BREAKING:

MIDAZOLAM - Statement from the Dimmock family

There will be an urgent hearing tomorrow at 11am Thursday 5th March 2026 arranged by Senior Coroner Dr Julian Morris at Southwark Coroner's Court in order to move matters towards a decision after months of unexplained delays.

As usual, RadicalMedia will be covering the hearing via our live notes. The below is a statement from the Dimmock family.

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Myself and my mother have waited 5 years and 9 months to reach this stage of the coroner justice process following what we believe to be the hastened death of father / husband, Derek Dimmock at Royal Trinity Hospice in London due to what we believe was an overdose using the combination of the benzodiazepine drug, midazolam plus an opioid (Alfentanil).

The court has received over 20 witness statements from all involved ranging from London Ambulance Service to the Medical Director during 3 separate weeks of coroner court inquests over the period of 9 months.

Senior Coroner, Dr. Julian Morris confirmed in court on the last day of the December week of the inquest that we (the family) would receive outstanding answers to questions put to court appointed expert, Dr Aparajita Das by the end of December 2025. Those answers have not been provided in December or until this day which now means we are one year into the inquest evidence and still no conclusion. We have received no explanation or reason why we have not received her answers to the outstanding questions or indeed any update at all from the court in over 2 months since the scheduled date that was given and the delay has undoubtably added further distress to our suffering.

We find it to be particularly strange not to receive Dr Das’ answers as instructed by the coroner in December to outstanding questions as during her evidence in court under oath she made the following statement:

 “should this case be discussed in a coroners court or as a more broader inquiry?”

The family agreed with Dr Das on this point.

Following this incredible painful period of silence regarding no communication from the court we now await the “urgent hearing” at 11am on Thursday 5th March 2026 arranged by Senior Coroner, Dr Julian Morris where we expect to be finally updated regarding the above and many other unanswered questions which the court, and presumably Dr Das, have been in receipt of since December 19th 2025 as that is the date they were sent as agreed and set out by Senior Coroner Dr Morris.

Following the medical assessment on admission by the Junior Doctor at Royal Trinity Hospice his acute pain was diagnosed specifically as polyarticular gout but following that diagnosis the first medication he received was midazolam only an hour after admission and went on to receive 17.5mg of midazolam in PRN injection in less than 16 hours plus a syringe driver with a continuous infusion of midazolam and alfentanil (opioid).

Even though the junior doctor correctly diagnosed gout we believe that the continuous use of midazolam plus an opioid led to my fathers premature death in just over 30 hours after admission to Royal Trinity Hospice.

Paul Dimmock (Son of Del)

March 2026

The photo below depicts:

Derek Dimmock,

Royal British Army, gunner.