Award-winning hip hop star fell to his death from third-storey window after ‘string of failings by bungling NHS staff'

Scottish Sun

28-04-2025

Paramedics 'dismissive and flippant' of singer's state of mind
FATAL PLUNGE Award-winning hip hop star fell to his death from third-storey window after 'string of failings by bungling NHS staff'
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A TRAGIC award-winning hip hop star fell to his death from a third-storey window after a string of failings by the NHS, a damning report found.
Ebow Graham, 40, who founded the band Foreign Beggars, suffered a psychotic episode on April 17, 2020.
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Ebow Graham fell to his death from a third-storey window
Credit: Redferns
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The singer was suffering from psychosis at the time
Credit: SWNS
But when paramedics arrived at his flat in Clapton, East London, they were "dismissive and flippant", a probe found.
Just hours later, Graham fell 40ft to his death from a bedroom window.
An investigation into the circumstances leading up to the tragedy revealed "several missed opportunities" by the NHS to save him.
The London Ambulance Service has now admitted they failed to follow protocol by not contacting the mental health team for advice.
Graham's worried friends had called 999 at around 4.20pm as they were concerned over his erratic behaviour.
His former partner Francesca Macri claimed paramedics ignored what his pals were saying about his condition.
They concluded Graham, who performed under the name Metropolis, had "capacity over his care" and left without contacting the mental health crisis team.
At 6.30pm his flatmate, who was a GP, called the mental health crisis team to warn them about his serious concerns for Graham's state of mind.
But instead of arranging an urgent same-day assessment, the crisis team nurses only offered an appointment for the next day.
His friends then drove him to a local hospital in desperation but left after the frontman became agitated and restless.
Once home, they made two further emergency calls warning they were gravely concerned about Graham's condition.
At 12.25am, Graham's friends made a third call after he fell from the window.
The star was rushed to hospital but suffered a cardiac arrest and died shortly after the horror.
Ms Macri said: "The paramedics that attended on that day were dismissive and flippant and ignored what Ebow's friends were telling them.
'They asked whether Ebow had smoked cannabis and this concerns me – were they asking this because Ebow was a black man with dreadlocks? Why did it even matter what had caused Ebow's psychosis and shouldn't the focus have been on helping him?
"I cannot help but wonder whether racial profiling played any part in the way Ebow was treated.'
Foreign Beggars had first formed London in 2002 and became one of the UK's most prominent underground hip-hop groups.
They then went onto release EDM (electronic dance music) records including United Colours of Beggattron.
The group won Best New Act at the 2004 UK Hip Hop awards and were voted best group at the Lyric Pad Hip Hop awards in 2005.
They were nominated for best European Hip Hop Act at the 2010 Urban Music Awards, alongside Roots Manuva, Professor Green and Tinie Tempah.
Daniel Elkeles, the chief executive of the London ambulance service, said: 'We would like to offer our sincere condolences to Mr Graham's loved ones and we are sorry for the shortcomings in the care we provided to him in the hours before his death.
'The inquest found we should have sought mental health specialist advice on whether Mr Graham had capacity to decline treatment. However there was no finding of racial profiling and these are claims we strongly refute.
'We carried out an investigation into the care of Mr Graham and there has been much learning and action for the trust in the five years since he died.'
East London NHS foundation trust admitted failings in how the call to its crisis team was handled.
The Sun Online has approached the trust for comment.