Mirren Gidda represented the family of Katherine Anne Frost, whose inquest took place between 23 March 2026 and 30 March 2026 at the Essex Coroner’s Court.

The jury heard that Katherine, an animal lover who presented as younger than her years, had died after absconding while on escorted leave from the mental health ward where she was sectioned.

Katherine died the day after her 18th birthday and the day before she was due to move to an adult mental health ward. Katherine was under the care of the Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (‘EPUT’).

The jury found that:

• The decision to grant/proceed with escorted leave in the community was inappropriate due to a number of factors not taken into account during the completion of Katherine’s escorted leave risk assessment immediately prior. The factors which should have been considered included: Katherine’s statement of intent to abscond the day before and Katherine’s presentation on the day itself; that there had been insufficient time to prepare Katherine for the move to adult services; that there was a lack of clarity around how Katherine would be fed on the adult ward (Katherine was tube fed on the children and young person’s ward); that Katherine had not been able to visit the adult ward prior to her planned move; and that EPUT’s transition policy had not been followed.
• The supervision and response to abscondment was inappropriate given the circumstances as the escorted leave policy was not adhered to.
• There was “a serious failure to adhere to the transition policy which was fundamental to the sequence of events resulting in the loss of Katherine’s life.”

Mirren was instructed by Christina Juman of Deighton Pierce Glynn Solicitors.