Catalogue of police failures in pensioner’s murder laid bare
THE catalogue of mistakes made by North Wales Police in the run up to a pensioner being brutally murdered has finally been revealed.
Nicholas Churton was hacked to death by Jordan Davidson in March 2017, in his own home in Wrexham.
An investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, released in full this week, lays out the mistakes and missed opportunities leading to former wine bar owner Mr Churton’s death.
The report details how a custody sergeant who bailed Davidson on licence days before the murder was cleared of misconduc.
It also reveals how Mr Churton had repeatedly complained to police about Davidson, was not identified as vulnerable, and had effectively been told to do the investigating officer’s job for him and find out information about Davidson himself.
As senior officers today said they were “genuinely sorry” if opportunities were missed, it emerged that a call handler who was found to have breached professional standards by not properly recording Mr Churton’s complaint had left the force before any punishment could be meted out – only to be allowed to rejoin as a police officer.
The force has agreed to administer “learning opportunities”, including”the importance of listening carefully to the caller to gather information and asking relevant questions to obtain the best possible account from a vulnerable complainant”.
The report also found a custody sergeant who booked Davidson in when he was arrested for possession of a knife days before the murder while still out on licence, made a catalogue of errors.
These included:
Not remanding Davidson because in their view a magistrates court “wouldn’t have remanded him” – a stance the IOPC said didn’t “reflect an understanding” of their responsibilities or “relevant legislation”;
not taking into account the fact Davidson had committed 12 offences while on bail in the past;
not taking into account he had two previous convictions for possessing a knife;
not contacting either the probation service or the privately-owned Community Rehabilitation company regarding Davidson’s licence conditions;
telling IOPC investigators intelligence passed to custody officers that Davidson had a machete and axe was “untested”;
not giving consideration to the fact Davidson was on licence from prison before releasing him on bail;
not calling a nurse despite Davidson telling him he had “psychosis and an anti-social personality disorder” and “was not taking his quetiapine medication”; and
■ not calling an “appropriate adult” to help Davidson, despite him saying he needed support.
The custody sergeant was cleared of misconduct.
After Mr Churton’s death it emerged police had been aware of Davidson forcing his way into the victim’s home on an earlier occasion.
However, that call, on March 14, was not given sufficient priority, wasn’t investigated seriously enough and the vulnerable 67-year-old was told by an officer to ask his friends to find out his assailant’s name.
A police constable (Pc B), referred by the IOPC for misconduct, was cleared at a meeting and censured for unsatisfactory performance.
This included:
■ Labelling the robbery by Davidson as a theft – a less serious charge;
■ handing the call to local policing, which meant they would contact him within 10 days;
■ recording Mr Churton as not vulnerable when he was;
■ missing out Mr Churton’s vulnerabilities on a risk assessment;
■ not including the name of a vital witness who could have identified Davidson in their report;
■ not recording that Davidson tried to lock Mr Churton in his kitchen, after knocking on his door and asking if he could use his toilet;
■ asking Mr Churton to go back and speak to his friends to obtain more information to identify Davidson, instead of getting officers to investigate;
■ failing to call crime scene investigators or carry out detailed enquiries; and
■ telling the IOPC investigation “it is for people to conduct their own enquiries”
North Wales Police Superintendent Nick Evans, of the force’s Professional Standards Department said: “We would once again wish to express our condolences to Mr Churton’s family.
“North Wales Police has been fully engaged with the IOPC and other partners throughout the investigation to ensure that lessons have been learned from this tragic incident.
“The force fully accepts the recommendations emanating from the IOPC reports and have already amended policies and procedures as a result.”
North Wales Police Deputy Chief Constable Richard Debicki said: “I am genuinely sorry if there was anything more that could have been done as an organisation which might have this awful event.”
The Probation Service said it would write and apologise to the family in April for errors in its dealings with Davidson, after a leaked report highlighted a litany of mistakes.
The investigation into how the police handled the Churton-Davidson case has taken more than two and a half years.
Former Wrexham MP Ian Lucas yesterday hit out at the report, saying: “The whole case is a catalogue of very serious errors followed by a cover-up to the public, the family and their elected representative.
“I think we need an independent inquiry so we can find out exactly what occurred.”
Davidson is serving 30 years for Mr Churton’s murder.