Aberdeen inquiry finds four precautions could have prevented torture victim’s death
James Forbes, 37, died after falling from a 12th-floor window in Aberdeen in January 2024 whilst being tortured by Lee Smith. A Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) has ruled that police were sent to the wrong part of the building due to a 999 emergency call error, and that four reasonable precautions could have prevented his death. The tragedy has prompted his sister to campaign for legal changes to how emergency services handle welfare concerns.
Key details include that a witness told call-handlers screams came from around six floors below the top of the building, but this was recorded as six to eight floors from the bottom, directing officers to the wrong location. No attempt was made to recontact the 999 caller to confirm the information. Sheriff Principal Andrew Miller made recommendations for improved call-handler guidance and new procedures for concern-for-person incidents. Smith, who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, admitted culpable homicide and was sentenced to eight years imprisonment in December 2024.
- Fatal Accident Inquiry finds 999 call error contributed to torture victim's death.
- Police sent to wrong building floors after witness account was misrecorded.
- Sister campaigns for 'Jamie's Law' to improve emergency services response.
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James Forbes died in January 2024 after falling from a 12th-floor window in Aberdeen whilst being tortured by Lee Smith. A Fatal Accident Inquiry, Scotland's legal process for investigating unexpected deaths, examined the circumstances and the emergency services' response to the incident.
A 999 call made during the incident was recorded incorrectly, directing police to the wrong part of the building. The caller reported screams from near the top of the building, but the information was recorded as coming from the bottom. Call-handlers did not attempt to verify the information with the caller.
The inquiry found that four reasonable precautions could have prevented his death. His sister has since campaigned for legal changes to how emergency services handle welfare concerns.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Tragedy of the torture victim left to die in tower fall after 999 blunder”.