Failings in information sharing within the police and probation system saw a dangerous criminal free to commit murder in Wrexham

That is the finding of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) following its investigation into North Wales Police contact with Jordan Davidson before he murdered Wrexham man Nicholas Churton in March 2017.

As a result, the IOPC has called for North Wales Police, the National Probation Service (NPS) and the Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) to improve their information sharing as a matter of priority.

The IOPC release states: "Our investigation into contact between North Wales Police and Jordan Davidson found there were eight incidents in which he came to the attention of the force between his release from Parc Prison in December 2016 and Mr Churton’s murder in March 2017 in Wrexham. Davidson was convicted of murder in December 2017.

"At the time of his release from prison, Davidson did not satisfy the criteria to be managed as a category one or two Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) offender as he had not been convicted of any violent or sexual offences. This meant he was not classified as ‘high risk’ and therefore, North Wales Police did not breach procedures as they were not required to highlight incidents to the CRC or NPS as a matter of protocol. The CRC had responsibility for lower risk offenders.

"Neither the NPS or CRC were informed that Davidson was arrested for possession of a bladed article on 19 March 2017 until 24 March 2017, the day Mr Churton is understood to have been murdered."

Meetings between the IOPC, North Wales Police and the Probation Service are imminent.

Nicholas Churton was murdered in 2017

IOPC Director for Wales, Catrin Evans said: “The ad hoc liaison arrangements between North Wales Police and the CRC have significantly contributed to the sequence of events. There was no documented process, clear audit or specific guidance for those dealing with incidents involving Jordan Davidson and the decision to engage with the CRC was left to the discretion and experience of individual officers, with varying results.

“Our role is to investigate serious allegations against the police and we have no direct remit over the Probation Service or CRC. We have shared and discussed the findings and learning from our investigations with these bodies, as well as Mr Churton’s family for whom I again express my sympathies.

“I am arranging a meeting with North Wales Police and the Probation Service to discuss systemic issues and reinforce the need for them to work together better. It is important that together they improve their processes and criteria for sharing information regarding medium and low risk individuals on licence.

“This could be through the use of automated processes for data sharing to allow for a timely decision to be made about whether to recall a person to prison.”

Ian Lucas

North Wales Police said today it is determined to learn from what happened.

Deputy Chief Constable Richard Debicki said: “First and foremost I would like to express my heartfelt sympathies to the family of Mr Churton who died in such tragic and terrible circumstances.

“I am sorry if there was anything more that we could have done at all as an organisation which might have prevented this awful event.

“The IOPC has, quite rightly, conducted thorough investigations into our interactions with the victim, Mr Nicholas Churton, and the offender, Jordan Davidson.

“We have fully engaged with the IOPC throughout their investigations and have been absolutely determined to learn from this tragic incident.

“Having done so, I accept in full the IOPC recommendations. We have been working hard to deliver upon them and make any necessary organisational improvements.

“We will continue to do so in the light of the most recent report and recommendations.”

Ian Lucas, former MP for Wrexham, said the release from the IOPC confirmed his fears but that questions about the handling of the case still remain.

Mr Lucas said: "This press release confirms what I feared – that systemic failings in our police and probation system led to the release of Jordan Davidson from police custody in March 2017, leaving him free to murder Nicholas Churton in his Wrexham home.

"However, the release does not go far enough. It fails to explain why the initial North Wales Police (NWP) and IPCC actions did not include an immediate inquiry into the release by the police of Davidson while he was on licence and why that issue was not addressed until I had raised it with NWP and the IOPC. I believe that the facts upon which this report is based would not have seen the light of day if we had relied on the statutory agencies and the systemic failings identified would never have been addressed.

"Sadly, this overhaul is no comfort to the family of Mr Churton who was killed by a man who had been in contact with police and probation eight times for possible breaches of licence conditions before he killed Mr Churton and also terrorised other people in Wrexham.

The IOPC concluded a second investigation in September and has been in continued liaison with North Wales Police, the NPS and CRC over their concerns arising out of the two investigations.

The IOPC release adds: "As a result of the first investigation into prior North Wales Police contact with Nicholas Churton, two officers faced misconduct meetings. The IOPC and the force agreed that these officers had a case to answer. Misconduct was not found proven at the meetings held by the force and the officers’ conduct was deemed to amount to unsatisfactory performance.

"We have also concluded an investigation into the conduct of former Chief Constable for North Wales Police Mark Polin. The investigation followed a complaint alleging that Mr Polin misled the complainant about the details of our investigation into NWP’s actions prior to the murder of Nicholas Churton.

"We carried out a thorough investigation into the allegations made within this complaint, but did not find any evidence to indicate that Mr Polin may have made a deliberate attempt to mislead the complainant."

Mr Lucas added that he is disappointed that the second investigation was only initiated after he intervened.

He added: "The horrific facts would not have been known to me, the family of Mr Churton or the public if we had relied on the judgement of North Wales Police and the IOPC and the urgent issues identified by the IOPC approaching three years after Mr Churton’s death would never have been identified because this Inquiry would never have happened.

"Davidson was a dangerous criminal and was known around Wrexham. He had come to the attention of the police eight times between his release and Mr Churton’s murder. I received correspondence from one constituent telling me how she witnessed Davidson attempting to rob an elderly gentleman, who was begging Davidson not to kill him. Davidson then pulled out a machete and threatened her with it. I find it terrifying that such a person was wandering the streets.

"While I commend the bravery of the officers who arrested Davidson, I was disappointed with North Wales Police’s subsequent handling of the case and the fact that former Chief Constable Mark Polin was found to have misled me over important details relating to the investigation."

Mr Lucas added: "One of my final acts as MP for Wrexham was to write to the coroner for North Wales to document my grave concerns over this case. I have no confidence that the IOPC and NWP have either the will or capacity to address my concerns. I hope that this latest statement has brought some degree of closure for Mr Churton’s family, but important questions remain unanswered and I will continue to push for those answers."

The investigation did find a case to answer for misconduct for one police sergeant in relation to not carrying out an adequate assessment of available information prior to Davidson’s release on bail after he had been arrested for possession of a bladed article.

The sergeant is due to face a misconduct meeting.

PCC Arfon Jones

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones said the reports' recommendations would be implemented.

He said: "This was a tragic incident and I would like to extend my sympathies to Mr Churton’s family.

“In the meantime I recognise and fully accept the findings of the report and I know that the Force has already begun to implement its recommendations and I will be working closely with the Chief Constable to make sure that the necessary improvements are carried out.”

Timeline

The IOPC investigation found that police officers responded to eight incidents involving Jordan Davidson after his release from prison and liaised with probation to varying degrees, with some officers taking proactive steps despite the lack of protocol.

The eight incidents are as follows:

1. 14 December 2016 – The arrest of Mr Davidson for theft from Poundstretcher. Davidson later pleaded guilty.

2. 31 January 2017 – Report of an assault on Mr Davidson.

3. 14 February 2017 – Allegation of sexual assault for which he was not charged due to insufficient evidence.

4. 1 March 2017 - Arrest for theft from Lidl. Davidson later pleaded guilty.

5. 8 March 2017 – Report from a member of the public that there was an unknown male inside her vehicle. Davidson was identified as a suspect but was not charged.

6. 8 March 2017 – Report by Mr Davidson’s landlord that he was bringing stolen property back to the address and that he wished him to leave. Incident closed by NWP as the owner of the property stated it had been returned to him and he did not wish to make a complaint.

7. 13 March 2017 - Arrest for breach of the peace. Davidson was released from custody shortly afterwards.

8. 19 March 2017 – Arrest for possession of a bladed article in a public place. Davidson was released on bail.