Family criticises police after mother murdered just days after suspect released on bail

The family of hairdresser Katrina O’Hara today slammed the police for their ‘serious failings’ that allowed her violent ex-boyfriend to murder her.

Ms O’Hara’s three children said they will ‘always feel let down’ by police who they suggested had brushed their mother’s fears about Stuart Thomas ‘under the carpet’.

Kyle and Dean Stark and their sister Morgan O’Hara spoke at the end of two week inquest where a jury returned a verdict that Ms O’Hara, 44, was unlawfully killed by Thomas.

Katrina O’Hara, pictured, was murdered by her ex-boyfriend Stuart Thomas in Dorset on January 7, 2016

Assistant Dorset coroner Brendan Allen is to write to the policing minister calling for at-risk victims to be provided with replacement phones if their mobiles are seized for evidence.

Ms O’Hara who was stabbed to death at the salon where she worked in Blandford Forum, Dorset, on January 7, 2016.

Stuart Thomas was convicted of her murder in August that year and sentenced to life imprisonment with a requirement he serve a minimum of 26 years.

Following an inquest in Bournemouth which recorded a verdict of unlawful killing, Mr Allen is to highlight the provision of a replacement phone as well as to ensure police forces consider the suicide risk of a perpetrator when assessing the risk to an abuse victim.

He is also calling for the classification of 999 calls to recognise the importance of a call from a domestic abuse victim as well for police forces to ensure all of the users of the NICHE police computer system are fully trained in its functionality.

The inquest jury examined Dorset Police’s actions following a breach by Thomas of his bail conditions by indirectly contacting Ms O’Hara before her death but it concluded that this and her lack of a telephone did not ‘more than minimally contribute to her death’.

An earlier report by the Independent Office for Police Conduct found that she was left ‘afraid and vulnerable’ as a result of her phone being taken away.

Members of Ms O'Hara's family, daughter-in-law, Marine Stark, left, daughter, Morgan O'Hara, centre and son, Dean Stark, right said the 44-year-old had been stalked and harassed for several months leading up to her murder on January 7, 2016 - eight days after he had been released on police bail for threatening to kill her

Members of Ms O’Hara’s family, daughter-in-law, Marine Stark, left, daughter, Morgan O’Hara, centre and son, Dean Stark, right said the 44-year-old had been stalked and harassed for several months leading up to her murder on January 7, 2016 – eight days after he had been released on police bail for threatening to kill her 

The roofer stabbed her to death on January 7, 2016 – eight days after he had been released on police bail for threatening to kill her.

In the wake of Ms O’Hara’s inquest, a coroner is to write to the Home Office urging police forces across the UK to adopt new measures when dealing with domestic violence cases.

These include for operators to recognise the courage it takes victims to call 999 to report their abusers and deal with them immediately rather than ask them to phone back on the 101 service as happened with Ms O’Hara.

Victims should also be given a replacement mobile phone when theirs is seized by police as evidence as they are ‘extremely vulnerable’ without one.

And police officers should recognise that an abuser who is a suicide risk is also an increased risk to their victim as well as themselves.

The hearing heard Thomas, now aged 53, had stalked and harassed his ex-girlfriend for several months in the lead up to her murder.

On Boxing Day 2015 he threatened to kill them both by crashing their car into a tree during a terrifying drive.

Stuart Thomas was convicted of her murder in August 2016 and sentenced to life imprisonment with a requirement he serve a minimum of 26 years

Stuart Thomas was convicted of her murder in August 2016 and sentenced to life imprisonment with a requirement he serve a minimum of 26 years

After his arrest and release from custody he breached his bail conditions by indirectly contacting his victim in a bid to get her to drop the charges against him.

Although the breach was reported, police failed to re-arrest Thomas who attacked Ms O’Hara in the barber shop she worked at in Blandford, Dorset.

In a statement read outside the inquest, Ms O’Hara’s family said: ‘Having lived through our mum’s fear and witnessed the police’s actions, we still feel that that there were some very serious failings in the way the police responded to our mum.

‘We will always feel let down by them.

‘However, looking back and criticising others achieves nothing. So, our focus is on how we can prevent such an awful tragedy happening to other families.

‘Mum’s case is not unique, and our only hope is that her death will serve as a wake-up call to the government and police forces across the country to not brush domestic violence issues under the carpet.’

The Bournemouth inquest heard mother-of-three Ms O’Hara had been with Thomas for less than a year before she called it off the autumn of 2015.

On November 10, 2015, Thomas threw Ms O’Hara to a concrete floor, leaving her with a cut lip and grazed elbow after the ‘feisty Scot’ had damaged his golf clubs.

But she didn’t report Thomas to the police until November 17 when she told them he had been stalking and harassing her for several months.

His campaign of abuse escalated and on Boxing Day he took her on the terrifying drive in which he threatened to kill both of them both.

Miss O’Hara persuaded him to stop and fled the car.

Ms O’Hara tried calling the police on December 29 to make a complaint that Thomas had threatened to kill her but was told to call back on 101 as it wasn’t an emergency.

Ms O'Hara's family heard police had taken her phone to use as evidence against Thomas. However, Assistant Dorset coroner  Brendan Allen is to write to the government about the need to supply vulnerable victims with mobile phones if their own devices are taken in evidence

Ms O’Hara’s family heard police had taken her phone to use as evidence against Thomas. However, Assistant Dorset coroner  Brendan Allen is to write to the government about the need to supply vulnerable victims with mobile phones if their own devices are taken in evidence

The inquest heard the intensity of Thomas' abuse increased in the weeks before the murder

The inquest heard the intensity of Thomas’ abuse increased in the weeks before the murder 

Her son Kyle Stark, 29, called the police the next day and told them they were worried Thomas would ‘kill my mum’ and how he had made threats to ‘do her’.

Sgt Adam Aggas, who had previously dealt with Ms O’Hara’s November 17 complaint, said he spoke to her again on December 30.

He said she looked like a ‘shell of her former feisty self’ due to Thomas’ escalating campaign of abuse.

This included a bombardment of text messages, unwanted visits to her home and violent outbursts.

He said: ‘Her feistiness was gone, her vulnerability was increased.

‘She was going through the stage of blaming herself for the domestic abuse.’

Thomas was arrested at 4.25pm on December 30. He was interviewed for two hours and released on police bail at 11pm.

Detective Constable Ian Davies, who conducted the interview, said he found Thomas to be ‘plausible and polite’.

Thomas, who had a previous conviction for harassment and had an existing restraining order against another woman, was given a mental health assessment due to his earlier suicidal thoughts but passed that.

Attempts by the police to contact Ms O’Hara to inform her Thomas was out on bail were unsuccessful, mainly because they had taken her mobile phone.

On January 1, 2016 Thomas contacted her indirectly through his daughter in a bid to get her to drop the charges he was facing.

Ms O’Hara borrowed her daughter in law Marnie Stark’s phone and called the police in a distressed state at 7pm on January 1.

She was described as ‘upset’ and ‘animated’ as she asked what was going on after not hearing anything for two days following his arrest.

On January 3 Thomas again tried to contact Ms O’Hara through her daughter Morgan.

Ms O’Hara called the police the next day and two officers were sent to her house to take a statement from Morgan.

Thomas tried to contact Ms O'Hara through her daughters to try and get her to drop the abuse charges he was facing

Thomas tried to contact Ms O’Hara through her daughters to try and get her to drop the abuse charges he was facing

When Morgan showed them the messages, they are said to have told her that they constituted ‘a clear breach’ of Thomas’ bail conditions.

Morgan, now aged 20, said both she and her mother believed Thomas would be re-arrested and claimed Ms O’Hara had told them she was ‘in fear of Thomas hurting him or herself’.

Morgan said: ‘I showed him the messages and asked if they were a breach of his bail conditions and I believe the officers said it was a clear breach. 

‘I was in the room when the police spoke to her and I think she said she was worried about him hurting her or himself.’

The inquest heard from Inspector Greg Tansill who explained that police could have re-arrested him and held him for 24 hours but they would have had to let him go.

On 6.30pm on January 7, Thomas went to Jock’s barber shop in Blandford armed with a kitchen knife and stabbed Ms O’Hara to death and attempted to harm himself.

In August 2016 Thomas was jailed for 26 years for murder.

Brendan Allen, the assistant coroner for Dorset, said he will submit a Prevention of Future Deaths report to the Home Office following Ms O’Hara’s inquest.

Although Dorset Police now give domestic violence victims replacement mobiles he wants to ensure this policy is rolled out nationwide.

Mr Allen added: ‘An area of concern is the handling of the 999 call made by Ms O’Hara which was listed as a crime but not as an emergency, so she was told to call back on 101

‘I’m told that would not be appropriate under their current policies and the call would be dealt with by the call handler who took the call.

‘It is important to recognise the importance of responding appropriately to the first contact with police as it takes significant courage to make that call.’

Mr Allen praised Ms O’Hara’s grieving family for turning their focus on helping to prevent ‘such an awful tragedy happening to other families.’

Victoria Richardson, the solicitor acting on behalf of the family, said: 'Katrina's death has highlighted a number of systemic failures about the way police forces across the country handle domestic abuse allegations and, the removal of mobile phones from at risk individuals. It's is clearly time for consistent and systematic change.'

Victoria Richardson, the solicitor acting on behalf of the family, said: ‘Katrina’s death has highlighted a number of systemic failures about the way police forces across the country handle domestic abuse allegations and, the removal of mobile phones from at risk individuals. It’s is clearly time for consistent and systematic change.’

He added: ‘The composed and dignified way they have handled themselves throughout the hearing and their focus on protecting others so they don’t go through the same is testament to them and their mother.’

And paying tribute to Ms O’Hara, her children said: ‘We miss so many things about our mum, her witty remarks, her out of tune humming and most of all her ability to always put her family first.

‘We’re heartbroken that her grandchildren can’t experience the love that she showed us when we were growing up.’

Victoria Richardson, the solicitor acting on behalf of the family, said: ‘Katrina’s death has highlighted a number of systemic failures about the way police forces across the country handle domestic abuse allegations and, the removal of mobile phones from at risk individuals.

‘It’s is clearly time for consistent and systematic change.’ 

Dorset Police said in a statement following Katrina O’Hara’s inquest that her killer Stuart Thomas’ breach of bail had ‘not been dealt with as it should have been’.

They said they have since ‘tightened up’ their proceedings to ensure future tragedies are avoided.

Deputy Chief Constable David Lewis said: ‘Katrina O’Hara’s death is a tragedy and my heart goes out to her family and friends.

‘Following the inquest the jury has concluded that this was an unlawful killing.

‘On January 4, 2016, Ms O’Hara told the police that her ex-partner had breached his bail conditions by means of indirect contact.

‘On the same day, a statement was taken from Ms O’Hara’s daughter to evidence the breach.

‘No further investigation was conducted into the breach and the officer in the case of the original allegation was not contacted regarding the breach.

‘Whilst the jury recognised that it cannot be concluded that the lack of further investigation more than minimally contributed to Ms O’Hara’s death, we acknowledge Ms O’Hara’s report of breach of bail was not dealt with as it should have been and I would expect a breach of bail to be followed by further prompt action.

‘Since the tragic event and following the IOPC (Independendent Office for Police Conduct) investigation, the force has already tightened up the response to such incidents.

‘We have clarified the procedure for recording and progressing breaches of police bail and implemented a process for all types of breach of bail, which now includes a requirement of management oversight and a continued central scrutiny.’

 

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