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Murdered mum Natasha Trevis 'not listened to', report finds | Murdered mum Natasha Trevis 'not listened to', report finds |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A mother of three murdered by her "controlling" partner was "not listened to or heard" by the authorities, a report has found. | |
Natasha Trevis was stabbed 26 times by Junior Saleem Oakes in August 2012 as she tried to escape from a taxi. | Natasha Trevis was stabbed 26 times by Junior Saleem Oakes in August 2012 as she tried to escape from a taxi. |
A review into her death found police and social services in Birmingham had not dealt effectively with her complaints about his abusive behaviour. | |
Police said their approach to domestic violence cases had "radically" changed. | Police said their approach to domestic violence cases had "radically" changed. |
The report, by Birmingham Community Safety Partnership, found Oakes had come to the attention of West Midlands Police 25 times before the murder, including for a string of offences against his ex-partner and her family. | |
Evidence of his "escalating repeat offender behaviour" had been recorded since 2003, it said, but information on his background had not always been shared between different agencies. | Evidence of his "escalating repeat offender behaviour" had been recorded since 2003, it said, but information on his background had not always been shared between different agencies. |
Services provided to 22-year-old Miss Trevis and her three children, fathered by Oakes, were "not effective in keeping them safe", according to the report. | |
It found some decisions had been "seriously flawed" and professionals had not fully understood Oakes' "volatile" nature when assessing Miss Trevis' situation. | It found some decisions had been "seriously flawed" and professionals had not fully understood Oakes' "volatile" nature when assessing Miss Trevis' situation. |
The victim's family, who contributed to the report, said they believed "agencies had not taken the threat that the perpetrator posed to the victim seriously". | The victim's family, who contributed to the report, said they believed "agencies had not taken the threat that the perpetrator posed to the victim seriously". |
They also said they had not been made aware of his history of domestic violence. | They also said they had not been made aware of his history of domestic violence. |
'Let slip' | |
The report concluded it might have been possible to prevent Miss Trevis' death, as "there were missed opportunities... to intervene when risks to Natasha's wellbeing should have been apparent". | |
"The overall conclusion has to be that the victim, who had reported her fears and concerns, was not really listened to or heard by the agencies," it said. | "The overall conclusion has to be that the victim, who had reported her fears and concerns, was not really listened to or heard by the agencies," it said. |
An allegation a social worker had "let slip" to Oakes that Ms Trevis had aborted their fourth child, five days before her death, was "still under investigation", the report said. | |
West Midlands Police Assistant Chief Constable Garry Forsyth claimed the force had since "embarked on a radical change in their response to domestic violence". | |
This included "better use of all our systems to enable us to be more effective in alerting officers to a domestic abuse threat or someone at risk", he said. | This included "better use of all our systems to enable us to be more effective in alerting officers to a domestic abuse threat or someone at risk", he said. |
Since Miss Trevis' death, he said, a multi-agency safeguarding hub (MASH) had been set up in Birmingham to improve information sharing. | Since Miss Trevis' death, he said, a multi-agency safeguarding hub (MASH) had been set up in Birmingham to improve information sharing. |
Mr Forsyth said 79 actions recommended by the review had been implemented. | Mr Forsyth said 79 actions recommended by the review had been implemented. |
Oakes, now aged 30, admitted Miss Trevis' murder last January and was given a life sentence with a minimum jail term of 22 years. |