Courtney Frederick text To Sister Day Before Tragic Death – A much-loved young man told his sister he feared he was “dying slowly” in a heartbreaking text message sent just days before his death.
Courtney Frederick, 25, had been suffering from epileptic seizures since the age of 21, but both he and his family feared his condition was getting worse in the months before his tragic death. He sadly died from a seizure at his Bradford flat on December 11, 2018.
An inquest into his death resumed at Bradford Coroner’s Court today (Thurs) more than a year after assistant coroner Angela Brocklehurst adjourned the hearing to allow for further medical evidence to be heard. It came after Courtney’s family raised serious concerns about the treatment he received in the lead up to his passing.
Courtney had been hospitalised on several occasions and had attended A&E numerous times. After suffering several seizures in his early 20s, he was prescribed epilepsy medication known as Levetiracetam. The inquest heard Courtney, who was born in Huddersfield, suffered numerous side effects as a result of the medication, including blurred vision and throbbing pains in his head.
Medics had recommended Courtney’s medication should be changed due to his severe side-effects, but the court heard Courtney himself refused the offer after he began to feel better. His family say he was denied an emergency prescription just hours before his death after he ran out of the medication. They said they were instead advised to call 111.
Specialists had suggested that Courtney’s early seizures could have been triggered by smoking cannabis. His family has previously said he had “stopped several times” and his intake of cannabis had been ‘minimal’.
Courtney Frederick text To Sister Day Before Tragic Death
A pathologist who carried out Courtney’s post-mortem examination today said she found swelling on his brain. She said the levels of Levetiracetam in Courtney’s system were lower “than what we would expect if he had been taking it as he should be.” The pathologist said there was no sign of any tumour on the brain. The cause of death was ‘epilepsy’.
She also found cannabis in his system but dismissed it as “not relevant.” The court heard Courtney had been seen by neurologists on a number of occasions between his first seizure in July 2014 and his tragic death in 2018. During that time, Courtney underwent a handful of CT scans and at least one MRI scan.
The 25-year-old attended A&E at Leeds General Infirmary on November 26, 2018, after suffering several seizures in the days before. He was sent to nearby St James’s Hospital where he was observed overnight and discharged the next morning.
Concerns were raised by Courtney’s family over why he was not given a CT scan when he attended A&E on November 26. An emergency medicines consultant, who was working at the hospital that night, told the court that previous CT and MRI scans had all yielded “normal” results.
He said such scans are “not routine for someone coming [to hospital] with seizures” and that, in his opinion, the risks of performing them on young people can sometimes outweigh the benefits. He said he was satisfied that a full and proper examination of Courtney was carried out.
A consultant at St James’s Hospital, who saw Courtney the following morning before discharging him, said she had come to the decision that there was no need for a CT scan as “he was already feeling better and said that he was improving.” She said all other medical tests had come back as “normal.” Courtney told the medic that he was cutting back on cannabis, the inquest heard, and turned down the offer of attending Forward Leeds – a service offering confidential alcohol and drug support for people in Leeds.
The consultant said medics believed Courtney’s seizures in the days before had been caused by “missing medication.” She said: “There was no other reason for us to investigate any further than we had already.”
But the court heard Courtney was becoming increasingly worried about his health in the days before his death. In a text sent to his sister, Tara, which was read out in court, he said: “I’m just going to go to hospital in the morning. I was kidding myself earlier. It hurts and I am dying slowly…
‘Caring’ Lad’s Heartbreaking ‘I’m Dying’
“I’m going to ring 111. I’m scared, Tara. But they are not going to do anything… I get every symptom including double vision. It’s mental and so am I for hiding it, but I’ve been scared from day one.”
A statement from Courtney’s mum, Carol, was also read out to the court. In it, she said her son studied sport and had started working with disabled children. She described him as an excellent footballer and said he supported Leeds United.
“Courtney had been living with a friend and had a viewing arranged to see a flat on the day that he died,” said Carol. “He would call me and visit every day as we are a very close family and were always together. He had a seizure just before he graduated and was put in an induced coma.
“The doctors said it could have been down to stress and could have been a one-off.” Carol said Courtney suffered memory loss after a medical episode a couple of weeks before he died in which he “threw his head back and bit his tongue.”
Carol said she had arranged to go and view a flat with Courtney on the day of his death. She said: “He did not turn up at 2 pm and I thought he would be messing with his hair. I rang at 2.30 pm but his phone just rang and rang. At 2.45 pm I was thinking we were going to be late for the viewing.
“When I rang his phone his friend answered saying he was giving Courtney CPR.” She said as the family rushed to Courtney’s flat, his sister rang his friend again. “He was crying and howling with grief,” said Carol. “I saw a police car [outside the flat] and I knew he had died.”
Carol went on: “I am concerned my son did not receive the correct treatment… My son was very loving and told me and his sisters how much he loved us. He was a fantastic lad; how respectful he was.
“He was caring and had fantastic friends who would do anything for him. He loved life and had looked into moving to Australia to teach. The whole family are devastated and we will never be the same again. I miss him so much.”
The inquest heard Courtney was planning a future with his girlfriend Lexi Carden at the time of his death. He had four sisters and one brother as well as a step-brother and step-sister.
