CWMBRAN TRIPLE MURDER REPORT: Police knew of 45 violent acts by killer, including torching his mother’s bed, believing her to be in it

A DAMNING review has slammed agencies for failing to recognise and address triple murderer Carl Mills’ behaviour as “sexual exploitation and domestic abuse”.

A Serious Case Review into the deaths of 17-year-old Kayleigh Buckley and her six-month-old daughter Kimberley at the hands of her boyfriend and father of her child has been published today, ruling that had his history been “properly researched”, it is likely that action would have been taken that would have protected them.

Mills, now aged 30, was found guilty of murdering Kim Buckley, 46, her daughter and granddaughter when he set fire to their home in Tillsland, Coed Eva on September 18, 2012.

He had been in a relationship with Kayleigh after grooming her on social media site Facebook in August 2010 when she was just 15 and travelled to Cwmbran from his home in Bolton to see her.

A Serious Case Review, published by the South East Wales Safeguarding Children Board, looked into the period from October 10, 2010, when concern first arose about Mills’ contact with Kayleigh, until September 18, 2012, the night of the fatal fire.

It said that Kayleigh’s mother had “asked for help from the agencies that she thought could help her” but she did not receive the services that she needed.

It added that Mills’ predatory and threatening behaviour was not viewed as “sexual exploitation and domestic abuse” and no formal action was taken to prevent it.

Concern was first raised by teaching staff at Kayleigh’s school who became aware that she and other girls had received text messages from Mills, known to be an adult male, and a child protection referral to social services was made.

Her mother Kim was “at her wits end” and called the police who organised a Strategy Discussion between them and social services.

Kim was told in December 2010 that Mills posed a “significant risk” and that he had been to prison, but police did not know why.

The report states that Mills’ influence “detrimentally affected Kayleigh’s school attendance” and in October 2011, she became pregnant with twins and Mills was the father.

The birth was problematic, with one baby being stillborn and the other, Kimberley, weighing just 1.6 lbs.

Staff at the hospital became concerned about the risk to Kimberley and made a child protection referral in April 2012 to social services.

After police made further enquiries, it was disclosed that they held 25 pages of “offences of aggressive nature” on record and later discovered that Mills’ record in Bolton concerned firearms and weapons and threats to kill.

As Kimberley’s discharge from hospital approached, a safety plan was made by social services which would not allow Mills to stay at the Buckley home or be in contact with Kimberley alone.

The report states: “His drunken and threatening behaviour continued and following an argument he made threats to turn on the oxygen supply in cylinders in place at the family home to support Kimberley and which was highly combustible.

“He did not carry out this threat but on August 27, 2012, did cut cables to the television sets and the fish tank and let family dogs out of the house and garden.”

Mills was not arrested in connection to the incident.

The Serious Case Review found that “expected processes and procedures were not followed effectively and arrangements within Gwent Police for accessing police information and intelligence held by other police forces were inadequate.”

The review admits “it is rarely possible to assert that had matters been handled differently the serious incident that has led to the deaths of children would not have occurred.

“However in this case if the information available in Bolton concerning Mill’s history had been properly researched and considered, and appropriate interagency processes and planning had taken place, the risks would have been better understood and it is likely that action would have been taken that was more likely to protect Kimberley, Kayleigh and Kim from the extreme act which caused their deaths.”

The review states none of the strategy discussions, statutory child protection enquiries and assessments “met statutory, guidance, procedural or practice requirements”

“In particular none identified the need to contact agencies or members of Mills’ family in Bolton to obtain full information about the background of Mills.

“If enquiries are not sufficient and judgments are not sound, the decisions and plans based on the conclusions will be flawed and are likely to be ineffective or dangerous,” it adds.

At least 45 incidents of violence were committed by Mills in Bolton including setting fire to his mother’s bed believing her to be in it, threatening her with knives and physical violence.

The review notes that Mills’ mother stated that the offences her son committed against her were “much more serious” than his convictions suggested, because she could not bring herself to pursue the complaints.

Regarding grooming, the review says that this case illustrates the “need to act early and decisively against perpetrators”.

It was recognised that Mills was grooming Kayleigh however the family were advised that nothing could be done because at the time, Mills had not committed an unlawful act.

It adds that no-one considered taking legal action to prevent Mills meeting or engaging with Kayleigh and that “the breach of a court order restraining Mills would have probably led to Mills’ imprisonment.”

The report makes numerous recommendations including reviewing of procedures and protocols, that the head of family services should review training and authorising staff to undertake child protection enquiries and that the board should consider how to raise awareness of frontline staff across agencies to the options available when young people are the target of grooming.

The review identified that references used to describe Kayleigh’s abuse “detracted from the seriousness, normalised what was occurring and allocated an inappropriate level of responsibility to the victim”.

Kayleigh was described as having a “relationship” with Mills, and recommendations have been made on changing how sexual abuse is described.

The review also received information from Mills’ mother that a court had ordered Mills to see a psychiatrist but he only attended once.

It sees the issue as “sufficiently serious” for further inquiries to take place and recommends the chair of the board writes to the chairman of the Bolton Safeguarding Children Board to request that further local inquiries be made.

“If the case had received a greater degree of supervision and ownership in the police it may have led to greater coordination of service,” the review states.

“Statutory guidance includes with the strategic issues for chief officers of police a duty to ensure the effective supervision of all aspects of policing child abuse.”