Avon and Somerset Police have apologised to the family of Kelly Faiers, 61, who was found dead at the home of convicted sex offender Richard Scatchard, 70, in Minehead, Somerset, on 15 October 2023. The apology follows an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation that found failings in the force's initial response.
The IOPC inquiry revealed that officers attended the property and considered arresting Scatchard, who had previous convictions for sexual offences involving drugging victims, but were advised against it by CID. The following day, the death was reclassified as suspicious and treated as murder, but this information was not relayed to Ms Faiers' family for a further 48 hours due to a lack of available family liaison officers.
Scatchard had absconded by the time officers returned to the address. His body was later found in a caravan near Cleeve Hill in Watchet on 4 April 2024. Ms Faiers' family made several complaints about the force's conduct, and the IOPC found the service provided to be 'unacceptable' in three of the seven complaints.
A police spokesman said: 'We would like to apologise to Kelly Faiers’ family for the impact of several of the decisions made by Avon and Somerset Police during the course of our inquiries into her death.' He added that the force recognised the additional distress caused by the family learning of Scatchard's criminal record through an online search and by not being told sooner that he was at the address when police initially attended.
The IOPC found that the actions and decisions of three officers fell below expectations, but there was no evidence of a breach of professional standards. Derrick Campbell, IOPC director, said: 'Avon and Somerset Police could and should have done better in the tragic circumstances of this case.'
