Mesothelioma diagnosis for former police officer 20 years after retirement

David* joined the police as a young cadet and qualified as a police officer a few years later. He soon rose through the ranks and become a superintendent.

David didn't begin suffering symptoms of an asbestos related disease until 20 years into his retirement and by this point, he was a full time carer to his wife who suffered from severe arthritis, affecting her mobility.

He visited his GP who referred him for tests and it was discovered that David had mesothelioma. The diagnosis was obviously devastating news for David, but he was also shocked as he wasn't sure where he'd been exposed to asbestos.

As David's condition worsened, with loss of appetite, weight loss, reduced exercise tolerance, side-effects from prolonged treatment and the mental stress of his fatal condition, he became increasingly worried about caring for his wife and how he could possibly continue to do so when he too had a debilitating medical condition. That's when David decided to contact Slater and Gordon's specialist asbestos team.

After a thorough preliminary investigation it became clear that David had been exposed to asbestos when retrieving boxes of files stored in basements near to boiler rooms of the various police stations where he worked and also when supervising riot training undertaken twice a year at former Ministry of Defence buildings. We decided that the best avenue for the claim related to the MOD buildings attended by him and his colleagues for riot training. His claim was based on asbestos dust being released into the air as a result of the use of flash bangs and other riot simulation.

Our specialist asbestos and mesothelioma team fought David's case and also negotiated for him to receive funding for private treatment for his mesothelioma. We were extremely pleased to be able to negotiate a six-figure settlement for David, which not only gave him and his family peace of mind and financial security but secure the all important funding for private treatment.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos related condition, call us for a free consultation on 0330 041 5869 or contact us online.

All information was correct at the time of publication.