Police face probe over missing patient action

The police watchdog is looking into claims that Peter Barnes had been dead for up to seven days before his body was discovered on the Cygnet Hospital site in Wyke, Bradford.

Hospital staff reported Mr Barnes’s disappearance to West Yorkshire Police on October 13, but his body was not found until officers searched the grounds on October 20.

The West Yorkshire force confirmed that it had “voluntarily referred” the matter to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which investigates misconduct allegations.

In a statement the hospital said it had commissioned a “full, independently-chaired investigation” into how Mr Barnes, 31, from Lincoln, died.

“Our thoughts remain with Peter’s family at this very difficult time,” the statement read. “We were deeply shocked and saddened. The well-being of our patients is always our first priority and we continue to do everything in our power to find out what has happened.”

IPCC Commissioner Nicholas Long said: “Our investigation will examine the actions West Yorkshire Police took in the days following the concerns expressed by the hospital.” Force policies on dealing with missing person reports would also be examined.