SLEEPOVER monster Damien Bendall murdered his pregnant partner and three children after 51 mistakes by the Probation Service, it emerged yesterday.
Relatives said the “litany” of failures “must never happen again”.
Monster Bendall murdered his pregnant partner and three children after 51 mistakes by the Probation ServicePA
A coroner found the blunders “played a role” in Bendall, 33, killing Terri Harris, 35, son John Paul, 13, daughter Lacey Bennett, 11, and her friend Connie Gent, also 11, who was staying over in September 2021.
The two week Chesterfield inquest was told Bendall, who had a history of domestic abuse, was under curfew at Ms Harris’s home in Killamarsh, Derbys, but no safeguarding checks were carried out.
He was given a whole life jail sentence in December 2022.
Oliver Carter, representing Jason Bennett – father of John Paul and Lacey – and Connie’s mother, Kerry Shelton, said the children were “kind and caring” and had been selling sweets to raise money for charity on the day they were killed.
He said: “During the course of the inquest a litany of failings by the Probation Service as to how Damien Bendall was able to commit the terrible crimes he did have been laid bare.
“The hardest thing for them (Jason and Kerry) to accept is how failings by the authorities exposed their children to a serious risk of harm. Jason and Kerry believe that if appropriate measures had been taken, their children would still be alive today.
“They’re adamant that decisive action now needs to be taken to address the issues identified during the course of the inquest.
“It is vital that the Probation Service takes proper action following the Report to Prevent Future Deaths which will be made by the coroner.
“Too often in the past, we’ve seen reviews and investigations make recommendations which have taken years to implement. It’s crucial that the findings of the inquest aren’t pushed aside.
“The organisations that could have protected the families need to accept the inquest’s findings and take meaningful and lasting steps to reduce the risk of a similar incident happening again.”
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