Parents of transgender teenager Jason Pulman to sue Sussex Police

The parents of a transgender teenager who took his own life after going missing are taking High Court legal action against Sussex Police.

Jason Pulman was found dead in Hampden Park, Eastbourne, in April 2022.

An inquest in April 2024 concluded the 15-year-old’s emotional and mental needs were “inadequately assessed and provided for” by multiple services and that police “responded inadequately” to his disappearance.

Sussex Police has offered condolences to the family but says it cannot comment further.

Emily and Mark Pulman are now suing the force over an alleged breach of human rights, with around 10 hours passing between Jason being reported missing and an officer first attending their family home.

The couple claim police “failed properly or at all to protect Jason against the risk of suicide” after he was graded a medium risk, adding that there was a “real prospect of a different outcome” if there had been a “reasonable response” to Jason’s disappearance.

Jason began identifying as a male at about 14 but never received specialist gender dysphoria treatment due to assessment delays, his parents said.

In documents filed at the High Court, Mr and Mrs Pulman said Jason also received insufficient mental health support.

When he went missing, his mother said she told a police call handler he was transgender, had previously self-harmed and attempted to take his own life, and may have taken public transport.

The call handler graded Jason as medium risk but an officer did not look at the case for more than three hours after the first call, despite Mrs Pulman ringing police twice more and stating Jason had informed a friend he was travelling to London, most likely by train, she said.

Jason remained graded as medium risk, the British Transport Police were not notified and an officer did not attend the family’s home for almost 10 hours after the first call.

Jason’s body was found by a member of the public about an hour after that visit.

Mrs Pulman said: “If the police can actually take accountability for what has happened and what went wrong, that is the only way they can start making changes.”

Jason’s stepfather Mr Pulman added: “No amount of money, no apology, is going to make up for three years of what they’ve done because that’s long-term damage.”

A Sussex Police spokesperson said: “Our sincere condolences remain with Jason’s family following their tragic loss, however, we are unable to comment further whilst legal proceedings are ongoing.”

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