Bedfordshire Police 'missed opportunities' before Sarah Albone murder, inquest hears

An inquest into the murder of Sarah Albone, 38, has heard police may have missed chances to intervene before she was killed by ex-partner Matthew Waddell.

Inquest into Sarah Albone murder reveals police failings in Biggleswade case

Google News UK — Crime (en) reports that an inquest into the murder of Sarah Albone, 38, has heard Bedfordshire Police may have "missed opportunities" to intervene and prevent her death at the hands of her former partner.

Matthew Waddell was sentenced to a minimum of 32 years in 2023 for killing Albone — a mother of three — and concealing her body in a suitcase inside a taped-up wheelie bin at her Winston Crescent home in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire. Her remains were discovered on 25 February 2023, three months after she was last seen alive.

At proceedings before Ampthill Coroner's Court, Det Supt David Skarratts of Bedfordshire Police was asked whether "too much responsibility" had been placed on Albone to protect herself and engage with police. He replied: "With hindsight, potentially yes. We have an obligation to safeguard victims; it is clearly not for the victim to safeguard themselves."

Skarratts also acknowledged that officers who attended her home on one occasion had not been aware of the full extent of Waddell's previous behaviour. "They didn't," he told the court, adding that there had been "potential missed opportunities".

Documents presented to the inquest detailed how multi-agency meetings held to assess Albone's safety were "not provided with the most up-to-date information to inform its risk assessment and safety planning". One meeting in January 2022, the court heard, "operated on the flawed assumption that the police investigation into Waddell was ongoing, which gave a false sense of reassurance".

This occurred despite Albone's independent domestic violence adviser having reported that she "had lost confidence in the police and would not contact them again".

The inquest also heard that when Albone dialled 999 on 20 December 2021, officers took two hours to reach her. Notes from a subsequent multi-agency meeting recorded that she had felt "let down by the response" and that police had asked why "she had returned to the relationship". She had told those around her that she felt "the police blamed her".

Albone had first attempted to end her relationship with Waddell just two months after it began in 2020, citing his coercive and controlling behaviour. Waddell has said he does not wish to participate in the inquest.

Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)