THE Chief Constable of Cleveland Police has made an unreserved apology for a series of failings following the death of a vulnerable woman.

Nicola Roberts was regarded as a high risk of suffering domestic abuse but officers failed to investigate her death despite her having suffered head injuries.

Chief Constable Iain Spittal told Teesside Coroners Court he had apologised in person to Ms Roberts family.

The 39-year-old was found dead at her partner Paul Wratten’s flat in Ingleby Barwick last March with two head injuries.

The Northern Echo: Cleveland police deputy chief constable Iain Spittal.

Chief Constable Iain Spittal

Mr Spittal said: "I'm apologising because of failings by Cleveland Police. Officers failed to properly assess Nicola Roberts as vulnerable on the first time they attended her death.

"I'm also apologising for the fact that when these officers attended her parents' home, they were not as empathetic or supportive as they should have been."

The chief constable accepted there had been a catalogue of errors throughout the early stages of the investigation which meant it was not carried out correctly and that potentially vital evidence could have been lost.

The inquest heard how the officers who first attended Mr Wratten's flat failed to consider the death as suspicious despite Ms Roberts being regarded as a very high risk domestic abuse case.

Days before her death there was a meeting between police, probation, domestic violence charities and health authorities, known as a “MARAC”, because of concerns about her safety and wellbeing after a restraining order was taken out to keep Mr Wratten away from her.

During the inquest, Acting Teesside Coroner Clare Bailey heard how the catalyst for the mishandling of the investigation began when call handlers at Cleveland Police failed to pass on information about Ms Roberts' history of domestic abuse to officers at the scene.

The Northern Echo:

Nicola Roberts was considered at high risk of domestic abuse

James Kemp, who was representing Cleveland Police at the hearing, described the failings as the "perfect storm" of errors but hoped the family would take some comfort from changes implemented since her death.

"It has highlighted to Cleveland Police what can only be described as the shortcomings in relation to how they dealt with the matter – both in the initial investigation and in dealing with the family," he said.

"No parent that is covered by Cleveland Police should be ever put in the same position that they have been."

Giving a narrative verdict, Ms Bailey said the initial investigation was 'inadequate and ineffective' adding: "It was obvious that she could have died in suspicious circumstances."

The coroner said she was unable to determine how Ms Roberts died due to the flawed police investigation meaning she was unable to record how or when Ms Roberts suffered the fatal head injury – a key finding required in any inquest verdict.

"She (Ms Roberts) died from head injuries," she said. "The initial police investigation resulted in the loss of crucial evidence and it cannot be determined how or why the fatal head injury was sustained."

The coroner said she did not believe Mr Wratten's version of events in the lead up to his partner's death after hearing evidence from a number of neighbours who had reported numerous incidents of domestic abuse involving the pair – who both had longstanding alcohol problems.

But due to the week-long delay in Cleveland Police treating the death as suspicious, vital evidence was lost during Post Mortem investigations as it was only treated as natural causes - meaning a forensic investigation of the body was not carried out initially.

Ms Bailey praised Ms Roberts parents for their dignity throughout the proceedings and reassured her father, Kenneth Clews, that he should not blame himself for cleaning blood from his daughter's home before the police finally decided to investigate her death as suspicious.

Speaking after the hearing, Mr Spittal said: “Cleveland Police failed Nicola Roberts and her family. I have personally apologised to her loved ones and took the decision that I should publicly apologised at the Coroner’s inquest.

"Police officers often deal with complex situations, but that is no excuse and I am disappointed that our officers and staff were not more inquisitive during the initial phase of this investigation.”