Following the horrific murder of Mary Ward in Belfast a domestic violence awareness consultant has renewed calls to amend the form completed by officers attending a sudden death indicating whether there were previous issues of domestic abuse, but the PSNI’s response points to ongoing resistance.
Mary (22) was discovered on October 1 having sustained significant neck wounds.
She reported a “violent” incident to police on September 4, who followed this up with her three weeks later on September 25, the day she is believed to have been murdered.
Mary lay undiscovered for a week and it would be a further week before a murder inquiry was launched.
When directly asked, the PSNI refused to confirm if death was originally deemed suicide.
Retired PSNI Specialist Domestic Violence Officer, Nuala Lappin, has led the call for a specific inclusion on domestic abuse concerns in the P1 Form which contains 31 enquiries for attending police.
These include the deceased’s, name, age, family circumstances, when last seen alive, location of death, visible marks, pre-existing illnesses, what medication they took and if they smoked, drank alcohol or abused drugs.
But there is nothing to highlight if there was a history or concerns of domestic abuse, whether prosecuted or not.
Ms Lappin, who advises on domestic violence-related issues and policies, has been calling for the P1 to be amended since January 2023 but PSNI feel the current format is adequate.
She said: “The fervent hope is for drastic attitudinal change to rid communities of this scourge but until then many will suffer significant injury or worse. Tragically, there will be more deaths and Northern Ireland figures are appalling. Achieving justice is paramount. Mandatory indication of domestic abuse by a simple inclusion on the P1, could allow focused examination of the circumstances of death.”
She continued: “Overall, Mary should not have been murdered – that’s inescapable. Despite continual assurances of lessons learned Northern Ireland is witnessing worsening situations. That’s unacceptable and inexcusable. While the minor but critical change to the P1 couldn’t have saved Mary, it would have pointed to a definite line of inquiry in turn and speeded up the process.”
Ms Lappin concluded: “Murder is horrendous in itself. Failings in investigations significantly impact on justice and public confidence. This is not new territory and more than ever something needs done. We hear of great strategies to tackle abuse but this needs action. The figures are stark and worsening. This small, non-costing but critically important change to the P1 is potentially beneficial so why it’s resisted is unfathomable.”
When previously to consider amending the P1 almost two years ago DCS Lindsay Fisher failed to address this stating: “Any death that is reported to us or brought to our attention is thoroughly investigated based on the evidence and lines of enquiry available, including ascertaining whether the victim had a domestic violence history.”
It was pointed out this didn’t answer the question so the PSNI replied: “The absence of specific prompts on the form doesn’t preclude relevant material, including a history of domestic violence, being recorded by the investigating officer. Whilst we are not currently reviewing the P1, we continue to work closely with colleagues. This could result in future changes to the process.”
Following Mary’s murder, the PSNI were again asked if it’s time to make the change.
In response DCS Fisher said: “Firstly, I express my deepest sympathies to Mary Ward’s family and friends who are experiencing unbearable suffering knowing that their loved one was taken from them in such a cruel way. Last week, a man was charged by An Garda Síochána with Mary’s murder, who are currently leading on it supported by the PSNI.”
She then repeated her previous response verbatim which as before did not address the issue.
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