More than a decade after the death of young patient Alice Figueiredo

More than a decade after the death of a young woman at a secure mental health hospital, an NHS trust and ward manager will be sentenced next week for health and safety lapses.

Warning: This article contains references to suicide.

Earlier this year, a jury found that the North East London NHS Foundation Trust and ward manager Benjamin Aninkwah did not do enough to prevent Alice Figueiredo from taking her own life.

The verdict came after the longest joint jury deliberation in English legal history.

Alice was 22 years old when she took her own life at London's Goodmayes Hospital in July 2015.

Her parents endured seven months of difficult and poignant testimony—and told Sky News that the experience had left them devastated.

Jane Figueiredo said: "It's very sad, because you know she's been failed at every turn, and you're reliving the pain she went through.

"It deepens the wounds that already exist. Losing your child is the worst wound you can imagine."

Alice's stepfather, Max, said he was "shocked" that she died in a place where he thought she would be cared for.

"The fact that very young children die so frequently in secure mental health units shakes me to my core. How can society look at this and portray it as a natural occurrence?

Ms. Figueiredo said Alice had predicted her death.

"She told us—literally, in a terrified voice: 'The only way I'll be able to get out of this ward is in a body bag.'"

"That's because she didn't feel safe."

The North East London NHS Foundation Trust said in a statement: "We are deeply saddened by Alice's death and offer our heartfelt condolences to her family and loved ones.

"We have taken significant steps to continually improve the physical and social environment, which are deliberately designed to promote recovery, safety, well-being, and the compassionate care provided by our staff."

For Alice's family, these punishments have brought some measure of justice, but they say they never received a personal apology from the hospital and will never be fully comforted.

"As a mother, your grief never ends; it changes as you move forward, but it never ends. The thought that I will not even be able to hear her voice is unbearable, and I still miss it. I still miss her voice," Ms. Figueiredo said.