Celebrity News March 25, 2017
Jamie King of 'Mad Men' Is 'Deeply Shocked' as Police Stop Investigating Son's Death
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Jamie King, known for his role on "Mad Men," is voicing frustration as U.K. police have announced they will not continue investigating the tragic death of his son with Tamara Podemski.
The British actor's son Benjamin passed away in May 2016, less than a week after his birth by emergency C-section, due to severe brain damage.
According to People magazine, the actor contends the Royal United Hospital (RUH) in Bath, Somerset, England, made a fatal error by refusing to perform a C-secton on Podemski, who was two weeks overdue, sending her home even after a nurse at a clinic had spotted an abnormality in a scan.
“We believed them when they said it was safe to go home,” he told The Guardian, “but it is now very clear that we should have never been sent home that night.”
Although an inquest heard that Benjamin would likely have been "born alive and in good condition" had he been delivered when King and Podemski arrived at the hospital, police have formally backed off.
In a statement to People, the Avon and Somerset Police Department said, "Following a referral from the coroner in this case, we have reviewed the matter. At this time, there is insufficient evidence to refer this matter to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for consideration. We have communicated our findings to the coroner."
King is devastated by the lack of answers, saying in a statement, "At a time when the U.K. has one of the highest stillbirth rates in Europe, we must create an environment where all medical practitioners feel safe to be honest about their mistakes so we can all hear from them."
Reacting to the surprise news that police had stopped investigating, King said in a statement to DailyMail.com, "We are deeply shocked to learn from the press that the police investigation has now been closed, especially since the RUH had promised to keep us informed of all developments regarding this very serious matter. Our solicitor has petitioned for them to provide us with the results of their internal investigation, as well as the findings of the police report. Until we can review that material, we are unable to comment further, except to say that we continue to be very hurt and disappointed by the RUH's profound lack of respect and consideration for our needs as grieving parents.”
