Charity fears sudden deaths in Scotland being mislabelled amid call for system change

A top charity fears sudden deaths in Scotland are being mislabelled as their boss calls for a change into how they are investigated. Faces and Voices of Recovery (Favor UK) have concerns about the system used to probe sudden deaths, which is led by The Crown Office's Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit (SIFU).

Certain deaths are subject to Fatal Accident Inquiries but Favor UK wants Scotland to replicate the inquests system used elsewhere in the UK, where a coroner examines the circumstances around sudden deaths. Along with families who have lost loved ones to sudden deaths, they say there is a “disturbing trend of reclassifying potential homicides as suicides or accidents”.

Speaking to the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland radio programme on Monday, Favor UK’s CEO, Annemarie Ward, said the SIFU has not shown enough thoroughness in its investigations.

She said: “We’ve noticed a disturbing trend where these deaths might involve foul play – are instead being labelled as suicides or accidents. And this not only masks the real issues but it also stifles the important discussions we need to have publicly.”

Ms Ward argued that the inquest system used in England, Wales, and Ireland is "more inclusive and transparent," arguing it "involves families more."

Bereaved stepdad Stuart Graham has supported calls for change after his stepson Colin Marr, died in 2007 aged 23. The heartbroken family have long challenged the initial police finding of suicide.

Mr Graham blasted the investigation into his stepson's death, saying: “The failings were right at the beginning and there was no way that can be tested.”

A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: “We understand the impact that the loss of a loved one can have on bereaved families. The procurator fiscal will investigate every death reported to us thoroughly and independently.

“This work seeks to establish what happened and consider whether criminal proceedings or a Fatal Accident Inquiry would be appropriate.

“It is a strength of the Scottish system, which reflects a common European model, that death investigations are undertaken by a public prosecutor, who in Scotland is the procurator fiscal.”

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