The family of Sherrie Milnes, a 51-year-old mother-of-five, has claimed that police missed an opportunity to forestall her tragic dying. Milnes was discovered useless in her Weymouth flat on April 1, 2021, after being killed by her former companion, Steven Doughty, aged fifty four. Doughty was discovered dead at his home on the identical day, having taken his own life. Bournemouth’s inquest heard that Milnes died from neck compression and multiple stab wounds. Her family described her as an individual who was beloved by everyone, with a ardour for all times and a wicked sense of humour.
The day earlier than her demise, Milnes had contacted the police to report that Doughty was harassing her. Her household expressed their perception that call handlers failed to notice phrases that should have raised the log to a higher priority. They argued that if the police had supplied “advice” to Doughty, the devastating end result might need been avoided. Milnes, a healthcare assistant, had separated from Doughty three times before lastly leaving him on February 25, 2021, as a result of a model new relationship.
“ Bargain would at all times pursue Sherrie to get her again, utilizing cellphone calls, textual content messages, sending flowers and items,” the family’s statement stated.
Holly, Milnes’s daughter, revealed that Doughty had repeatedly messaged her mom and had been blocked on social media. She also seen him sitting in his automobile outside their home, checking if her mom had gone to work. Holly talked about that Doughty had contacted Samaritans, as he was struggling to cope with the breakup. A good friend of Doughty’s additionally testified that he was “broken and distraught.”
Detective Sergeant Richard Winn from Dorset Police acknowledged that CCTV footage confirmed Doughty coming into Milnes’s home on the day she died and spending around an hour there. Blood analysis from Doughty’s clothes indicated he had been kneeling over her when she was stabbed. The inquest heard that he had searched the internet for suicide strategies and left a note “asking for forgiveness” for the “s***storm I have caused.”
Winn mentioned that if Doughty had not died, he would have been charged with murder. “I suppose the intention was to get again together with Sherrie in his mindset and, as a result of it was established that couldn’t happen, then if Steve couldn’t be in a relationship with Sherrie then nobody else may both,” he explained..