Parents of trans teenager who killed himself sue 'slow and casual' police who failed to find him in time
Jason Pulman, 15, was tragically found dead in a park in Eastbourne, East Sussex, in April 2022, having struggled with mental health problems as well as his gender identity.
Described as a 'cheeky fun ball of energy', the talented artist was born as Jessica into a family who were frequently relocated by social services in order to try and keep them safe from his violent convict birth father.
Last April, an inquest jury found that the youngster's emotional and mental needs were 'inadequately assessed and provided for' by multiple services, and that police 'responded inadequately' to him going missing.
Now, Jason's mother Emily Pulman and stepfather Mark Pulman, are taking High Court legal action against Sussex Police over an alleged breach of human rights.
Around 10 hours passed between the time that Jason was first reported missing to the force and when an officer visited the family home.
Mr and Mrs Pulman have claimed that Sussex Police 'failed properly or at all to protect Jason against the risk of suicide' after he was graded only a 'medium risk'.
They also believe that there could have been a 'real prospect of a different outcome' had there been a 'reasonable response' to Jason's disappearance.
The devastated pair added that the force is 'flip-flopping' over its position and whether it has learned from Jason's death.
Speaking about the 'devastating' inquest and legal battle that has succeeded her son's tragic death, Mrs Pulman, 39, has now urged the force to 'actually take accountability for what has happened and what went wrong'.
She added: said: 'I think about Jason and how much he used to fight for things he believed in. He used to go to protests and research and get involved in different things because he wanted to make change.'
'I want to try and get some change for kids like Jason, as I know that that is what he would want as well.
'When I feel like quitting, I have got Jason's cheeky little head in my head, with his outfit, with all his badges on, saying 'you must fight for what you believe', and that is what gives me strength.'
While Jason began identifying as a male aged around 14, he never received specialist gender dysphoria treatment due to assessment delays. His parents claim that their son received 'insufficient' mental health support.
In the morning of April 19 2022, Mrs Pulman discovered her son was missing from his bed at the family home in East Sussex and immediately called the police.
At the time, she informed a call handler that Jason was transgender, had previously self-harmed and attempted to take his own life, adding that he may also have taken public transport.
The call handler graded Jason as medium-risk, however an officer did not look at the case for more than three hours after the first call.
Mrs Pulman then made two further calls to the police, telling them that Jason had informed a friend he was travelling to London, most likely by train.
But Jason remained graded as medium-risk. The British Transport Police (BTP) were not notified, and an officer did not attend the family's home for almost 10 hours after the first call.
Around an hour after police visited the house, Jason was tragically found dead in nearby Hampden Park by a member of the public.
Nick Armstrong KC, for both Mr and Mrs Pulman, said police knew or should have known that Jason 'represented a real and immediate risk of life-threatening harm', but instead their response was 'slow, and strikingly casual'.
In a prevention of future deaths report last year, a coroner said Jason died 'potentially through his mental health and gender identity issues', and that it was 'also possible Jason may have been prevented from committing suicide' if the BTP was made aware that he was missing.
In the run-up to his death, Jason was regularly self-harming and abusing drink and drugs, Mrs Pulman previously told Hasting Coroners Court.
By early 2022, Jason's worsening behaviour, including shoplifting and being excluded from school for cannabis, meant the family knew he needed more significant psychiatric help.
'He needed more than just a conversation on the phone', Mrs Pulman told Assistant Coroner Michael Spencer in her witness statement.
The family 'were done trying to get help from CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services)' and Jason himself thought it was 'pointless'.
While the youngster had undergone a social transition successfully, he remained 'adamant' that he wanted to see doctors at the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) in order to 'feel better in his body', but did not have the chance before his death.
GIDS, run by Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, was shut in early 2024 following a series of scandals.
The night before Jason disappeared from his bedroom, Mr Pulman thought he was 'off his face' so delayed a family conversation, over a glass of whisky they had found in his room, until the following day, Hastings Coroners Court previously heard.
Describing Jason's death as an 'unimaginable tragedy', Mr Armstrong said that the young teenager was a 'source of unlimited joy', with a 'funny, mischievous, artistic and unconventional' personality.
Nine days after Jason's death, then-chief superintendent Katy Woolford met with the Pulmans, informing them that they had done 'everything right' and acknowledging that there had been failings by the police.
However, Mr Armstrong said that there had been a 'significant and distressing shift in the police's evidence' at Jason's inquest, with the force allegedly seeking to exclude evidence related to the meeting with Ms Woolford and claiming there was 'no arguable omission by anyone'.
The force accepted the inquest findings, stating that its service 'fell below the standards expected'. However, Jason's parents claim it altered its stance again when the family threatened to bring legal action.
Mr Armstrong said that the force's 'reversal and re-reversal' on its position was 'shameful', adding: 'The claimants do not know whether the defendant has or has not learned from the inquest process.'
Mrs Pulman described the force's 'flip-flopping' as like 'torture', while Mr Pulman, 50, said that the pair had been left feeling 'let down, hurt and confused' by the actions of Sussex Police.
He added: 'No amount of money, no apology, is going to make up for three years of what they've done, because that's long-term damage.'
A Sussex Police spokesperson said: 'Our sincere condolences remain with Jason's family following their tragic loss; however, we are unable to comment further whilst legal proceedings are ongoing.'
For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or visit https://www.thecalmzone.net/get-support
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