Background:

On 25 April 2022 police forced entry to a property in Bermondsey, London, where the bodies of Denton Burke (aged 68), Dolet Hill (aged 64), Tanysha (Raquel) Ofori-Akuffo (aged 45), and Samantha Drummonds (aged 27) were found. All four victims had suffered stab wounds and lacerations. Joshua Jacques was charged with these murders.

In June 2022, the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State asked the Chief Inspector of Probation to undertake an independent review into how the Probation Service managed Joshua Jacques, as he was under probation supervision when he was arrested for these offences. This review was completed in November 2022 and can now be published following the completion of criminal proceedings.

Statement:

Chief Inspector of Probation Martin Jones CBE stated:

“There were serious failings in the supervision of Joshua Jacques. Despite concerns about repeated non-compliance with his licence conditions, enforcement practice was inconsistent and opportunities to recall Jacques to custody were missed.

“Joshua Jacques was incorrectly allocated to a newly qualified probation officer who had only finished their training three months before being assigned the case. Under guidelines by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), Jacques should have been allocated to an experienced, qualified probation officer. The probation practitioners in this case lacked the required experience to respond adequately to the complexity of the case. The management oversight of the probation practitioners involved in this case was also insufficient. Probation staff reported a lack of confidence in decisions made by their line manager, contributing to a reluctance to seek out further management oversight.

“There was a lack of professional curiosity in all areas of probation practice in this case. This meant several events, such as an arrest for further offences, disclosure of declining mental health, problematic behaviour towards neighbours, a new relationship, and the unpermitted use of social media, were not responded to or explored sufficiently.

“Joshua Jacques was appropriately assessed as posing a high risk of serious harm to the public prior to his release from custody. However, his risk in other categories, including to staff or potential partners was underestimated. No risk assessment was completed for Jacques following his release which resulted in no risk management plan or sentence plan in the community being completed.

“Probation practitioners were aware of Jacques’ mental health history, including that he had been sectioned in 2018 and that he had behaved violently during a period when his mental health was not stable. Jacques had also reported that random aggression could be a symptom of declining mental health. In February 2022, Jacques disclosed to probation court staff that he was experiencing a decline in his mental health; however, no action was taken. Inspectors found during this review that probation staff felt ill equipped to understand and respond to mental health concerns, with limited training and support being available to them.

“The case records show that Jacques was routinely using cannabis whilst on probation, and his licence contained a condition to engage in a drug abuse intervention on release from prison. No such intervention was organised by the Probation Service and our inspection found no evidence of a referral to a drugs agency.

“Sadly, this case is symptomatic of the issues we have observed across the probation service in recent years. A reliance on an inexperienced cohort of probation staff, a lack of support for mental health and substance misuse issues alongside insufficient management oversight are concerns which have been highlighted repeatedly. As a result of this review, eight recommendations were made to HMPPS. They have accepted all these recommendations and responded with an action plan for implementing them.”

ENDS

Notes to editor

1. The report is available at: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation/inspections/jjsfo2024/ (07 March 2024 00:01)
2. Joshua Jacques had been released on licence on 11 November 2021 following a 51-month custodial sentence in 2019 for offences of supplying class A drugs and possession of class B drugs. A full timeline of Jacques’ offences is included in the report.
3. HM Inspectorate of Probation is the independent inspector of youth justice and probation services across England and Wales.
4. The Inspectorate does not typically conduct reviews when people on probation commit serious further offences. Very occasionally – as in this case – the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice makes a direct request for an independent review. The Inspectorate retains control over the terms of reference, methodology and contents of these reviews.
5. Prior to 26 June 2021, probation services in England and Wales were delivered by the National Probation Service and Community Rehabilitation Companies. On 26 June 2021, all probation services were unified into a single Probation Service. We have used the term “probation services” to talk about all of the services that were involved in managing Joshua Jacques. We have used the term “the Probation Service” (with capital P and S) to refer to the organisation that is now responsible for managing all people on probation in England and Wales.
6. In 2021, the Inspectorate published A joint thematic inspection of the criminal justice journey for individuals with mental health needs and disorders. This inspection found that mental health can present significant challenges for probation practitioners and is often characterised by insufficient information exchange and the need for better training and support. Inspectors found during this review that staff felt ill equipped to understand and respond to mental health concerns, with limited training and support being available.
7. For media enquiries, please contact Head of Communications, Louise Cordell media@hmiprobation.gov.uk (E-mail address)