Detectives rapped over a botched inquiry into killer
TWO detectives have been disciplined over a botched investigation into an alleged rapist who later murdered a vulnerable woman while on bail.
Lee Nolan had been on bail for a year over allegations he had raped two women when he killed Katelyn Parker, of Milnrow.
Nolan strangled vulnerable Katelyn, 24, and then stuffed her body in the boot of his car.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) have identified ‘significant failings’ by GMP and Kent Police when they investigated Nolan, the watchdog announced yesterday (Friday).
The IPCC found that an allegation that Nolan had made threats to kill was never progressed as there was ‘confusion’ as to which force would deal with the complaint, which was made in July 2014 - more than a year before he murdered Katelyn in Heywood.
A further allegation of rape suffered ‘severe delays and poor communication with the victim’.
Two detectives, one from Kent Police and one from GMP, were given ‘management action’ for failing to progress the investigations and failing to obtain evidence for the CPS ‘in an appropriate time frame’, the report is expected to say.
The IPCC are now seeking an urgent review of how forces across the UK communicate with each other.
While he was on bail for the rape allegations in August 2015, Nolan strangled vulnerable Katelyn Parker with her hair-straighteners, before stuffing her body into the boot of his car.
Police caught him following chase.
Nolan, 48, of Bamford Road, Heywood, at first denied murdering Katelyn, who had learning difficulties, but changed his plea and was handed a life sentence.
One of the women who alleged Nolan had raped her before the murder has since said: “I’m happy with this outcome by the IPCC and hopefully Katelyn can rest in peace in the knowledge things will change.”
She now wants the CPS to re-consider her case.
Asked whether she believed Katelyn would still be alive if the investigation had been conducted properly, she said: “I think it could have been avoided. I tried to raise the alarm. I shouted and screamed but I was just fobbed off. I had no experience of these things and I trusted them. We were let down. If he had been locked up for rape he wouldn’t have been on the streets to kill.” a high-speed
As the IPPC findings were due to be released on Friday, IPCC Deputy Chair Rachel Cerfontyne said: “No force took responsibility for investigating this threat to kill. The lack of organisation and inadequate communication meant that grave offences were not investigated. While it is impossible to know the full consequences of this failure, we do know that Mr Nolan remained at liberty and went on to commit murder, albeit unrelated.
“It is essential that forces have protocols in place which ensure effective policing nationwide. I strongly recommend an urgent review of current policies and practices and will be taking this forward with relevant policing bodies. In this case, the failure of either force to assume primacy, resulted in a serious offender being left at large and the public not protected from him.
GMP and Kent Police have been contacted for a comment.