POLICE ‘COULD HAVE DONE MORE TO PREVENT TRAGIC DEATH’
County force is criticised over response to stalking victim who took her own life
STALKING victim Justene Reece unsuccessfully challenged the police’s decision to release her abusive expartner without charge – just days before she was driven to suicide.
Nicholas Allen, below, was arrested by Staffordshire Police on February 15, 2017, for breaching a nonmolestation order but was released without charge.
Justene, from Stafford, challenged this decision under the Victims’ Right to Review scheme, but she was told on February 21 that her application had been unsuccessful.
The 46-year-old – who had been subjected to a sustaintained campaign of harassment by Allen involving thousands of calls, texts and messages – took her own life the following day.
Allen, from Rugeley, was jailed for 10 years in June 2017 after admitting manslaughter, engaging in coercive or controlling behaviour, and stalking.
A Domestic Homicide Review (DHR) has now raised concerns over the fact the senior officer who determined Justene’s Right to Review application had previous involvement in her case.
The DHR says the police acknowledge that ‘in the spirit of independence and openness it would have been better to have passed the review request to another officer’.
One of the DHR’S recommendations calls for Staffordshire Police to remind all senior officers and staff with responsibility for determining Right to Review applications of the importance of independence and transparency. They should also ‘consider the impact on this of any previous involvement with the individuals or case concerned when deciding who should undertake the review’.
A previous Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation, carried out in 2019, criticised Staffordshire Police for failing to link previous incidents
involving Justene and Allen, meaning the full scale of his abuse went undetected.
The DHR acknowledges that ‘significant developments’ have since been made to services, and Justene would now be classed as a ‘high-risk victim’.
Deputy Chief Constable Justin Bibby, of Staffordshire Police, said: “As a force, we could have done more to prevent the tragic death of Justene, and this is evident through the recommendations within the Domestic Homicide Review.
“Following the IOPC investigation into Justene’s death, seven officers and a member of police staff have received non-disciplinary action – management action by way of words of advice – for not complying with force policy/procedures.
“We welcome the scrutiny provided by the DHR and IOPC and, since Justene’s death, we have made improvements to our safeguarding and investigative approach to stalking.”