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Tuesday, 5 March, 2002, 11:09 GMT

Anger over CJD inquest delay


Pamela Beyless
Pamela Beyless died in 1998
The family of a woman from Leicestershire who died from variant CJD say they are furious that they are still waiting for an inquest into her death.

Pamela Beyless died from the human form of mad cow disease in 1998 at the age of 24.

Her father Arthur Beyless battled for three years for an inquest and was told last July that one would be held.

However eight months after receiving a letter from the coroner, he is still waiting for an inquest date to be set.

Family compensated

He told BBC Radio Leicestershire: "It's very frustrating.

"I do appreciate the demands on the coroner's office but I would have thought a date would have been pencilled in and as they worked towards the date, it would be more finely tuned.

Arthur Beyless

"At the moment there is no date at all pencilled in apart from the suggestion it could be March or April."

Miss Beyless was the second victim of the disease, the human form of BSE, in a cluster of five cases centred on part of Leicestershire.

She was a regular visitor to the village of Queniborough, thought to be at the centre of the cluster of cases.

In Leicestershire, no inquests have been held by either of the county's two coroners into the five deaths from variant CJD.

The cluster was first reported in 1998 after three people died within 12 weeks.

'Unnatural death'

Miss Beyless' family has received £125,000 compensation, but her father says it is important that somebody is held accountable.

"We are not apportioning blame or guilt. We are just looking for accountability.

"We have got compensation for the loss of our child but what body or what courses of action caused Pamela and other victims to contract CJD?

"As a body of families we would like to see automatic inquests for variant CJD victims.

"Once that has been achieved, I feel we will be a long way along the road to accountability."


Related to this story:
Inquest into CJD cluster case (01 Aug 01 | Health) CJD claims 100th victim (24 May 01 | Health) Expert dismisses CJD report (21 Mar 01 | Health) CJD cluster deaths linked to butchery (21 Mar 01 | Health) CJD report 'won't help me' (21 Mar 01 | Health) Medicines could carry vCJD (18 Mar 01 | Health)


Internet links: CJD Surveillance Unit |
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