John Condron
PFD Report
Partially Responded
Ref: 2023-0374
1 of 3 responded · Over 2 years old
Response Status
Responses
1 of 3
56-Day Deadline
1 Dec 2023
Over 2 years old — no identified published response
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Organisations named in PFD reports must respond within 56 days explaining what actions they are taking.
Source: Courts and Tribunals Judiciary
Coroner’s Concerns
(1) I received evidence confirming the absence of any agreed protocol relating to timescales for a suspect to be informed by the police of a decision to take no further action in respect of allegations made against them. At the conclusion of the Inquest, it was confirmed that this was the position both at the time of Mr Condron’s death in November 2017 and at the conclusion of the Inquest in September 2023.
(2) I received evidence that at a National Level, the Victim’s Code of Practice provides that a victim has a right to be informed of key decisions in an investigation within 5 working days, or within 1 working day if they are eligible for Enhanced Rights. This includes a decision by the police to take no further action in respect of the allegations they have made. There is no such code of practice in respect of informing suspects of the same.
(3) I have concerns that further self-inflicted deaths will occur in circumstances where a suspect is not informed, within a specified time period, of a decision to take no further action in respect of allegations made against them.
(2) I received evidence that at a National Level, the Victim’s Code of Practice provides that a victim has a right to be informed of key decisions in an investigation within 5 working days, or within 1 working day if they are eligible for Enhanced Rights. This includes a decision by the police to take no further action in respect of the allegations they have made. There is no such code of practice in respect of informing suspects of the same.
(3) I have concerns that further self-inflicted deaths will occur in circumstances where a suspect is not informed, within a specified time period, of a decision to take no further action in respect of allegations made against them.
Responses
Cheshire Constabulary has revised its Suspect Policy and Procedure to mandate that suspects are informed of a No Further Action decision within 48 hours of the decision being made. This update aims to minimize delays in communication.
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Dear Madam, Re: Inquest in relation to the death of John Condron Response to Regulation 28 Report/Prevention of Future Deaths
Thank you for your report dated 6th October 2023, under paragraph 7, Schedule 5 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 and Regulations 28 and 29 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013 in relation to the death of Mr Condron, whose Inquest was heard between 22nd and 25th September 2023.
Your report contains the following matters of concern:
(1) I received evidence confirming the absence of any agreed protocol relating to timescales for a suspect to be informed by the police of a decision to take no further action in respect of allegations made against them. At the conclusion of the Inquest, it was confirmed that this was the position both at the time of Mr Condron’s death in November 2017 and at the conclusion of the Inquest in September 2023.
(2) I received evidence that at a National Level, the Victim’s Code of Practice provides that a victim has a right to be informed of key decisions in an investigation within 5 working days, or within 1 working day if they are eligible for Enhanced Rights. This includes a decision by the police to take no further action in respect of the allegations they have made. There is no such code of practice in respect of informing suspects of the same.
(3) I have concerns that further self-inflicted deaths will occur in circumstances where a suspect is not informed, within a specified time period, of a decision to take no further action in respect of allegations made against them’.
Cheshire Constabulary Headquarters, Clemonds Hey, Oakmere Road, Winsford, Cheshire, CW7 2UA - Email: Mark.Roberts@cheshire.pnn.police.uk
Response to the Regulation 28 concerns:
Our responses to the specific matters of concern set out in your Report are detailed below:
To our knowledge, there is no national protocol in relation to timescales for informing suspects of a ‘NFA decision’. It is correct that victims of certain specified offences are classed as having ‘Enhanced Rights’ enshrined in the Victim’s Code for Policing, produced by the College of Policing, that prescribes that Enhanced Victims are informed of key decisions (when a suspect is arrested/interviewed under caution; released without charge; released on police bail or under investigation; when a suspect’s bail conditions changed or cancelled; when a suspect is charged; or when a decision is made not to investigate, or a decision is made not to prosecute/ or to decision to administer an out of court disposal) within 24 hours. The Constabulary has now reviewed the existing Suspect Policy and Procedure, that was originally introduced in August 2023 (in order to address the management of suspects in line with Force Crime Investigation Policy and Authorised Professional Practice), and the policy now specifies:
‘As part of the bail management process all Supervisors must ensure that bail is reviewed in terms of appropriateness, ongoing compliance and impending key dates. In line with investigation management policy, supervisors must complete a review after 14 days and then every 30 days after however these are latest dates, reviews can be completed more often’, and furthermore ‘Where an NFA decision is reached in relation to a suspect, they must be updated at the earliest practicable opportunity or within 48 hours and this must be documented on the OEL’.
The expectation is that all NFA decisions shall be communicated to suspects no later than 48 hours post-decision (in cases where Officers make that decision, and also those cases where a decision is made by the Crown Prosecution Service, as in this instance). This ought to minimise the time taken to reduce any delays in informing suspects of an NFA decision. In this case of course the CPS had determined that Mr Condron was to be charged with offences of Harassment, Assault, and Coercive and Controlling Behaviour and would have faced criminal proceedings in any event.
Cheshire Constabulary Headquarters, Clemonds Hey, Oakmere Road, Winsford, Cheshire, CW7 2UA - Email: Mark.Roberts@cheshire.pnn.police.uk
Thank you for your report dated 6th October 2023, under paragraph 7, Schedule 5 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 and Regulations 28 and 29 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013 in relation to the death of Mr Condron, whose Inquest was heard between 22nd and 25th September 2023.
Your report contains the following matters of concern:
(1) I received evidence confirming the absence of any agreed protocol relating to timescales for a suspect to be informed by the police of a decision to take no further action in respect of allegations made against them. At the conclusion of the Inquest, it was confirmed that this was the position both at the time of Mr Condron’s death in November 2017 and at the conclusion of the Inquest in September 2023.
(2) I received evidence that at a National Level, the Victim’s Code of Practice provides that a victim has a right to be informed of key decisions in an investigation within 5 working days, or within 1 working day if they are eligible for Enhanced Rights. This includes a decision by the police to take no further action in respect of the allegations they have made. There is no such code of practice in respect of informing suspects of the same.
(3) I have concerns that further self-inflicted deaths will occur in circumstances where a suspect is not informed, within a specified time period, of a decision to take no further action in respect of allegations made against them’.
Cheshire Constabulary Headquarters, Clemonds Hey, Oakmere Road, Winsford, Cheshire, CW7 2UA - Email: Mark.Roberts@cheshire.pnn.police.uk
Response to the Regulation 28 concerns:
Our responses to the specific matters of concern set out in your Report are detailed below:
To our knowledge, there is no national protocol in relation to timescales for informing suspects of a ‘NFA decision’. It is correct that victims of certain specified offences are classed as having ‘Enhanced Rights’ enshrined in the Victim’s Code for Policing, produced by the College of Policing, that prescribes that Enhanced Victims are informed of key decisions (when a suspect is arrested/interviewed under caution; released without charge; released on police bail or under investigation; when a suspect’s bail conditions changed or cancelled; when a suspect is charged; or when a decision is made not to investigate, or a decision is made not to prosecute/ or to decision to administer an out of court disposal) within 24 hours. The Constabulary has now reviewed the existing Suspect Policy and Procedure, that was originally introduced in August 2023 (in order to address the management of suspects in line with Force Crime Investigation Policy and Authorised Professional Practice), and the policy now specifies:
‘As part of the bail management process all Supervisors must ensure that bail is reviewed in terms of appropriateness, ongoing compliance and impending key dates. In line with investigation management policy, supervisors must complete a review after 14 days and then every 30 days after however these are latest dates, reviews can be completed more often’, and furthermore ‘Where an NFA decision is reached in relation to a suspect, they must be updated at the earliest practicable opportunity or within 48 hours and this must be documented on the OEL’.
The expectation is that all NFA decisions shall be communicated to suspects no later than 48 hours post-decision (in cases where Officers make that decision, and also those cases where a decision is made by the Crown Prosecution Service, as in this instance). This ought to minimise the time taken to reduce any delays in informing suspects of an NFA decision. In this case of course the CPS had determined that Mr Condron was to be charged with offences of Harassment, Assault, and Coercive and Controlling Behaviour and would have faced criminal proceedings in any event.
Cheshire Constabulary Headquarters, Clemonds Hey, Oakmere Road, Winsford, Cheshire, CW7 2UA - Email: Mark.Roberts@cheshire.pnn.police.uk
Report Sections
Investigation and Inquest
On 08 November 2017 I commenced an investigation into the death of John George CONDRON aged 53. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 25 September 2023. The conclusion of the inquest was that: Narrative Conclusion - John George Condron took his own life whilst suffering extreme anxiety and stress in respect of allegations made against him which were being investigated by the police. This was exacerbated by i) him not having been informed that no further action was to be taken in respect of the most serious allegation against him, despite that decision having been made 10 days previously; and ii) no enquiries having been made in respect of evidence he referred to in his police interviews.
Circumstances of the Death
On the 2nd November 2017, John Condron was found at his home address suspended from the roof beams in his loft by a ligature around his neck made from a rope. At the time of his death he was under investigation by the Police, allegations having been made against him by his ex-partner but prior to these allegations being made, Mr Condron had reported to the police that he was the victim of domestic abuse by that same partner. Mr Condron had been interviewed by the police on three separate occasions in relation to two different allegations. On the 23rd October 2017 the decision was made to take no further action in relation to the most serious of those allegations. Mr Condron had not been informed of that decision which exacerbated the extreme anxiety and stress he was experiencing at the time of his death.
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Data sourced from Courts and Tribunals Judiciary under the Open Government Licence.