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A couple are taking legal action against Sussex Police after their 15-year-old transgender son died by suicide, claiming officers failed to respond adequately when he was reported missing. Jason Pulman was found dead in Hampden Park, Eastbourne, in April 2022, around 11 hours after his mother first contacted police.
Emily Pulman had told officers her son was transgender, had self-harmed previously, had attempted suicide before and could have boarded a train. Despite these clear warning signs, Jason was graded as only "medium" risk, with the call handler noting there was "no suicide intent believed" - contrary to what Mrs Pulman had reported.
Police response criticised at inquest
An inquest later found Sussex Police had responded inadequately to Jason's disappearance, identifying several failings that contributed to his death. The teenager's parents, Emily and Mark Pulman, are now pursuing legal action against the force for an alleged breach of human rights, arguing officers should have acted sooner given Jason's "heightened risk of suicide".
Mark Pulman, 50, told PA he still fears police have not learned from his son's case and remain too "stubborn" to change. He criticised the force's approach, saying: "Our police force seems to think 'we'll just pop round, and grab a photo and have a quick look around the bedroom, then we will go back to the station and make a decision on what to do'. It's not good enough."
Crucial delays in response
Court documents filed at the High Court reveal that an officer did not access the missing person report until around 1.30pm on 19 April 2022, despite Mrs Pulman's initial call at 9.45am. This was after she had contacted police twice more to tell them Jason was believed to be travelling to London, most likely by train.
The officer maintained Jason's risk level as medium and did not contact British Transport Police (BTP). Nick Armstrong KC, representing the Pulmans, said the officer "did not even speak to Mark or Emily or attempt to do so", with no further actions raised as "urgent".
Transport police alerted too late
BTP were eventually alerted at around 6.15pm, but this was only after Jason was spotted by a train guard. The guard later told the inquest he would have attempted to intervene had he known Jason was at risk of harm.
A Sussex Police officer did not attend the family home until around 7.30pm. Around an hour later, Jason was found dead in Hampden Park by a member of the public.
Parents' desperate search efforts
Mr Pulman told Jason's inquest that he made more than 100 calls to organisations, including train operators, hospitals and hostels after his son went missing. He was trying to circulate Jason's details and images to help locate him.
However, many organisations would not take the information as he was not a police officer. It took more than an hour for a hospital to agree to take Jason's description, highlighting systemic barriers that prevented effective searching.
System fails vulnerable teenagers
Mrs Pulman, 39, said the current system is "not good enough for people with mental health conditions" as it is "too black and white". She believes missing teenagers currently "fall through the cracks" and reports are perceived as "flippant".
She told PA: "The beginning of the process is where it all went wrong. If they are not admitting to the failings that happened for Jason, then they're admitting that there is nothing wrong with their system, which isn't the case."
Force introduces new measures
Following Jason's inquest, Sussex Police said it had introduced contingency measures for checking reports are resourced and graded appropriately. The force also launched a multi-agency group to "put measures in place to ensure vulnerable children with complex mental health needs" receive proper support.
In response to the High Court claim, a Sussex Police spokesperson said: "Our sincere condolences remain with Jason's family following their tragic loss; however, we are unable to comment further whilst legal proceedings are ongoing."
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
