Claims police 'missed opportunities' leading up to killing of Leeds student, 21, who was stabbed to death

Bethany Fields, a university student from Bramley, was stabbed to death with a kitchen knife in 2019 by Paul Crowther. She had recently ended a relationship with him and was subjected to a barrage of abuse and threats from her “manipulative, abusive and controlling” former partner before her death.

Crowther, 36, was handed a life sentence for the attack at a Huddersfield pub, having pleaded guilty to manslaughter following a diagnosis of schizophrenia. But it was argued this week that when Miss Fields had reported Crowther’s abuse to the police, her case was “not given the due care and attention it deserved”.

The claims were made during a pre-inquest review hearing on Wednesday (May 31) at Bradford Coroner’s Court, which was held to consider whether a full inquest into Miss Fields’ death was needed.

Speaking during the hearing Harriet Gilchrist, a barrister for Miss Fields’ family, said that a West Yorkshire Police officer who took a statement from the young environmental geography student had failed to upload it onto an official system until eight days after receiving it. This officer, Miss Gilchrist explained, was “very junior” and was on a probationary period at the time, with limited supervision while dealing with the case.

She added: “The knock on effect was that this case was not given the due care and attention it deserved.”

Miss Gilchrist went on to argue that the South West Yorkshire Partnership Trust NHS Foundation Trust, which she said had a duty of care for Crowther between 2014 and 2019, had not investigated his diagnosis further when there were signs of psychosis as early as 2015. However, the hearing in Bradford was told that the trust does not accept it failed in diagnosing Crowther.

Miss Gilchrist said: “When looked at as a collective, it is more than one missed opportunity, it is multiple missed opportunities by multiple bodies and professionals over a sustained period and that, in my submission, would amount to a gross failure.

"It is more than a mere simple act of negligence, it amounts to gross negligence. Therefore, a young woman has died quite a dramatic and traumatic death and that is because duties that were owed to her were not followed.”

Simon Mallett, counsel for West Yorkshire Police, said that it would be “difficult to imagine” an inquest would find anything that exists “beyond what has already been found” in other reports.

Ian Pears, the Assistant Coroner for West Yorkshire, said that he was “leaning towards” not holding an inquest, but a decision will not be made until another hearing on July 28.