The PSNI has apologised “unreservedly” for failings in handling incidents preceding the brutal murder of an elderly couple in their Co Armagh home.
Michael and Marjorie Cawdery, who were both aged 83, were stabbed to death at their home in Portadown in May 2017.
Their killer, Thomas Scott McEntee, was handed a life sentence in June 2018 after pleading guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Paranoid schizophrenic McEntee, now in his mid-40s, had previously come to the attention of police and health authorities in the days leading up to the incident.
The Kilkeel man broke into the Cawderys’ home after absconding from Craigavon Area Hospital, and stabbed them when they returned from shopping.
At an inquest hearing last month, coroner Maria Dougan said the killings of the couple had been “entirely preventable” if police and healthcare workers had dealt with McEntee differently in the days leading up to the killings.
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She highlighted a “succession of omissions and missed opportunities” by the PSNI and the Belfast and Southern Health Trusts, including a failure of officers in enacting mental health legislation.
A PSNI statement on Wednesday said the force “apologises unreservedly for failings in our handling of incidents preceding the murder of Michael and Marjorie Cawdery.”
Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said: “I recognise that the family of Mr and Mrs Cawdery have had to live with the lasting impact of this horrendous attack and the loss of Michael and Marjorie.
“We have, following the stark findings of the inquest, carried out our own internal review, and a Serious Adverse Incident Review conducted by the Health Trust, established a Gold Co-ordinating Group under Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson, Head of our Justice Department, to develop an action plan to address identified shortcomings and develop our engagement with the Department of Health and other partners.
“I am keen to reassure the family about our commitment to this work.
”I want to reiterate my sincere apologies to the Cawdery family on behalf of the Police Service of Northern Ireland for all failings which have been highlighted in our handling of this tragic case. It is imperative that we learn the lessons and do everything we can to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.”