Officer cleared of misconduct over man who went on to murder pensioner with machete and hammer
A custody sergeant who bailed a criminal on licence just days before he murdered a pensioner with a machete and a hammer was cleared of misconduct, a report by the police watchdog has revealed.
Jordan Davidson was wanted by police when he carried out the brutal killing of Nicholas Churton, 67, at his home in Wrexham on March 24, 2017.
The 27-year-old, who had been released from prison on licence in December 2016, was arrested on March 19, 2017, for possessing a knife with a 10-inch blade and given conditional bail despite telling officers he was not taking medication for psychosis, a report by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found.
Davidson went on to commit more offences, including an alleged burglary and attempted robbery of a hair salon with a knife, before murdering Mr Churton in a hammer and machete attack.
The IOPC report, published in full this week, said a North Wales Police custody sergeant who gave bail to Davidson had a case to answer for misconduct for failing to properly record and assess the information available. But the allegation was found not proven by an independent panel at a misconduct meeting, the report said.
The IOPC investigation found the officer, referred to as 'Custody Sergeant A', did not ask for a nurse to see Davidson after he revealed during a risk assessment he had psychosis and anti-social personality disorder and was not taking his medication.
No recollection
Investigators said the sergeant, who had no recollection of Davidson’s time in custody, did not ensure Davidson had an appropriate adult or give enough consideration to the fact he was on licence when he made the decision to bail him.
The custody sergeant could also have been expected to consider records showing Davidson had previously committed 12 offences while on bail and had convictions for possessing weapons. Intelligence showing Davidson had recently been in possession of a knife and machete should also have been considered, the IOPC said, despite the sergeant’s claim the information was “untested”.
The report said: “It was our opinion that a reasonable tribunal could find that this apparent failure to record and assess relevant information amounts to a breach of the standard of professional behaviour relating to duties and responsibilities.”
Davidson was sentenced to life for Mr Churton’s murder and ordered to serve a minimum of 30 years by the Court of Appeal.
