Mother-of-four was burnt alive by her psychotic ex

A mother of four, Ann Drummond, tragically lost her life when her psychotic ex, Kevin Marks, set her on fire. 

According to DailyMail, Marks callously stood by and laughed as Ann desperately tried to put out the flames that consumed her body. The horrific incident took place near Bathgate, West Lothian, in June 2019. 

Medical professionals discovered that over 80% of Ann Drummond's body was severely burned. She passed away at Glasgow Royal Infirmary as a result of her injuries. 

Marks had been picked up by Ms. Drummond from court after being released on bail for other offenses before carrying out this heinous act.

Marks, 52, was acquitted of murder charges due to his mental health condition, which rendered him not responsible for his actions. Consequently, in October 2020, he was committed to the State Hospital in Carstairs, Lanarkshire, with no specified release date.

A recent fatal accident inquiry at Livingston Sheriff Court concluded that the tragic death could have been prevented if the police had shared crucial information about Marks with the NHS, given his mental health concerns. The court learned that Marks, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia post-incident, had a history of domestic violence and had previously threatened the victim, Ms. Drummond.

Sheriff Peter Hammond emphasized the necessity of a comprehensive risk assessment for both Marks and Ms. Drummond, highlighting the importance of effective measures to prevent such tragedies.

The sheriff highlighted the insufficient sharing of information by the police and the failure to conduct a risk assessment as flaws in the working system. However, Sheriff Hammond did not make any recommendations after being informed that changes had been made to the working practices by Police Scotland.

During the inquiry, the police stated that it was unreasonable and unrealistic for officers to express concerns about the individual's physical and mental health.

In a written judgment, Sheriff Hammond stated that if the police had effectively shared potentially relevant information about Mr. Marks' mental health with both the police service and NHS staff, it could have led to the identification of his psychosis and the implementation of protective measures. This precautionary action could have reasonably been taken and potentially prevented the individual's death.

Deputy Chief Constable Jane Connors expressed that they will thoroughly review the determination as they strive to enhance their response to the community and vulnerability.

Meanwhile, Miss Drummond's son, Jake Smart, who is employed by a roofing company, took to social media to honor his mother while she was in the hospital. He shared a picture of her with the caption 'my beautifully done'.