The father of seven-year-old Emily Jones, who was stabbed to death in a Bolton park, has condemned the Home Office for granting asylum to her killer, an Albanian woman with paranoid schizophrenia. Lawyer Sefton Kwasnik, representing Mark Jones, stated that his client believes the tragedy could have been avoided if the Home Office had properly vetted Eltiona Skana's asylum application.
Skana, 33, entered the UK illegally in 2014 and was granted asylum despite admitting to lying about being a victim of sexual exploitation to strengthen her case. She stabbed Emily with a craft knife as the girl rode a scooter in Queen's Park on 22 March 2020. Skana was convicted of manslaughter due to diminished responsibility and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 10 years and eight months.
During an eight-day inquest at Bolton Coroner's Court, it emerged that Skana had twice told doctors and police that she lied in her asylum application and wanted to return to Albania, in 2015 and 2017. The Home Office failed to act on these admissions. Senior coroner Timothy Brennand said Emily's father was entitled to feel Skana should never have been allowed into the country and will write to the Home Office expressing concerns.
The inquest also highlighted failings in Skana's mental health care, as she had deliberately stopped taking anti-psychotic medication without informing healthcare workers. Coroner Brennand described the mental health sector as 'in crisis' and plans to send a report to the Minister of State for Health, citing concerns over morale, workloads, and staff shortages. However, he concluded that Emily's death could not have been prevented or predicted.
A Home Office spokesperson expressed condolences and said they are carefully considering the inquest findings. Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust accepted the coroner's findings.
