WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT Jason Pulman, 15, was found dead in a park in April 2022, after he went missing from his home – his parents are now suing Sussex Police over his death
The mother and stepfather of a transgender teenager who tragically ended his own life after disappearing are pursuing High Court legal action against a police force whose response was deemed to have potentially contributed to his death.
Jason Pulman, aged 15, was discovered dead in Hampden Park, Eastbourne in April 2022. An inquest jury concluded in April the following year that multiple services had “inadequately assessed and provided for” his emotional and mental needs, and that the police had “responded inadequately” to his disappearance.
Emily and Mark Pulman are now taking Sussex Police to court over an alleged breach of human rights, as approximately 10 hours elapsed between Jason being reported missing and an officer first arriving at their family home.
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They argue that the force “failed properly or at all to protect Jason against the risk of suicide” after he was only classified as a “medium risk”, and that there was a “real prospect of a different outcome” if there had been a “reasonable response” to Jason’s disappearance.
They also accuse the force of “flip-flopping” on its stance and whether it has learned from Jason’s tragic passing.
Sussex Police has extended its “sincere condolences” to Jason’s family.
In a conversation with the PA news agency, the couple described the ordeal of Jason’s death, the subsequent inquest, and the ongoing legal battle as “devastating”. Mrs Pulman, 39, stated: “If the police can actually take accountability for what has happened and what went wrong, that is the only way they can start making changes.”
She went on to say: “I think about Jason and how much he used to fight for things he believed in. He used to go to protests and research and get involved in different things because he wanted to make change.
“I want to try and get some change for kids like Jason, as I know that that is what he would want as well. When I feel like quitting, I have got Jason’s cheeky little head in my head, with his outfit, with all his badges on, saying ‘you must fight for what you believe’, and that is what gives me strength.”
Jason began identifying as a male aged around 14, but never received specialist gender dysphoria treatment due to assessment delays.
Legal documents submitted to the High Court by Bindmans solicitors reveal that Nick Armstrong KC, representing Mr and Mrs Pulman, argued that Jason was also let down by inadequate mental health support.
On the 19th of April 2022, Mrs Pulman realised Jason was not at their East Sussex home and immediately contacted the police. She alerted the call handler that Jason was transgender, had a history of self-harm and suicide attempts, and might have taken public transport.
The call handler assigned a medium-risk level to Jason’s case, yet it took over three hours after the initial call for an officer to review the situation, despite Mrs Pulman making two further calls and indicating that Jason had told a friend he was heading to London, likely by train.
Jason was still classified as medium-risk, and despite the urgency, the British Transport Police (BTP) were not alerted, resulting in an officer taking nearly 10 hours to visit the family’s home after the initial call.
Mr Armstrong highlighted that there were “other opportunities” to intervene with Jason during this critical period. Tragically, about an hour following the police’s delayed visit, Jason was discovered deceased in Hampden Park by a passer-by.
A coroner, in a prevention of future deaths report last year, noted that Jason’s death might have been linked to his mental health and gender identity struggles, adding that “it was also possible Jason may have been prevented from committing suicide” had the BTP been informed of his disappearance sooner.
Mr Armstrong criticised the police response as being “slow, and strikingly casual”, despite knowing or ought to have known that Jason faced a “represented a real and immediate risk of life-threatening harm”.
He fondly remembered Jason as a “source of unlimited joy”, painting a picture of him as “funny, mischievous, artistic, rude and unconventional”, and lamented his passing as an “unimaginable tragedy”.
In the aftermath, nine days post Jason’s death, Mr and Mrs Pulman met with then-chief superintendent Katy Woolford.
During this meeting, Mr Armstrong recounted, Ms Woolford reassured the Pulmans that they had done “everything right” but acknowledged that there had been shortcomings on the part of the police, including the failure to immediately categorise Jason as high-risk.
But the barrister highlighted a “significant and distressing shift in the police’s evidence” at Jason’s inquest, with the force allegedly trying to dismiss evidence concerning the meeting with Ms Woolford and asserting there was “no arguable omission by anyone”.
The force acknowledged the inquest’s conclusions, admitting its service “fell below the standards expected”, yet faced criticism for altering its stance once more when the family considered legal action.
Mr Armstrong condemned the force’s “reversal and re-reversal” as “shameful”, noting: “The claimants do not know whether the defendant has or has not learned from the inquest process.”
Mrs Pulman expressed her frustration, saying: “You feel like you’re getting close to answers and closure as to what happened and what has been happening, and then it is pulled away again.” She added: “It’s like torture, because you’re getting somewhere, then you’re kicked down.”
Mr Pulman, aged 50, described the force’s inconsistency as “flip-flopping”, leaving them feeling “let down, hurt and confused”, and with the emotional toll of Jason’s death, he feels “hopeless”. He stated: “No amount of money, no apology, is going to makeup for three years of what they’ve done, because that’s long-term damage.”
A Sussex Police spokesperson commented: “Our sincere condolences remain with Jason’s family following their tragic loss; however, we are unable to comment further whilst legal proceedings are ongoing.”