Pre-Inquest Review Hearing Into Death of Dad From Wembley

The family of a pensioner whose body was found more than two months after he went missing from a specialist care complex are hoping an upcoming inquest will provide them with answers regarding his death.

Leocardo Loney, who had dementia, left Willow House Extra Care Housing in Wembley on the evening of 3 August 2017 but wasn’t noticed as being missing until the following morning.

The 82-year-old’s body was found 10 miles away in a hedgerow in Breakspear Road, on 17 October 2017.

A pre-inquest review hearing is taking place at West London Coroner’s Court on Thursday, 22 November 2018, ahead of a full inquest into Leocardo’s death.

His daughters Marie Loney and Denise Dooley said: “Despite his illness dad was still fit and healthy for his age, he was always smiling and enjoyed dancing and going to church every Sunday.

“The weeks when he was missing were so hard. We still cannot really believe he is no longer with us and all our family miss him every day.

“Not knowing what happened to dad has been difficult to come to terms with. We know that the inquest is going to be an upsetting time but we hope that at least we are finally able to find out more about what happened to him and why.”

Leocardo was born in Trinidad and moved to the UK in 1961. He worked for London Transport for 55 years and enjoyed travelling around London discovering new places. His daughters described him as a modern man, who loved gardening and singing, and was a very good cook.

Following his disappearance an appeal was launched to try and find Leocardo. His last confirmed sighting was on a route 182 bus travelling from Wembley towards Brent Cross on 22 August 2017.

His family have instructed specialist lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to support them through the inquest process.

Expert Opinion

“Leocardo’s death has had a profound effect on all of his family who are all still struggling to come to terms with how he died.

“For more than a year the family have had a number of concerns about whether their father’s care package was sufficient to keep him safe, and whether his death was preventable. They now hope that the inquest process will provide them with vital answers they want regarding his death.” Fiona McGhie - Partner

Willow Court is a purpose-built sheltered housing complex offering 24 hour on-call care and emergency support for older people and people with mental health needs. It is aimed at being an alternative to traditional residential care, allowing those with care needs to live as independently as possible.

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