Family of man killed by son 'paralysed' by wait for answers

The family of a man who was stabbed to death by his mentally ill son say they have been left "paralysed" by a desperate wait for answers four years on.

Brenton Marriott died in hospital after being stabbed by Rudi Marriott in Lenton, Nottingham, on 5 August 2022.

Rudi, who has paranoid schizophrenia, was sentenced to a hospital order after being found guilty of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility two years ago.

But a domestic homicide review (DHR), launched on 9 January 2023 to examine the circumstances surrounding Brenton's death, has still not been completed, despite government guidance stating they should be finished within six months.

Delvin Marriott said the wait to find out more about what happened before his brother's death was causing huge stress for grieving family members, who were desperate for closure.

A DHR - also known as a domestic abuse related death review - makes recommendations to help prevent people being killed by partners or family members.

Despite government guidance saying they should be completed within six months, a BBC investigation last year found just 1% were finished in the recommended timeframe.

According to the guidance, the coroner's office should be informed if a DHR is taking place, and a draft report can be sent to them "so that they may properly assess the scope of an inquest and the witnesses to be called".

With the family still waiting to find out if an inquest into Brenton's death will be held, Delvin said the delays were leaving them in limbo.

"The trauma of everything that's happened, it still affects us all," he said.

"The process that we're going through is a very time-consuming process, and we just feel paralysed."

Brenton's family said Rudi's mental health had worsened after he suffered severe head injuries in a street attack years before he killed his father.

They contacted Nottinghamshire Police over their concerns in August 2019, resulting in officers attending alongside a mental health nurse, who decided Rudi did not need to be sectioned.

"We asked for help, but it didn't come in the right way, or it didn't come at all," Delvin said.

"There are probably other families going through very similar situations, and we don't want it to happen again."

The DHR into Brenton's death is examining contact between Rudi, his family and relevant agencies from 2019 until the fatal attack three years later. It had been due to finish last year.

"This investigation is taking a very, very long time," said Delvin.

"I don't know if I'll ever really heal - something taken from your life in that way, it's very difficult - but it [the report] will give us some guidance and understanding."

Charise Mullings, Brenton's daughter, added: "It feels like it's being dragged out longer than it needs to be.

"It's not letting us be able to start building ourselves up again and move on - we're reliving it again and again."

Delvin said the "stark similarities" between his brother's death and the Nottingham attacks, in which Valdo Calocane - who also has paranoid schizophrenia - killed Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates, were difficult to deal with.

What happened in the lead-up to the attacks on 13 June 2023 and the aftermath are subject to a statutory public inquiry, which has heard evidence from 164 witnesses.

Delvin said he contacted the inquiry team through its website to ask how he could help, adding: "It's the same area, and everything that [the families] were saying resonated with me in a real, emotional way.

"It's good what they're doing, and we support it."

The Marriott family are not the only people who have been left frustrated by long waits for DHRs to be completed.

Julian Hendy founded the charity Hundred Families after his father Philip was stabbed to death by a man with psychosis and gave evidence to the Nottingham Inquiry.

He said a four-year wait was "quite extreme", adding other families have been "left hanging in the lurch".

"Unfortunately these delays are typical, though I think in this case the delay is very hard to understand," Hendy added.

"We are four years on now from what happened - that's an awful long time to try and do a proper investigation.

"We want the investigation to be done properly, but I think [this] is taking far too long."

Hendy said families of people suffering from mental health issues often felt ignored, adding that people asking for and not receiving help before serious incidents eventually occur was "a very common problem".

He added: "Services need to listen to families if they have concerns - that will keep the patients safe, it will keep their families safe, and it will keep the general public safe."

Delvin said he felt if Rudi had received the right support, then the fatal attack on Brenton could have been avoided.

"In one case they had let him [Valdo Calocane] out when they shouldn't have, and in Rudi's case they didn't let him in," he said.

Nottinghamshire Police said it would not comment until the DHR had been completed.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said: "We offer our deepest sympathies to Brenton's family and friends.

"A loss of life in such circumstances is a tragedy and hugely impactful on everyone involved.

"We will consider the findings of this review and respond to recommendations made following its publication."

Brenton's family hope to have an inquest once the DHR is completed, which they believe could potentially help prevent other families from going through the same trauma.

"It's the same situation over and over again," said Charise. "Families aren't being listened to.

"Not only is it putting families at risk, it's putting the public at risk."

Delvin added: "I've just got to do this for Brent.

"We all love him, we all miss him, and we don't want his death to be in vain."

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