Eating disorder man to sue over clinic stay

A 31-STONE British man who was taken to a mental health clinic against his will because he could not stop eating said yesterday he planned to sue the local authorities.

Chris Leppard, 23, of Hastings, East Sussex, suffers from Prader-Willi Syndrome, which means he cannot tell when his stomach is full and could eat so much he could die.

Social services used powers normally used to “detain mentally ill people who might harm themselves or others” to forcibly detain him against his will.

He was taken “without warning” to a specialist eating disorder unit at The Eastbourne Clinic where he was assessed.

Mr Leppard was released on Monday night after spending seven days in the care of the clinic.

He said yesterday that he intended to take social services to court for acting against his will.

He added that he believed the disruption had hampered the progress he was making in losing weight.

“I am very angry and very upset and feeling very low. I feel it has been more of a disruption than a help.

“I am going to take social services to court for what they have done because I am not mentally ill and I have my own independent life,” he said yesterday.

Mr Leppard added that he now planned to return to his controlled diet to prove to the authorities that he can lose the weight himself without enforced care.

He said: “It has made me more determined. I am going to show the doctors and people I can do it myself.”

Mr Leppard’s mother Anne, 49, said she was upset by the disruption caused to her son’s routine.

“I believe they only did this to cover themselves in case something happens to my son,” she said.

East Sussex County Council said that all proper procedures were followed and such orders were “in the interests of that person’s health or safety or to protect other people.”