NHS staff 'slept and falsified records' as man was strangled to death on a mental health ward, coroner finds

From the Newshound archive · first published 2 October 2026 · last updated 3 October 2026.

Hugo Flint-Cahan, 34, was strangled by fellow patient Rolando Torres-Pena, 22, at Newham Mental Health Centre in east London in January 2023, with coroner Graeme Irvine concluding the death was unlawful killing contributed to by neglect. CCTV showed no staff visible in the corridor at the time of the attack, and Flint-Cahan's body was not discovered until almost two hours after he is believed to have been killed. Irvine has now submitted a Prevention of Future Deaths report warning the deaths could happen again, and has recommended four staff members be referred to their professional regulators.

Staff falsified observation logs — including filling out records without checking where patients actually were — in the knowledge colleagues would cover for them.

Coroner Irvine urged the Metropolitan Police to reopen their investigation, saying officers were misled by staff about what patients were doing that night.