The tragic case of Kelly Pearson is a deeply disturbing one. Here was a highly vulnerable woman with a history of drugs and alcohol abuse and of failed relationships who found herself being summoned to appear before magistrates in a London court on a warrant which, it subsequently transpired, had already expired.

Arrested in her home city of Bradford, she was taken to London where the mistake was discovered. There was no need for her to have been there. When that was realised by officials, she was released from court and apparently left to her own devices. Although her solicitor says he advised her to wait in the court building, she left and was found by police the next day in a collapsed state in Soho.

It is hardly surprising that she was distraught and confused by the circumstances in which she found herself. The situation would be enough to distress even the most stable individual. Given her background, it was perhaps wholly predictable that she would seek refuge in drugs - which she did, with fatal consequences.

The coroner for Inner London, Dr Stephen Chan, has called for an inquiry into why Kelly was incorrectly arrested. He is right to want her case to be thoroughly investigated. It may have been caused by an administrative error. Poor communications between the various authorities involved could be to blame.

Whatever the reason, it needs to be exposed and steps taken to ensure that no-one ever again is subjected to the sort of ordeal that Kelly had to endure so unnecessarily.