The daughter of an 89-year-old academic killed in a house fire set by her own grandson has said her mother was "failed" following an inquest into her death.
Vera Croghan was killed almost four years ago, on December 11, 2020, in a blaze in her property in Unthank Road in Norwich.
The fire was set by grandson, Chanatorn Croghan - known as Marco - who was aged 19 when he started the fire at the 89-year-old's home.
He was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order under the Mental Health Act after he admitted to arson and manslaughter by diminished responsibility.
The court based at County Hall, was told that Marco had moved to Norfolk from Thailand in 2017 to study at Wymondham College Sixth Form.
It was agreed that he would live with his grandmother but this circumstance changed after she broke her arm in early 2019.
HOW THE TRAGEDY UNFOLDED
Shortly after midnight on December 11, 2020, police received a report of a late-night row at the Unthank Road property.
Richard Croghan - son of Vera and father of Marco - explained that he had called officers in the hours before the tragedy after his son’s demeanour changed quickly and suddenly “out of the blue”, following his unexpected return from Manchester University.
Marco had been watching television with Mrs Croghan before she retired to bed, but then became caught up in a conversation with his father about using his phone.
He told the court: "That evening, he appeared blank, expressionless, had no concept of thought - like talking to a cat.
"His body language - pure aggression came out - it made me very frightened, so I called the police."
The court heard that police had attended the scene but left soon afterwards as no criminal offence had been committed at that stage.
Richard left the house shortly after, believing Marco posed no risk to his mother, Marco’s grandmother.
Hours later, Marco set the fire that would eventually kill Mrs Croghan.
An investigation by Norfolk Fire Service found the fire had been set in a cupboard under the stairs.
At around 6.40am, emergency services were called to the scene of a house fire after a woman delivering papers raised the alarm.
Firefighters discovered Mrs Croghan's body inside as they tackled the blaze.
THE CORONER’S FINDINGS
The inquest was due to conclude within three days but over-ran following extensive questioning from Mrs Croghan’s family.
Area coroner, Yvonne Blake, summed up the evidence to the court on September 17.
She said: "Her grandson had previously been detained under section 2 of the Mental Health Act following a psychotic episode in May 2020 where he damaged a door and punched his father.
"He was under the care of the early intervention in psychosis team after his release. Apart from his father no one else in the family knew he was staying there.
"He went away to university in Manchester and he stopped taking his antipsychotics. He was not followed up there because he refused consent.
"After 17 minutes in the house the police left and there was no assessment of Marco or
Mrs Croghan.
"[Police] did not believe that Marco needed a mental health act assessment.
"Marco's dad was not reassured and left the property intending to return in the morning to deal with Marco."
He left at around 1am, and a passerby saw smoke at 6.41am and called 999.
Mrs Croghan was found deceased on her bedroom floor by firefighters and a post-mortem found she had died from breathing in smoke.
Mrs Blake concluded that her death was "unlawful killing" and "a plea of diminished responsibility for manslaughter was accepted".
LESSONS LEARNT
Mrs Croghan's daughter, Karin Ronen, 63, gave a statement following the conclusion of the inquest.
The nurse from Norwich, she said: "We believe our mum was failed by Norfolk's care, mental health and police services before her homicide, and the criminal and coronial service after her death.
"We feel there has been no justice and so many questions remain, in our opinion, deliberately unanswered.
"After waiting almost four years, we feel we have still not received the answers we deserve."
She called for "more joined up working" between services and added that multiple opportunities "were missed, ignore, or dismissed".
She added that Marco "needs help" and is "a very dangerous person" who she fears would target her should he be released.
Ms Ronen said the family was finding it "very difficult" to move on from her mother's death.
A TRIBUTE
Mrs Croghan had been a long-serving University of East Anglia lecturer and published books on learning Swedish.
She was a “well-known and highly respected academic” having been a lecturer in Swedish and Scandinavian Studies at the UEA from its establishment in 1963 until her retirement more than 30 years later.
She also authored the best-selling Teach Yourself Swedish book.
Her family described the grandmother and mother-of-four as a “fearless adventurer”, an “intellectual force” and a “career woman before her time”.
They added: “There are no words for the trauma and violence of her passing.
“She dearly loved Norwich and the local area, and she loved the house that she had lived in continuously for 57 years.”
Immediately following the news, a long-term friend, Noel Course, said: "She was just such a lovely lady.
“She was very well liked... It is terribly sad."
The family is being supported by the charities Hundred Families which campaigns for the victims of mental health homicides and AAFDA, Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse.
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