Failings in the system led to Maria Stubbings death

An Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) inquiry found that Essex Police missed a large number of opportunities to proactively safeguard Maria Stubbings and her son, and failed to monitor the escalating risk or to detain Marc Chivers before her murder at his hands in December 2008.

Ms Stubbings was murdered by Chivers, a man with whom she’d had a brief relationship earlier in the year. In January 2008, Chivers had been released from prison in Germany, having completed a sentence for the murder of a girlfriend, and following his release he travelled to England.

He was not placed under any restrictions on his arrival in the UK. At the time of her murder, Ms Stubbings was living in Chelmsford with her 15-year-old son.

The IPCC found that Essex Police responded effectively when Chivers assaulted Ms Stubbings in July 2008. Chivers served a four-month jail sentence as a result. However, Essex Police failed to undertake rigorous risk assessment and put safety measures in place following his release from prison two months before the murder.

The investigation found that three police officers have cases of misconduct to answer. The report stated that on December 17, 2008, a PC decided not to visit Ms Stubbings on her own because of Chivers’ murder conviction. When she revisited Ms Stubbings’ home with a colleague, they found Chivers in the house. He showed them round the property and told them Ms Stubbings was out. They believed him, because he seemed confident and comfortable and did not try to lead them away from any room in particular, even though Ms Stubbings’ car was in the driveway. Ms Stubbings’ body was found in the downstairs toilet of her house on the next day. However, the inquest could not determine if she died before or after the officers’ visit.

IPCC Commissioner Rachel Cerfontyne said: “It is ironic that Ms Stubbings was offered the most support and protection while Chivers was in prison, when the risk from him was minimal. When he was released both she and her son were left completely vulnerable.”

The IPCC made a number of recommendations and Essex Police has already implemented a number of changes in an effort to improve the way domestic abuse is handled.

Essex Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh said: “A combination of factors including missed opportunities and organisational failures led to the brutal murder of Maria Stubbings. As a force we must never lose sight of the impact of her death at the hands of a violent offender and we must respond to the IPCC report in a positive way.”

The police and crime commissioner (PCC) for Essex, Nick Alston, said he was disappointed to learn that there is no single body of work which is accepted as national best practice for police forces and partner agencies.

“From my very first day as PCC for Essex I have been determined to ensure that the very best processes are in place to protect victims of domestic abuse, and that everyone is working tirelessly to attempt to prevent such tragedies from happening again,” said Mr Alston.

“I pledge my complete support to that urgent and essential work,” he added. “I will provide funding to help ensure that organisations that perform essential work in safeguarding and supporting victims of domestic abuse can continue and, where possible, expand their efforts.”

The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) lead on domestic abuse, Chief Constable Carmel Napier, said that on average two women a week and one man every seventeen days are murdered by their current or former partner.

“This is too high,” she added. “The police service has committed significant resources and taken action to try to reduce this number as well as protecting people who face abuse of any form at the hands of a partner or family member. This has had a positive impact with a 65 per cent increase in the volume of domestic abuse prosecutions from 2005/6 to 2011/12 and a corresponding 99 per cent increase in the volume of defendants convicted.”

Ms Stubbings’ family, along with the national domestic violence charity