The sisters of a man strangled to death on a mental health ward by another patient have described the healthcare system for people with severe psychotic illness as "inadequate, misguided and plain wrong".
An inquest into the death of Richard Laversuch, 63, found on Wednesday he was unlawfully killed by Owen Herbert, then aged 18, at Parklands Hospital, Basingstoke, in 2021. Multiple "failures" by heath staff were identified by the inquest jury.
"They just don't recognise how serious psychotic illness is," Richard's sister, Bridget Ryan, told the BBC.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust apologised to the men's families and accepted responsibility for its failures.
Hampshire coroner Nicholas Walker said Richard's death was "utterly avoidable".
"It has to change," her sister Cathy Laversuch agreed, "otherwise there will be more deaths, more terrible things happening and more heartbreak for more families."
She added: "Something went wrong at every single stage, so it's not a safe system and can lead to catastrophic consequences."
Source: BBC News, 30 July 2026
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