Frank Bowmaker represented the family of RE, a loving son and father, at an inquest on 10 and 11 June 2025.

RE was chased onto the train tracks at Colindale Station by Metropolitan Police officers while experiencing acute behavioural disturbance (ABD). He subsequently died by electrocution. The inquest focused on the actions of the Met and Transport for London for retrieving him before he died.

HM Coroner found that the officers left the station without confirming that RE was safe. As they left, they told members of the public on the platform that RE was no longer on the tracks. This was factually incorrect. TfL relied on the public to confirm that RE had left the area and the current was switched back on. Relevant rules were not followed, and there was a missed opportunity for proper communication between TfL and the Met. If the rules had been followed, the power supply would not have been switched on, and a proper search would have been possible. In addition, a search train sent to find RE was inadequately equipped and caused him to be run over.

HM Coroner concluded that RE died because of a failure to follow a proper process for recovering a person from a stretch of railway. A PFD will be made to TfL due to concerns about the lack of detail in the rules for switching the electric current back on in these circumstances.

Frank was instructed by Daniel Cooper of Imran Khan and Partners.

Read BBC news coverage here.