Latest news with #SeanStephen
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
'A staggering failure of even the most basic standards'
Had an ambulance been called rather than just dumping him on the street, he would probably have lived. The manager admitted staff had not received health and safety training for dealing with unwell customers and there was no designated 'first aider.' The pub lost its licence for a time. Read More: Earlier this month, 38-year-old Sean Stephen lay dead in a toilet cubicle in the public 'hub' advice centre in the City Chambers' building for six days until he was discovered on July 7. This surely reveals a staggering failure of even the most basic standards of hygiene and maintenance. Admittedly, it was cleaning staff who eventually sounded the alarm, but when most of such public facilities have daily, if not hourly, maintenance logs pinned by the door, it's legitimate to ask what they were doing for the previous five days. Or indeed what the managers were doing to make sure the cleaners were doing what they were supposed to. It has been claimed that staff thought the cubicle was locked because it was out of order, but then on the morning of July 1 it was presumably working fine, so it must not have been checked at the end of the day when the centre closed. And if it was out of order, shouldn't a manager have known and done something about it? The hub facility provides a walk-up public advice service and as most of it relates to welfare claims and information for people with debt problems, it's fair to say its customers are often those with complex difficulties, and as it's near The Access Place which provides services for homeless people with alcohol and drug problems, security staff are on hand to deal with any issues. Why the security personnel did not see Mr Stephen enter the toilet and failed to notice he had not left is something the investigation will need to address. It is now believed Mr Stephen did indeed have addiction issues and had been experiencing other personal difficulties, and on that basis alone alarm bells should have been ringing when his wife first reported him missing to police on the morning of July 1. Only the police will be able to answer why it took so long for him to be traced, but like the Whistle Binkie's victim, Mr Stephen's wife Julie is entitled to believe he could have lived had he received medical attention in time. There are several layers of failure, starting with security staff who seemingly failed to keep tabs on who was coming and going from the centre, cleaners who clearly failed to clean, but also the police who may have failed to act quickly enough on a missing person's report about someone with problems. Add these to the precedent of the Whistle Binkie's incident and a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) is a racing certainty. If it isn't it should be. But if the Procurator Fiscal does decide an FAI is necessary, it's a two-edged sword for the family. Those involved would be called to give evidence and relatives will have a better chance of getting answers to their many questions, but it means there would be virtually no chance of an early conclusion. Two years from death to the start of a hearing is far from unusual. There is another by-product of an FAI, which is that while councillors will inevitably have questions themselves about the actions of officers ─ not least because the impression has been created that as Mr Stephen lay dead while councillors were going about Chambers business within feet of him, which was not the case ─ they will struggle to get answers imminently. If Mr Stephen's family seek compensation it could be even longer. Edinburgh Council officers have form for dragging their heels when it comes to anything involving the authority's reputation, be it the trams fiasco or the corruption scandal at the heart of Edinburgh Lifelong Learning ─ a sordid affair which took 20 years to settle ─ and while any front-line staff who might be found directly responsible might be moved on or even out, the chances of culpability at a senior management level are, I would contend, limited to non-existent. As if to illustrate the point, a column in Monday's Evening News by council leader Jane Meagher ─ or more likely the Labour group office ─ made no mention of the incident. E NEEDAlong with some fluffy paragraphs about some youngsters working at a café in the Sick Kids hospital, and the Tourist Tax, it was devoted to expressing her gratitude to those nice people in the Unite, GMB and Unison trade unions for accepting a two-year pay deal 'which recognises the value of colleagues across the council and ensures that people are paid fairly for the work they do,' which presumably includes the City Chambers cleaners. And she said a very nice thank you to all the workers during the Festival season who 'ensure that Edinburgh and our world-leading events programme remains safe, inclusive, and successful.' Not, it would seem, in the City Chambers toilets. John McLellan is a former Edinburgh Evening News and Scotsman editor. He served as a City of Edinburgh councillor for five years. Brought up in Glasgow, McLellan has lived and worked in Edinburgh for 30 years.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Yahoo
Fundraiser for Edinburgh man found dead at City Chambers gathers nearly £1k
The fundraiser for an Edinburgh man who was found dead at the City Chambers after being reported missing days earlier has gathered nearly £1,000. Sean Stephen, 38, was tragically found unresponsive at the council building's customer support hub on Monday morning - six days after he was initially reported missing. Police confirmed they received a report of concern for Sean, who failed to make a pre-arranged appointment, as enquiries were carried out to trace him. Edinburgh Council has since confirmed it is assisting police with their inquiries. READ MORE: Edinburgh gangsters go on six-day rampage armed with 'gun', machetes and knife READ MORE: Edinburgh man rushed to hospital after being 'stabbed' in tenement flat terror Tributes have poured in following the death of Sean, who has been described as a "gentle giant" by those who knew him. A GoFundMe started by close friend Adele Ford has reached £960 in two days. She wrote: "I'm looking to raise some funds towards Sean's funeral costs. It's to lift a bit of pressure off his wife Julie and family. Sean went missing on the 1st July 2025 and unfortunately was found dead on 7th July 2025. "This was very unexpected as he's only 38 years old and had his full life ahead of him. He was the most loving gentle giant you'd ever meet. He was born and bred in Southside area of Edinburgh and was well known by a lot of people. "I was like a sister to Sean, we are absolutely devastated that he was found dead unexplained. Any help would be appreciated to give him the best send off he deserves. Thank you from the bottom of my heart x." Paying tribute to her husband, his wife Julie said: "Rest in peace Sean, I will forever love you." His step daughter added: "Never get a step dad like you in a lifetime, fly high big man." To donate to the fundraiser towards Sean's funeral, you can do so here. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "At 9.20pm on Tuesday, 1 July, 2025 we received a report of concern for a 38-year-old man in the Edinburgh area who failed to make an pre-arranged appointment. "Enquiries were carried out to trace him. At around 9.10am on Monday, 7 July, we received a report of an unresponsive person at a premises on High Street, Edinburgh. Emergency services attended and a man was pronounced dead at the scene. An Edinburgh Council spokesperson said: 'We're continuing to assist Police with their inquiries and can't comment any further at this stage.' Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
Scottish Sun
09-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
Heartbreaking tributes to ‘loving gentle giant' found dead at Scots council headquarters
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) HEARTBREAKING tributes have been paid to a "loving" man who was found dead at Edinburgh's council headquarters. He has been named locally as Sean Stephen following his mystery death at the City Chambers on the capital's High Street. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Sean Stephen has been named locally following his death in Edinburgh Credit: GoFundme 2 The 38-year-old was found unresponsive at the City Chambers Credit: Getty Emergency crews raced to the scene at around 9.10am after police received a report of an unresponsive man inside the building's customer support hub. The 38-year-old was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. His death is currently being treated as "unexplained" by cops, but it is not believed to be suspicious. A fundraiser has now been set up by one of Sean's close friends, who paid tribute to the "loving gentle giant". He was well-known throughout the southside of Edinburgh, and his friends and family have been left "absolutely devastated". They said Sean had been missing since July 1, with multiple posts shared on social media during a frantic search. The post read: "I'm looking to raise some funds towards Sean's funeral costs. It's to lift a bit of pressure off his wife Julie and family. "Sean went missing on the July 1, 2025 and unfortunately was found dead on July 7. "This was very unexpected as he's only 38 years old and had his full life ahead of him. "He was the most loving gentle giant you'd ever meet. He was born and bred in Southside area of Edinburgh and was well known by a lot of people. Man, 39, dies in hospital after 'major incident' in Scots town as cops lock down street & arrest suspect "I was like a sister to Sean, we are absolutely devastated that he was found dead unexplained. "Any help would be appreciated to give him the best send off he deserves. Thank you from the bottom of my heart." You can donate to the fundraiser here. Edinburgh City Council's website is urging locals to use the city's customer hub as the High Street office is closed this week. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 9.10am on Monday, 7 July, we received a report of an unresponsive person at a premises on High Street, Edinburgh. "Emergency services attended and a man was pronounced dead at the scene. "The death is being treated as unexplained but not believed to be suspicious and a report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal."
