Investigation into police contact with a woman and response to concerns for her welfare prior to her death -North Yorkshire Police and West Yorkshire Police, January 2019

In January 2019, a woman reported a serious sexual assault to North Yorkshire Police, and stated that the suspect had filmed the incident on his phone. The incident was transferred to West Yorkshire Police as the force in which the incident allegedly took place and where the suspect resided. Neither police force succeeded in making further contact with the woman and the investigation was closed after West Yorkshire Police interviewed the suspect, who denied the allegation. The suspect’s phone was not examined during the investigation. In August 2019, a North Yorkshire Police officer reported the woman as a missing person, after receiving information from Harrogate Borough Council. A missing person investigation ensued and the suspect of the sexual assault was ultimately found guilty of the woman’s murder, after her remains were found in October 2019. Our investigators obtained and reviewed police logs and other relevant documents relating to the police …