Latest news with #JohnRadcliffeHospital
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
'Healthy' man, 32, had common pain and was dead months later
A heartbroken widow has spoken out about losing her 32-year-old husband to heart failure and warns that other young people could be at risk of sudden, untimely deaths. Edward Burr died unexpectedly in October 2024 after suffering with an underlying heart condition that he was completely unaware of. The first sign something was wrong was noticed just six months before his death - the day after his wedding day. Burr simply felt 'under the weather', but put this down to a possible bug he may have caught while being in close proximity to 60 people. His wife Laura, 31, from Banbury, Oxfordshire said: 'That escalated into going into our local hospital and him being diagnosed with pneumonia.' There, it was also found that Burr's heart was behaving 'abnormally' and he was transferred to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford but on the ambulance journey there he developed 'active heart failure'. Burr's condition further 'deteriorated' in the middle of July and on July 19 he underwent open heart surgery at the Harefield Hospital in London, where he had a machine fitted to help his heart continue operating. Doctors planned for him to receive a heart transplant, but the wait was too long and he passed away from multiple organ failure in October last year. Burr's wife said: 'The pneumonia tipped his body over and he couldn't deal with the heart problem we didn't know he had. 'I was a bride and a wife at 30, I'm now a widow at 31 - those words should never come out of somebody's mouth.' Studies estimate that around 400,000 people in the UK with heart failure are undiagnosed and roughly 10 per cent of all patients are under 50. Heart failure occurs when the organ is unable to pump blood around the body properly, likely due to it becoming weak or stiff. This leads to reduced oxygen and nutrients reaching the organs and tissues. The condition is typically caused by lifestyle-related problems that cause strain on the heart, such as high blood pressure and atherosclerosis (when cholesterol clogs the arteries). Symptoms include shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling in the legs and ankles, irregular heartbeats, dizziness, nausea, and pain in the arms, jaw, or back. Gabby Evans, 32, a registered nurse from Burnley, Lancashire, also lost her partner to an undiagnosed heart condition. Tom Brakewell died from hidden cardiovascular disease in January 2025, aged 34, just two weeks after suffering sudden chest pains. Evans said: 'He was admitted to hospital for a week on January 18 because they thought he'd had a heart attack, but it was the high blood pressure causing similar symptoms. 'They got his blood pressure down and he was discharged - he was fine and he said he felt okay.' Three days later, she woke up in the morning and found Brakewell had 'stopped breathing'. Evans said: 'I turned on the light and just knew instantly something wasn't right, I started doing chest compressions before the paramedics came. 'They worked on him for about 45 minutes before they made the decision they couldn't carry on and Tom wasn't with us. 'I was with him when they pronounced him.' He died from a cardiac arrest on January 28 2025 - with the cause later determined to be high hypertension and coronary heart disease. Evans added: 'His heart was damaged and he'd had it for a long period.' Both women are now calling for mandatory health screenings for younger adults to spot underlying heart conditions sooner. Evans said: 'If he had full tests earlier it may have been picked up sooner.' On May 2, Burr and Evans launched a petition calling for mandatory tests for those aged between 25 and 35. Burr said: 'If Edward and Tom had been tested earlier or they had any kind of health MOT, it would have been picked up earlier and we may have had more time with them. The nurse added: 'If we were to have these mandatory health checks, no one would have to go through what we've gone through. 'Grief and losing someone is part of life, but not at this age.' A Department Of Health A nd Social Care spokesperson said: 'Our deepest sympathies are with the families of Edward and Tom. 'The NHS's life-saving health checks are targeted towards those at higher risk, preventing around 500 heart attacks and strokes every year and stopping people developing a range of diseases. 'To increase availability and uptake of the checks, we are developing a new online service that eligible people can use at home to understand their risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.'
The Independent
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
Three injured as car drives into Costa Coffee window
Three people have been injured after a car drove into a Costa Coffee cafe. The vehicle crashed into the coffee shop on Burford Road, Carterton in Oxfordshire, on Wednesday afternoon. Police have urged the public to avoid the area and the road has been closed. Emergency services scrambled onto the scene to treat the three injured. The ambulance service said all three people were conscious and breathing and had been taken to a local hospital for treatment. A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said: "We are currently responding to an incident in Carterton. "A vehicle has been driven into Costa Coffee in Burford Road, injuring three people. 'Emergency services are at the scene and the road has been closed. We would advise the public to avoid the area at this time.' The spokesperson added: "We do not believe this was a deliberate act on behalf of the driver." The force urged the public not to share footage of the scene on social media, "out of respect for those who have been injured". Those with footage of the incident should contact police by calling 101 or online, quoting the reference number INC-20250507-1109. A spokesperson for South Central Ambulance Service said: "We have sent three ambulances, a rapid response car, our air ambulance team and our Hazardous Response Team at this time. "We've been informed that there are three casualties, all of whom are conscious and breathing, and are being conveyed to the John Radcliffe hospital."
Daily Mail
22-04-2025
- Daily Mail
Moment that retired police chief smashes into ex-wife's home - as he is jailed for plotting to attack her
A retired chief has been jailed for six years after plotting a savage attack against his ex-wife, which also saw him trying to kill himself. Ex-Metropolitan Police Superintendent Martyn Horne armed himself with two knives, rope and tape and had aimed to tie up his former lover and assault her after barging into her home on October 16 2023, a court heard. On the eve of his ambush, the 73-year-old, from Drayton Beauchamp near Aylesbury, Bucks, parked his car at a reservoir and then crept to the house before hiding in a garden shed until the morning, when he attempted his raid. Horne cut tape and stuck it to his top for easy peeling and cut rope to a certain length all to restrain his wife during his planned onslaught against her, the judge said during the sentencing hearing at Reading Crown Court. In dramatic doorbell footage shown in court, Horne - dressed in a brown coat and black trousers - is seen ramming the front door with his shoulder before smashing his way through as his horrified ex-lover yelled in the background. Fortunately, the disgraced former police chief's ex, Sharon Heyes, was able to flee to a neighbour's property before Horne could get his hands on her, a judge was told. The pensioner then tried to kill himself by slashing his wrists in the bathroom. In a chilling 999 made shortly afterwards, a terrified Ms Heyes was heard repeatedly telling the operator: 'He's going to kill me.' The court heard Horne and Ms Heyes' relationship had been volatile and had broken down, which led to a series of clashes in the weeks leading up to Horne's attack. At the time of the raid, the former Met chief was on bail for two other incidents which had happened earlier in 2023. On July 31 2023, Horne slammed the victim's phone into her left leg as she was planning to drive him to John Radcliffe Hospital, because she could not work out how to use the car sat-nav, a statement from the victim said. On September 11 2023, Horne pinned Ms Heyes to the ground and tried to suffocate her with a sock and a pillow. Prosecutor Miles Trigg said Horne's intentions on October 16 were evidenced by his violent behaviour at the property and by the notes later found on his phone. These notes were intending something that at least amounted to grievous bodily harm, the prosecutor said. Mr Trigg described Horne's extensive planning - noting he had been shopping for a Stanley Knife and duct tape; chose to park at a distance; camped overnight at an outhouse; cut pieces of rope for tying up Ms Heyes and he was carrying two blades. The court heard a B&Q receipt from the day previous, detailed Horne's purchases of Gorilla Tape, a folding knife with five blades and five metres of braided rope. Ms Heyes, who read her victim impact statements from the public gallery of the court, said the incidents had 'turned her world upside down'. She has since moved from the home where the burglary happened, the court heard. The victim, herself a former police officer and senior staff nurse, received several commendations during her time with the Met. These included climbing under a train to assist a suicidal woman on the track and talking down an armed offender. Ms Heyes said she had faced aggression throughout her career but never imagined she would face such violence in the sanctuary of her own home and at the hands of someone who once loved her. 'I cannot lose the image of him hiding in the garden. The look of his face imprinted in my mind,' she told the judge. Ms Heyes said she had become obsessive about locking doors and was constantly checking wardrobes and rooms in her house. She has been unable to revalidate her nursing licence due to her ongoing sickness with depression and anxiety as a result of Horne's actions, the court heard. Judge Neil Millard told Ms Heyes: 'If you take anything from today, take from this hearing that it takes strength to go through the proceedings, it takes strength to stand and read those statements in front of others. 'Remember the strength it took to get you here today and I hope you can get back to some measure of the person who was so full of confidence and joy for life not too many years ago.' Martyn Hynes, defending Horne, said: 'This case is incredibly sad and involves two former police officers who had achieved great success in their careers and had a happy and perhaps exciting time ahead of them both.' Mr Hynes said the relationship became relatively volatile and later broke down. The judge said Horne 'plainly intended to cause her (the victim) serious harm.' Judge Millard added: 'This case is plainly a tragedy for all involved. I cannot avoid noting these offences did not occur suddenly. 'In the heat of moment, had you got hold of her, it is impossible for me to say how serious the level of harm she would have come to would have been.' After breaking into the property, Horne went to the bathroom and cut his wrists, the judge heard. He said he had no doubts Horne's intention was to end his own life but he also intended to cause Ms Heyes really serious harm. For one count of assault by beating, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, intentional suffocation and burglary with the intent to commit grievous bodily harm, Horne was jailed for six years. He was convicted of the burglary matter at trial. He had also indicated guilty pleas to the other matters. A restraining order - to be made until further order - was imposed on Horne regarding Ms Heyes.
BBC News
10-04-2025
- BBC News
Buckinghamshire: 'Mum was handcuffed and bludgeoned to death'
The violent murder of mother-of-three Janet Brown "totally shattered" her family and has baffled police for three a 51-year-old research nurse in Oxford, was home alone in the Chiltern Hills, near Radnage in Buckinghamshire, when someone broke in, handcuffed her and hit her on the head repeatedly with a heavy murder weapon was never found and the motive remains a the 30th anniversary of Janet's death in April 1995, her family and the police are calling for help in identifying her killer, who until now has "got away with it". Janet's eldest daughter Zara Harden described her Mum as petite, capable, calm, kind and gentle. "She was alone that night and defenceless," Zara said, "that's why it's so hard to try and understand why somebody felt the need to handcuff her and be so violent and brutal towards her."She was bludgeoned to death. You just don't imagine that someone could get away with something that is so horrendous. "There would have been a lot of blood and somebody must know something and we just ask they please come forward to the police."It's not too late. The police have DNA from the scene so they just need a name to be able to find a match." After training as a nurse and midwife, Janet had been working as a medical research nurse for Oxford University's Public Health and Primary Care department at the John Radcliffe Hospital. At the time of her killing, Janet's husband Grahaem Brown had been working abroad in Switzerland. The couple had three children; Zara who was living and working in London, Ben who was away at university and Roxane who was still living at home, but had been staying the night with a friend on 10 April 1995. Her older sister Zara is relieved Roxane wasn't home because "I dread to think what would have happened if she'd have been there as well." Janet was beaten to death sometime between 20:15 and 22:15 (GMT) in the evening at Hall Farm in Sprigs Holly next morning a builder arrived to work at the house, heard the burglar alarm and looked through a then saw Janet's naked lifeless body lying at the bottom of the stairs. The head of Thames Valley Police's major crime investigation review team, Peter Beirne told the BBC Janet's killing was "extremely unusual" and "perplexing". He explained that most burglaries take place when a property is unoccupied and it would have been obvious someone was at home as there were two cars on the drive. He said: "It could have been a burglar. It could have been someone who knew Janet, we just don't know.""She was bludgeoned to death for no apparent reason. She'd been handcuffed. Nothing appears to have been stolen from the house and there was no sexual motive." Mr Beirne announced ten years ago a DNA profile had been developed from evidence collected at the scene in 1995 and revealed it belonged to a man unrelated to the Brown family. He added: "We believe it could be a vital piece of evidence linking the killer to the scene."So far no match has been found on the national DNA database which holds the DNA of almost six million cold case investigators have also seen and eliminated more than one thousand other men as being the source of the DNA. Mr Beirne said "It's very frustrating we haven't had a result as of yet, but we're optimistic and our hope is that the next time we knock on someone's door their DNA matches and that's why we're making this appeal today. "With the help of the public, ideally what we'd like is the names of anybody they've got suspicions of who they think could be responsible for this horrific crime." Janet's family remain traumatised by what happened to her. Zara says they have all shed a lot of tears and remain fearful for their safety. Zara has suffered panic attacks and still wakes often at night listening for noises. She said her mum's killer or killers "have so far gotten away with it".In a final plea for help she told the BBC: "We want to see them prosecuted and not have somebody who's extremely dangerous to still be out there on the loose. We just want to stop it happening again." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
