Tollesbury Time Forever (18 page)

I think, at that moment, they expected some kind of response from me. I gave them nothing but a wink.

“Do you really believe what happened to you when you were a young boy gave you the right to ruin the life of another?”

They knew nothing, man, nothing. They wanted me to please, please, please them - I knew that much. But things were all just too far gone.

Penny Shoraton sang to me in a high pitched shimmering crystal stream voice “She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah! She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah!”

I ran my fingers through my hair, looked at her as seductively as I was able and replied in a dirty street John Lennon growl, “Why don’t we do it in the road?”

“Enough!” shouted Weepy and Nardy, standing simultaneously as if strung by the same puppeteer - for even they had strings it seemed.

“Simon Anthony, you have taken the life of a child and shall hence forth be known forever in this village and beyond as 'The Child-Killer'. Parents will use what you have done as a means of disciplining their children, of educating them in the evil that men do. Now leave us. Go to where you will end your days. And may you never return.”

I was led by a crowd of people, away from the village square and down Station Road, arriving eventually at Zachariah Leonard’s shack. It seemed even darker than I remember, more ancient and so much more like the mouth of death than ever it had been before. A rough hand pushed me in and someone closed the door behind me. I was nearly home.

The brightness of the sun had left me unprepared for the all encompassing gloom in which I now found myself. I crawled on my hands and knees to reach the other end of the room and it was then that I felt three short wooden legs. I guessed it was a stool of sorts. I stroked the smooth wood as if it were a cat. The movement soothed me. And as my eyes grew attuned to the darkness, I saw that there was a square piece of wood protruding out of the floor in the far corner. I slithered over to it on my stomach and saw that it was the trap-door. I sighed in disappointment, thinking that I was being offered one last way out; for in truth I wanted no escape.

I reached my hand into the aperture that had presented itself to me and, to my surprise touched earth. This was not
some tunnel to freedom but merely a hole in the ground. I felt around and my hand enclosed a piece of what appeared to be rough cloth with holes in it, three small holes. I put it back and awaited what some may consider to have been my doom. I did not have to wait long, although I suppose it may have been hours.

The door to the shack was flung open and a beautiful corridor of sunlight yawned into the room picking out the stool in silhouette. The Walrus entered, followed by the FRUGALITY children. They all formed a semi-circle in front of me. And next came Zachariah Leonard. He pushed through the children and strode to the hole in the ground where he retrieved what I then saw was a hangman’s hood. He put it on and I realised of course that he had been forever incomplete without it.

My eyes turned back to the doorway where the light was at its brightest. And there were W.G. and Robbie, arms about each other’s shoulders. I couldn’t tell whether they were laughing or crying. All I could be sure of was that their little boy shoulders rose and fell, just rose and fell like the pistons of a machine. It was as if the light was bursting from them alone and it was the motion of their shoulders that powered and sustained the universe.

Zachariah is before me now and beckons me to stand upon the stool. Once I have done so, he unravels a rope that has been secured to the ceiling and forms it into a noose. The noose complete, he turns to The Walrus, who nods and begins to clap rhythmically, a 2/4 beat for a few bars and then a 7/4 beat. He repeats this twice before the children begin to sing:

“Tollesbury Time,

Nothing is real

And nothing to get hung about.

Tollesbury Time Forever.”

Zachariah puts the noose around my neck and secures it tight.

“Tollesbury Time,

Nothing is real

And nothing to get hung about.

Tollesbury Time Forever.”

Zachariah kicks the stool from under me and it falls to the ground.

“Tollesbury Time,

Nothing is real

And nothing to get hung about.

Tollesbury Time Forever.”

There is a wailing sound in my head but still I can hear the children singing. The sound in my head turns into the claxon at Ford's that signals the changing in shifts. I see my dad coming into my bedroom to say goodbye to his little lad. He then leaves to go to work. Then I see my uncle coming in. He has dark grease on his hands. He steps out of his overalls and approaches my three year old self who just lies there on the bed unmoving. The monster from Ford's lifts me without effort, turns me and buries my cold face into a tear-stained pillow.

And there is an angel before me now. Her name is Penny Shoraton.

All is silent.

All is black.

Tollesbury Time,

Nothing is real

And nothing to get hung about.

Tollesbury Time Forever

A. Nature of incident:
NEAR MISS

B. Individual involved in the incident:

Name:
SIMON ANTHONY

Gender:
MALE

Date of Birth:
8th JULY 1958

Ethnicity:
WHITE BRITISH

Patient Number:
PN65738

C. Treatment received:

Received oxygen and placed in the recovery position until the paramedics arrived, who then took him to A&E.

D. Injury suffered:

Red mark around the neck made by the belt. No breaking of skin. Bruising evident.

E. Location of incident:
BLACKWATER MENTAL HEALTH UNIT

Primary Location:
CRIMSON WARD

Secondary Location:
BEDROOM 11

Clinical Speciality:
ADULT MENTAL HEALTH UNIT (ACUTE SECTOR)

Date of incident:
15th JULY 2008

Time of incident:
17:25pm

F. Circumstances of Incident:

Mr Anthony was found hanging in his bedroom, secured by a belt from the wardrobe door.

G. Remedial action taken following the incident:

Mr Anthony was taken down onto his bed and basic first aid given. He had a pulse. He was placed in the recovery position and given oxygen until the paramedics came and took him to A&E. He had a mark around his neck that had been made by the belt.

H. Witnesses:
PENNY SHORATON, STAFF NURSE

Name of person making Statement:
Penny Shoraton

I have been a qualified psychiatric nurse since April 1997. I have been a Staff Nurse on Crimson Ward at Blackwater Mental Health Unit since October 2002. I have known Simon Anthony for the last four years in a professional capacity during several admissions to Crimson Ward. During this current admission, I have been his Keyworker.

On 16th July 2008, I was on a late shift. I was the nurse in charge throughout the shift, which started at 13:30pm and finished at 21:00pm.

At handover (sometime between 13:30pm and 14:30pm), I was informed that Simon Anthony had been returned to Crimson Ward by the police. They had apparently found him in a field between Tollesbury and Tolleshunt D’Arcy. On return, he was placed on Level 3 (continuous) observations due to a risk of absconding from the Unit and due to the previous suicide attempt that had led to the current admission. As nurse in charge, I allocated the periods of observation to the staff on duty. The staff rotated each hour as per the Observation Policy.

At 17:25, I was in the nursing office speaking on the phone to the relative of another client when I heard the emergency alarm. I terminated the call and went immediately to the ADP (alarm display panel) in the corridor. The alarm had been sounded from bedroom number eleven and so I ran to that location. When I arrived, the door to the bedroom was being held open by Pauline Zuma (Agency Support Worker) who had been on level 3 observations with Simon Anthony between 17:00pm and 18:00pm. It had been she who had activated the alarm.

When I looked into the room, I saw that Simon Anthony was hanging by his belt which had been fastened around his neck and looped around the top corner of his wardrobe door. A chair was on its side on the floor. His CD player was playing music at a very high volume. According to Pauline Zuma, the
Beatles’ song “Strawberry Fields” had been played continuously over and over since she had commenced her stint of observation at 17:00pm.

I was joined then by Isabel Summers (Staff Nurse on Crimson Ward) and Steven Benson (Support Worker on Crimson Ward). Steven Benson supported Simon Anthony’s bodyweight whilst I undid the belt. All three of us then manoeuvred Simon Anthony’s body onto the floor.

On checking, I noted there was a faint pulse. I sent Isabel Summers to the Nursing Office to contact the paramedics and to bring an oxygen cylinder. With the assistance of Steven Benson, Simon Anthony was put in the recovery position. When the oxygen cylinder arrived some moments later, I applied the mask and Simon Anthony received oxygen until the paramedics arrived at 17:45pm, at which time they took over. They removed Simon Anthony to an awaiting ambulance and he was taken to Accident and Emergency. He had maintained a pulse throughout the immediate first aid procedures but had been non-responsive to verbal interventions. Steven Benson accompanied Simon Anthony to the Accident and Emergency department.

Signed

Penny Shoraton

(Staff Nurse)

(The author recovered this transcript from Simon’s house - the words in italics were written across the pages and in the margins. The author has inserted them accordingly.)

15th August 2008

Present:

Simon Anthony - Client

Peter Middleton - Solicitor

Dr Weepy - Responsible Medical Officer

Penny Shoraton - Staff Nurse (Crimson Ward)

David Cromwell - Social Worker

Iris Pearson - Tribunal Chair

Dr Khan - Medical Representative

Raymond Lister - Layperson

Donna Watkins - Mental Health Act Administrator

Big long bing bong table stretching on in out of perspective perspective. Chairs down each side like a rectangle round table of yore. This is it and this is it. Suits and form and fragile frugals. Sun is in the windows and the wind is on the rise. The time is here and the static is pure. I sit me down and wait for servings. Obladi. Oblada. Life goes on. Life goes on.

IRIS PEARSON (TO SIMON ANTHONY)
- Thank you for coming here today, Mr Anthony. My name is Iris Pearson and I am the Chair of this panel. I am a barrister by profession and, as such, as well as being the Chair, I am also the ‘Legal Member’ of this panel. As you know, you have appealed against your detention under Section 3 of the Mental Health Act (1983) and this Tribunal has been convened to hear that appeal. We will be making a decision today; a decision
which we will inform you face to face in the first instance, with confirmation of that decision in writing to follow. You will also receive a transcript of the proceedings. If at any time you need a break, please indicate to your solicitor and we will break and reconvene when you are ready. Now do you have any questions, Mr Anthony, before we do some introductions?

SIMON ANTHONY (TO IRIS PEARSON
) - No. It’s ok. Thank you.

Thinking thankings. Cokey dokeys up the hokeys!

IRIS PEARSON
- Very well. (SHE NODS TO HER RIGHT TO INDICATE TO DR KHAN THAT HE IS TO INTRODUCE HIMSELF)

DR KHAN
- My name is Dr Khan and I am the Medical Member of this Panel. I am a Consultant Psychiatrist specialising in Forensic Psychiatry.

Forever in sync with my psychic tree. Now that’s nice. Stripy shirt don‘t hurt me. The sheer arrogance of the purring, self-professed king of the jungle! Ah, sheer Khan!

SIMON ANTHONY
- Hello.

RAYMOND LISTER
- Hello Mr Anthony. I am Raymond Lister. I am the Layperson on this panel.

Lay Raymond Lay. Lay across my big brass bed. Loody loody, lady lady.

SIMON ANTHONY
- Hello.

IRIS PEARSON
- Now, please, for the benefit of the panel, could you all please introduce yourselves; beginning with you, Doctor.