation, jurors at the inquest were told.

The hearing was told that the support worker who had been responsible for monitoring Ruth had only gone through a day or a day and a half of online training before his first shift at the children’s psychiatric hospital on 12 February 2022.

He left his shift at 8pm when it ended, but should have waited to hand over to another worker before doing so, to ensure Ruth could be watched at all times. But the coroner told the jury he “just left”, meaning Ruth was left alone for 15 minutes.

In that time, Ruth, who had an eating disorder, made her way to her room where she committed an act of self-harm. She was found and resuscitated, and transferred to the local acute hospital, John Radcliffe in Oxford, where she was admitted to intensive care. Ruth died two days later, on 14 February, having suffered brain injury.

Assistant coroner for Buckinghamshire Ian Wade said it later emerged that the worker, who joined the hospital on the day Ruth was left unattended, had been using false identity documents and was hired through an agency under a false name, Ebo Achempong.

“The evidence showed he had been employed through an agency, who checked his identity documents, and they even trained him by putting him through a day or day and a half course,” Mr Wade told jurors.

“It appears that these particular processes were the norm and were sufficient to enable a hospital to employ this person. But on 12 February, he did not keep Ruth under a constant watch.

“Some time around eight in the evening, this man ended his shift without knowing where she was and without making sure that he handed her over to another member of staff to continue the one-to-one care regime.

“He simply left.”

Mr Wade continued: “It turned out he wasn’t Ebo Achempong, that was a false name. He had been assisted to acquire a false identity documents, and he never returned to work at Huntercombe.”

After Ruth’s death, police tracked down the worker’s phone, which revealed he had gone “to Heathrow airport and got on a plane to Ghana”.

The coroner said police think they know “who he truly was”, but that he was “never seen again” after leaving the country.

“It seems that he learnt what happened that evening,” Mr Wade said. “He let Ruth down. He let everyone down.”

The inquest, which started on Monday, heard Ruth should have been under continuous one-to-one observations and watched at all times following a suicide attempt on 7 February.

When Ruth was left unsupervised, she was able to asphyxiate herself, the coroner said. A post-mortem examination carried out by the Home Office later determined the preliminary cause of death to be “hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy” – a type of brain damage due to lack of oxygen.

After Ruth’s death, the Care Quality Commission launched a criminal investigation alongside the police. Police have taken no further action. The CQC has not stated whether it will take forward a prosecution.

The court further heard that the privately run Huntercombe Hospital had been inspected twice by the CQC prior to the incident.

“The CQC had not reported favourably on Huntercombe,” the coroner told the inquest.

The Huntercombe Hospital in Maidenhead, also called Taplow Manor, closed in 2023 after joint investigations by The Independent and Sky News. It was part of a group, formerly run by The Huntercombe Group and now taken over by Active Care Group.

Ruth’s parents, Kate and Mark, who are both doctors, read out a pen portrait for their daughter describing her as “cheeky, kind, blunt yet deeply thoughtful”.

“Ruth was born in 2007, our firstborn and the first baby within most of our friendship groups and social circles. She was born with a head of bright red hair, perhaps the first indication of the fiery, determined and at times stubborn side of her. But that red head was also a sign of her huge heart, of her deep passion for life and the huge well of love she had within her.”

They said Ruth was “intelligent, creative with a spirit that made her unforgettable”, and that “she lived life wholeheartedly” and “had big ideas she wanted to help the world”.

“She died at the age of just 14, too young … Her death has shattered us, her wider family, and it’s had a profound impact on all of us.”

Ruth had suffered from Tourette syndrome and a tic condition, which had impacted her mental health. She was also diagnosed with an eating disorder, all conditions which emerged during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the weeks before her admission to Taplow Manor, she was admitted to a general acute ward at Salisbury Hospital, where she spent a few weeks following a self-harm attempt. At the time, she was under the care of the local community child and adolescent mental health team. While at Salisbury, she suffered a “traumatic” incident in which her nasogastric (NG) tube, used for feeding, was inserted into her lungs.

On 4 October, with no other beds available, Ruth was sent to Taplow Manor, tens of miles away from her home and family.

Ruth’s mother, Kate, told the court that the family were pressured and told that there was no choice when they were told by doctors that their daughter would be admitted to Thames Ward, at Taplow Manor, which is a psychiatric intensive care unit.

These units are wards for the most severely mentally unwell children, and guidance says patients should be on these wards for just 8 weeks. However, Ruth was on the ward from October 2021 until her death in February 2022.

In a statement to the court, Ms Szymankiewicz described a series of concerns over the care of her daughter, including that the family were only able to see their daughter twice a week.

She said the family were not told of several self-harm attempts and injuries. Ruth, according to her mother, had no access to psychological support and had just two sessions with an assistant psychiatrist in the four months before her death, she told the court.

“Her days were shaped by being restrained, NG fed and watched by staff. She said, ‘Do I need to hurt myself so I can go to a normal hospital?’

“She was desperate, nothing displayed that more poignantly than the note Ruth left before she died…

“We felt we had to push for information. You could see Ruth was deteriorating. Ruth was being provided with so little therapeutic care,” Ms Szymankiewicz said.

She also described how their daughter was given unsupervised access to her phone on the ward despite her parents raising repeated concerns.

In December, on a visit home for Christmas, Ruth grew anxious at the thought of going back to hospital. She allegedly told her parents she would “rather die than go back to Thames Ward”.

She was so distressed that she had to be taken back to hospital in handcuffs and foot restraints, an incident her mother described as “traumatic.”

Five days before the fatal self-harm attempt, Ruth was able to self-harm in a very similar fashion after she was left alone for 30 minutes, the court heard. Ruth’s parents found out she was supposed to be on 15-minute observations, down from constant; however, after the 7 February incident, observations were increased to constant again.

Ending her statement, Ms Szymankiewicz said of her daughter: “She was managed and contained and not helped. The things Ruth had to endure would’ve felt like torture to her and something she would’ve done anything to escape.”

“The loss of a child, I don’t think anyone who hasn’t experienced it can truly understand … We hope the process of unpicking her story might influence the care of others going forward.”

The inquest at Buckinghamshire Coroner’s Court in Beaconsfield continues.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans in confidence on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.

For anyone struggling with the issues raised in this article, eating disorder charity Beat’s helpline is available 365 days a year on 0808 801 0677. NCFED offers information, resources and counselling for those suffering from eating disorders, as well as their support networks. Visit eating-disorders.org.uk or call 0845 838 2040

Bernie Ecclestone urges Lewis Hamilton to retire from F1: ‘He is tired’

Bernie Ecclestone has urged Lewis Hamilton to retire from Formula One amid his torrid start to life at Ferrari.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton, 40, has failed to secure a podium in his first 14 races for the Scuderia and was despondent last weekend, after qualifying and finishing 12th in Hungary.

Hamilton moved to Ferrari after six titles and 12 years at Mercedes amid much fanfare but, aside from a sprint race win in China, has struggled in a Ferrari car yet to pick up a victory this season, his 19th in the sport.

Ecclestone, who was in charge of F1 for 40 years before relinquishing control to Liberty Media in 2017, believes Hamilton would be “cheating himself” if he decided to continue and should have retired “a while ago.”

“Lewis is very talented, was and probably still is,” Ecclestone, 94, told the Daily Mail. “But like a lot of leading sports personalities when they reach the top, there is only one way to go and it’s not a good direction. It’s only down.

“They get tired. Lewis is tired. He’s been doing what he is doing forever. He needs a rest from it for good, a total reset to do something completely different. He may not think it, but he will soon get used to doing other stuff away from motor racing.

“I think he should have done it a while ago.”

Ecclestone added that Hamilton, who is in the first year of a £50m-a-year deal lasting two seasons, should look to get his contract paid out in full.

“The guy is not a cheat, but he would be cheating himself if he goes on,” Ecclestone added.

“He should stop now. If I were looking after him I would negotiate with Ferrari immediately and say, ‘if you have someone to replace Lewis, he’ll step aside.’

“If I were Lewis, I would say to Ferrari that I wanted to be paid all my contract, in full. They signed him because they thought he could do a job. ‘It isn’t working so I can I can make way if you want me to’… but that’s the arrangement.”

Hamilton labelled himself “useless” and even stated Ferrari should look for a driver to replace him after his performance in qualifying in Budapest. While teammate Charles Leclerc secured pole position, Hamilton failed to make Q3.

A day later, he hinted at “background” issues at Ferrari, before saying he was “very much” looking forward to the four-week summer break before the next round in the Netherlands on 31 August.

“I look forward to coming back, hopefully I will be back, yeah.”

Michael Douglas left ‘surprised’ by Sharon Stone’s Basic Instinct argument claim

Michael Douglas has responded to Sharon Stone’s claims that the pair had an argument before starring in Basic Instinct together.

Stone, 67, claimed that the pair fought at the Cannes Film Festival about her acquaintance and their children in a new interview with Business Insider.

“I said something and he responded to me, saying, ‘What the f*** do you know?’ It was in regard to a father-child relationship,” she said. The dispute was resolved, not “as best friends, but amicably”.

The actor-turned-artist said the disagreement made her feel Douglas did not want to star alongside her in the 1992 erotic thriller that would become her breakthrough role.

“So fast forward to casting Basic Instinct,” I don’t think he wanted me to be his co-star,” she said.

However, representatives for Douglas said that the event was news to the Wall Street Oscar winner, who was “very surprised” by Stone’s comments.

“He doesn’t remember any argument in that timeframe,” the actor’s reps said.

“He actually only remembers seeing and meeting Sharon for the first time when he saw [director] Paul Verhoeven’s screen test of her for Basic Instinct and he said, ‘Absolutely, she’s the one.”

Douglas’s reps said he had “definitely spent time with” Stone at Cannes, “but later, when they were promoting Basic Instinct in 1992”.

“By the time they’d done the movie, they were friends,” the statement concluded.

Stone has made a number of claims about her time on the film. In her 2021 memoir, The Beauty of Living Twice, Stone alleged that she was asked to have sex with her co-star, to enhance onscreen chemistry, by an unnamed producer.

She also accused the film’s director of not informing her of how exposed her genitals would be in the infamous shot where she uncrosses her legs.

“Sharon is lying,” Verhoeven, now 87, said in 2017. “Any actress knows what she’s going to see if you ask her to take off her underwear and point there with the camera.”

Stone said of the experience: “The role was by far the most stretching that I had ever done in terms of considering the dark side of myself.

“It was terrifying. I had walked in my sleep three times during production, twice waking fully dressed in my car in my garage. I had hideous nightmares.”

Repair Shop’s Jay Blades in court after separate rape charges

TV presenter Jay Blades has appeared in court on a controlling or coercive behaviour charge after it emerged he has been separately accused of two counts of rape.

The 55-year-old, who fronted primetime BBC show The Repair Shop, appeared at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday via video link for a preliminary hearing in relation to the controlling or coercive behaviour charge.

Blades, who wore animal-print spectacles, a grey suit and a blue polka-dot tie, spoke only to confirm his full name, Jason Blades, during a short hearing.

The TV star previously denied engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour towards his estranged wife Lisa-Marie Zbozen between 1 January 2023 and 12 September last year.

He faces trial at a later date.

In a statement on Tuesday, West Mercia Police confirmed separate charges of rape.

The force said: “Jason Blades, 55, of Claverley in Shropshire, has been charged with two counts of rape.

“He is due to appear at Telford Magistrates’ Court on 13 August 2025.”

Furniture restorer Blades found fame on restoration programme The Repair Shop, which he started presenting in 2017.

He stepped away from presenting duties last year, having previously won a daytime Bafta TV award in 2023 along with other members of the BBC programme for a special featuring the King, who was at the time the Prince of Wales.

He supported the King’s Foundation, formerly the Prince’s Foundation, as an ambassador and visited its Dumfries House location in Ayrshire for BBC special The Repair Shop: A Royal Visit.

Upon becoming an ambassador for the royal charity, he praised Charles’s vision of “championing a sustainable approach to how we live our lives”. He has since resigned from his role.

The furniture restorer, who was made an MBE for services to craft in 2022, has also resigned from his role as chancellor at Buckinghamshire New University.

He also presented the BBC’s Money For Nothing until 2020, and appeared on Celebrity Masterchef and Celebrity Bake Off as well as Comic Relief.

Tommy Robinson released on bail over ‘assault at London train station’

Tommy Robinson has been released on bail after being arrested over an alleged assault at St Pancras train station in London.

The 42-year-old man was arrested at Luton Airport after a video emerged which showed the activist walking away from the scene of an alleged assault at the train station.

Footage shared on social media last Monday appeared to show Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, pacing around the London station with another person lying still on the floor nearby.

He was then seen walking down a flight of stairs before the injured man was taken to hospital.

On Monday, British Transport Police (BTP) said: “Officers from BTP have tonight arrested a 42-year-old man from Bedfordshire in connection to an assault at St Pancras station in London on July 28.

“The arrest took place at Luton Airport shortly after 6.30pm, following a notification that the man had boarded an incoming flight from Faro.

“The man had been wanted for questioning after leaving the country to Tenerife in the early hours of July 29 following the incident at St Pancras.

“He was arrested on suspicion of GBH (grievous bodily harm) and will now be taken to custody for questioning.”

The victim was discharged from hospital last Wednesday, after being treated for what police described as serious injuries.

This is a breaking news story, more to follow…

How Macmillan Cancer Support built a movement that reaches everyone

Diageo profits drop and BP faces shareholder pressure as Neil Woodford’s firm fined £40m

Stock markets rose in the UK and the rest of Europe on Monday, as investors sought to buy back in following last week’s falling share prices on the back of Donald Trump’s latest tariff announcement. The FTSE 100 enjoyed a rise of 0.4 per cent before US stocks followed suit to move higher – though Switzerland’s index took a hit due to the unexpectedly high tariff placed on the nation.

Elsewhere, mortgage rates are starting to hot up again in anticipation of an interest rate cut from the Bank of England later this week. The likes of Nationwide and Barclays have been reducing two- and five-year deal terms, with hundreds of thousands of homeowners still set to renew their deals this year.

Meanwhile, the UK has agreed its latest trade deal with Mexico – albeit a more limited one surrounding pork products, worth an estimated £19m across five years.

Follow The Independent’s live coverage of the latest stock market and business news here:

Trump’s nuclear rhetoric shows he has no strategy to deal with Putin

US president Donald Trump claims to have ordered a redeployment of nuclear submarines in response to threatening language from Moscow. Predictably, the US and global media have reacted excitedly, without always stopping to consider what, if anything, has happened, and why.

As with Trump’s other comments on Russia, the vague statement raised more questions than answers. Trump claimed he ordered two nuclear submarines (without specifying whether that meant nuclear-armed or nuclear-powered) to be positioned “in the appropriate regions” (without explaining why they would have been somewhere inappropriate to start with).

All of which came in response to a taunt containing a reference to The Walking Dead and a laughing emoji on social media from Dmitry Medvedev, once president of Russia but now enjoying a public persona more akin to a court jester.

Trump’s secretary of state Marco Rubio seems confident that Medvedev is “not a relevant player in Russian politics”, and yet his trolling has supposedly triggered a change in American nuclear posture. As with so much else in Trumpworld, the explanation probably lies elsewhere.

It’s true that Trump’s verbal outbursts criticising Moscow have become more frequent recently – and that this marks a startling turnaround from his earlier inclination to blame Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy for Russia having invaded his country.

But despite the latest claims, there’s still no indication that Trump is willing to follow words with meaningful action.

The latest arbitrary deadline for Vladimir Putin to take unspecified action towards ending Russia’s war on Ukraine, followed by an equally arbitrary bringing forward of the deadline, suggest there is no coherent plan for putting pressure on Moscow. Instead, when setting dates, Trump appears to be plucking random numbers from the air and then changing them with no warning, in the same manner as when setting the United States’s global trade policy.

With the submarine comment, Trump has discovered another means of appearing “tough on Russia” without actually doing anything that would be of any concern to Moscow – and there are plenty of other reasons why he might be seeking headlines that suggest he is taking a firmer line with Putin.

Namely, that Trump needs distractions at the moment. His best efforts to keep his relationship with sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell out of the headlines, and prevent the release of any material from their criminal case that may implicate Trump personally, have been counterproductive.

And the effects of his economic policies are starting to dawn on even those sections of the American public that still believe he has their best interests at heart.

With prices rising rapidly amid uncertainty triggered by Trump’s chaotic tariff policy, it is becoming harder to maintain upbeat messaging on the economy – and last week also saw the release of employment statistics so bad that Trump felt compelled to shoot the messenger who delivered them, by firing the head of the Bureau of Labour Statistics.

This, and moving submarines in response to an insult from a Russian politician who throws them for a living, unfortunately fits Trump’s style of governing through outbursts and rants in response to perceived slights more than through clear and considered policy.

But whatever the reasons for that, the net effect is that once again, Trump has taken every possible step to pressure Russia short of actually doing something.

In fact, he has succeeded in preventing action that Russia would dislike: Trump’s notional deadline for Putin to do something successfully headed off an initiative by Senate Republicans to push through a package of secondary sanctions that would have caused genuine headaches for Moscow, not to mention a proposal for sanctions on China for supporting Russia’s war.

That’s one reason among many why Russia felt the Trump submarine claim, which, if made by any other US president, would have been a significant and dramatic move, could be calmly ignored.

Whatever Trump’s latest verbal salvo at Moscow may be, there’s one thing it isn’t: a strategy for dealing with Russia, let alone a sensible or coherent one. Vladimir Putin and those around him will no doubt continue to watch Trump’s moves closely; but perhaps as much out of curiosity as of concern as to what he will do next.