Paul Lewis died in August 2021 after a fire swept through his home in ­Hanley Gardens, Stroud Green

AN investigation into a care agency has been dropped by the national health watchdog after it decided “there wasn’t enough evidence” to prosecute.

In June 2022, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) began investiga­tions into the Snowball Care after a client died.

In a 2021 case which fire investigators des­cribed as “astonishing,” Paul Lewis, 46, died at his home in Hanley Gardens, Stroud Green, after his bed caught fire.

A coroner returned a verdict of “unlawful killing by way of gross negligence manslaughter” into his death after hearing evidence that carers put a lit candle on his bed and then left him alone, without informing the care agency.

Describing Snowball manager Sayeda Ahmed as demonstrating “breathtaking complacency” following her evidence at Mr Lewis’s inquest, held at St Pancras Coroner’s Court last year, Coroner Mary Hassell was critical of her understanding of fire safety standards.

The tragedy was compounded by the fact Mr Lewis’s Telecare pendant, which he could have used to call for help, had been placed out of the “completely immobile” man’s reach.

On June 5 the CQC confirmed it had dropped the investigation into the possibility of bringing criminal charges against Snowball or its manager for the second time. It initially closed the case in June 2023 after finding there wasn’t enough evidence to prosecute, but reopened it last November following the coroner’s verdict.

“Having considered further evidence gathered from the coroner’s inquest as well as from other sources, we have decided not to re-open a criminal investigation into Snowball Care following the sad death of Paul Lewis,” a CQC spokesperson said, explaining that the CQC can only prosecute under the Heath and Social Care Act 2008 and its associated regulations.

“The circumstances of this case may fall under the remit of other prosecutor bodies,” he said. “We understand that the police are continuing their investigations.”

He added: “We have contacted Mr Lewis’s family to inform them of our decision, and our condolences remain with them.”

Following the inquest, Islington stopped working with Snowball, citing a “significant loss of trust” in the provider.
This week the Town Hall confirmed a number of clients are still receiving care from Snowball.

Ms Ahmed, manager of Snowball, said: “We’ve provided an excellent service for 12 years. I’m extremely happy.

“They [the CQC] have dropped their investigation because they haven’t found anything wrong. They’ve investigated us or investigated me quite thoroughly.

“They spoke to absolutely every single client, and they’ve even spoken to the people who have already left us.

“The clients were all very happy. They fought to stay with us and that’s why we’re still open.”