The parents of a baby who died after developing a respiratory illness have vowed to get justice for him – at an inquest being held TEN YEARS after his death.
Eight-week-old Ben Condon died in Bristol Children’s Hospital in April 2015 from a lung condition after being born prematurely.
His parents – former Olympian sprinter Allyn Condon and his wife Jenny – have since nearly a decade campaigning for justice as they believe their son should have been provided with antibiotics earlier.
Three years ago they applied to the High Court for a fresh inquest after claiming senior doctors had lied about performing tests on Ben.
The court quashed the original inquest verdict and granted a second hearing, which Ben’s parents, of Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, described as bringing them a “step closer to justice.”
A final pre-inquest hearing was held yesterday (17/12) with a full four-week long inquest set to start on 3 February next year.
In a statement Allyn wrote: “Final pre inquest hearing done today and now just six weeks until Ben’s second inquest at the Avon Coroners Court in Bristol.
“Can’t believe he would be ten in February right in the middle of the inquest.
“Ben was killed by negligent doctors at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children who then covered up their failings to protect their own reputation and ruin our family. Whether it be in February or in another ten years we will get justice for Ben.”
Ben was born prematurely and spent six weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit at Southmead Hospital in Bristol.
Three days after being released from care, he developed a cough and his condition began to worsen. He was soon transferred back to hospital where he was diagnosed with Human Metapneumovirus (hMPV).
While most children with the virus make a full recovery, Ben’s condition worsened. He died following a cardiac arrest on 17 April.
When hospital staff met with the parents after his death to establish what happened to their son, two consultants seemingly plotted to delete the recording where they admitted Ben should have been provided with the antibiotics earlier.
At his original inquest in June 2016, the coroner concluded that Ben’s death was caused by acute respiratory distress syndrome, hMPV and the fact he had been born prematurely.
Ben was not prescribed antibiotics until just over an hour before he died after suffering two cardiac arrests and his parents claim that was a fatal error.
A coroner at the original inquest disagreed with Ben’s parents that their son’s death could have been prevented by antibiotics.
But the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman later found there had been a “catalogue of failings” leading up to Ben’s death.
The University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust has since apologised for it’s failings.
The fresh inquest will now re-look at events surrounding his death at a date yet to be decided.