Andrew Dodds took his own life on a train from Sheffield
Andrew boarded a train from Sheffield Station(Image: Jade Ching/Flickr)
A man killed himself on a train after he told police a German gang was following him.
Andrew Dodds, 45, stabbed himself on a train from Sheffield train station on August 20, 2023. He had the manager of Sheffield Station to give his laptop to the police as he was being followed by a German gang. British Transport Police Officers conducted checks on Andrew, but because South Yorkshire Police failed to provide the correct information, he was allowed on the train. A train conductor found his body on the train when pulling into Tamworth station in Staffordshire.
Assistant Coroner for South Yorkshire Marilyn Whittle has published a Prevention of Future Deaths report, in which she questioned the role of SYP. She said the force did not pass on relevant details to the relevant authorities.
Andrew attended a mental health assessment at the Longley Centre on August 16, 2023, but left before he was seen. Sheffield Health and Social Care contacted the police as they were unable to contact him, before Andrew made an appointment for the following day. However, he never attended the appointment, and after the police were unable to contact him, they issued a missing persons report.
On August 19, Andrew’s brother told police Andrew was at a hotel in Sheffield, and the police located him. Andrew was threatening to harm himself, and the police used Section 136 powers to take Andrew to a place of safety for a mental health assessment. This assessment was conducted at Swallownest Court in Rotherham. When the police handed him over, no next of kin details were provided and Andrew’s brother received no further updates from the police.
The mental health assessment found Andrew “did not require any medical recommendation”, and that “there was no evidence of mental illness that required admission or referral to secondary services,” Ms Whittle said. No next of kin information was available for contact, and neither SYP nor SHSC were informed of the outcome.
Andrew was provided with a taxi to Sheffield station as he said he was going to stay with his brother. He told the station manager he was being followed by a German gang, and was then questioned by the BTP. Officers conducted a records check on Andrew, which said he was known to mental health services but was suicidal. The check did not contain any information about Andrew being a missing person or that he had been recently detained under Section 136. There were also no next of kin details.
How to access support if you need it
If this piece has affected you and you want to talk to someone, there are helplines and support groups available, many of them 24/7.
The NHS Choices website lists the following helplines and support networks for people to talk to.
- Samaritans (116 123 in UK and Ireland) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org.
- Childline (0800 1111) runs a helpline for children and young people in the UK. Calls are free and the number won’t show up on your phone bill.
- PAPYRUS (0800 068 41 41) is a voluntary organisation supporting teenagers and young adults who are feeling suicidal.
- Mind (0300 123 3393) is a charity based in England providing advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding.
- Students Against Depression is a website for students who are depressed, have a low mood or are having suicidal thoughts.
- Bullying UK is a website for both children and adults affected by bullying.
An officer emailed SYP for more information, but a response only said Andrew had reported being followed by gangs and had been a missing person several days earlier but this report was now closed. BTP officers asked Andrew if he was suicidal, but he said no. Ms Whittle said they had no reason to believe he was lying.
Ms Whittle said: “Police did not pass over relevant details, including next of kin to the S136 suite, meaning next of kin could not be contacted. They also did not inform next of kin to contact the S136 directly and did not provide any further updates. This happened shortly after a shift changeover, so whether a full handover was provided between officers to allow this information to be given is not clear.
“There was missing information on the PNC check, which meant that Andrew was not flagged as recently being held under S136. The further email from force control also did not mention that he was recently detained under S136. I was told if this had been on the system, BTP would have contacted mental health services for more information.”
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