An inquest has revealed that a 68-year-old man took his own life by jumping from the top of a telephone booth located within a police station in east London after spending 18 hours in the waiting area.
Peter Jones had penned a suicide note and was observed engaging in self-dialogue while rocking back and forth, but this behavior went unnoticed by the officers present, according to court testimony.
The jury concluded that had the police recognized these actions, it was “highly probable” that they could have intervened and averted the tragedy.
Mary Hassell, the senior coroner for Inner North London, attributed the incident to insufficient staffing at the reception and warned the Metropolitan Police that without remedial measures, similar incidents could recur.
Mr. Jones passed away in November 2022 at the Stoke Newington Police Station, sustaining severe injuries upon impacting the concrete ground.
CCTV footage later indicated that he exhibited behaviors suggesting he posed an immediate risk to himself, as noted in the inquest’s findings.
The jury determined that the Metropolitan Police had not maintained “adequate oversight” of the public reception area.
The court noted that the positioning of CCTV monitors in the rear office was inadequate, and there was a notable absence of police personnel in the public area, with multiple officers instead congregating in a back office.
The verdict stated, “Throughout his time at Stoke Newington Police Station, the CCTV shows that Mr. Jones exhibited significant behaviors indicating he was a direct danger to himself, which, if acknowledged by police staff, would have led to actions that likely would have prevented his death.”
Ms. Hassell also criticized the design of the flat-topped phone booth, stating that without it, Mr. Jones would have had “no means” to end his life in that manner.
The jurors concluded that Mr. Jones’s death was a suicide.
She has submitted a report aimed at preventing future deaths to the Metropolitan Police.
“In my view, measures must be implemented to avert future fatalities, and I believe you have the capacity to undertake such actions,” the senior coroner expressed to the force.
Scotland Yard has been given 56 days to reply.
