The family of a man who weren't allowed to see him before he died due to coronavirus restrictions say Prime Minister Boris Johnson "needs to go" after flouting lockdown rules. David Howells, 57, died at the Queen's Medical Centre in February last year, while his loved ones stood just six feet away from him in hospital, but denied entry to his room due to Covid concerns.
They say instead he died "alone in a cold room" after two weeks without seeing them due to visiting restrictions - they could only see the beloved husband, dad and grandfather after he passed away. The joiner and builder was described as an "outgoing and positive gentle giant” and was tragically buried in the new suit he had bought for his daughter's wedding. They say they feel "distraught" over the "hypocrisy" of parties held at Downing Street during lockdown.
His family feels they should have been allowed to see him before his death, believing he would be coming home again when they dropped him off at A&E, not knowing his condition would worsen. He had been diagnosed with heart failure in 2018 and then tested positive for coronavirus during his time in hospital.
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Now, in an open letter sent to Boris Johnson and parliament, the family says the partygate scandal has left them feeling angry and filled with guilt for trying to follow the rules in place at the time. In the letter, David's family say: "We couldn’t even celebrate his life with a proper funeral. We had to go home on our own, with no one, we had to fight to allow him to be buried in his suit he was going to wear to his daughter's wedding. He deserved more, so much more, and so did his loved ones, his children, grandchildren.
"We couldn’t have a proper funeral, we had to go home on our own, broken, no support, no nothing, because we were not allowed. We were not allowed to see him when he was shut away in a hospital side room, even though we begged and pleaded."
David's wife Sharon Howells has told Nottinghamshire Live she has found it "more and more difficult" to come to terms with what has happened as she kept seeing stories of what happened in Downing Street over lockdown, as highlighted in the Sue Gray report. More recently, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has survived a vote of no confidence, with 211 Conservative MP's voting to keep him in his post and 141 voting against him.
Sharon told Nottinghamshire Live: "It just causes more pain and distress. We were robbed and disregarded. Grief is hard enough under normal circumstances but it has been beyond that, it has destroyed us. The Government has a responsibility to protect its citizens from harm and they have not done that, they do not seem to get how people have suffered. It is not just David.
"Boris Johnson recently said that it's been a 'miserable experience for us all'. He has absolutely no idea what people like me have been through. There is no genuine remorse. I just don't want David's story to be pushed aside, to be forgotten. He is not a statistic.
"Whether it was a party or not, they were allowed to stand around together, drinking, laughing, and I was not allowed to see my dying husband who I had been married to for nearly 40 years. It's unbearable to think about."
Speaking of Mr Johnson, she said: "I want him to resign - he needs to resign. It's the sheer arrogance - he insulted and disregarded so many of us. He broke the law and he lied. He needs to go."
David and Sharon met in Rock City when they were 19 - she dropped David off at A&E as he had a build-up of fluid in his lung and could barely walk. He died two weeks later. Sharon was receiving texts from her husband while in hospital and pleaded for the doctor to let her poke her head round the corner to see him, but was told this was not allowed.
After David's death, some family and friends took it upon themselves to come round and see David's wife Sharon and others, something which they say was extremely helpful. But, having seen the gatherings in Downing Street included in the Sue Gray report, David's wife says the worry the visits created was completely unjustified, given what was going on inside number 10.
The family say they regret not insisting to see David on the ward, even if it were to mean they were arrested - instead of choosing to follow the guidelines set out by Mr Johnson and others to try and protect the public from the pandemic.
The letter continues: "In our darkest time, I was still worried about the knock on the door to say we were breaking the law and would be fined [thousands of pounds]. Even though there was only a handful, and I mean four or five family members outside myself and my daughters, who took it upon themselves to say this isn’t right! Thank God they did.
"Even now, when life is more or less getting back to normal, it is more painful than ever because, in hindsight, and the stories that are now surfacing, we feel guilt. Guilt that we didn’t stand up and fight for the right to grieve, a basic human right that was taken from us, by those without understanding and compassion, empathy and realism of the impact of decisions made."
Afterwards, the Interim Chief Nurse at Nottingham University Hospitals, Sarah Moppett, said she was "extremely sorry that clearly, we did not get it right in this case". The family say that he became a "shadow of himself" while at hospital - he left behind his wife Sharon along with his daughters Siobhan, 36, Kim, 32, and Grace, 28, as well as three grandchildren.
The letter ends by saying: "You say there were no parties, the photos with the drinks in hand were not a party, well, having family around you in your darkest days is not a party, but we were still denied and were not allowed! How is that right? Please tell me. I would like to meet with you, anyone, I don’t care, just for you to look me in the eye and say sorry!
"I doubt very much that will happen, because the arrogance is already there to see, but I will continue, me and my family to make sure that David and all those other families will get a proper, sincere, apology, acknowledgement, face to face, genuine discussion and feedback. It’s the least you can do for the sake of so many, and for the good of all."
The family, from Carlton, has written to their local MP Tom Randall, to explain David's story and ask that it is read out in parliament in front of the Prime Minister and other MPs.
When approached for comment, 10 Downing Street referred Nottinghamshire Live to a statement made in the Commons last month after the Sue Gray report was published. In it, the Prime Minister said: "I take full responsibility for everything that took place on my watch. Sue Gray’s report has emphasised that it is up to the political leadership in No10 to take the ultimate responsibility, and of course I do." He added that he had been "humbled" and had "learned a lesson" from the ordeal.
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