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Russell murders report published Stone 'spoke of desire to kill'
(about 2 hours later)
A report on the care of the man who murdered mother and daughter Lin and Megan Russell in Kent in 1996 has found significant failings. The man who bludgeoned Lin and Megan Russell to death in 1996 told a nurse he wanted to kill someone five days before the murders, a report has said.
Michael Stone is serving life for the killings and for the attempted murder of Megan's sister Josie. Michael Stone is currently serving life for the killings and for the attempted murder of Megan's sister Josie in Kent.
Before the murders he received support for mental health problems and drug addiction and spent time on probation.Before the murders he received support for mental health problems and drug addiction and spent time on probation.
But the inquiry concluded it was unable to say the murders could have been avoided by a better standard of care. An inquiry has found failings in his care, but said it was unable to say the deaths could have been avoided.
Days before the killings, Stone told a psychiatric nurse he wanted to kill people, the report said.
'Mistakes made''Mistakes made'
The independent inquiry was commissioned by the three agencies which had been treating or supervising Stone - West Kent Health Authority (now NHS South East Coast), Kent Social Services and Kent Probation Service. The "aggressive outburst" came on 4 July when he threatened to kill his previous probation officer, his family, and prison officers should he be jailed in the future.
The three agencies have acknowledged that mistakes were made and that agencies failed to share information. It led to another health worker coming into the room in case the nurse needed assistance, the report said.
It said Stone suffered from a personality disorder together with drug and alcohol abuse, which made him a complex case. But on 10 July, Stone went on to attack Dr Russell, 45, Megan, six, and her sister, Josie, then nine, as they walked home from a swimming gala in Chillenden.
The report published on Monday was commissioned by the three agencies which had been treating or supervising Stone - West Kent Health Authority (now NHS South East Coast), Kent Social Services and Kent Probation Service.
They acknowledged that mistakes were made and they failed to share information, but also said a number of recommendations had already been acted on.
Lin and Megan Russell were killed in a country lane in ChillendenLin and Megan Russell were killed in a country lane in Chillenden
The report also said the prison service lost many of Stone's medical records, and that his medication was delegated to a GP with inadequate knowledge. Robert Francis QC, who chaired the inquiry, said Stone suffered from a personality disorder together with drug and alcohol abuse, which made his case complex.
The agencies said a number of recommendations had already been acted upon. He said Stone "could appear aggressive to one person and cooperative to another almost simultaneously".
Robert Francis QC, who chaired the inquiry, said Stone had a history of mental disorder, drug abuse and violence and had threatened to kill his previous probation officer and his family. But he said the inquiry "found nothing to suggest that overall care provided by social services or the probation service were other than expected".
He also "made threats to kill prison officers should he receive a future sentence, saying he was too violent for prison and should be in Broadmoor", the report said. Mr Francis said a consultant for the community mental health trust was reluctant for his service to become involved in Stone's care because of a perception of the danger.
Mr Francis said Stone "could appear aggressive to one person and cooperative to another almost simultaneously". And he also said the addiction services failed to plan or implement an appropriate or effective care package.
He said: "It's not surprising that there were differences between the judgements made of him by different people at different times." The prison service also lost many of Stone's medical records.
'A beacon' You can't lock people up if they haven't done something, but still I think the agencies that deal with people like this could work a lot better together to monitor people like this Shaun Russell
The inquiry report was completed in November 2000, with extra information added in May 2002, but its release was delayed by Stone's appeal against his conviction, and then a legal challenge against the report's publication. But Mr Francis said this was "emphatically not a case of a man with a dangerous personality disorder being generally ignored by agencies or left at large".
Stone argued that personal medical information in the report should not be made available to the public and media. The inquiry's 384-page document said there was no suggestion that Stone "was deprived of any service which would have made him less of a danger".
That was rejected by the High Court in July. It said: "In this respect, services in Kent must be commended."
After the report was published, Josie's father, Shaun Russell disagreed with the conclusion that the murders could not have been prevented.
He said: "If everybody had done their job right perhaps he wouldn't have done what he did."
Earlier, in an interview with the BBC, he said Stone was "yet another in a long catalogue of cases where people who have mental problems, violent offenders, have been free in the community and haven't been monitored, looked after, assessed, managed properly really".
Josie Russell survived the attack that killed her mother and sisterJosie Russell survived the attack that killed her mother and sister
Stone was convicted and jailed for life in 2001. He also said: "I agree that you can't lock people up if they haven't done something, but still I think the agencies that deal with people like this could work a lot better together to monitor people like this."
Before the report was published, Mr Russell told the BBC that Stone was "yet another in a long catalogue of cases where people who have mental problems, violent offenders, have been free in the community and haven't been monitored, looked after, assessed, managed properly really".
He said: "I agree that you can't lock people up if they haven't done something, but still I think the agencies that deal with people like this could work a lot better together to monitor people like this."
He said his daughter Josie, who was severely injured in the attack, had helped him to keep going after Lin and Megan died.He said his daughter Josie, who was severely injured in the attack, had helped him to keep going after Lin and Megan died.
"She is a light for me, a beacon," he said."She is a light for me, a beacon," he said.
He revealed she had now left home and moved into a flat where she was "mightily happy", but was still dealing with the effects of the attack. He revealed she had left home and moved into a flat where she was "mightily happy", but was still dealing with impairment from the attack.
He said: "She has still been left with an impairment. She still has to live with the implications of that attack." Stone was convicted and jailed for life in 2001.
Stone's appeal hopes The inquiry report was completed in 2000, with extra information added in 2002, but its release was delayed by Stone's appeal against his conviction, and then his legal challenge against the report's publication.
In a statement after the report was published, lawyers for Stone said he had been "the subject of a cruel miscarriage of justice". Remain private
They said he had not committed the offences and the report contained "a number of inaccuracies". He argued that personal medical information in the report should not be made available to the public and media, but that was rejected by the High Court in July.
The statement said Stone had not told the inquiry of the inaccuracies because it would be condoning the report's publication. Stone's lawyers issued a statement after the report was published saying he had been "the subject of a cruel miscarriage of justice".
It added that new evidence had been submitted to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, and Stone hoped the case would be referred back to the Court of Appeal. They said he had not committed the offences, the report contained "a number of inaccuracies", and added that new evidence had been submitted to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, with Stone hoping that the case would be referred back to the Court of Appeal.
Stone's sister, Barbara Stone, said her brother had "never sought to use his mental health in his defence", and she would have preferred his records to remain private.
She said: "He is an innocent man in prison and he intends to fight it in the right way, and I would support him in that."