MISSED CHANCES TO SAVE MY BECKY
MUM SPEAKS OUT AFTER OFFICIAL REVIEW CRITICISES AGENCIES OVER DEALINGS WITH FAMILY
THE mother of Becky Watts has said there were missed opportunities to support her daughter before she was murdered.
Tanya Watts said she was “horrified” to only discover now, in an official review by Bristol’s authorities released yesterday, that her daughter told a friend she had been sexually abused by her stepbrother at a young age.
Becky was murdered by her stepbrother Nathan Matthews in her home in Crown Hill on February 19, 2015.
Matthews was subsequently convicted of murder, while his then partner Shauna Hoare was convicted of manslaughter.
The Domestic Homicide Review into the murder of Becky was published yesterday by the Keeping Bristol Safe Partnership – a group of statutory agencies including Bristol City Council, NHS organisations and the police.
It found 16 different agencies covering 17 local services in Bristol had worked with Becky, Matthews and Hoare for a total of six years leading up to her murder.
But none of the agencies knew, or had worked out, that the three were part of the same family.
The review found that if the agencies had asked Becky about her wider family, it is ‘unlikely’ her step-brother and his partner would have been seen as posing a threat to her to the extent they might murder her.
The murder was the first instance of domestic violence reported in the family.
There have been a number of reviews and reports into the case, most notably the Safeguarding Children Board’s review of 2018, and this Domestic Homicide Review is the final one, produced by the Keeping Bristol Safe Partnership.
It identified eight ‘lessons to be learnt,’ and made nine recommendations for various agencies.
Tanya Watts said: “It is clear to me that there were missed opportunities to support Becky from individuals and agencies.
“Becky wasn’t able to have a voice and I hope that learning can be implemented to ensure another young victim can speak out in a way that my daughter couldn’t.
“One of the key messages I hope the agencies can take forward is the importance of allowing young people the space and time to speak to those working with them alone.”
One of the key findings of the review was the discovery that although agencies had been trying to support Becky, they often talked about things with other family members there – when she was at risk from people within her family.
Tanya Watts also said the discovery – almost five years after her murder – that her daughter had told a friend she had been sexually abused by her step-brother Nathan Matthews had left her “horrified”.
“I had not known about this before and if I had known I would have done everything I could to support and protect her.”
Tanya slammed the agencies which hadn’t joined up the dots in her daughter’s family – Becky lived with her father and step-mother, and for many years with Nathan
Matthews, her step-mother’s son.
She said: “It is so important that professionals know who is in the young person’s life and household to know if they are a risk to their happiness and wellbeing.
“It feels that more could have been done to complete risk assessments with Becky. However, sadly, these opportunities were not acted on and Becky’s risks from the perpetrators were not identified.
“Sadly, I remain of the view that I wouldn’t be writing this tribute to my sweet and special daughter if Becky had been given better support and those around her were more vigilant in upholding their duty of care.”
The Keeping Bristol Safe Partnership’s independent chair is Ivan Powell, who said that the partnership accepted the findings of the report, and the various agencies involved had been working towards implementing its recommendations.
He said: “On behalf of the Keeping Bristol Safe Partnership, I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Becky.
“Our thoughts continue to be with you. We are very grateful for your involvement in this process, requiring you to often give very personal and difficult accounts.
“You have helped agencies to understand what Becky was like as a person and to hear what she felt about those agencies who worked with her. This has directly influenced the review and the recommendations made.
“I would also like to thank various agencies and professionals who shared their views to support this work. Thanks to everyone’s support the review has provided a fuller picture of the circumstances surrounding Becky’s death, helping us understand how to improve the response.
“The completion and publication of this review has taken significant time due to the complexity of the case and we acknowledge the impact this has had on Becky’s family,” he said.
“The partnership fully accepts the findings of the DHR and we have been working hard with our members and agencies across the city and beyond to continue to embed the recommendations identified by the reviewers.
“The review highlighted the need for a child’s voice to be heard. Since the Serious Case Review the Signs of Safety tools and methodology have been implemented across children and family services in Bristol, meaning that children and families can put their views across in the assessment in a simple way.
“This also helps to map their family history and networks to inform the services that are provided.
“Since Becky’s death, coercive and controlling behaviour within an intimate or family relationship has been established as a criminal offence. Whilst we are aware some agencies have updated their training and procedures we will be undertaking a full review of training across the partnership, in particular making sure it adequately covers the identification of, and response to, coercive and controlling behaviours.
“Our hope is that the changes that have been introduced as a result of this case will help develop an improved response and reduce the risk of such tragic events happening in future.”