Police 'missed opportunities' before woman's murder

A review into the murder of a 38-year-old woman by her former partner has heard police may have "missed opportunities" to intervene and prevent her death.

Matthew Waddell was jailed for a minimum of 32 years in 2023 for killing mother-of-three Sarah Albone and putting her body in a wheelie bin at her home in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire.

At an inquest at Ampthill Coroner's Court, Det Supt David Skarratts of Bedfordshire Police was asked if "too much responsibility" had been placed on Albone "to protect herself and to engage with police".

He said: "With hindsight, potentially yes. We have an obligation to safeguard victims; it is clearly not for the victim to safeguard themselves."

Waddell had killed Albone at her Winston Crescent address and hid her body in a suitcase inside a taped-up bin.

The relationship had started in 2020, with Albone attempting to end it two months later due to his coercive and controlling behaviour.

Her remains were found in the bin on 25 February 2023 - three months after she was last seen.

The court heard police had been called to her home on several occasions.

Asked if officers on one visit had known the full extent of Waddell's previous behaviour, Skarratts replied: "They didn't."

He said there had been "potential missed opportunities".

Documents explained multi-agency meetings about her care were "not provided with the most up-to-date information to inform its risk assessment and safety planning".

One meeting in January 2022 "operated on the flawed assumption that the police investigation into Waddell was ongoing, which gave a false sense of reassurance".

The court was told this happened despite Albone's independent domestic violence adviser reporting that Sarah "had lost confidence in the police and would not contact them again".

Forms also revealed that on one occasion Albone dialled 999, on 20 December 2021, and officers took two hours to arrive.

In comments made at a multi-agency meeting at the time, the court heard Albone had felt "let down by the response", revealing police had asked her why "she had returned to the relationship".

She had said she felt as though "the police blamed her".

The inquest continues.

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