Police actions preceding murder of man – Surrey Police, April 2020

In April 2020, Surrey Police attended the address of a man who appeared to have been assaulted by a female friend who had been living with him. The woman was removed from the address. Police commenced an investigation, but the victim withdrew their statement and support for the prosecution after showing initial support. The Crown Prosecution Service chose to take no further action regarding the incident.

In August 2020, officers attended an altercation at his address between the man and woman. The altercation was dealt with and both parties were satisfied and apparently now lived at separate addresses. Risk assessments were carried out and information was submitted to Adult Services due to concerns arising from alcoholism and mental health.

In November 2020, Surrey Police again attended the man’s home after a call from his female friend believing he had been assaulted by a third party. Police attended the address and conducted a welfare check on the man. They found him to have no visible injuries and he did not believe an incident occurred. Police searched the address for any other person but did not find anyone else present. Officers made efforts to contact and locate the woman, who other than confirming she was well, refused to share her location. Later that day, the woman stabbed the man to death.

We reviewed documentation and officer body worn footage and reviewed all evidence in line with relevant regional and national polices.

We finalised our investigation in November 2021.

During the investigation there was no indication any police officer may have behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of disciplinary proceedings or committed a criminal offence.

The woman was prosecuted for murder and received a 15-year custodial sentence.

We carefully considered whether there were any learning opportunities arising from the investigation. We make learning recommendations to improve policing and public confidence in the police complaints system and prevent a recurrence of similar incidents. In this case, the investigation has not identified any learning.