Outside the coroner’s court, Paul Lewis’s ex-partner Emma Hall (second left) with his children, from left, Kai Lewis-Butler, Corine Lewis and Kai Hall

THE family of a “completely immobile” man who died in a fire are demanding answers over his care.

Paul Lewis, 47, died after the blaze swept through his home in ­Hanley Gardens, Stroud Green, in August 2021.

He had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) when he was 30 and was bedridden with just the limited use of his left hand at the time of his death.

This week a coroner’s inquest heard three days of evidence before the hearing was adjourned for the fourth time and with questions still hanging over the circumstances.

Outside court Mr Lewis’s daughter Corine, 27, said: “For us, dad was stolen from us. He was taken way too quickly. The full time of his life I personally don’t feel was ever served. He still had so much life.

“You never looked at dad in a certain way as a disabled man. You looked at him as a father figure, as a friend and someone who would just always be there for you.”

The inquest was told that his carer Miladul Islam – employed by Islington Council’s contractors Snowball Care – had left early on the night of the fire.

St Pancras coroner Mary Hassell asked him in court: “Did you have a responsibility to Snowball to make the call [about leaving]?”

He replied: “I did.”

She then asked why did he not actually make one, to which he told the court: “It was a mistake. For some reason I forgot it. I should have called.”

Earlier he had described how he had been on friendly terms with Mr Lewis and talked about football, but that Mr Lewis would get angry if his carers defied his instructions.

Mr Lewis suffered shakes that meant anything left on his bed, such as a mobile phone, had to be contained within towels to make sure he did not knock it to the floor.

Mr Islam said he left Mr Lewis with a candle – but it was not lit.

The inquest had heard from fire investigators they were concerned Mr Islam had lit a tea light and placed it on a shoebox on Mr Lewis’s bed – something he now denies.

The court heard evidence that Mr Lewis, who used cannabis cigarettes to ease his physical pain, would light them with a candle and a rolled up piece of paper. His family say he was unable to use lighters.

Paul Lewis

Senior investigator Roger Paynton said: “My initial thoughts were it was stupid and I can’t understand why someone would do that. But it seemed to be the practice that people were doing.”

Senior fire investigator Steven Elliot, who told the court he had 22 years’ experience, said he did not remember all his ­cases but this one “has stuck with me” as it was “quite worrying” and “absolutely astonishing”.

Snowball said that Mr Islam had been “misleading” on his job application and, answering questions from Snowball’s lawyer, he accepted he had no previous experience and had no fire training.

On a fire safety risk assessment carried out by Snowball, it was noted Mr Lewis kept a candle by his bed. Fire brigade deputy commissioner Steven Norman said: “I would expect an action plan to come out of that.”

In order to leave his home, Mr Lewis needed to be hoisted into his wheelchair and was unable to leave without assistance, the court heard.

He did not have 24-hour care.

Corine Lewis said of her father: “He was a massive emotional support. He was there helping us. I think for me personally he was someone I went to for advice.

“He was always reliable and I think dad was always someone who could make light of a situation when he felt you were in a tough spot. He always made you see the light in the darkness. He always showed you that even though it’s a long road you get to the other side.”

Snowball Care, based in Southwark, has been ranked “requires im­provement” by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which monitors care agencies, since 2020.

The commission chose not to bring a prosecution to the care agency following their own investigation into Mr Lewis’s death.

A spokesman said: “After carefully reviewing all the evidence in this case we found that our high threshold for criminal investigation for a prosecution against the provider was not met,” adding: “The circumstances leading to Mr Lewis’s sad death were outside of our remit.”

The family said it was “considering our next steps” when the inquest resumes in November.

Mr Lewis’s three children, also from Islington, came to court every day. They recalled how their father, despite being in a wheelchair, still took them to Great Yarmouth, Formula 1 and Thorpe Park in recent years. At the time of his death he was planning a big trip to St Vincent, where his family were from. They remembered how he loved sports, and in particular tennis and American football, as well as anything to do with motorbikes.

His ex-partner, Emma Hall, said he “had the best smile” and described how they were still “really good friends,” adding: “Literally even the day of his death I’ve got messages saying ‘I love you,’ and that’s the last thing he said to me.”

Earlier, the court heard that Mr Lewis’s fire alarms may not have been working on the night of the fire, after neighbours said they heard nothing and had previously complained about malfunctioning alarms.

Clarion Housing, Mr Lewis’s landlord, claimed a test carried out two months prior to his death had found them to be functioning.

It was also revealed that despite six attempts by the fire service to carry out a home safety visit, officers were unable to gain access to Mr Lewis’s home. The service then “cancelled” Islington’s referral, with no further action taken.

Snowball Care did not give evidence in court this week and were contacted for a comment by the Tribune, but did not respond.