THE head of the PSNI has issued a public apology to the family of an elderly couple who were killed by a man with serious mental illness.
Armagh-based couple Michael and Marjorie Cawdery were attacked in their home in Portadown in May 2017.
Paranoid schizophrenic Thomas McEntee entered their house and stabbed the couple, both aged 83, to death.
He pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and was given a life sentence in June 2018.
An inquest into the deaths, led by Coroner Maria Dougan, took place at Banbridge Courthouse between June 12 and 26, 2023.
The court heard that McEntee was suffering with a severe mental health illness and had come repeatedly to the attention of healthcare authorities and the PSNI in the days leading up to the killings.
Delivering her inquest verdict on December 13, 2023, Coroner Dougan found that the elderly couple’s deaths were “entirely preventable”.
“On all the evidence before me, there was a succession of omissions and missed opportunities, emanating from poor communication, a lack of informed and effective decision making on the part of Police Officers in PSNI, and staff in BHSCT and SHSCT, in their contact, care and treatment of Mr McEntee,” she said.
“These omissions and missed opportunities, whilst, analysed individually, may not be considered grave, the combination had devastating consequences.
"I find that, had these opportunities not been missed, the course of events would have been different and would have changed the outcome."
PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has apologised publicly for the force's failingsThe PSNI has now apologised "unreservedly" to the Cawdery family for its “failings”.
"I want to reiterate my sincere apologies to the Cawdery family on behalf of the PSNI for all failings which have been highlighted in our handling of this tragic case,” PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said in a statement made last night.
"It is imperative that we learn the lessons and do everything we can to prevent such a tragedy from happening again."
He added: “I recognise that the family of Mr and Mrs Cawdery have had to live with the lasting impact of this horrendous attack and the loss of Michael and Marjorie.
“We have, following the stark findings of the inquest, carried out our own internal review, and a Serious Adverse Risk Incident Review conducted by the Health Trust, established a Gold Co-ordinating Group under Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson, Head of our Justice Department, to develop an action plan to address identified shortcomings and develop our engagement wIth the Department of Health and other partners," he explained.
“I am keen to reassure the family about our commitment to this work.”
The couple's daughter Wendy and her husband Charles Little have welcomed the apology.
“It acknowledges our pain and the terrible outcome that can occur when things go wrong with mental health," Mr Little said.
