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War veteran beaten to death in hospital by dementia patient, claims family War veteran dies after hospital assault by dementia patient
(about 2 hours later)
A war veteran was beaten to death by a dementia patient as he lay in a hospital bed, his family have said. A war veteran has died after being beaten by a dementia patient as he lay in a hospital bed, his family have said.
Richard Bowman, 86, was found in a pool of blood with severe head, leg and arm injuries after the incident at West Suffolk hospital, Bury St Edmunds. Richard Bowman, 86, was found in a pool of blood with severe head, leg and arm injuries after the incident at West Suffolk hospital, Bury St Edmunds. He had a skin graft after the attack but died on Saturday, 12 days later.
He died on Saturday, 12 days after the attack. It is believed he had been attacked by a dementia patient wielding a bottle.
It is believed he had been attacked by the dementia patient who was wielding a bottle. A spokesman for West Suffolk hospital said: "We would like to take this opportunity to extend our sincere condolences to the patient's family. We are taking this incident extremely seriously and are carrying out a full internal investigation."
A spokesman for West Suffolk hospital said: "We would like to take this opportunity to extend our sincere condolences to the patient's family. A Suffolk police spokesman confirmed the force was investigating reports of an assault at the hospital on 25 November. A post-mortem examination found Bowman's death was the result of natural causes and the death is not being treated as suspicious.
"We are taking this incident extremely seriously and are carrying out a full internal investigation."
A Suffolk police spokesman confirmed the force was investigating reports of an assault at the hospital on 25 November.
A post-mortem examination found Bowman's death was the result of natural causes and the death is not being treated as suspicious.
He said: "This matter will now be dealt with by the coroner."He said: "This matter will now be dealt with by the coroner."
Bowman's family told the Daily Mail that their relative should never have been left alone with the patient.Bowman's family told the Daily Mail that their relative should never have been left alone with the patient.
His son Charles Hawes, 43, told the newspaper: "He was lying on his bed getting ready to fall asleep and this chap just came over and started laying into him with a bottle. His son Charles Hawes, 43, told the newspaper: "He was lying on his bed getting ready to fall asleep and this chap just came over and started laying into him with a bottle. He was much too weak and elderly to fight back."
"He was much too weak and elderly to fight back." Hawes questioned the post-mortem examination finding.
"We don't know for sure if he died because of the beating," Hawes said. "But I can only say what everyone else is saying – it didn't help his situation. His body was fighting something else."
Bowman, from Exning near Ely, Cambridgeshire, served with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers before running a number of businesses, including an estate agency.Bowman, from Exning near Ely, Cambridgeshire, served with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers before running a number of businesses, including an estate agency.
He had been admitted to hospital with a chest infection.He had been admitted to hospital with a chest infection.
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