Biggleswade murder: police missed chances to protect Sarah Albone, inquest hears

A review into the 2023 murder of Sarah Albone found police may have missed opportunities to intervene. Her killer Matthew Waddell was jailed for at least 32 years.

Inquest finds policing failures ahead of Biggleswade mother's killing

Google News IE — Crime (en) reports that a review into the murder of Sarah Albone, a 38-year-old mother of three from Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, has concluded that police may have "missed opportunities" to intervene before her death.

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

At an inquest held at 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 officers. "With hindsight, potentially yes," Skarratts replied. "We have an obligation to safeguard victims; it is clearly not for the victim to safeguard themselves."

He acknowledged there had been "potential missed opportunities" and that officers who attended her home on one occasion were unaware of the full extent of Waddell's previous behaviour.

The relationship between Albone and Waddell had begun in 2020. Within two months, Albone attempted to end it due to his coercive and controlling conduct.

Documents presented to the court showed that multi-agency meetings concerning her welfare were "not provided with the most up-to-date information to inform its risk assessment and safety planning." A meeting held in January 2022 "operated on the flawed assumption that the police investigation into Waddell was ongoing, which gave a false sense of reassurance" — this despite Albone's independent domestic violence adviser reporting that she "had lost confidence in the police and would not contact them again."

Records also showed that on 20 December 2021, Albone dialled 999 and officers took two hours to respond. Notes from a multi-agency meeting at the time recorded that she had felt "let down by the response" and that police had asked her why "she had returned to the relationship." She said she felt as though "the police blamed her."

Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)