THE Government has apologised to the mother of a Maldon man who was found hanged.

On November 15, 2012, Matthew Leahy, 20, was found hanged inside his room at the Linden Centre in Chelmsford after being admitted with a “delusional disorder caused by cannabis use”.

Since his death his mum Melanie, who lives in the Maldon District, has been campaigning for justice for her son.

The inquest into Matthew’s death found multiple failings, which were later backed up by an ombudsman’s report into the Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust.

A petition to bring about a full public inquiry into Matthew’s death has now amassed 21,000 signatures.

Despite requiring almost 80,000 more signatures for it to be debated in parliament, the Department of Health and Social Care has responded to the campaign.

A statement said: “The Government sincerely regrets Matthew’s death. NHS Improvement will review the care that he and others received and will provide advice in due course on whether a public inquiry should be held.

“The Government apologises for the quality of care that Matthew and others have received.

“We are committed to improving the quality of care in mental health wards for anyone with a mental health issue, learning disability or autism.

“We know the problems that exist in the system and we are working to address them.”

In the week before his death Matthew threatened to hang himself and claimed he was raped inside the Linden Centre.

The Department of Health and Social Care added: “Cases like Matthew’s have called into question whether these types of institutions and in-patient settings are appropriate places in which to care for vulnerable people for any extended length of time.”