Teenager killed by rapist on the run who was 'known danger' to women

The 19-year-old was murdered successful February 2019 by fugitive rapist Neil Maxwell arsenic a coroner warns that akin crimes could hap unless enactment offenders are amended monitored

Probation chiefs person days to respond to an urgent informing that failures to way enactment offenders could pb to much deaths similar tragic Leah Croucher’s.

A coroner claimed supervision of convicted predators similar her slayer Neil Maxwell is not robust enough. Leah, 19, was snatched successful 2019 by fugitive rapist Maxwell, 49, who murdered her and stashed her dismembered assemblage successful a loft wherever it laic for astir 4 years.

Leah’s parents John, 50, and Claire, 49, person called for urgent enactment to “keep others safe”. Tom Osborne, elder coroner for Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, said Maxwell “was successful breach of the presumption of his probation and was capable to termination Leah erstwhile it was known helium was a predator and a information to females”.

He added: “There should beryllium a cardinal reappraisal of the process for monitoring enactment offenders successful the assemblage and the sharing of accusation betwixt each agencies, peculiarly the constabulary and probation service, to guarantee a akin decease tin beryllium prevented.”

Probation Minister James Timpson has until Wednesday to uncover however helium volition code shortfalls highlighted successful the coroner’s Prevention of Future Deaths Report. John and Claire said: “We are urging the curate to implicit a thorough reappraisal of the system, creating an enactment program with timescales for these improvements to beryllium achieved.

“Leah was failed. It is our ngo to bash what we could not execute for our girl and support others harmless erstwhile they are walking to work.” Leah disappeared connected February 15, 2019, arsenic she walked to enactment successful the Furzton country of Milton Keynes.

Police searched 3,500 houses, followed 1,500 lines of inquiry, examined 1,200 documents, 1,600 messages and took 500 statements. Leah was not recovered until 2022 astatine a location handyman Maxwell had worked astatine adjacent wherever Leah was past seen alive.

Her disappearance was excessively overmuch for fractional member Haydon, who took his ain beingness successful 2019. Maxwell, who had a “predilection for young females”, killed himself 2 months aft Leah vanished.

He was being hunted implicit a enactment onslaught but officials had mislaid way of him and failed to measure him arsenic “high-risk” contempt offences going backmost much than 20 years. John and Claire said it was “disappointing” that authorities had not made changes successful the 15 months anterior to the inquest.

They added: “We would similar to impulse the constabulary to pass america of the steps taken to apprehend Maxwell. We are near successful the misery of having to beg for scraps of information.”