Sunday, 24 Nov 2024

A 19-year-old stalking victim was fined for ‘wasting police time’ — and then she was killed

Police officers in the United Kingdom will face disciplinary action after a young woman who was brutally murdered by her stalker was fined for reporting him to police, officials said.

Shana Grice, 19, was killed in August 2016 by an ex-boyfriend, Michael Lane, who was convicted of murder a year later and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Grice went to Sussex Police five times in six months to report Lane but, in most incidents, little to no action was taken against the man, an independent review found.

In one instance, Grice was “fined for wasting police time” after officers learned she and Lane had previously been in a relationship, the review by England and Wales’ Independent Office for Police Conduct found.

Two officers, one of whom has since retired, are slated to face gross misconduct proceedings overseen by an independent chair next month, Sussex Police said in a statement Wednesday.

Another officer will face internal misconduct proceedings, three others and three staff members received further training, and five officers and staff members won’t face any action, the department said.

Stalking in England: Stalking is increasing in England, and police aren’t doing enough to stop it

“We deeply regret the tragic death of Shana Grice and accept that we have made mistakes in this and other cases in the past,” Assistant Chief Constable Nick May said in a statement. “We apologised to Shana’s family at the time and I reiterate this.

“Since then, we have significantly improved our response and remain committed to further improvements to ensure we are delivering an effective and consistent service to victims, to prevent harm and ensure they can access the necessary support.”

Sussex police said they referred the case to the Independent Office for Police Conduct to review their work. “We felt we may not have done the best we could,” May said.

Police did hand down various warnings to Lane, but the review shows police did not take meaningful action to prevent his stalking. On one occasion, Lane was arrested when Grice reported that he had stolen her house key and entered her room while she was sleeping, the independent office found.

However, the next day, Grice called police because she had numerous missed calls from a blocked number. The review states that police determined the calls came from Lane’s house, but they did not inform Grice, nor did they take any action against him.

Experts: How to protect yourself from a stalker or cyberstalker

According to the Guardian, Lane slit Grice’s throat after he entered her home on August 25, 2016.

A judge criticized police at Lane’s trial in 2017, saying that police “jumped to conclusions and Shana was stereotyped.”

“There was seemingly no appreciation on the part of those investigating that a young woman in a sexual relationship with a man could at one and the same time be vulnerable and at risk of serious harm,” judge Nicholas Green said, per the Guardian.

Police in Sussex say they’ve implemented a number of changes, recommended by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, to better handle stalking and harassment cases.

Those improvements include better office training to recognize harassment cases as well as better tracking of data to log and review these cases, the review stated.

However, Grice’s parents, Sharon Grice and Richard Green, called the changes “too little, too late,” according to the Independent.

“Our daughter took her concerns to the police and instead of being protected was treated like a criminal. She paid for the police’s lack of training, care and poor attitude with her life.”

Follow USA TODAY’s Ryan Miller on Twitter @RyanW_Miller

Source: Read Full Article

Related Posts