§ Mr. ByersTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will make a statement concerning the escape from custody of Joseph Raphael on 19 January;
(2) what changes she intends to make in the procedures for the transportation of remand prisoners from hospital to court;
(3) if she will make a statement on the escape by Joseph Raphael while being taken to the Old Bailey in the company of nurses from Cane Hill secure unit.
§ Mr. YeoI understand that Mr. Raphael was detained in the secure unit at Cane Hill hospital on 6 November 1992 under section 35 of the Mental Health Act 1983, which provides for an accused person to be remanded to hospital for a report on his medical condition. He was to appear at the central criminal court on 19 January 1993 on a charge of murder. He absconded from the custody of the nurses who were escorting him from the hospital to the court. He subsequently gave himself up to the police and was detained at Brixton prison.
The Ravensbourne NHS Trust, which manages the Cane Hill unit, has stated that a decision was taken following clinical assessment to transport Mr. Raphael without a police escort. The trust is holding an internal 537W inquiry into the incident and the events leading up to it. We will be studying the inquiry report carefully and will consider in consultation with the Home Office what further guidance might be needed for hospitals and the police about their responsibilities in this area.