Inquiry into E.coli outbreak opens

Feb 12 2008 by Madeleine Brindley, Media Wales

IT HAS been almost two-and- a-half years since Garyn Price was airlifted to hospital after eating an E.coli-contaminated school lunch.

Outwardly at least, Garyn resembles a healthy 12-year-old and is known as something of a comedian to his friends and family.

But both he and his family are still waiting to learn the extent of damage to his kidneys as a result of the severe illness he suffered during the E.coli outbreak. It could be another five years before they know the truth.

It has also left Garyn with psychological scars, distorting his relationship with food.

Mum Julie, a former funeral director, said, “If he has an upset belly he starts to panic – he’s only 12, he should be carefree.

“If we get a takeaway from a new place and something’s not right, that’s it for him. He’s been left with psychological problems.”

Garyn, who lives in Aberaman, was a pupil at Blaengwawr Primary School, at the start of the E.coli O157 outbreak in September 2005.

The first symptoms of poisoning started while he was on a family holiday in Spain but became dramatically worse on his return to Wales.

He was admitted to hospital and suffered renal failure. His condition became so serious he was airlifted to Alder Hey Hospital, in Liverpool where he underwent dialysis and a blood transfusion.

Garyn, who had previously suffered a stroke when he was younger, was one of 31 people who were hospitalised with E.coli poisoning and one of 11 who were transferred to a specialist hospital. One boy, five-year-old Mason Jones, a pupil at Deri Primary School, died.

Butcher William Tudor, who ran Bridgend-based John Tudor & Son, was jailed for 12 months in September 2007 after admitting supplying contaminated meat to the schools and for breaches of food hygiene regulations.

Like most of the families who were affected by the outbreak, the Prices still have many questions about why their children became so ill, which they hope the six-week E.coli public inquiry, which starts today, will finally answer.

Mrs Price, who has provided the inquiry with a written statement and may be called to give oral evidence, said, “The buck has to stop with William Tudor but there are a lot of other people who will have to answer our questions.

“We are grateful the inquiry is coming up because unless your child was involved, people have forgotten about it. Mason Jones died – and I wouldn’t ever want people to forget that – but people need to be reminded about the human cost.

“It was dreadful that Mason lost his life and there are a lot of other children left with permanent damage.”

E.coli expert Professor Hugh Pennington will chair the inquiry, which will sit in Cardiff Bay. Mr Tudor has been invited to provide a written statement, but it was not clear last night whether he had done so yet.

Sharon Mills, Mason’s mother, said, “It will be hard to hear a lot of evidence about the outbreak that we have not heard before, but it’s something that we have to get through to carry on the fight for justice.

“We need these answers to go forward and we all have every confidence in Professor Hugh Pennington.”

Mrs Price added, “When Garyn had the stroke it was unavoidable – no one was to blame, it was just one of those things. It was difficult, but we had to accept it.

“But it wasn’t as difficult as the E.coli, because that was down to someone cutting corners.

“I want to be able to draw a line under all this, but I’m not satisfied that we have got all the answers and I’m surprised at how angry I still feel about it.

“We have waited and waited for this inquiry – I’m just Julie Price and I’m sure that a lot of the details will go over my head, but I believe it is so important that people understand the human side of the outbreak.

“There are still families who are suffering.”

Watch our video interview with Mason Jones' mother, Sharon Mills

Inquiry team has collected 36,000 pages of evidence - page 2