West Midlands Police apologise after man's family had to wait a week to learn he had died
The family of a man found dead at home who were not notified of his death until nearly a week later have received an apology from West Midlands Police.
Paul Tomes, aged 54, from Winwood Road, Oldbury, had been living with a friend after leaving a hostel in Handsworth a few months earlier.
His body was discovered on September 17, yet Sandwell Coroners Court heard that West Midlands Police sent a notification of the death to an incorrect email – with Mr Tomes body still at the undertaker's nearly a week later.
Senior Coroner Zafar Siddique, who concluded a verdict of a drug related death at the inquest held on August 12, said he would be writing to the chief constable in regards to the 'distress' it had caused the family.
In a statement issued following the inquest, Detective Chief Inspector Caroline Marsh said: "We are deeply sorry that an administration error meant Mr Tomes' relatives were not informed of his death until several days after his body was discovered and the reasons for the delay have been explained to the family.
"It's important we don't allow this to happen again and so I have made contact with the Black Country Coroner's Office to better understand what went wrong and to establish whether West Midlands Police can improve its processes."
Speaking to the Express & Star about the statement, Mr Tomes brother, Barry Tomes, said: "We as a family only ever sought the facts surrounding Paul's death and the delay in us finding out. We appreciate the response and apology from the Police but the delay did cause us stress.
"The Police and Coroner all treated us with respect personally during our discussions. I hope they learn from this and put procedures in place to prevent another family going through this."
The inquest at Black Country Coroners Court heard that Mr Tomes had been found by his friend, Tristan Wells, and his partner after they returned to the house at 4.30p on September 17. His body was on the lounge floor.
It was revealed that several prescription drugs were found in Mr Tomes' system and the house.
The cause of death given following a post mortem and autopsy was multi-drug toxicity along with bleeding of the small bowel.
