Gracie Spinks: Stalking victims face postcode lottery, coroner says

A coroner has said there is a "postcode lottery" for stalking victims, after the inquest into the death of a woman killed by her ex-colleague.

Gracie Spinks, 23, was murdered by Michael Sellers, who later killed himself, in 2021.

Matthew Kewley, who led her inquest, said victims in some parts of the UK do not get as much support and has asked the home secretary to take action.

The Home Office has been asked to comment.

In what is known as a report to prevent future deaths - addressed to Derbyshire Police and Home Secretary James Cleverly - Mr Kewley said he was concerned there is a "postcode lottery", in which victims in some parts of the UK do not get as much help when they contact police.

He said this was because some areas do not have "stalking advocates" - which Ms Spinks's family have campaigned for.

Derbyshire Police has previously admitted failing Ms Spinks, who was murdered by Sellers after he became obsessed with her.

In relation to independent stalking advocates, Mr Kewley said: "During the inquest I heard evidence about the benefits that stalking advocates can provide to those who are victims of stalking.

"Whilst I was reassured to hear that Derbyshire now benefits from stalking advocates, I heard evidence that many other areas around the UK do not have stalking advocates.

"This essentially creates a postcode lottery for victims who report stalking to the police. I am concerned about the lack of consistency and availability of stalking advocates to victims of stalking across the UK."

Mr Cleverly and the chief constable of Derbyshire Police both have 56 days to respond.

They must set out details of action taken or proposed to be taken, and set out the timetable for next steps.

Ms Spinks's parents, Richard Spinks and Alison Ward, have welcomed the coroner's report.

In a statement, they said: "The stalking advocates should be based in every police force, with their own department separate to general policing.

"This would mean there is a consistent response to stalking nationwide and departmental specialists able to assess each situation on its own particular facts.

"Otherwise, it is a postcode lottery of standards based on where you live, which cannot be correct in 2023."

The coroner also raised five other areas of concern, directed specifically at Derbyshire Police, including stalking, contemporaneous note taking/record keeping, and potential weapons/dangerous items found in the community.

In relation to stalking, he said "more needs to be done to improve knowledge and understanding around how officers should investigate complaints of stalking".

On risk assessments, Mr Kewley said he was concerned the officers who dealt with Ms Spinks's complaint to police about Sellers and the discovery of a bag of weapons "failed to record any form of risk assessment or fully assess the potential risks".

In relation to note taking and record keeping, the coroner expressed concern that police officers "failed to make any contemporaneous notes of important steps in the police investigation".

This included when an officer spoke to Ms Spinks herself, and later to Sellers.

On the concern around potential weapons being found in the community, the coroner said there was still "an ongoing issue" around the ability of some police officers and staff to "deal effectively" with reports.

Ms Spinks's inquest heard a police officer did not have "serious concerns" about a bag of weapons - belonging to Sellers - found six weeks before Ms Spinks was murdered.

The inquest also heard there had been an incident as recently as August, in which a child found a knife concealed in a sock in bushes in a local park.

"Despite the obvious potential danger, the police call handler advised the member of the public to destroy the knife and advised that police would not be attending," Mr Kewley said.

Deputy Chief Constable Simon Blatchly, from Derbyshire Police, said: "As was said following the conclusion of the inquest, we fully accept there were significant failings throughout the two incidents relating to Gracie.

"We will now review the recommendations that have been made and reply within the relevant timeframe.

"There has also, over the last two and a half years, been significant changes to the ways in which we as a force receive and investigate stalking reports - as well as how we support and safeguard victims of these crimes."

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