The mother of a young autistic man murdered by a criminal cuckooing in his flat is fighting to change mental capacity law.
Fiona Laskaris wants an amendment to the Mental Health Bill.
Autistic young man Christopher Laskaris, who was murdered in 2016 by a criminal cuckooing in his flat
She wants the Bill to allow parents to ask for mental capacity assessments of vulnerable relatives.
Murdered by man cuckooing his flat
Laskaris’ son Christopher, 24, was murdered by a man who took over his flat to exploit him.
She said she spent years pleading for help because her son struggled to live independently in the community.
The mother, from Surrey, says her son endured years of mental health crises and abuse in the community.
‘Dismissed as overprotective’
Despite this, she says authorities never gave him a capacity assessment to determine the help he needed.
Instead, she feels they dismissed her as an overprotective mother whenever she raised concerns.
Laskaris said autistic people can “lack insight into their own vulnerability”, so listening to family members is “essential”.
She said her proposed amendment would “save lives”. It would also “prevent the anguish and unimaginable distress of loving and caring relatives forced to stand by and witness their loved ones coming to harm”.
Lack of support
Initially, Christopher lived with family members and wanted to study at university.
But without support and understanding of his needs, he struggled before moving out to live independently.
However, this also backfired. He would later attempt suicide, fall victim to theft and accidentally cause a fire before the emergency services rescued him.
He was frequently assaulted and exploited.
Drug dealer stabbed Christopher
In November 2016, drug dealer Philip Craig stabbed Christopher to death. Craig got into Christopher’s flat after the police had damaged a door during a welfare check.
The new Mental Health Bill is progressing through Parliament.
The Department of Health and Social Care said care minister Stephen Kinnock met Laskaris earlier this month. He and officials would work closely to “further understand the issue”.
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Published: 25 May 2025
