Force apologises to family after IOPC finds ‘unacceptable level of service’ following woman’s death

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) determined that the level of service provided “was unacceptable” following complaints from the family.

Ms Faiers died at a property in Minehead, Somerset, in October 2023, where Richard Scatchard, a convicted sex offender, lived. After Ms Faiers’ death, he was subject to a recall to prison for a breach of his probation conditions.

Mr Scatchard was found dead at a caravan site near Watchet six months later in April 2024.

The family of Ms Faiers made several complaints in relation to the decisions and actions taken by Avon and Somerset Constabulary immediately after she died.

The force said Ms Faiers’ death was initially considered to be non-suspicious.

An operational decision was made the following day to then treat Ms Faiers’ death at Mr Scatchard’s home as suspicious and that it should be investigated as a murder inquiry.

“This update was not relayed to the family for a further 48 hours, in part due to being unable to locate trained family liaison officers to meet Ms Faiers’ family and deliver the update in-person,” said Avon and Somerset Constabulary.

“The IOPC determined that the service level was ‘unacceptable’ because of that delay, and an alternative option could and should have been considered to ensure the family knew that information sooner.

“Similarly, we recognise the additional distress experienced by Ms Faiers’ family at learning of Mr Scatchard’s criminal record through an online search and by not disclosing sooner he was at the address and spoken to by officers when police initially attended.

“This was information that should have been privately communicated to Mrs Faiers’ family in a sensitive way and at an appropriate time.

“The IOPC also found the service level was unacceptable in terms of the decision made not to arrest Mr Scatchard at the scene of Ms Faiers’ death.”

The IOPC began its investigation into the family’s complaints n January 2024 and concluded in September 2025.

“We found the service provided by the force to be unacceptable in relation to three out of the seven complaints made,” it said.

Ms Faiers became critically ill in the early hours of Sunday October 15 and Mr Scatchard called for an ambulance.

“Sadly, Ms Faiers was pronounced dead, following the arrival of paramedics. Avon and Somerset Police attended and spoke with Mr Scatchard before leaving,” the IOPC said.

“The family were concerned that Mr Scatchard was not questioned at that time despite his previous convictions. Officers who spoke to him said they had concerns about his behaviour and had considered arresting him, but they were advised by CID not to and that Ms Faiers’ death should not be treated as suspicious.

“The next day, a decision was made to treat Ms Faiers’ death as a murder inquiry but when officers returned, he had left the property. We determined that the service provided to the family was unacceptable.

“Two further complaints where we found police provided an unacceptable level of service related to failings in communications. Ms Faiers’ family were not told for nine days that Mr Scatchard had been at the property at the time of Ms Faiers’ death. We also found it unacceptable the force delayed telling Ms Faiers’ relatives they were treating her death as suspicious. They were only told the day after a missing person appeal had been issued for Mr Scatchard on October 17.

“Mr Scatchard’s name was later released to media before the family were notified of either his full name or his offending history.”

Avon and Somerset Constabulary said the contents of the IOPC’s report were “being closely reviewed and analysed to consider and implement any further learning and improvements to the service we provide to the public”.

IOPC Director Derrick Campbell said: “Our thoughts and sympathies remain with the family of Kelly Faiers for their loss.

“Avon and Somerset Police could and should have done better in the tragic circumstances of this case. We found the service provided by the force was unacceptable regarding three individual officers, whose actions and decisions fell below expectations. While we did not find any evidence to indicate they may have breached police standards of professional behaviour, justifying disciplinary proceedings, we decided the officers should reflect and learn from the failings we identified and they will undergo the reflective practice review process (RPRP).”

In four of the seven areas of the family’s complaint the IOPC determined the service level was acceptable and the actions taken by Avon and Somerset Constabulary were reasonable and/or appropriate.

“No conduct or unsatisfactory performance matters were identified by the IOPC relating to any of our officers or staff,” the force said.

“It did, however, identify areas where three officers’ performance fell short of expectations and believed that these were suitable to be dealt with via the reflective review practice process.

“This process is overseen by an officer of a more senior rank and is designed to be a challenging and transformative learning process when an improvement need has been identified.”

No organisational learning was identified, it added.

The force said it had taken the family’s concerns “seriously” and referred the complaints received in December 2023 to the IOPC.

“To ensure complete transparency, officers and staff provided the IOPC with detailed accounts and evidence to assist them with its enquiries and we welcome the independent scrutiny the IOPC has been able to provide,” it added.

The force made a separate mandatory IOPC referral in April 2024 “on the grounds of death following police contact after confirmation of Mr Scatchard’s death at a caravan site in Watchet”.

The IOPC determined this was suitable for local investigation by Avon and Somerset Constabulary and the force said that process was “ongoing”.