The courts are often called upon to sanction treatment for patients whose ability to make...
The widower of a woman who succumbed to cancer after years of exposure to asbestos dust whilst working as a prison administrator has won almost £650,000 in damages from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
Sally Knauer, who was the mother of three children, worked at Guy's Marsh Prison in Dorset between 1997 and 2007. She died at the age of just 46 in August 2009, five months after she was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. She endured radical surgery and appalling suffering before her death from the 'hideous and incurable' disease.
During her employment at the prison, she had breathed in asbestos dust and fibres whilst working in dilapidated buildings where she would often have contact with people wearing contaminated overalls. She would also carry out stock checks in dusty rooms and was further exposed when technicians were carrying out repair work on pipes lagged with asbestos.
Mrs Knauer was described as an 'old fashioned' mother and wife who did everything for her family. She cleaned, cooked, changed the beds, laundered and ironed clothes, did the shopping and walked the dogs. After leaving the prison service, she had run a pub with her husband. However, they sold the business following her diagnosis so that she could have some peace and quiet in the final few months left to her.
The MoJ had at first denied responsibility for Mrs Knauer's death, but conceded liability in December 2013. Her widower, Ian Knauer, was awarded damages and interest totalling £647,840. The award included £80,000 for the pain and suffering his wife endured before her death, £11,800 for his bereavement and further substantial sums to reflect the family's loss of dependency on Mrs Knauer.