Mother calls for public inquiry over son's death at Essex mental health trust

• Click below for Emma Hutchinson's report

The mother of a young man who died while in the care of a mental health trust in Essex is calling for a public inquiry to be held.

Melanie Leahy already has 40,000 signatures on her petition. Her son Matthew was 20 years old when he died while under the care of the trust.

Today MPs have heard details of a report into the failings of the former North Essex Partnership Trust.

Melanie Leahy said: “I don’t know exactly what happened to Matthew, but I know that he went to hospital, doctors say suffering psychosis, told not to see him for seven days.

“Before I got to visit I had a call to say that my son had been found hanging, it didn’t look good. He’d already been dead an hour.

“It’s been absolutely horrendous and I don’t see it getting any easier either.

“I’m just a mum, I’m still trying to work, I run my own business, I’ve got family members that are ill and the pressure is immense.

“And then dealing with these things daily telling me the same thing is happening to them is heartbreaking. I have to fight to get it stopped.”