‘No one took responsibility for her needs – Colleen didn’t deserve to die’
Family of vulnerable mother speak out after inquest finds series of ‘failures’ in her care
Friday, 30th October — By Tom Foot
Colleen Madden lay dead for three days in a hotel in King’s Cross Road last year before she was found
THE family of a vulnerable mother this week called for decisive action after a coroner’s inquest into her death found a series of housing and social services failures.
Colleen Madden was found dead in a hotel in Kings’ Cross Road, following weeks of confusion about which body was responsible for her.
The 31-year-old had been repeatedly recalled to prison, which was considered the safest place for her due to the lack of appropriate accommodation available.
The coroner said it was “disturbing” that a prison cell was deemed safer for a highly vulnerable woman than the available Camden housing stock in a damning conclusion that found multiple “failures” and “missed opportunities”.
Evidence was given over five days at Bow Coroner’s Court last week in a case that exposed chaos at the heart of “fragmented” housing, prison, probation, mental health and social care services.
Colleen, who had been diagnosed with personality disorder and ADHD at a young age, lacked the “capacity” to manage her own affairs after a ruling by the Court of Protection following a severe brain injury caused by a traffic accident in Euston Road in 2018.
She was well known to Camden services having gone to a special education needs school as a child and several failed tenancies in adulthood, before ending up street homeless in Euston where she struggled with substance misuse and was abused. In the four months before her death she had been recalled to various prisons three times due to botched attempts to house her before she was finally released into a hotel in King’s Cross Road without any support plan or her family being informed. She lay dead for three days in the Travelodge room before she was discovered on January 16, 2025.
After a gruelling five days of evidence came to an end on Friday, coroner Melanie Lee ruled the “drug-related death” could have been avoided and said she would be issuing a Prevention of Future Deaths report in the coming weeks.
The Madden family – Clare, Angel, Tracy, Hayley and Kirsty – on the steps of Bow Coroner’s Court following last week’s inquest into Colleen’s death
She concluded: “Colleen was let down. More should have been done – not just when she was released from prison, but much earlier. Had Camden taken steps, a more supportive placement would have been found.
“It is disturbing that the place deemed safest for a vulnerable woman with complex needs is a prison cell.
“Without a doubt, she was placed in unsuitable accommodation in an unsuitable location. She deserved better.”
On Monday, the inquest heard from Ms Madden’s twin sister Clare who said the family had been waiting 644 days for the process to begin at the Bromley Public Hall, east London.
In her “pen portrait” opening the inquest, Clare described Ms Madden as a “girly girl who loved make-up and the colour pink”, who wore flowers in her hair and wanted to buy a house and own animals, adding: “She was a vulnerable woman who was taken advantage of on many occasions. She was a fighter, who did not deserve to die.”
And speaking outside the court, Coleen’s family, some of whom live in Clerkenwell, said: “Our family has suffered immensely since Colleen’s death. We miss our sister beyond words. She was our everything, and she deserved compassion, dignity, and proper care. Instead, we feel she became little more than an administrative task, with no one taking responsibility for her needs.
“This has been a long and painful fight, but we will continue to raise awareness and fight for change. The inquest has highlighted the importance of proper training for those working with vulnerable adults, so that no other woman has to endure what Colleen did. Colleen deserved better. Our family deserved better. We will continue to fight in her memory, in the hope that lessons are learned and meaningful change follows.”
A spokesperson for Camden Council said: “Our deepest sympathies remain with Colleen’s family and friends following her tragic death.
“Ensuring vulnerable residents are supported and safeguarded is a responsibility that we take extremely seriously and, following Colleen’s death, we asked the Camden Safeguarding Adults Board to carry out an independent Safeguarding Adult Review.
“Since then, we have worked closely with partner agencies across Camden to act on the review’s recommendations and to strengthen safeguarding arrangements.
“This has included improvements to the support offered to people leaving prison, strengthened coordination and information sharing between the council, probation services and other partner agencies, and new guidance relating to welfare checks and the support provided to vulnerable people in the community.
“We have supported the coroner throughout the inquest process and will now carefully consider the coroner’s findings, identifying any further improvements that can strengthen our support for prison leavers and vulnerable residents, including training for our team managers.”
