The Independent Police Complaints Commission has upheld four complaints against Gwent Police in the way it handled a domestic abuse case which culminated in a shooting at a Newport hair salon.
On August 19 last year, 45-year-old dad-of-two Darren Williams, went to Carol-Ann’s hair stylist on Malpas Road and shot and injured his wife while she worked with a double-barrelled shotgun. Two other women in the salon were also injured.
Williams’ body was found later that day at Brynglas woods after he had hanged himself.
An investigation by the IPCC into the interactions between the couple and Gwent Police has found there were issues with the way the force dealt with her reports of domestic abuse.
At the time of the shooting Williams was bailed by the court on August 12 2011 after he had been charged with assaulting his estranged wife on July 9. Gwent Police had opposed the bailing of him.
The IPCC has upheld four complaints out of 13 made and has made a number of recommendations to the force about call handling and dealing with domestic abuse cases.
Following evidence found during the IPCC investigation Gwent Police decided that two police constables and one sergeant should be subject to management action, and a police constable to be subject to management advice. The force has also accepted all of the IPCC recommendations and suggestions for improvements.
A police sergeant retired during the IPCC investigation, although there was sufficient evidence gathered for a case to answer for him.
IPCC Commissioner for Wales Tom Davies said: “This has been a very difficult case for all concerned and I hope that the family and friends of all those involved find some measure of peace.
“Gwent Police’s handling of domestic abuse had been in the public spotlight since the Joanna Michael case and the All-Wales domestic abuse conference held in June 2011.
“Despite the high awareness and public profile of the positive measures the force had put in place, our investigation into how this woman’s concerns were dealt with highlighted issues with call handling, record-keeping and awareness of force policy and procedures.
“I hope that appropriate lessons have been learned and we have shared the learning from our investigation with Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Serious Case Review and Attempted Domestic Homicide Review into how all agencies acted within this case.”
Gwent Police Assistant Chief Constable Simon Prince said: “The death of two members of the same family and the serious injury to another, is a tragedy and our condolences are with the family. It is only right for agencies involved to examine their actions to ensure that, if faced with an extraordinary set of events again, they can ensure they have the best opportunities to intervene, to offer help and minimise the risk to those involved
“We are grateful for the IPCC report and are fully implementing the recommendations. Gwent Police are continually striving to improve our response to domestic abuse incidents which includes increased and wider training around identification and log closure; increased sharing and scrutinising of domestic related incidents through the DMM and DACC system and also the implementation of the Domestic Abuse Investigation Unit which is made up of over 60 staff and ensures coordination of responses between relevant agencies to ensure better and more effective responses and investigation.
“We also welcome the Serious Case Review and the Attempted Domestic Homicide Review which allowed the agencies involved to take a step back and reflect and review on the events that took place; to learn from events and improve practice to do all they can to prevent future tragedies.”
A separate report is also due to be published today into the death of Williams’ 16-year-old son Jack Williams, who was found dead in the same woods weeks after his father hanged himself.
Following the teen’s death in September 2011, and the attempted murder of his mother six weeks earlier, a full multi-agency review was commissioned.