A damning probe by police watchdogs has concluded that officers failed to act on a warning that could have saved the life of a murdered East Kilbride woman.
Officers admitted that they failed to tell Louise Aitchison about partner Daryll Paterson’s history of violence against women for over a month before he brutally murdered her at the home they shared on April 28, 2020.
Paterson admitted killing the 33-year-old dental nurse by strangling her and then slashing her throat. The 37-year-old was convicted of her murder and sentenced to 18 years in prison in January of 2021.
It has now emerged that police failed to act on a recommendation to formally warn Louise – a vulnerable woman already at risk – of an abusive partner, Lanarkshire Live reports.
Police Scotland has apologised to Louise’s grieving mum Caroline Lyon for its “shortcomings”, but so far there has been no disciplinary action taken against the officers involved.
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Speaking out about the catalogue of police failures in her daughter’s case to The Sunday Post, mum Caroline said the police “might as well have put a target on her back”.
East Kilbride’s MP, Dr Lisa Cameron, described the case as “disturbing” and slammed Police Scotland for letting down Louise’s grieving family “so many times”.
Louise had just been moved to a new home in East Kilbride after being stalked and attacked by another man, but she was soon targeted by Paterson.
When police visited the flat on March 24, 2020, they believed she could be at risk given his history of violence and domestic abuse.
An officer submitted a “Power to Tell” application under the Domestic Abuse Disclosure Scheme which allows potential victims of abusers known to police to be warned of their violent history.
However, an officer and a detective inspector wrongly assessed the risk as low and failed to record the risk assessment on the database.
More than two weeks later, it was agreed Louise should be told about Paterson’s history but officers had failed to include her current mobile number and address when recording the decision on the database. They also failed to give it an incident number or make clear the disclosure was still outstanding to anyone accessing the report.
The mistakes would ensure that she was never contacted and never warned, putting her in grave danger.
A 999 call made by Louise on that fateful day of April 28, 2020, led to officers removing Paterson from her flat, but there was no warning about his history.
Within an hour of leaving, Paterson returned with a knife inflicting horrific injuries on Louise, ending her life.
Five days after the murder, the Lord Advocate asked the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) to investigate police contact with Louise before her death.
The watchdog concluded that had Police Scotland warned her about Darryl Paterson as agreed she “may have taken action to avoid him and ensure her safety, possibly preventing her death.”
Now, nearly two years after her murder, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service are considering a Fatal Accident Inquiry.
MP Dr Lisa Cameron said the local community continues to remain both traumatised and angry over the murder of Louise Aitchison, who was known to so many people in the town due to her years working for a local dentist.
She said: “This is one of the most disturbing cases I’ve ever had to deal with, not least because of the huge number of failures already admitted by Police Scotland, but also because of the number of unanswered questions which remain over how this could possibly have happened to a vulnerable and traumatised young woman who had already been moved for her own safety.
“I will be writing to the Justice Minister to ask hard questions about how a system supposed to protect and prevent cases like this from ever happening in the first place, managed to let Louise and her grieving family down not just once, but so many times.
“It is unacceptable that the authorities who were supposed to protect Louise let her down so badly that she lost her life. I believe this whole case merits a full inquiry involving all agencies who played a part in what happened.”
A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: “COPFS has received a report from the Police Investigations & Review Commissioner (PIRC) and it is under consideration by the Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit.
“The investigation is ongoing and the family will continue to be kept updated in relation to any significant developments.”
Chief Superintendent Alan Waddell, Local Policing Commander for Police Scotland, confirmed police met with Louise’s family and apologised for "shortcomings" in relation to the disclosure of information to Louise before her death.
He said: “Although we decided to pro-actively tell Louise about Paterson’s past offending, the information was never delivered. We do not know what Louise would have done with this information but she should have been given it.
“We have reviewed the circumstances, which were investigated by the PIRC under Crown direction, and improved our systems and procedures to ensure we pass on disclosures under the scheme quickly and effectively.
“The Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland is an important mechanism which has given thousands of people the information they need to make informed decisions about their relationships.”
