Failures identified in surveillance of suspect in Leah Croucher murder – investigation

Teenager Leah Croucher was unlawfully killed after disappearing while walking to work, a coroner has concluded after identifying a number of failings in the surveillance of the main suspect in her murder.

Senior coroner Tom Osborne said the 19-year-old was murdered by convicted sex offender Neil Maxwell on February 15, 2019.

Ms Croucher, a black belt in martial arts and known internationally for it, disappeared while walking to work on February 15, 2019 and no trace of her was found for more than three years despite a vast research operation.

Her remains were discovered in the attic of a house in October 2022 in Furzton, Milton Keynes, less than half a mile from where she was last seen, following a tip-off from an officer maintenance.

Main suspect Maxwell, a previously convicted sex offender, killed himself while fleeing police in April 2019, two months after Ms Croucher disappeared.

Mr Osborne said the failures did not directly contribute to his death, but it was “possible the findings played a role”.

He called the recruitment and selection of officers who can use an information-sharing system called Visor “woefully inadequate” and will write a report on preventing future deaths to the minister who will be in charge of prisons and probation for request a fundamental review. .

The failures included: an inexperienced probation officer supervising Maxwell who had little experience supervising sex offenders; the risk Maxwell posed to the public being “underreported and unreported”; the failure in the process of monitoring Maxwell with respect to his attendance at his appointments and his inability to live at the address where he was supposed to live; a failure in the risk assessment carried out; and the failure to properly share information between police and probation services regarding the Visor system.

Mr Osborne called Maxwell a “predator” in his comments.

Asked at Milton Keynes Coroner's Court on Wednesday by Mr Osborne whether, on the balance of probabilities, Detective Superintendent Kevin Brown, of Thames Valley Police, would say that Ms Croucher was unlawfully killed by Maxwell, Mr Brown replied: “Absolutely”.

Mr Brown added: “In normal circumstances, if he had been alive, we would have contacted the Crown Prosecution Service for their advice regarding charging. »

He added that his “professional experience and knowledge suggests that Leah would have died very soon after the day of her disappearance, if that were not the case.”

Caroline Haughey KC, representing Ms Croucher's family, asked whether he believed it was “probably an unjustified sexual assault and that in fact, because of her martial arts skills, she reacted and subsequently died.

Mr Brown said: “I think if she would have fought back, it could have made the situation worse.”

Maxwell appeared on the force's radar in May 2019 after receiving information about him via a phone call, but officers did not associate him with Ms Croucher at the time.

A murder investigation was launched in October 2022 after a maintenance worker trying to eradicate a smell at a property discovered what he thought were remains and called police, the inquest heard.

Mr Osborne said: “Whoever placed the body in the attic had taken steps to remove some of the limbs and place them in plastic bags. »

Ms Croucher's body was found at the house in Loxbeare Drive, Furzton, which was owned by people who lived abroad and used it as a holiday home and had not visited during the Covid pandemic, a declared the officer.

Mr Brown said Ms Croucher walked to work which took around 40 minutes and, depending on the route she took, one route took her past the house in Loxbeare Drive.

The inquest found that a post-mortem examination was inconclusive and Ms Croucher was identified by her dental records. His cause of death has not been determined due to decomposition.

Maxwell was a handyman and the only person with keys to the property where Ms Croucher's body was found.

He was wanted over a sexual assault in Newport Pagnell, Milton Keynes, in November 2018, and used false names to evade arrest, and also stopped using his phone and car.

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

In a pen portrait, Claire Croucher described her daughter as a “kind and caring soul who worried about others and did her best to make those around her comfortable and happy”.

She said her friends described Ms Croucher as a “powerhouse with an infectious laugh and an ever-present smile”.

Mrs Croucher's mother said: “We knew she would succeed in life because of her attitude to situations, she was strong physically and mentally. »

She added that “Leah had grown from a shy little girl to a confident young woman” and that they were “so proud of the woman she was becoming.”

Claire Croucher said “the void left by his loss has broken us”.

Detective Chief Superintendent Joe Kidman, of Thames Valley Police, told the inquest a number of improvements had been made following reviews carried out following Ms Croucher's death.

The inquest heard Maxwell had been assessed as medium risk after being convicted of sexual assault in February 2018, but it was later decided he should have been assessed as high risk.

Maxwell failed to appear for a number of probation appointments in 2018 following his conviction, the investigation heard.

An officer who was caring for him raised concerns about Maxwell's lack of communication in January 2019, Ms Haughey said.

Geoff Davis, head of operations at the South Central Probation Service, said in 2018 that Maxwell was “good at hiding his compliance in terms of his dealings with us”.

He said Maxwell was reporting to probation as directed and doing 200 hours of unpaid work.

A risk matrix was used, showing there was a “high likelihood of reoffending in Maxwell's case”, Ms Haughey said, and Mr Davis said the outcome had been “professionally ignored”.