A Ryde man, murdered by his partner, was never seen as a victim of domestic abuse, even after being assaulted and threatened.
Mr Cooper, 46, was stabbed by Deborah Napier in June 2016 at his flat in Ryde. Napier was handed a life sentence, and told she would spend at least 13-and-a-half years in prison.
A report into his death published by the Isle of Wight Community Safety Partnership (CSP) has revealed there were missed opportunities to assess Mr Cooper as a victim of domestic abuse.
History of domestic violence
Napier had a history of domestic violence and had previously called police saying she feared she was going to harm her previous partner — referred to in the report as Mr Allen. At the time, Mr Allen was assessed as the victim and told to the leave the house — and threatened with arrest if he did not.
Police were called nine times in the three years before Mr Cooper’s murder. Despite assertions by Mr Cooper he had been attacked, at no point was he treated as a victim.
The report said Mr Cooper’s family suspected he was suffering from domestic abuse, but did not feel it was their place to report these suspicions to the police.
Missed opportunities
There was also a missed opportunity to consider Mr Cooper as an abuse victim when he underwent a mental health assessment at St Mary’s Hospital, Newport.
The Isle of Wight NHS Trust declined to comment on the report.
Both Napier and Mr Cooper were heavy drinkers, with a ‘fractious relationship’, which the report said was ‘typified by constant and noisy arguments and, on occasions, violence’.
Spectrum Housing only agency to offer help
Nearly all agencies involved with Napier and Mr Cooper knew of their alcohol dependency, however, only one attempt was made to refer them to any sort of service.
While Spectrum Housing did not know domestic abuse was occurring, they did refer Mr Cooper to IRIS (the Island Recovery Integrated Service), a council run service.
The report said:
“Their referral was unsuccessful and he did not take up appointments, but it was reassuring that they at least tried.”
The report went on to say:
“They should have received services which helped them recover.”
Home Office: ‘judgemental’ language used
The Home Office criticised the initial report drawn up by the CSP. It said ‘judgemental’ language was used and no condolences were expressed in the report.
A Community Safety Partnership spokesperson said:
“As per any domestic homicide review, all agencies involved take their responsibility to learn and action recommendations.
“The comments made by the Home Office were reviewed by the author and partnership agencies with amendments made prior to publication. Our thoughts and sympathy remain with the family, at what has been an extremely difficult time.”
“Lessons had been learned”
The report also said lessons had been learned by officers, who were at risk of categorising the victim and perpetrator before undertaking an initial investigation, thereby failing to recognise the vulnerabilities and support the needs of all parties involved.
It said there may also be a lack of awareness in the police about the added vulnerabilities that substance abuse and mental ill health can bring to people.
The review concluded by saying the homicide could not have been predicted or presented.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations by OnTheWight – The name of the victim has been anonymised out of respect for the family. Ed
