Distraught mum to present petition at Downing Street

An inquest previously ruled that Edward Tula, 20, hanged himself in his single cell on June 16, 2012, while he was held in custody at Chelmsford Prison over an alleged assault.

He had been a patient at Basildon Hospital four months before his death where he received medical assessment for complaints of paranoia and self-harm. 

He was charged with assaulting another patient in the hospital.

The coroner’s court ruled that Mr Tula had a history of mental health problems and ruled that “imprisonment, medical history, and the forthcoming trial may have been contributory factors in his death”.

However, his grief-stricken family have been campaigning for years in a bid to get the inquest re-opened as they claim Mr Tula was murdered.

They set up a petition back in 2018 aiming for the “re-opening of the inquest of Mr Edward Tula.

The petition, which now has almost 300 signatures, will be taken to No 10, Downing Street on Friday in the latest stage of their campaign.

Keith Martin, who is a friend of the family and an honorary attorney-at-law, said the original inquest verdict was suicide.

However, he said the family are seeking an open verdict - meaning there is “insufficient evidence to decide how the death came about”.

Mr Tula’s mother Doreen Burleigh raised concerns around the details of her son’s death.

She said: “I have mixed emotions about handing in the petition. 

“For ten years I have felt left in limbo, frightened, and distraught.

“I want justice and I want answers. I wanted to know why Edward died and when Edward died. 

“There is no exact time of death, it stated between 12.15pm and 4.16pm. I want to know how long it takes to discover a body.

“I had visited Edward and he was well and healthy. He is greatly missed by us all.

“The open verdict would help to restore Edward’s reputation. 

“We will not stop until we are heard.”

Family and friends have held protests over the years to show their campaign and push for answers.

Back when the family and friends begun the campaign in 2018, they had also received support from the late Southend West MP, Sir David Amess.

Mr Martin added: “Doreen and I allege the death of Edward is suspicious.

“We allege that Edward may have been murdered. We want to bring justice for Edward so demand that the inquest is to be re-opened.

“Edward told Doreen he would look after her when released and that Doreen and his sister were the most important things in his life. It was a terrible shock to Doreen, who still continues to grieve.”

At the time, Edward Tula was a music student at the Southend Adult Community College, and after graduation he had wanted to pursue a career in music.