Reece Murphy inquest: Police failings over missing boy

Jurors at an inquest into the death of a teenager who died after taking an overdose of MDMA have found police did not take all required steps to locate him after he was reported missing.

They were asked to consider whether police "failed" in their duty to try to find Reece Murphy, 16, from Yeovil.

He consumed the drugs between midnight and 02:00 BST on 29 June 2018 in Taunton.

He later died in Musgrove Park Hospital of multi-organ failure on 2 July.

Addressing Reece's mother, Sarah Lush, coroner Geraint Williams said: "I know there's nothing I can say that makes it any easier, but I'm sure the jury expresses our sincere condolences for your loss.

The four-day inquest at Wells Town Hall heard that Reece, a looked-after child under Dorset County Council's care, had been reported missing at 19:30 on 29 June 2018 June after failing to return to his accommodation.

He was regarded as a 'medium risk' by Avon & Somerset Police at that time. When he went missing a day earlier, he had been classed as "high risk" by the police.

During that day he told his friend Naomi Norris that he had "triple dropped" three MDMA pills and later kept saying "it's hitting me, it's hitting me".

On the evening of 29 June 2018, he was out with friends in Hamilton Park.

Ms Norris told police that she had seen a boy from the group pull out a bag with crushed MDMA pills in it and put it in Reece's drink.

At around midnight that night, officers from Avon & Somerset Police were called to reports that a woman had been attacked in the park Reece and the group were in.

Two PCs, Dean Meace and Stewart Baird, attended and identified the alleged victim.

PC Meace approached the group, and had "strong suspicions" that Reece was among them, as he had been told the teenager was missing at the start of his shift.

Reece and the gang denied it was him, giving a false name of 'Jay Evans'.

Despite suspicions, he did not radio for backup or check the name, telling the hearing: "I appreciate in hindsight I should have made the call."

PC Meace later faced allegations of professional misconduct.

Jurors found that Avon & Somerset Police had sent out a team of officers to the park when they were told it was in fact Mr Murphy there.

PC Baird had told the inquest there was "nobody around" but Ms Norris refuted that in her evidence, saying that the boys were there and Reece was "obvious" because he was bare-chested and walking at the front of the group with his t-shirt wrapped around his head.

She said she pointed this out to officers but they did nothing and left the scene.

Both officers "refute absolutely" her version of events and said that "if they had seen him they would have done something about it".

Avon & Somerset Police told BBC West: "The Independent Office for Police Conduct investigated our response and one officer received robust management action in relation to the importance of conducting further checks around the confirmation of identity."

Jurors concluded that no steps had been taken to trace Mr Murphy between 01:41 and 04:00 on 30 June, and that he had ingested the MDMA between 00:00 and 02:00 that night.

Just before 04:00, an ambulance was called to the park over reports that Mr Murphy had collapsed.

He was taken to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton and died in hospital on 2 July 2018.

A statement from Avon & Somerset Police said: "Our thoughts and sympathies continue to be with Reece Murphy's family and we are sorry for their loss.

"His death, at the age of just 16-years-old, is a tragedy which no one could have foreseen happening."

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