Police felt missing Lee was ‘drunk somewhere’ before tragic discovery
CASE HIGHLIGHTS LESSONS FOR FORCES TO LEARN, SAYS CORONER
POLICE wrongly assumed a Nottinghamshire man was “drunk somewhere” before he was found dead, months after being reported missing.
Lee Bowman, of Ollerton, had been missing for two months when his body was found between two fence panels in the South Yorkshire village of Thurcroft on January 3, 2022.
An inquest into the 44-year-old’s death failed to determine how he had died or how long he had lain there. A coroner criticised police for their handling of Mr Bowman’s disappearance, and wrote to the College of Policing saying she was worried more deaths could occur unless action was taken.
The policing body wrote back saying it had been in contact with officers at the forces involved, as well as the national policing lead for missing people.
The last sighting of Mr Bowman was on October 31, 2021. However, South Yorkshire Police (SYP) incorrectly told The Post the dad-of-two had been seen “alive and well” in early December.
He was initially reported as missing on November 2 by his brother but after inquiries by SYP it was passed back to Nottinghamshire Police who closed it as a “deliberate absence”.
Assistant coroner Abigail Combes said the checks by the Yorkshire force “lacked professional curiosity”.
His father reported him as a missing person two days later, as the family had still not heard from him.
A number of false sightings of Mr Bowman were reported following a media appeal, including one by a police officer. Ms Combes said these were not “thoroughly checked for accurateness” and “insufficient scrutiny” was applied to the veracity of the officer’s sighting.
The case was transferred to SYP on November 28 but was closed after a false sighting by a PCSO.
The force told The Post on December 3 he “did not wish to engage” with officers, leading them to close their investigation.
The case was reopened on December 7 after Mr Bowman’s family still not heard from him.
It was upgraded to high risk a week later when SYP realised the sightings were false and detectives were assigned to the case.
Mr Bowman’s body was found on January 3, 2022, close to where he had visited his girlfriend.
A pathologist told the inquest there was not enough evidence to determine how he died or how long he had been between the fence panels in Cedric Crescent and Green Arbour Road.
Ms Combes said unconscious bias was influencing decisions made by police officers.
“There were assumptions that Lee led a chaotic lifestyle and therefore was not missing but choosing not to be found as he was drunk somewhere,” she said. “This was never triangulated with the fact that he had not touched his bank account and even within the confines of his addiction, he ordinarily maintained contact with his family which he did not do here.
“Police also relied upon sightings from those who lead similarly ‘chaotic’ lives to demonstrate that Lee was well and just had not been located.
“Again, this was not weighed against the body of evidence from the family that he was unwell and was not in contact with them which was out of character.”
Responding to a Report to Prevent Future Deaths by Ms Combes, the College of Policing said one of its experts was troubled by the use of the term “chaotic lifestyle” and said it would update its guidance.
Detective Superintendent Eleanor Welsh, force lead for missing people at SYP, said an internal investigation “identified some learning” for the organisation.
“A report was created and shared across the force, and these learnings are now implemented within teams,” she said A spokesperson for Nottinghamshire Police said: “There are areas identified within that report which have been addressed and already implemented across our teams which work incredibly hard to locate those who are reported missing.”
There were assumptions that Lee led a chaotic lifestyle and therefore was not missing.
Coroner