A jury inquest into the murder of Lucy-Anne Rushton in Andover heard that police failed to review CCTV footage of a domestic dispute incident involving Lucy and her estranged husband, Shaun Dyson, at a Bournemouth hotel nine months before her death.
As previously reported, Lucy was found dead in her Suffolk Road flat during the early hours of Sunday, June 23, 2019.
Dyson was charged with her murder and pleaded guilty at Winchester Crown Court in December 2019. He was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 17 years.
A jury inquest was opened at Winchester Coroner's Court on Monday, December 2, to determine the circumstances that led to Lucy's murder and find if police failure contributed to her death.
The September 2018 CCTV footage from Britannia Hotel in Bournemouth, shown to jurors on the first day of the inquest, captured an altercation that hotel staff reported to police when they noticed bloodstains in the corridor.
On the second day of the inquest, police constable Emily Beck, who was one of the officers who responded to the incident, gave evidence that she did not review the CCTV footage at the time as Lucy had told officers that the bloodstains were from a nosebleed, and not an assault.
PC Beck told the inquest that she believed there was no further evidence to suggest otherwise.
Officers arrived at the hotel at 3.31am, and by 3.55am, PC Beck recorded that a “female has had a nosebleed. Couple has been separated. No offences.”
PC Beck explained to the inquest that the incident was treated as a verbal argument between the couple, and she believed no witnesses or CCTV evidence from inside the hotel room were available.
However, following Lucy's murder, police traced the 2018 incident and found evidence of the altercation, and witness accounts from guests who stayed in next rooms.
When questioned by Lucy's family’s counsel, Stuart Withers, PC Beck admitted that if she had reviewed the CCTV footage available in the hotel, she would have arrested Dyson.
Reflecting on the handling of the incident, she said: “At the time, there wasn’t any evidence or indication to change our outcome.”
The jury inquest has been launched upon the family's wish as they believe the jurors would be able to assist the coroner in his investigation as to whether inaction by the police contributed to Lucy's death.
After Dyson's conviction, the area coroner for Hampshire initially decided against continuing an inquest into her death.
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However, her family called for a judicial review, and the inquest was resumed.
Eleven jurors have been selected for the inquest, which is presided over by assistant coroner Darren Stewart.
The inquest is expected to last for three weeks.
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