Suicide of sexual abuse victim was preventable
Her death “could and should” have been prevented. That was the damning verdict of a serious case review into the suicide of Frances Andrade.
The violinist killed herself days after testifying against the former music director Michael Brewer who was jailed for six years last year for sexually assaulting the musician as a teenager.
The review says mental health authorities failed to realise how vulnerable Frances Andrade was – despite her numerous suicide attempts in the build-up to the trial.
It urged mental health services to be more alert to the fall-out from sexual exploitation and called for criminal justice professionals to improve the support offered to sex abuse survivors, and recognise their “vulnerability” when facing their abusers in court.
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