Vulnerable woman, 38, who was found mummified in her council flat four years after last being seen alive had stopped claiming benefits as it involved ‘invasive medical check-ups’, inquest hears

14 comments

1. Apologies for Daily Wail. There are lots of other articles on this from better sources (I recommend looking at those too), but this was the only one I found that mentions why she wasn’t on benefits.

2. It’s a sad story. It seems to have taken a long time to get to this stage. She was discovered in 2021 – what’s happened since then?

3. The questions and interrogation techniques used in disability evaluations are disgusting

4. This is so sad. I’ve been through the PIP process, and it’s an absolute disgrace the way they treat people. I spent about five minutes talking to a person who had no medical experience at my medical examination, and it left me feeling worthless. I ended up taking it a tribunal after nearly nine months later to win my claim.

   You deserved better, Laura. Rest in peace. ❤️

5. The way the bloke quoted in the article refers to benefits claimants as “customers” seems a bit… bizarre. Doesn’t sit right with me that.

6. I find it astonishing someone can be gone for four years without increasingly aggressive attempts to find them. She was obviously isolated but there were minor attempts to work out where she is that were clearly abandoned quickly

7. As usual, everyone is blaming “them.” We have the institutions and procedures we voted for for 14 years. Everyone who chose to vote on stupid culture war stuff or for Boris because they loved his arrogance also voted to hurt the vulnerable.

8. Why are people against doing anything to prove they need government assistance. It may be a little unpleasant but what else can we do. We’re lucky to get anything at all.

9. I went through applying for pip and filled out my questionnaire.

   Got zero points on assesment obviously including zero on communicating verbally. Even though you score 2 points for a hearing aid.

   I was wearing my bone anchored hearing aid during the assessment which is a hearing aid that’s secured to the skull by drilling into it. But no, zero points.

   Luckily won at tribunal

10. This is truly horrific and why did she remain undicoveted for so long ?Noone gives a shit !

11. She was affected by a facial asymmetry, a heart defect, deafness and schizophrenia, this suggests she had 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, also known as [DiGeorge syndrome](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/digeorge-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20353543), or similar. DiGeorge is one of the most common genetic causes of schizophrenia. People with DiGeorge syndrome have a [30 fold incresed risk of developing schizophrenia](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3129332/). Given she may have has a genetic disorder, medical testing and checkups, fitness to work, were irrelevant. You don’t recover from a genetic based disability.

12. The irony of the Daily mail posting this.

13. Pity she didn’t have a kindly neighbour to keep an eye on her from afar.on behalf of her family

    Instead it seems she slipped through the cracks due to a combination of familial alienation, failure of mental health care services and a lack of social security safeguards.

    Very sad to read she’d written letters (which she ultimately tore up and choose not to send) to the local vicar, describing her increasingly desperate situation. Lack of food, phone and utilities etc pleading for help and guidance.

    She clearly wanted to continue with her life but had fallen into a difficult patch she didn’t know how to circumnavigate her way out from. Heartbreaking story.

14. Mad that you can be in rent arreas by 4 years.

    Someone should make sure the landlord is alive too.