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Police Failings Lead to Tragic Murder, Family Sues
1 Jun
Summary
- Family sues police and probation over Michaela Hall's 2021 murder.
- Kendall wrongly assessed as medium risk despite prior assaults.
- Police failed to enter Hall's home despite distress call.
Michaela Hall's family has initiated legal action against Devon and Cornwall police and the Probation Service, alleging their failings contributed to her murder five years ago. Hall was fatally stabbed by her partner, Lee Kendall, on June 1, 2021, in Truro, Cornwall. Kendall is currently serving a 21-year minimum sentence for the crime.
The legal claim, supported by the Good Law Project, focuses on Kendall being incorrectly assessed as "medium risk" by the Probation Service, despite a history of assaults on Hall and numerous reports of domestic abuse received by the police.
Furthermore, the case questions why officers did not enter Hall's home on May 31, 2021, after a friend reported she was being strangled. An investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct in 2022 deemed the police response "unacceptable."
In 2024, a coroner concluded that Hall's murder was "entirely foreseeable" and preventable. Her father recounted finding her body after police had visited three times without entering the property, noting an officer's dismissive remark as they left. The family seeks accountability to prevent future tragedies.
