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Death of Scottish teen who suffered breakdown after autism diagnosis to be probed

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Death of Scottish teen who suffered breakdown after autism diagnosis to be probed

A probe into the death of a teenager who took his own life after being placed in an adult psychiatric ward will focus on the care and treatment he received.

Harris Macdonnell, 19, was moved into the locked unit after suffering a breakdown following a diagnosis of autism.




He was so terrified of being sent back to the Huntlyburn ward by NHS Borders that he took his own life in August 2020.

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The Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain KC, ordered a fatal accident inquiry should take place after she ruled his death occurred in circumstances which give rise to ‘serious public concern’.

Scotland’s most senior prosecutor said the probe was necessary to examine the care and treatment received by Macdonnell, who stayed near Melrose, Roxburghshire.

The inquiry will also examine whether steps might have been taken to avoid his death.

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