Leah Croucher: ‘Fundamental review of sex offender monitoring needed’ after 19-year-old’s murder | UK News

A coroner has called for a “fundamental review” of the process of monitoring sex offenders in the community following the murder of 19-year-old Leah Croucher.

Senior Coroner Tom Osborne found that Ms Croucher, who went missing whilst walking to work on February 15, 2019, was kidnapped and killed by Neil Maxwell following an inquiry in June.

Croucher – a black belt in taekwondo – may have tried to defend herself from a sexual attack before she was killed, the inquest heard.

His remains were only found in October 2022 in Furzton, Milton Keynes, in the attic of a house left empty during the COVID pandemic, following a tip-off from a maintenance worker.

Maxwell, who took his own life in April 2019, two months after Croucher disappeared, was convicted of sexual assault in February 2018 and wanted for a sexual assault in Milton Keynes the following November.

Mr Osborne said failures in your monitoring did not directly contribute to his death, but it is “possible that the discoveries played a role”.

He has now sent a report to Justice Minister Lord Timpson, warning that “there is a risk of future deaths occurring unless action is taken”.

“Leah Croucher was unlawfully killed by a man who was subject to probation service and police supervision,” he wrote.

“Despite this supervision, he violated the terms of his probation and was able to kill Leah when it became known that he was a predator and a danger to women.

“There should be a fundamental review of the process of monitoring sexual offenders in the community and the sharing of information between all agencies, especially the police and the probation service, to ensure a similar death can be prevented.”

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Maxwell, a handyman who was the only person with keys to the property where Ms Croucher’s body was found, was assessed as medium risk following his conviction for sexual assault in February 2018, the inquest heard.

But it was later decided he should have been assessed as high risk.

Maxwell failed to show up for a series of probation appointments in 2018 and, to avoid arrest for the other sexual assault suspect, stopped using her phone and car.

Police believe he also lost weight and grew a beard to change his appearance.

Osborne said the acceptance and vetting of officers using an information-sharing system called Visor was “woefully inadequate”.

He also found that the risk Maxwell posed to the public was “underestimated and underreported” and that there was a failure to properly share information between police and probation.