A CHARITY has reinforced the importance of letting epileptics take their medicine, following the case of a man who suffered two seizures while in police custody.
The Derby Telegraph reported how Daniel Cunningham was denied his medication by custody officers at St Mary's Wharf police station in Derby.
The 26-year-old had handed himself in to police for missing a bail hearing for a minor theft and suffered a fit after being kept in a cell for 12 hours.
Mr Cunningham, a joiner, of Wordsworth Avenue, Sinfin, Derby, fell from the cell bed on to the floor.
Derbyshire Police's force medical examiner checked on him outside the cell where he suffered a second seizure and had to be taken to the Royal Derby Hospital, where he was kept in for 24 hours.
Charity Epilepsy Action said it is "vital" that sufferers are allowed to have treatment regularly to avoid irregular seizures and the risk of harm.
Campaign manager Stacey Rennard said: "Many people with epilepsy take medicines to help control their seizures and it's vital that they are able to take these regularly.
"This is to keep a steady level of the drug in the blood stream and keep their seizures under control.
"Missing doses of epilepsy medicines can cause a person to have a seizure.
"This is a major issue.
"Not only could the person be put at risk of injury or harm but this could also impact on their employment and social life.
"A single seizure can cause someone to lose their driving licence."
Mr Cunningham made a formal complaint to Derbyshire Police about his treatment but it was not upheld by the force's Professional Standards Board.
Now he is seeking legal advice about making a civil claim against the police.
He said he feels "angry and frustrated" about the way he was treated.
The force yesterday said the reason Mr Cunningham was denied his tablets was because they were unboxed and "could not be verified as his prescribed medication."
A spokesman said: "He was seen by a nurse within an hour of his detention.
"An appointment was made with the force medical examiner, later in the morning, for a new prescription to be written."
This week marks National Epilepsy Week which aims to tackle some of the myths that surround the condition.
Ms Rennard said: "Epilepsy affects around 600,000 people in the UK yet it is still often overlooked and misunderstood."
For more information about National Epilepsy Week, including the truth behind some common myths about the illness, visit www.epilepsy.org.uk/ epilepsyweek
To read the original story, click here.YESTERDAY'S story on Mr Cunningham generated a large number of comments from online readers. Below is a selection of their opinions.
Derbyborn1964: "Yes Daniel Cunningham had an epileptic seizure in a police cell, yes the police refused to give him his tablets to take into the cell with him, but would you expect the police to let a drug addict take his cocaine in the cell with him? If Daniel Cunningham had not behaved like an idiot and turned up for bail to answer for the crime he committed then he would not have ended up in a police cell."
stableblock: "What was this lad's crime a cardboard cutout hardly the crime of the year, people pinch purses of old people, shoplift, drink cans of beer in the street, which are all illegal and they get treated like royalty, this lad should have never been locked up."
this_is_derby: "Daniel is possibly the most kind hearted genuine lad I know. If high jinx with a cardboard cut out is your idea of a crime then that's your opinion and you are entitled to it. But seriously he isn't some scum bag lad that deserved this. If someone had a heart condition and died as a result of being denied their medication what would your opinion be then? What if that was your mum/dad/daughter/son or you in there? all for a bit of cardboard which he admitted to and paid his dues for. The fact the medication was loose is not an excuse."
To read the original story, click here.