PSNI apologises for failings in lead-up to killing of couple by schizophrenic man

By Cillian Sherlock, PA

The Police Service of Northern Ireland has said it “apologises unreservedly” for failings in its handling of incidents preceding the killings of Michael and Marjorie Cawdery.

Mr and Mrs Cawdery, both 83, were stabbed to death at their home in Portadown, Co Armagh, on May 26, 2017

The apology comes after a coroner found that the deaths of the couple, who were killed by a man with a severe mental health illness, were “entirely preventable”.

Paranoid schizophrenic Thomas Scott McEntee, who is now in his mid-40s, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and was given a life sentence in June the following year.

 

Delivering inquest findings at Banbridge courthouse in December, coroner Maria Dougan said that, on the balance of probabilities, the deaths could have been avoided if police and health care workers had dealt differently with McEntee in several interactions in the days leading up to the fatal incident.

She identified a series of “omission and missed opportunities” that, if acted on, would have meant McEntee would not have been in the location of the Cawderys’ home on the day he killed them.

The coroner raised particular concern about a police failure to use powers available to them under mental health legislation to take McEntee to a place of safety when they encountered him in the days prior to the killings.

Ms Dougan also said she was not satisfied that all the lessons from the incident had been learned by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Belfast and Southern health and social care trusts.

The coroner identified four incidents prior to the killings when McEntee had been displaying signs of mental illness and was involved in interactions with either police or health care staff.

The first was in Belfast city centre and then the Mater Hospital in the city on May 22nd; the second was at Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry on May 24th; the third was the following day in Warrenpoint, Co Down; and the fourth on May 26th at both Daisy Hill Hospital and Craigavon Area Hospital.

McEntee, who was from Kilkeel, Co Down, ultimately absconded from Craigavon Area Hospital and broke into the Cawderys’ home on nearby Upper Ramone Park when they were out shopping.

When they returned he was still in the property and he killed them.

 

Mr Cawdery was a retired veterinary surgeon and research pharmacologist. He had worked for the colonial government of Kenya and Uganda.

Mr Cawdery was a civil servant in the colonial government of Uganda and latterly a company director and housewife.

In a statement on Wednesday, Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said: “I recognise that the family of Mr and Mrs Cawdery have had to live with the lasting impact of this horrendous attack and the loss of Michael and Marjorie.

“We have, following the stark findings of the inquest, carried out our own internal review, and a serious adverse incident review conducted by the Health Trust, established a gold co-ordinating group under Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson, head of our justice department, to develop an action plan to address identified shortcomings and develop our engagement with the Department of Health and other partners.

“I am keen to reassure the family about our commitment to this work.

“I want to reiterate my sincere apologies to the Cawdery family on behalf of the Police Service of Northern Ireland for all failings which have been highlighted in our handling of this tragic case.

“It is imperative that we learn the lessons and do everything we can to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.”