A MOTHER of four who was brutally murdered by her ex-partner was failed by police, an official report has concluded.

Karen McGraw, 50, of Tecwyn Drive, Connah’s Quay, was stabbed to death at her home on July 23 by Trevor Ferguson despite making 13 complaints against him to
North Wales Police – the last just a day before her death.

An Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation described her relationship with Mr Ferguson as complex and said the force failed on a number of occasions to properly risk assess and deal with her escalating anxieties.

But the IPCC made it clear that did not make them responsible for her murder and yesterday North Wales Police apologised for not being able to protect her.

Tom Davies, IPCC commissioner for Wales, said: “Karen McGraw was brutally murdered and her family has every justification in wanting to know whether more could have been done to help her.

“Our investigation has shown that more could and should have been done to provide Karen with the support and protection she needed. Ferguson alone is responsible for this heinous crime.”

Miss McGraw had been in an off-on relationship with Ferguson for seven months prior to her death and the first report of domestic abuse was made on April 5.

On the day before her murder she made five calls to police, the last at 8.45pm, but no-one attended despite indications her life had been threatened.

The report highlighted issues in relation to training, information sharing and the completion of electronic referral forms.

Deputy Chief Constable Ian Shannon said: “Karen McGraw was brutally murdered and our thoughts are with her family who are quite rightly seeking to fully understand what happened in the time leading up to this tragic incident.

“We welcome the IPCC’s report and we are sorry that we were not able to offer Karen all the support and protection she needed.

“Since Karen’s murder, the force has made improvements to the way in which officers respond to incidents of domestic abuse and many of the IPCC’s recommendations are already in place.”

Mold Crown Court returned a unanimous guilty verdict on December 4 and Ferguson, previously of Gawsworth Road, Sale, near Manchester, was sentenced to life with a minimum of 17 years in prison.