Fatal accident inquiry into death of man with severe leg ulcers
Mr Ainsworth, of Hamilton, was taken to the hospital on January 20, where his condition deteriorated and he died.
On Thursday the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal said it has lodged a first notice to begin the court process for a discretionary fatal accident inquiry.
A preliminary hearing will be held on June 13 2025 at Hamilton Sheriff Court, South Lanarkshire.
The purpose of an FAI is not to attribute blame to any person or party but to determine the cause of death, the circumstances surrounding the death, establish what precautions could have been taken, if any, and to minimise the risk of future deaths in future under similar circumstances.
It will explore the circumstances of Mr Ainsworth's death, with particular focus on the assessment, support and care he received.
Procurator fiscal Andy Shanks, who leads on death investigations for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: 'The death of David Ainsworth occurred in circumstances giving rise to serious public concern and as such a discretionary fatal accident inquiry should be held.
'An FAI will allow a full public airing of the evidence of the procurator fiscal's wider investigations with interested parties. The evidence will be tested in a public setting and be the subject of an independent judicial determination.
'Mr Ainsworth's family will continue to be kept informed of significant developments as court proceedings progress.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Press and Journal
11 hours ago
- Press and Journal
Investigation into death of baby boy at Aberdeen children's hospital launched
An investigation has been launched into the death of a two-month-old baby at Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital four years ago. The death will be investigated as part of a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) by the procurator fiscal. Michael Wilson was born on August 11 2021 at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital. He died two months later at Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital on October 15. A preliminary hearing into the baby's death is due to begin on September 11 at Aberdeen Sheriff Court. According to the Lord Advocate, Michael's death raises 'serious public concerns'. The FAI will determine the cause of death, the circumstances in which the death occurred. It will also establish what, if any, reasonable precautions could have been taken. And it will examine if future actions could help minimise deaths in similar circumstances. FAIs are 'inquisitorial' and used to establish facts and not assign blame. This inquiry will explore the circumstances of Michael's death. It will particularly focus on the understanding and appreciation of the risk and complexities of his condition along with information sharing between health boards and with family members. It will also consider if NHS Grampian's reviews identified sufficient and appropriate measures to prevent the occurrence of any similar deaths occurring in the future. Procurator Fiscal Andy Shanks, who leads on death investigations, said: 'The Lord Advocate considers that the death of Michael Wilson occurred in circumstances giving rise to serious public concern, and as such, a discretionary Fatal Accident Inquiry should be held. 'The lodging of the First Notice enables FAI proceedings to commence under the direction of the Sheriff. 'Michael's family will continue to be kept informed of significant developments as court proceedings progress.'
Daily Record
30-07-2025
- Daily Record
Family of dad scalded to death in boiling bath slam hotel management for 'ignoring warnings'
Wallace Hunter, who had dementia, was found unresponsive in the boiling water in December 2019. The family of a dad who was scalded to death in a hotel bathroom have blasted management who ignored safety "warning signs". Wallace Hunter, 75, a retired precision engineer, was staying at Pitlochry Hydro Hotel in Perthshire when he became trapped in a bath while his wife packed their bags on the final day of their trip in December 2019. However, shortly afterward, a guest in the bedroom below raised the alarm after witnessing hot water " cascading ' down his walls. His wife and a group of other guests tried to break the door down but were hampered by it being bolted from the inside. Mr Hunter, from Eaglesham in Renfrewshire, was found unresponsive and submerged in scalding water that was so hot firefighters and police had to wear gloves to tolerate the temperature. He died from third-degree burns to 83 per cent of his body. A Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) has identified a catalogue of avoidable safety failings and defects of working which could have prevented the tragedy from taking place. It heard that in the weeks prior to the accident, hotel staff received multiple complaints about the water being too hot in a number of rooms. In the same room Mr and Mrs Hunter were staying in, two guests raised concerns over water being discharged from the bathroom taps as being "iffy" and "too hot". Neither of the complaints were ever signed off or completed in a logbook held by maintenance staff - meaning no further action was taken. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the bath's thermostatic mixing valve (TMV) - which mixes cold and hot water to deliver a safe and consistent temperature - was faulty. The FAI further heard that Mr Hunter, who suffered from dementia, would have struggled to use the excessively stiff and overly sensitive temperature control dial on the bath. And had the bathroom door lock in his room been accessible from the outside, efforts to rescue the pensioner would have stood a much greater success. The probe set out a list of precautions the hotel could have taken to prevent Mr Hunter's death. They included having annual maintenance work completed on bath taps, a formal analysis of guest complaints and the fitting of bathroom door lock releases. In a joint statement Mr Hunter's son, Keir and his daughter, Kimberley said of the FAI determination: ''The Sheriff's judgement is the most difficult thing we have ever had to read. "It describes in full detail our dad's excruciating and drawn out final moments but also shines a light on the fact that his death could and would have been avoided had the hotel used qualified maintenance staff and had the most basic of maintenance regimes in place for its hot water supply. "The fault which caused our fathers death had been complained about by many previous guests and was well know to the the hotel management. They ignored these warnings. We are frankly appalled that this hotel was allowed to open its doors to the public in 21st century Scotland." Glen Millar, a partner with Thompsons Solicitors Scotland who acts for the Hunter family, said: "I have been involved in some of Scotland's highest profile fatal cases over the years but I fail to recall any where a death has resulted from such a litany of avoidable failures. "It is clear that what happened to Mr Hunter could have happened to any one of the many elderly guests who stayed at the hotel in the years leading up to this tragedy."
BBC News
29-07-2025
- BBC News
Inquiry to be held into death of two-month-old baby in Aberdeen
The court process has started for a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the death of a two-month-old baby in Aberdeen almost four years Wilson was born on 11 August 2021 at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital and died at the Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital on 15 October the same Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said the inquiry would "establish facts" surrounding the death rather than "apportion blame". A preliminary hearing has been set for 11 September at Aberdeen Sheriff Court. The FAI will also consider whether NHS Grampian's reviews identified sufficient and appropriate measures to prevent the occurrence of any similar deaths in the fiscal Andy Shanks said: "The Lord Advocate considers that the death of Michael Wilson occurred in circumstances giving rise to serious public concern and as such a discretionary FAI should be held."Michael's family will continue to be kept informed of significant developments as court proceedings progress."NHS Grampian said it would not be appropriate to comment in advance of the proceedings.
