IPCC
Publishes Rachel Whitear Final Report
The Independent Police Complaints Commission has published
the final Wiltshire Police investigation report into the death of 21-year-old
Rachel Whitear in May 2000 in Exmouth, Devon, on its website.
Rachel’s body was found on 12th May 2000 at her bedsit in Exmouth,
Devon, and her death was investigated by Devon and Cornwall Constabulary.
An inquest in December 2000 recorded an open verdict.
In May 2003, the IPCC predecessor, the Police Complaints Authority, decided
to reinvestigate the circumstances and cause of Rachel’s death and
appointed Wiltshire Police to carry out the investigation.
This investigation was also asked to review the adequacy of Devon and
Cornwall Police’s original investigation.
IPCC Commissioner Ian Bynoe said: 'Rachel’s death and the subsequent
investigation have been followed by the media in this country and beyond
it.
'Many people have seen the iconic photograph of Rachel’s body with
a syringe next to her because of a brave decision by Pauline and Mick
to allow its use as part of an anti-drugs awareness and education campaign.
'I have thanked Wiltshire Police and Chief Superintendent Paul Howlett
and his team for a complex and thorough investigation, which has helped
to answer some of the questions about how Rachel died. He has also provided
his detailed observations on the initial inquiry by Devon and Cornwall
and the manner in which its approach and performance could have been different.
'The investigation has been protracted and complex. Approval had to be
sought for the exhumation of Rachel’s body in April 2004 for a post-mortem.
'The toxicology and other tests from this post-mortem provided enough
evidence to suggest a cause of death. It led Wiltshire Police to apply
to the High Court to seek a fresh inquest when the Coroner declined to
agree that one was justified. The Holcrofts and the IPCC fully supported
this approach.
'The resulting inquest held last year recorded a verdict of death by opiate
intoxication, but was not able to answer whether Rachel injected herself
and whether or not a third party was present when she died.
'I want to reassure Pauline and Mick and the public that this investigation
has been as committed, as thorough and wide-ranging as was possible in
the circumstances. Its inability to provide answers to all the questions
reflects the absence of clear evidence, not any failure to follow up leads
or lines of inquiry.
'This means that for Pauline and Mick we remain unable to provide all
the answers to the questions they need to have answered.
'I want to thank Pauline and Mick for their understanding and patience
during the very lengthy journey we have made with this investigation and
offer them once again my condolences for the loss of their precious daughter,
Rachel.'
http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/index/resources/evidence_reports/investigation_reports.htm
Devon
& Cornwall Constabulary Responds to IPCC investigation into the death
of Rachel Whitear
Mr and Mrs Holcroft have clearly been through a traumatic time in their
search to find out the truth about Rachel’s tragic death.
Devon & Cornwall Constabulary has always been committed to ensuring
a thorough investigation into the circumstances of Rachel’s death.
The force has co-operated fully with the Independent Police Complaints
Commission’s (IPCC) supervised re-investigation of Rachel’s
death carried out by Wiltshire Police. The IPCC investigation followed
the Constabulary’s decision to voluntarily refer the matter to the
Police Complaints Authority (PCA) in May 2003. The PCA decided that a
further investigation into the circumstances of Rachel’s death should
be completed.
The force welcomed the high court’s decision to order a new inquest
in order that all the evidence gathered could be examined and offered
support to Wiltshire Police and Mr and Mrs Holcroft in making the application.
In 2007 the force took notice of the full and comprehensive verdict following
the second Inquest and Mr and Mrs Holcroft’s subsequent comments.
Following the completion of the IPCC Report, Assistant Chief Constable
Paul Netherton met with Mr and Mrs Holcroft and discussed at length the
findings.
Speaking about the publication of the report ACC Netherton said:
'We are sorry that Rachel’s parents have had to suffer the anguish
of a protracted investigation that must have been harrowing. We are also
sorry that the absence of a post-mortem means that they are left with
unanswered questions which can never now be resolved.
'Devon & Cornwall Constabulary has always been anxious to ensure that
a thorough investigation into the circumstances of Rachel’s death
has taken place, which is why we referred the case to the PCA (Now IPCC)
in 2003 and have paid the costs associated with the investigation since
it began in 2003, supervised by Chief Superintendent Paul Howlett.
'We note that the report does not identify any misconduct by officers
and contains no recommendations about amendments to our policies around
drug related deaths. However, since Rachel’s death we have reviewed
our policies in this area and have amended them to include the ACPO Homicide
Working Group guidance regarding ‘Investigating Drug Related Deaths’.
We have also changed our working practices to ensure that detectives leading
an investigation are closely supervised by their immediate supervisor.
'However, we note that Chief Superintendent Howlett has confirmed that
even if the original investigation had been conducted in a different manner
there is no certainty that the outcome in our understanding of the circumstances
of Rachel’s death would be any different.
'We also note Chief Superintendent Howlett’s conclusion that there
was no evidence to corroborate the suggestion that a third party might
have been able to enter and exit Rachel’s room at the time of her
death and the conclusion of the jury at the second Inquest who were unable
to conclude whether or not anyone was with Rachel at the time of her death.
There has also been much said about the way the scene was treated originally
and we note that Chief Superintendent Howlett has found that the officers
who attended the scene did not believe it to be suspicious for various
reasons including:
1. The absence of any signs of a forced entry to the house.
2. The absence of any signs of a struggle in Rachel’s room.
3. The fact that there were no readily identifiable suspicious injuries
on Rachel’s body.
4. The drug related paraphernalia supported the view that Rachel’s
death might be drug related.
'We share the concerns of the Investigator that the absence of a post-mortem
has had a significant impact on the outcome of this investigation.
'Devon & Cornwall Constabulary will always work closely with all those
involved in fighting the misuse of drugs. Mr and Mrs Holcroft took the
brave decision to use Rachel’s death as a warning to all drug users.
We commend their bravery in attempting to tackle this difficult and often
tragic issue.
'We hope that following the verdict of the Inquest and the publication
of the IPCC investigation report, Rachel’s family and friends will
be allowed to fully grieve her tragic death.'
Assistant Chief Constable Paul Netherton
