IOPC to probe if Durham Police could have stopped Angela Lloyd killing

On Tuesday, County Durham and Darlington coroner Jeremy Chipperfield said some issues about Lloyd’s death warranted proper exploration, including a care emergency service which failed to respond quickly to Lloyd’s desperate calls for help and Hewitt’s contact with police.

After Hewitt was sentenced, the IOPC confirmed Durham Police had referred itself to the watchdog.

But the IOPC did not have the power to investigate as it could only look at cases where the victim had had prior police contact, not the killer, and they had received no complaint.

Lloyd’s brothers, Patrick and Joseph, told the coroner on Tuesday they had since made a complaint to the IOPC asking them to look again at their sister’s case.

The IOPC confirmed an investigation into Durham Police’s contact with Hewitt was now under way.

A spokesman said: “Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of Angela Lloyd, as well as all those affected by her death.

“Our investigation, which is at a very early stage, will look at the nature of the contact police had with Patricia Hewitt, including whether there were any missed opportunities to prevent Angela’s death.”

Durham Police previously said the force would “reflect” on the case.

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