Woman murdered by ex-lover after fears for her life ignored
A WOMAN killed by a convicted murderer had told the probation service that she feared for her life, her family have said.
Janet Scott, 51, had separated from her husband Chris in 2017, and began dating Simon Mellors.
He murdered her in January this year after she had become reconciled with Mr Scott.
Mellors, from Nottingham, had murdered his partner Pearl Black in 1999, and was out of prison on licence when he killed Mrs Scott.
Mr Scott said Mellors had threatened to kill them both and followed Mrs Scott to work.
“If the probation service had done something and informed the police, and had Mellors been arrested, my wife would still be alive,” he said.
Speaking to the BBC, he said that his wife had spoken of her fear that Mellors was going to kill her. “She knew it was coming,” he said. “I said ‘Look, you’ve got nothing to worry about, I’m here, I’m going to protect you, nothing is going to happen’.”
Mellors was released from prison in 2014 and became involved with Mrs Scott during her temporary separation from her husband. He stabbed and wounded Mrs Scott at her home in Arnold, Notts, on Jan 29, then drove her towards Nottingham city centre. She escaped and ran towards a traffic officer for help, but Mellors drove his car into both of them, injuring the officer and killing Mrs Scott instantly.
He was convicted of murder and attempted murder and died in prison where he is is thought to have taken his own life.
Susan Thomson, Mrs Scott’s sister, said that complaints had been made about Mellors. “I knew that my sister sent texts to the probation officer because she rang me up when she did it and told me so,” she said.
Before Mellors’ release, George and Mary Black – Pearl Black’s brother and sister – warned the Parole Board that he would kill again. Ms Black said: “The justice system has let us down by not listening to us when we warned them this man would commit murder again.
“Two good women died by the hands of this monster. The different agencies should have picked up on this.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “A full review into this case is under way, and we will carefully consider the findings.”
An inquest to examine the circumstances of Mrs Scott’s death has been opened and adjourned.