Mother’s death was not preventable but opportunities were missed

And chief constable says new domestic abuse laws ‘won’t solve things overnight’

Nothing could have been done to prevent, or predict, the homicide of an Island resident who was killed at the hands of her son.

That’s the finding from a Serious Case Management Review which has published its review into the death of the woman last year.

In January 2021 police responded to a call regarding an assault at a home on the Island.

When they arrived they found a man - referred to in the report as ‘Mr K’ - had been attacked and was injured.

Whilst in the house officers found his wife, ‘Mrs K’, dead – she’d been strangled, and killed, with a towel; the perpetrator – her son.

Named ‘Mark’ for the purpose of the review he was later found guilty of manslaughter and attempted murder - owing to his diagnosis of schizophrenia.

He’s now in the care of a mental health hospital in the United Kingdom.

The author of the Serious Case Management Review compiles the evidence provided by safeguarding teams on the Island to examine what happened throughout his life.

Detailing his teenage years it highlights how Mark was a young carer to his disabled father, witnessed the domestic abuse of his mum, and faced the problems that stem from two parents with a problematic use of alcohol.

The report has highlighted four key recommendations:

• The Isle of Man Safeguarding Board should assure itself that there are robust measures in place for responding to incidents of domestic abuse, including considering the risks and vulnerabilities of all people within the household, particularly children and young people.
• Manx Care should lead an awareness raising campaign about being a young carer. The campaign should target key services for children and young people.
• The Department of Health and Social Care, working in partnership with Manx Care, should assure there are robust processes in place to correctly identify an adult/child’s registered GP.
• The review should be shared with the Department of Home Affairs to inform the implementation of its Domestic Abuse strategy to address some of the concerns around multi-agency notification and risk assessments.

Lesley Walker is the Independent Chair of the Safeguarding Board and spoke to Lewis Foster about the findings and what they mean by 'Think Family':

Sally Shaw is the Executive Director for Mental Health, Social Care and Safeguarding:

New domestic abuse laws are due to come into force on the Isle of Man in January.

Gary Roberts is the chief constable of the Isle of Man Constabulary and sits on the safeguarding board.

He told Manx Radio they won’t change things overnight but it’s a positive step forward:

You can find the full report into Family K HERE.