The probation officer who really useful that Damien Bendall might reside with a mom and her youngsters earlier than he murdered them has mentioned she doesn’t keep in mind seeing details about home abuse allegations and issues he posed a sexual danger to youngsters.
The feminine officer, who can’t be recognized for authorized causes, mentioned she didn’t recall being informed Bendall allegedly abused a former accomplice in 2016 and had contact with a 16-year-old woman in care earlier than he murdered his accomplice, Terri Harrisand three youngsters.
Bendall, 33, killed pregnant Ms Harris, 35, her youngsters – 13-year-old John Paul Bennett and 11-year-old Lacey Bennett – and Lacey’s buddy, 11-year-old Connie Gent, in addition to raping Lacey on September 19 2021.
Weeks earlier than the killings he was handed a suspended sentence for arson, which included a curfew requirement at Ms Harris’ house in Chandos Crescent, Killamarsh, Derbyshireafter being deemed a low danger to companions and youngsters.
Giving proof on the inquests into the deaths at Chesterfield Coroner’s Courtroom on Thursday, the officer who wrote Bendall’s pre-sentence report admitted that it relied on “Bendall’s personal self-reporting” and that it was “seemingly” she didn’t learn earlier reviews which mentioned he posed a excessive danger.
Peter Nieto, senior coroner for Derby and Derbyshire, requested: “Since that point, have you ever turn out to be conscious that there was info that most likely had recognized that he [Bendall] posed a possible danger to companions and youngsters?”
The officer replied: “Sure.”
Mr Nieto requested: “Do you suppose when you had been conscious of that info at the moment you wrote the report, do you suppose your report would have been any completely different?”
The officer replied: “Hindsight is an excellent factor. If I had on a regular basis on this planet, I can’t say definitively that I might have give you a distinct conclusion, however having extra info would have been extra useful to me to not simply depend on his personal self-reporting.
“It could definitely have been talked about throughout the report and most likely, sure, it most likely would have modified my report.”
Requested if this could have affected her suggestion for a curfew, the officer replied: “I can think about that it will have had an impression on the advice that was given.”
Bendall was given a whole-life tariff in December 2022 for the murders and the rape.
He had been given a 17-month suspended sentence with a five-month curfew requirement in June 2021, for the arson offence dedicated in Might 2020.
The choice to offer him a non-custodial sentence was contributed to by the probation officer’s report which concluded Bendall posed a medium danger of great hurt to the general public and a low danger of hurt to companions and youngsters.
In an interview on June 7 2021, two days earlier than the arson sentencing, Bendall informed the officer that he had discovered work as a builder and had a “mass on the mind”, however these had been by no means independently verified.
The officer later mentioned: “On reflection, he ought to have been assessed as excessive danger.”
The inquest additionally heard that regardless of the officer ticking the field on the pre-sentence report back to say safeguarding checks had been carried out, together with to evaluate the welfare of John Paul and Lacey, these weren’t accomplished.
The officer mentioned that she “wouldn’t have the capability or the time to scroll again” by way of earlier danger assessments or different info, regardless of Bendall having a historical past of great and violent offences relationship again to 2004.
A subsequent inquiry into Bendall’s supervision by the Inspectorate of Probation discovered that the evaluation that he was appropriate for a curfew was “harmful and fully inappropriate” and that it was “extraordinary” that safeguarding checks weren’t carried out.
Paul Clark, representing Jason Bennett, father of John Paul and Lacey, and Kerry Shelton, Connie’s mom, informed the officer that her report was the twelfth associated to Bendall, with the earlier 11 all deeming him to pose a excessive danger, and requested her why these weren’t thought-about.
She replied: “With time constraints, it will be good observe to learn the 11 reviews however I believe when you requested any officer doing a pre-sentence report if they’d time to learn all 11 reviews it will be unlikely that they’d.
“I’m not justifying the truth that I didn’t learn the reviews. I’m simply saying with time constraints and workloads individuals had, it will be unlikely that individuals would have the capability to learn the reviews.
“I’m not disputing issues had been missed in any respect.”
The inquests proceed.