The parents of murdered mum Claire Inglis have revealed they are still waiting to be told if there will be a fatal accident inquiry into their daughter’s death.
Christopher McGowan battered, burned and strangled Claire six weeks after being freed to live at the flat she shared with her son. He had 39 convictions, including aggravated domestic assault, but was still bailed to Claire’s Stirling home three times.
After her death, an expert social work report found Claire and her son were “invisible in the system”. But Ian and Fiona Inglis only received a brief summary of the report and have been left fighting for answers for five years.
Family Demands Answers
They want a fatal accident inquiry to expose the failures that contributed to their daughter’s death and ensure vital lessons are learned to protect other women.
Fiona, from Stirling, said: “Claire died five years ago in November and we are still in limbo. We have met Crown officials, we have even met with John Swinney. We have written letters and banged every door.
“We’ve pleaded – we need to know where failings were made. We want to know what went wrong so we can ensure lessons are learned, preventing any other woman from suffering like Claire did and sparing other families the hell we still endure every day.
“We want to make sure that changes are made so she didn’t die in vain. We know social workers went to Claire’s door but left when they never got an answer. We want to know why they left and what happened. Why wasn’t the alarm raised sooner?
“Why wasn’t there a red flag that McGowan had been placed in a home with Claire and her son, after he was removed from a house six weeks earlier over concerns with a child living there?”
She added: “I wonder sometimes if we are going to live long enough to ever find out the truth.”
Meetings with Officials
Supported by Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay, Claire’s parents used a meeting with John Swinney in November to demand the release of a Crown Office report into the failures surrounding their daughter’s murder. At the time Swinney insisted he had written to the Lord Advocate to “convey their views”. Fiona and Ian have also met Crown officials to demand action.
Findlay said: “Fiona and Ian are still being kept in the dark despite coming with me to FMQs on three occasions to beg for answers, and then returning to Holyrood for a face-to-face meeting with John Swinney.
“I have no faith in the in-house Crown Office review which falls far short of the fatal accident inquiry which Fiona and Ian have consistently asked for.
“But none of this comes as any surprise because John Swinney only talks about tackling violence against women and girls while failing to act.”
Campaign for Change
The Sunday Mail has campaigned relentlessly for better protections for victims of rape, sexual assault and domestic violence. In May, the Scottish Government removed from law a presumption to remand in custody people accused of violent domestic abuse.
Following the law change, Ian and Fiona warned the new rules would make it easier for domestic abusers to get bail. Claire’s dad Ian said: “We will see more women like Claire die.”
A Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service spokesman said: “We continue to engage regularly with Claire’s family and keep them updated on the progress of the investigation.
“A range of enquiries remain ongoing and, once complete, all relevant information will be carefully considered before any decision is taken on a possible discretionary fatal accident inquiry.”
