John Hiscott, 32, who died in his flat at Sir Oswald Stoll Mansions on Fulham Road, London
Furious families have torn into a military charity amid claims two veterans died in its care and were left decomposing in their flats.
Paul Row, 52, and John Hiscott, 32, both passed away in their flats at the Sir Oswald Stoll Mansions on Fulham Road, London, in the past year.
Their families have been left furious by the Stoll Foundation’s reaction to their concerns that the charity had not checked up on the veterans for days while they died in their homes.
The state in which Mr Row, who died in February, and Mr Hiscott, who died in May, were found suggest they had been dead for days before being found.
In both cases, the families were told they were unable to see their loved one because the veterans’ bodies had decomposed too badly.
The Charity Commission has now raised a compliance case – the stage of gathering information before a formal investigation would be launched, though the charity has denied any wrongdoing.
Mr Row completed tours in Canada, Cyprus and Northern Ireland during his time in the 1st Royal Anglian Regiment.
As a result of his time in the military, post-traumatic stress disorder took its toll after he was discharged due to a crippling knee injury.
Mr Row’s sister Jane Row told MailOnline the flat was freezing cold and that the window was open when she arrived having become worried about her brother.
She said: ‘We haven’t heard anything from anyone, and we just want recognition.
‘No officials have contacted us, nobody from Stoll has contacted us.
‘We’d just like for something positive to come out of this. They obviously haven’t learned their lesson from the first time because it happened again.
‘Something just needs to be done, because I wonder how many other times this has happened.’
Paul Row, 52, and John Hiscott, 32, both passed away in their flats at the Sir Oswald Stoll Mansions on Fulham Road, London, in the past year
Mr Hiscott was in the charity’s care having attempted suicide in 2002 just a week away from completing his second training phase to join the Blues and Royals regiment, according to the Telegraph.
His mother Judy Hiscott told the paper her family spent a week worrying about her son and desperately tried to get in touch with them.
After they called the office a third time, four hours later Mr Hiscott’s body was found.
Mrs Hiscott told the Telegraph: ‘A gentleman called my husband’s phone and the conversation literally was “we’ve broken into the flat, your son’s dead, the police will be visiting”.
‘And we’ve had no contact with them since. No condolences, nothing.’
Mr Row was found to have died of a heart attack.
There will be no inquest as a result, but Mr Hiscott’s death is to be probed in January.
The time of his death coincided with a heat-wave in the UK.
Mr Hiscott’s family were also denied access to their loved one’s body following the death.
A spokesman for the Commission told the Telegraph charities set up to help veterans should have care and protection at the forefront of its priorities and is working with officials to determine whether or not regulatory action is needed.
Ed Tytherleigh, CEO at Stoll, told the paper claims the men lay for days following their death were ‘false and not supported by the evidence’.
He claims his staff saw Mr Row on ‘multiple occasions’ before his death, including the day before he died.
Having reviewed the cases, he said he was ‘satisfied that at all times’ the charity acted appropriately and said everyone at Stoll were ‘deeply saddened’ by the passing of ‘cherished tenants’.