It’s OK, Folks, Panic Over, Right?

 It wasn’t terrorism after all, just another mentally ill black guy deciding to go on a rampage, almost certainly known to the authorities like Valdosta Calocane and left to roam the streets because of his ‘uman rites (none of whom will face any consequences for their failure, naturally!).

What are you worried about? It’s not like there aren’t more of them in the UK than terrorists, eh? 

Props to the ‘Mail’ for confirming the colour of one of the victims blood, stonking journalism there, chaps! 

 Whew! What a relief! No Vulcans here! 

Update: 

And now we know, it is - once again-  a case where all the fulsome praise for the emergency services turns to ash once it becomes obvious that - once again - they failed to secure this stabby lunatic before the train rampage. Oh and they Tasered a completely innocent bystander. Makes a nice change from fatally shooting one, I suppose.

But No-One Will Be Sacked Or Face Any Consequences....

Failings by a Labour-run council contributed to the death of a foster mother who was killed by a 12-year-old boy she was caring for. 

The boy said to police: 'Is she dead?' and 'looks like I got my first kill?' before insisting: 'It was an accident, I swear.' When he was arrested after trying to run away from police, the balaclava-clad youngster told a policewoman: 'I'm going to f***ing kill your family, you b****, and I don't give a f***.'

All he got was two years for manslaughter, and is probably out roaming the streets by now. The coroner is pointing finges: 

She said the circumstances which led to the fatal incident 'were contributed to by the failings of the Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council to have appropriate systems and processes in place when placing foster children, including but not limited to the lack of accurate and complete documentation, failure to communicate risks and concerns appropriately, failure to conduct appropriate risk assessments and failing to safeguard those in their care'. Ms Whittle said she would be writing a 'prevention of future deaths' report addressing issues including the council's lack of documentation and failure to complete forms; and a shortage of placements, although she said this was a 'national issue' and not just to be directed at Rotherham.

No doubt, but what consequences will there ever be for people who failed their duties, when they work for the State? People who rely on those with this sort of suicidal empathy?

The inquest heard how Mr and Mrs Grant volunteered to take him, despite them being categorised as only able to take in one child at a time, largely because of the complexities Child Y presented to them.

The complexities, or the colour of the child's skin? The foster parents were black, and although his idenntity has not been revealed, I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts the kid is too... 

Ms Whittle said that Child X had a youth caution for possessing a knife and had at times talked about wanting to be part of gang culture, but this information was not included on the initial placement referral form, making it 'deficient'. She said Mrs Grant's decision that she could provide Child X with a short term placement 'was made without her full knowledge of Child X's risks' because of 'the failings of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council to have in place systems and processes to ensure full details are included and up to date forms were used'.

She's dead, and cannot speak to her knowledge, which is handy for the coroner, I guess! 

Would That Have Helped?

The hearing also heard that she had not been given enough “control and restraint” training and was not provided with a PPE helmet.

I'm not sure any amount of training would help a 54 year old woman subdue a 28 year old deranged man...

He said that Ms Barwell was not aware of Burke’s previous violent outbursts despite Serco having access to this information.

“No-one told her or gave her any indication that this was a man who could lash out for any reason and that you could not read him or know how he would react and that is certainly what happened here,” Mr Menzies said.

Do you have to inform zookeepers that the tiger they are caring for could lunge at any moment? No, of course not - you're expected to understand it's a dangerous anumal. 

Why is it different for Serco employees?

There Will Be No Accountability Until Heads Roll...

Claire did not know what to do, to say, to think. What she does remember was that the police officers were kind.

One of them assured her that, whatever else she was facing, she need not worry about the legal process.

‘He said a man had tried to do a U-turn and gone straight into David. It was a clear-cut case of dangerous driving and there were witnesses. Justice would be done.

‘At least that was one thing I did not have to worry about.’

But you were wrong. He might have been kind, but the rest of his farce weren't. 

At Cambridge Crown Court, pensioner William Curtis, 88, was found guilty of causing death by careless driving.

No, I know what you're thinking - 'But the police did their jobs! Why are you complaining?'  

It was no thanks to Bedfordshire Police. Despite the assurances of that first officer, the force initially refused to bring charges against Curtis, suggesting to Claire that her husband had been partly to blame for the accident. This was simply not true, and was indeed challenged by the coroner at David’s inquest.

Claire, now 68, has spent the past four years challenging officers, all the way up to and including Chief Constable Garry Forsyth, and enlisting the help of her local MP.

Why? Laziness? No. Corruption. What else can you call this?

Claire discovered that the pensioner the police seemed unwilling to blame was the grandfather of a civilian police employee.

And incredibly, lying to the real victim.  

I remember asking them, tongue-in-cheek, if the old man was related, because I couldn’t see another explanation. I was told: “No, no, absolutely not.”

‘But he was, and it was subsequently confirmed that his granddaughter had emailed officers working on the case for information, and her husband had sat in on his interview.’

How are they not facing more than simply public opprobium in a national newspaper?

 I thought you chaps were interested in this sort of thing..?

The Chief Constable’s statement on the sorry affair acknowledges that Claire succeeded where his officers had failed.

‘The failings in the investigation . . . undoubtedly compounded the pain, suffering and grief that Mr Fudge’s wife and family have had to endure since his death, and I am genuinely sorry,’ he said.

‘If it had not been for their relentless campaigning there is real potential this would have slipped by and justice would have been missed. I’m so pleased that didn’t happen. We have reimbursed the cost of their private investigation, which played a key role in the matter being re-opened.’

You pay back the money and think that's the end of it? What about those officers who handled the case? 

Yet no one has been disciplined for the police failings. Claire says one of the officers involved has been promoted. Given that this whole case was about accountability, that rankles.

As you would expect.  

H/T: SadButMadLad via Twitter