'She could still be here today'

On Wednesday, Peter Meaney was jailed for the culpable homicide of Danielle Scott, 17. Her mother, Lorriane Scott, explains why she wants an inquiry into the failings in her daughter's care which she believes led to her death.

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On the night Danielle died she had been let out for an hour from Howdenhall (young persons' unit in Edinburgh). She met Meaney and they began chatting and he invited her back to his flat.

Within half an hour he had given her some of his medication. And then, when she became ill, he stopped the 999 call that could have possibly saved her life - she could still be here today.

Lorraine Scott wants a public enquiry into her daughter's care

Danielle hadn't ever used anything like that and it was enough to take her life. I just feel that the jail term is no justice - the sentence is just not long enough.

But he's not the only one that is at fault. This has just been a catalogue of blunders and neglect by the care system.

At primary school, Danielle was a fabulous, wonderful wee girl - a very clever girl with lots of friends. She was like that to begin with when she went to high school.

But then suddenly things started to change and she became ill from the age of 12. She was badly bullied - in total for about a year.

She developed an eating disorder and depression and was on two types of medication. Eventually she actually tried to take her own life.

'Specialist care'

We withdrew her from the school straight away. She started at another school, but she rarely attended as she was so ill.

Danielle was diagnosed with multi-impulsive bulimia in 2001. She also had a severe depressive disorder.

She spent 15 and a half months in Gartnavel Hospital and another two months in a private hospital. She then came home but she wasn't well enough, she needed specialist care.

Methadone death inquiry call

We were told that until they could transfer her to a medical environment, she would be looked after at Howdenhall.

Howdenhall was a place that the social services put her because she was extremely vulnerable. As a family, we didn't feel it was appropriate, she really needed a hospital.

After two months in the secure part of Howdenhall she was moved to the semi-secure part. They then began letting her out and it was just terrible.

The night with Meaney wasn't the first time something like this had happened. There were 28 serious incidents that occurred in the run-up to her death.

'Depressive disorder'

This is why as a family we are looking for a public enquiry into Danielle's care. Even though Danielle died in Meaney's flat, he was at the end of a long line of people that were responsible for Danielle's death.

Danielle was raped in Edinburgh when she was on her time out from Howdenhall. She was also assaulted by a group of youths just around the corner from Howdenhall on Captain's Road - by youths wearing boxing gloves.

In 2004 a consultant decided that Danielle had a personality disorder - even though she was clearly ill. I think that consultant signed her death warrant with this diagnosis.

The children's panel had then instructed a consultant to get a second opinion on this. We weren't told anything about the diagnosis from this at the time.

The court heard that Meaney stopped a friend dialling 999

It turned out that they said Danielle often fills the criteria for a depressive disorder. The guidance was that if she couldn't keep herself safe and did things to make herself vulnerable then they would have to seriously look at sectioning her under the Mental Health Act.

This is definitely what should have happened. But the doctor and social worker chose to ignore this.

I actually called for an emergency reconvening of this panel in January 2005 as I was so worried. This went on for the best part of two hours and nobody could decide what to do with her.

Danielle's dad got so frustrated that he stood up and shouted at them that they would have to take responsibility when he had to identify her in a mortuary. And that's exactly what happened three weeks later.

The fiscal have been doing a wide ranging enquiry into Danielle's care and said this will be revealed after the sentencing - so we are just waiting to see what happens now.