Today a Coroner gave his conclusion of an inquest into the death of Daniel Tozer in 2015. The coroner found that Danny died of SUDEP – Sudden Unexpected Death from Epilepsy - and gave a verdict of natural causes.

In response to the conclusion, John Cowman, Director of Services at Mencap, said:

“Danny was a lovely man, our team at Mencap were very fond of him and he is sadly missed.  Our thoughts are with his family and of course the focus today should be on them.

“We are so very sorry that Danny died.  Inquests are difficult processes and we sincerely hope that today’s conclusion has brought Mr and Mrs Tozer’s answers to their questions.

“This was rightly a thorough investigation, and we need time to reflect properly on all the evidence we have heard.   Mr and Mrs Tozer felt that at times Mencap fell short of the high standards which we set ourselves. This is of huge concern to us and we very much hope they will work with us, should they wish to do so.  The work they have done in the memory of their much-loved son has made and will continue to make a difference.” 

-ENDS-

For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact the Mencap press office on 020 7696 5414 or media@mencap.org.uk or for out of hours 07770 656 659.

About Mencap

There are 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK.

Mencap works to support people with a learning disability , their families and carers by fighting to change laws, improve services and access to education , employment and leisure facilities. Mencap supports thousands of people with a learning disability to live their lives the way they want.

www.mencap.org.uk  

For advice and information about learning disability and Mencap services in your area, contact the Learning Disability Helpline on 0808 808 1111 (9am-3pm, Monday-Friday) or email helpline@mencap.org.uk.

What is a learning disability?

  • A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability which can cause problems with everyday tasks – for example shopping and cooking, or travelling to new places – which affects someone for their whole life

  • Learning disability is not a mental illness or a learning difficulty, such as dyslexia . Very often the term ‘learning difficulty’ is wrongly used interchangeably with ‘learning disability’

  • People with a learning disability can take longer to learn new things and may need support to develop new skills, understand difficult information and engage with other people. The level of support someone needs is different with every individual. For example, someone with a severe learning disability might need much more support with daily tasks than someone with a mild learning disability.