Report Into Woman's Murder By Ex Husband

9 April 2019, 13:08 | Updated: 9 April 2019, 13:10

A police call handler with Sussex Police has been given "management advice" after failing to record a woman's reports of escalating violence by her ex-husband who shot her dead eight days later.

Michelle Savage spoke to Sussex Police three times before she was murdered in an execution-style killing at almost point-blank range on March 16 last year.

She told officers former soldier Craig Savage was dangerous and she feared for her life.

In October the 35-year-old was jailed for 38 years after shooting dead the 32-year-old and his 53-year-old mother-in-law Heather Whitbread while they were enjoying a Friday night Chinese takeaway at their home in St Leonards, East Sussex.

His trial heard their marriage broke down the month before due to his obsessive and controlling behaviour.

He was enraged by her refusal to reconcile so stole a semi-automatic rifle from a nearby firing range and shot his ex-wife seven times while she "begged for mercy".

He also killed Mrs Savage's Staffordshire bull terrier Zeus with a single shot.

Mrs Savage's 24-year-old sister Raven Whitbread, who was seven months pregnant, and 80-year-old grandmother Patricia Groves escaped unharmed.

On Tuesday the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) said the force had accepted the recommendations from its investigation, which found a call handler had a case to answer for misconduct for failing to record the further allegations and complete actions set by a supervisor.

The force held a private misconduct hearing earlier in the year where the case was proven and the staff member was given "management advice", the IOPC said.

The failings were not deemed to be severe enough to be classed gross misconduct so a public hearing for the case did not take place.

The IOPC said Mrs Savage contacted police "a number of times" and met with the same police officer twice in the days before she was killed.

The file was closed after the first meeting when she declined to provide a full statement.

On March 8 she called police reporting criminal damage at the hands of her ex-husband.

An IOPC spokesman said: "The evidence suggested the call handler failed to obtain details of this further harassment, instead updating the original harassment crime record.

"The call handler also closed the criminal damage file because there was no evidence to suggest it was the woman's ex-husband who had caused the damage."

Mrs Savage made a full statement at a police station two days later, on March 10, and said she supported police action so her case was passed on to an investigator.

She was murdered six days later.

The police watchdog recommended the force remind all staff and officers of their duty to fill out a stalking assessment when speaking to victims reporting crime and to review training procedures for officers and staff on domestic abuse, stalking and honour crimes.

Savage's trial heard that a month before he killed his ex-wife she filed an online report to Sussex Police telling them of his threats and kept a handwritten record of all the incidents.

Savage had tried to blackmail her into having sex one last time, threatening to "destroy her life" with revenge porn if she did not agree.

When she refused, he uploaded about 1,000 pictures of her naked and in underwear to porn websites, naming her and inviting others to download them.

In her statement to police, Mrs Savage said: "I'm concerned for my and my family's safety as he's becoming more and more aggressive.

"He is a nasty, spiteful, bitter person and I know if I stay quiet and do nothing then things can only get worse.

"I believe he will hurt me in any way he can, mentally or physically. I believe he wanted to either kill or hurt me, I genuinely don't know which."

IOPC regional director Sarah Green said: "It is crucial that victims have confidence that, in coming forward, their allegations will be taken seriously and acted upon."

The force has been contacted for comment.