Three Nigerian nurses, Rosemary Chukwuji-Ohanachum, Raji Olagunju and Anthony Onuh have been accused of sleeping while a mental health patient, Hugo Flint Cahan, was strangled at an NHS mental health unit in east London.

The BBC reported that Mr Cahan, 34, was being treated at Newham Mental Health Centre (NMHC), managed by the East London NHS Trust (ELFT), when he was fatally attacked by 22-year-old Rolando Torres-Pena.

It narrated that the two nurses Ms Chukwuji-Ohanachum and Mr Olagunju,  and a nursing assistant, Mr Onuh, were on duty on the night of Mr Cahan’s death.

An inquest showed that Mr Torres-Pena was pacing the corridor, looking unsettled as he followed one of the nurses.

The CCTV also showed Mr Torres-Pena walked the corridor and later went into Mr Cahan’s empty room before he disappeared.

While it was unknown when the victim was attacked, the CCTV showed that Mr Torres-Pena could be seen coming out of Mr Cahan’s room, looking seemingly disturbed by something, suggesting the moment patient was beaten and strangled.

During the period, Ms Chukwuji-Ohanachum and Mr Olagunju were in the room with the door shut while Mr Onuh was asleep for unauthorised two hours in the therapy room.

Mr Cahan was discovered at 03:19 by Mr Olagunju who failed to raise the alarm and went to find the unit’s night manager, Alex Obamwonyi, who was on a neighbouring ward.

After emergency services were called at 03:37 and CPR finally started at 03:45. Mr Cahan was later declared dead at 04:41.

While Mr Cahan’s family expressed shock over the “dangerous” failures in the deceased’s care, the Trust noted it had undertaken a significant programme of work to improve their inpatient culture, behaviours and practice.

The deceased’s father, William Cahan, accused the staff of complacency and lack of care.

Mr William further noted that his son’s death was “preventable had the level of care been as it should have been.”