Inquest into the death of Laurence Paul LANDER
Deceased
Laurence Paul Lander
Demographics
23y, male
Date of death
1982-03-23
Finding date
2015-06-10
Cause of death
open finding - not determined
AI-generated summary
A 23-year-old man with intellectual disability and chronic schizophrenia disappeared into bushland in 1982 and was presumed deceased. Clinical lessons include the importance of comprehensive discharge planning for vulnerable patients with mental illness, clear follow-up protocols, and regular monitoring of compliance with psychiatric medication. The patient had been stabilised on antipsychotic medications but was discharged to parents who were ambivalent about his treatment. He subsequently went missing and was not reported to police for three days, with negligible police investigation conducted. The case highlights risks when vulnerable individuals lack adequate community support, family oversight, or established review mechanisms following hospital discharge.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Specialties
Error types
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- intellectual disability
- chronic schizophrenia
- inadequate discharge planning
- parental ambivalence regarding psychiatric treatment
- lack of structured community support
- delayed missing person report
- negligible police investigation
Coroner's recommendations
- Implicit recommendation regarding improved missing persons protocols (acknowledged as already implemented by NSW Police)
Full text
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