By Truth about Carl Marrows death ‘covered-up’
The father of Carl Marrows, who died following an operation at Scunthorpe General Hospital, has claimed a “cover-up” withheld the truth about his son’s death.
Five-year-old Carl Marrows had spina bifida, and is said to have died from “massive blood loss” in February 1978.
An inquest held in 1986 concluded he died of natural causes.
But, new investigation has found that his death was the result of a “gross failure of care”.
Speaking to the BBC, Carl’s father John Marrows said he was “disgusted” by what he now knew.
“I thought he’d gone in, had the operation, there had been problems and he’d fallen asleep, but when I heard what he’d been put through in his last moments it was very difficult.
“He could have still been with us, our two boys were little when all this happened, they’re around 50 now and he could have been here with them.
“You get to that stage of life where you need to re-evaluate things, so the Hull coroner found all the records and invited me there to have a look because there were things I didn’t know.
“I was absolutely disgusted by what I was reading.. it was a cover-up.”
He described his son as a “bright lad with a happy little face.”
According to a coroner speaking at Hull Coroner’s Court, Carl Marrow’s blood pressure began to drop after the operation, and he died later the same day.
An initial post-mortem examination found he died from hemorrhagic shock.
But the inquest heard how despite “no logical basis,” the result was swiftly changed to “natural causes” in 1986.
Coroner Paul Marks concluded that delays in treating Carl after the operation had contributed to his death.
Dr Peter Reading, chief executive of Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust which was founded in 2001, offered the family his “sincere condolences.”
He added that he hoped the new inquest verdict would bring the family “some closure”.
