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Newport shooting: IPCC criticises police handling of domestic abuse case Newport shooting: IPCC criticises police handling of domestic abuse case
(about 7 hours later)
The police watchdog has criticised the way officers dealt with the case of a woman who was seriously injured in a shotgun attack by her estranged husband after she had reported domestic abuse. A woman who was shot by her estranged husband and whose son apparently committed suicide weeks later has criticised failings by the police and other agencies over the handling of the case.
Darren Williams shot Rachel Williams at the hair salon where she worked in Newport, south Wales, on 19 August last year. He was found dead in a nearby woodland that evening and six weeks later their 16-year-old son, Jack, was discovered hanged in the same wood. Rachel Williams almost lost her leg when her husband, Darren Williams, walked into the hair salon where she worked in Newport, south Wales, and opened fire with a sawn-off shot gun.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) concluded there were issues with Gwent police's response to Ms Williams' allegations of domestic abuse. Williams, a 6ft 7ins tall bodybuilder, told his wife: "I love you" and was later found dead in nearby woodland having taken his own life. After the attack in August 2011, police discovered a cache of weapons including swords, knives and air rifles as well as memorabilia relating to the Kray twins at Williams's home.
Its report concluded that the police took too long to arrest Williams after an initial allegation of assault was made. In the report it was also suggested that if the case had been handled differently he might have been in custody rather than out on bail at the time of the attack. Six weeks later, the couple's 16-year-old son, Jack, who had blamed his mother for his father's death, was found hanged in the same woodland.
The report said Ms Williams went to police on 19 July, a month before the shooting, after she was allegedly assaulted by her husband. She was assessed as being at "high risk of significant harm". The Independent Police Complaints Commission(IPCC) on Tuesday criticised shortcomings in the way police handled Ms Williams' claims of domestic abuse before the shooting and a breakdown in communication between the police and other agencies in caring for Jack as she recovered.
Williams was arrested on 6 August over the alleged assault and given police bail. On 10 August he was arrested again, this time for allegedly threatening to kill his wife. He was charged with the July assault and appeared before magistrates. He was granted bail despite police and prosecution objections. She said: "He was grieving and I needed to know he was receiving all the support available to him, which it is now clear he wasn't. I find it hard to swallow the agencies involved were not in communication with each other.Ms Williams, who was in hospital for a month following the shooting, said she had trusted agencies and family members to make sure Jack was cared for.
The report said that shortly before the shotgun attack Williams allegedly breached his bail conditions. "It is suggested that Male Y's [Williams's] breaches of bail were not treated with sufficient rigour … It is possible that Male Y would have been remanded in custody if these breaches had been pursued and evidenced." "They should all have known he had been doing things out of character." Ms Williams said Jack changed from a "loving caring boy to someone I no longer recognised."
According to the report, on two occasions officers who came into contact with the offender and/or the victim when additional incidents were reported failed to notify the serious and violent crime team and the domestic abuse unit. "The evidence indicated officers were not aware of the necessity to do this. They were unaware Male Y was classed as a high-risk offender and Woman L [Ms Williams] a high-risk domestic abuse victim." Ms Williams described her former husband Darren as "a chameleon" and said she was left with no choice but to walk away from their marriage after years of abuse.
The report said: "The investigation found there were a number of individuals operating within different departments, who were in possession of various pieces of information relating to Male Y and Woman L. This information was not always co-ordinated and considered as a whole." She said: "I had supported him for 18 years. I tried to help him, but it was becoming more impossible, due to the combination of anabolic steroids and antidepressants he was taking. For my own sanity and welfare, I could not live with him anymore."
In the light of evidence found during the IPCC investigation, Gwent police decided that three constables and one sergeant should be subject to disciplinary action. Another police sergeant retired during the investigation, although it was judged he had a case to answer. The force has accepted all of the IPCC recommendations and suggestions for improvements. The IPCC concluded there were issues with Gwent police's work with Ms Williams after she told police she had been assaulted by her husband in July 2011.
The IPCC commissioner for Wales, Tom Davies, said: "This has been a very difficult case for all concerned and I hope that the family and friends of all those involved find some measure of peace." Its report suggested that if the case had been handled differently, Williams might have been in custody rather than out on bail at the time of the attack.
He said Gwent police's handling of domestic abuse had been in the spotlight since the case of Joanna Michael, who twice called police as she was being attacked by her ex-boyfriend in 2009 but was stabbed to death before officers got there. "Despite the high awareness and public profile of the positive measures the force had put in place, our investigation into how this woman's [Ms Williams's] concerns were dealt with highlighted issues with call-handling, record-keeping and awareness of force policy and procedures," Davies said. He had been charged with assault but was granted bail by magistrates. The report said that there were alleged breaches of his bail conditions shortly before the shotgun attack: "It is possible that Male Y [Williams] would have been remanded in custody if these breaches had been pursued and evidenced."
It was initially feared after the shooting that Ms Williams might lose her left leg, but surgeons saved it and she continues to recover. This year she marked her 40th birthday by holding a fundraising event in memory of her son. According to the report, on two occasions officers who came into contact with the offender and/or the victim when additional incidents were reported failed to notify the force's serious and violent crime team and the domestic abuse unit. "The evidence indicated officers were not aware of the necessity to do this. They were unaware male Y was classed as a high risk offender and woman L [Ms Williams] a high-risk domestic abuse victim."
Three constables and one sergeant have been subject to disciplinary action.
A separate multi-agency report found there were shortcomings in the way police, the local health board and council shared information in the runup to Jack's death. The report said professionals appeared to have "relaxed their focus on the family" after the shooting.
It said: "There was a lack of any strategic cross agency planning and no co-ordinated approach was taken to child X [Jack] and crucial information was not shared between the professionals."
The report claimed the impact of social media and the use of mobile phones to exchange information, which created tension within the family, was not recognised.
Gwent police Assistant Chief Constable Simon Prince accepted the case "could have benefited from a more co-ordinated, wider and prolonged response". All agencies said they were taking the conclusions and recommendations on board.