The parents of Killamarsh murder victims John Paul Bennett, Lacey Bennett and Connie Gent say action needs to be taken after an inquest found “very stark” failures by the probation service contributed to their deaths.
Damien Bendall is serving a whole life order for the murders of his pregnant girlfriend Terri Harris, her son and daughter John Paul and Lacey Bennett and Lacey’s friend Connie Gent at the family home in Chandos Crescent, Killamarsh.
Peter Nieto, the senior coroner for Derby and Derbyshire, said that while Bendall bore “primary responsibility” for the “brutal and savage” murders of Terri Harris, John Paul Bennett, Lacey Bennett and Connie Gent, there were “several very stark acts or omissions” by both the Probation Service and individuals that “accumulatively” contributed to the deaths.
The inquests into the four deaths, which concluded on Monday, heard multiple reports over two weeks of how Bendall was managed by overworked, stressed and inexperienced probation officers, with the service facing “significant” challenges at the time.
The Probation Service accepted 51 separate failings at the inquests, held at Chesterfield Coroner’s Court, in which it accepted a catalogue of missed opportunities and lack of scrutiny concerning Bendall’s supervision going back several years. At the time of the murders, Bendall was serving a suspended sentence with a curfew and alcohol treatment requirement following an arson committed in 2020.
He was deemed a low risk to partners and children and recommended for curfew at Ms Harris’s home in the pre-sentence report for the arson written by a probation officer, a report that Mr Nieto described as “wholly inadequate and misleading” and that was part of a “profoundly and seriously flawed” report process.
Further safeguarding checks were not completed, with no effort made to speak to Ms Harris and her children to assess whether a curfew at her property was suitable, something the Probation Service admitted was “unacceptable”. As part of his “entirely inappropriate and dangerous” curfew, Bendall was made to wear an electronic tag, during the fitting of which he said: “If this relationship goes bad, I will murder my girlfriend and the children.”
But these comments were not fed back to the Probation Service, even though they “should very clearly have been”, Mr Nieto said.
Bendall’s case was managed by two probation officers with just months of experience between them and who “did not have the experience, qualifications or training to manage the case.” Following the inquest, John Paul and Lacey’s father, Jason Bennett, and Connie’s mum, Kerry Shelton, issued a statement through their legal team at Irwin Mitchell.
Oliver Carter, an expert public law and human rights lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Jason and Kerry, said: “This is a shocking case which has left the families and the wider community devastated.
“During the course of the inquest a litany of failings by the Probation Service as to how Damien Bendall was able to commit the terrible crimes he did have been laid bare. The coroner has today found that those failings – including systemic failings – contributed to the deaths of John and Lacey, their mum Terri Harris, and Connie.
“John, Lacey and Connie were kind and caring children who had their lives and futures taken away from them in the cruellest possible way. On the day of their death, they had been selling sweets to raise money for the charity, Youth Cancer Trust. Jason and Kerry remain traumatised by their deaths and how their children will never get to fulfil their potential or celebrate milestones in life.
“The hardest thing for them to accept is how failings by the authorities exposed their children to a serious risk of harm. Jason and Kerry believe that if appropriate measures had been taken their children would still be alive today.
(Image: Derbyshire Police)
“They’re adamant that decisive action now needs to be taken to address the issues identified during the course of the inquest. It is vital that the Probation Service takes proper action following the Report to Prevent Future Deaths which will be made by the coroner.
“Too often in the past we’ve seen reviews and investigations make recommendations which have taken years to implement. It’s crucial that the findings of the inquest aren’t pushed aside.
“The organisations who could have protected the families need to accept the inquest’s findings and take meaningful and lasting steps to reduce the risk of a similar incident happening again. We continue to support Jason and Kerry at this unimaginably difficult time.”
Following the hearing, reading a statement outside court on behalf of Ms Harris’s parents, Angela Smith and Lawrence Harris, solicitor Farva Butt said: “The Probation Service failed to protect and keep our family safe. They are now gone. This must never happen again.
(Image: Derby Telegraph)
“His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation has been telling the Probation Service for many years that they were failing women and children at risk from violent men with a history of domestic abuse. The Probation Service has continuously failed to do enough to protect women and children like Terri and our grandchildren.
“We hope that no other family has to live through the trauma that we have to every day.”
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