Tragic dad and daughter deaths at Darlington home blaze sparks coroner report

Yahoo

17-04-2025

The tragic deaths of a pensioner and his daughter following a 990C Darlington house blaze has sparked a report from a coroner over preventing future deaths.
Philip Cheesman, 79, and his daughter Loraine, 54, died in May 2023 after a 'fierce' inferno ravaged their Woodland Terrace home in the early hours.
An inquest into their deaths, held last month, found that their hoarding and "executive dysfunction" made a 'more than minimal' contribution to the fire.
Coroner Crispin Oliver has now written a prevention of future deaths report, saying there is a risk that future deaths could take place unless action is taken.
As previously reported, both Mr Cheesman and his daughter were injured in the blaze just before 5am on May 13, but could not be saved.
The blaze ravaged the Darlington home (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)
Mr Cheesman, a retired taxi driver, was rescued from the front room but sadly passed away hours later at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary.
Cyprus-born former seamstress Ms Cheesman, who had a history of arthritis, diabetes and osteoporosis, was found dead in her first floor bedroom.
The inquest, which ruled their deaths as accidental, heard how the pair were known to the fire service as being at high risk of a fire due to their "cluttered" hoarder home.
The report now raises concerns over how "consideration of executive dysfunction can be incorporated into the assessment of mental capacity".
It states: 'During the course of the evidence I heard from social workers and safeguarding professionals than in relation to assessing whether 'the point' had been reached in relation to an adult suffering from hoarding disorder and executive dysfunction there was no specific guidance and that such guidance would in future be welcome.
The aftermath of the fire (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)
'Currently they are constrained by existing guidance for assessing mental capacity, which does not directly recognise executive dysfunction, or for assessing whether the adult's behaviour constitutes a potentially chargeable criminal or regulatory offence, for example in relation to public nuisance, health hazard, or anti social behaviour, rather than the root cause of the behaviour – a mental disorder or disorders.
'So, the matter of concern consists of this request – for guidance to be provided as to how to incorporate consideration of executive dysfunction into the assessment of mental capacity and how to assess when the point when external intervention can be triggered has been reached.'
According to experts, who gave evidence during the inquest, a safeguarding referral was made in July 2022 over concerns about the pair's living conditions.
However, the probe was closed after some improvements in the house had been seen.
Mr Cheesman, who used a wheelchair and stairlift, and his daughter, who used sticks, had significant mobility issues, giving them a "reduced chance of escaping the fire".
Police parked at the scene (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)
The coroner described the case as one of 'significant hoarding and dysfunction', with both having the mental capacity to make decisions but not the executive decision to control behaviour.
The court heard that Mr Cheesman took over caring for his daughter after his wife's sudden death in 1995, and that their hoarding had "fluctuated" over the years before the fatal fire.
But Mr Oliver said a fire investigation report, done several days after the fire by Lee Aspery, fire investigation manager for County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, put the level of clutter in the living room as eight out of 10.
Ms Cheesman's bedroom was then rated nine out of 10.
While it was noted that the fire "could have happened at any other property", the significant rubbish, including toasters and other furniture, meant the blaze was a 'superflash' due to ventilation through the front windows and a dog flap.
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The court then heard that the pair were recipients of social care from Heritage Healthcare and Careline, provided by Darlington Council, who visited the property multiple times a day.
On May 9, just four days before the fire, a carer says they found "green and slimy" out-of-date food in their fridge, which was escalated to Careline but was not escalated to the council for safeguarding as it understood the home's conditions were 'not so bad'.
The recipient of the report is redacted, but the inquest previously heard that Mr Oliver would write to the Secretary of State for Health regarding the prevention of future deaths report.