A coroner has delivered a damning condemnation of the mental health treatment of a psychotic man in the months before he threw his 11-month-old son into a river and to his death.
The failures leading up to the horrific events which claimed the life of Zakari William Bennett-Eko on September 11, 2019, represented an 'arguable breach' of Article 2 of the Human Rights Act , which says government organisations have a fundamental legal duty to protect life, the Rochdale inquest was told.
Senior coroner for Manchester North, Joanne Kearsley, said there were 'many failings and missed opportunities' in the care of dad, Zak Bennett-Eko, who was later convicted for his son's death of manslaughter by diminished responsibility and sentenced to a hospital order.
He may never be released. READ MORE: Mum of tragic Zakari Bennett-Eko killed by his own dad speaks of her 'beautiful baby boy' Ms Kearsley was bringing to a close a three-week long inquest into the death of baby Zakari, who died as a result of immersion in cold water after being thrown into the River Irwell at Radcliffe, just yards from where they lived.