WIREDGOV

Two Essex Police officers have been disciplined for their part in a decision not to refer a domestic abuse suspect to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) before granting him bail.

Roy Hensley went on to stab his partner Marie Charles and her neighbour Ayodele De Souza in Colchester on 12 January 2015, the day after he was bailed by Essex Police.

Hensley was convicted of attempting to murder Ms Charles at Chelmsford Crown Court in March 2016. He was also found guilty of committing grievous bodily harm with intent against Ms De Souza and was jailed for 15 years.

Hensley had been arrested by officers from Essex Police on 11 January 2015 on suspicion of assaulting his partner and bailed to the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), where he was wanted for an unrelated offence. He was further bailed by the MPS just hours before he tried to kill his partner and inflicted grievous bodily harm on her neighbour in the process.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) carried out an investigation into the risk assessments undertaken by Essex Police and the MPS in their respective decisions to bail Hensley. The view of the investigator was that two officers from Essex Police had a case to answer for misconduct in relation to the decisions not to refer him to the CPS before he was bailed.

The IPCC investigation found evidence to suggest that Essex Police’s communication with Ms Charles following Hensley’s arrest on 11 January 2015 may not have been sufficiently thorough. It also concluded the MPS involvement in the incident was limited, and found no case to answer for MPS officers or that their actions contributed to Hensley’s attack on his partner and her neighbour.

At a misconduct meeting held at Essex Police HQ on Monday 13 June, misconduct was found proven against a detective sergeant and a police sergeant. The detective sergeant received management action and the police sergeant was given a written warning.

IPCC Commissioner Mary Cunneen said:

“The two women Roy Hensley stabbed were lucky to escape with their lives. Our investigation closely examined the decisions made by Essex Police officers with regard to the decision to bail him for an assault on his partner, and those of the MPS when they bailed him again for a racially aggravated offence.

“This incident serves only to highlight the dangers to victims of domestic abuse. Our investigation looked at the risks in bailing Hensley given his previous history of offending and the fact Hensley’s partner had told police he had threatened her should she ever report him.

“We have made a number of recommendations following this investigation, particularly with regard to training. I am pleased that Essex Police has accepted and implemented all of our recommendations.”

The investigation also included a recommendation around the transfer of a suspect to another police force, to ensure victims can be notified of any variation to bail conditions or subsequent release from custody at the earliest opportunity, which was referred directly to the College of Policing.

The view of the IPCC investigator was that there was no case to answer for a further three Essex Police officers – a police constable, a detective constable and a police sergeant – but that their actions may have fallen below the standard expected. All three received words of advice for unsatisfactory performance.

IPCC recommendations and the responses to them can be found here. 

The IPCC’s report can be found here.