As the coroner’s inquest continues into the 2008 death of Prescott’s Jamie Hawley, the jury hears the police were regular visitors to the home of the disabled man and his brother. Police responded to complaints ten times without becoming aware of the man held captive on the second floor, unable to descend the stairs or to access the kitchen or bathroom on his own. Even the neighbour in the other half of the duplex building did not realize Jamie lived next door until the night he died.
Coroner Dr. Gordon Watt is focused on finding out where the system failed Jamie Hawley so that it doesn’t happen again to another disabled person in care. The Prescott man died while in the care of his brother Jerry, who is now serving 20 years in prison. Jamie’s poor health and living conditions went unrecognized due to a failure in record keeping and reporting. The inquest resumes Wednesday.