Police cleared of misconduct over mother's murder

An investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission has cleared the police of misconduct after a mother of two was killed in her own home in Hertfordshire.

Nicola Cross was killed by Marcin Porczynski late at night on 14 September 2015 in Hemel Hempstead.

The Polish warehouse worker, who was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time, was found guilty of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility in December 2016 and sent to a secure mental health facility indefinitely.

The IPCC investigation found that Hertfordshire Constabulary officers had been called to the area on the evening of 14 September following a 999 call by Mrs Cross and other residents reporting a man that was acting erratically and had tried to force entry to her home.

Mr Porczynski was detained and then released by officers as there were no grounds to detain him further. He later returned to Mrs Cross' property and killed her.

The IPCC investigation looked at the actions of Hertfordshire Constabulary leading up to Mrs Cross' death and also considered a subsequent complaint lodged by her husband regarding officers' communication with Mrs Cross prior to the attack.

The investigator concluded the actions of no officer or staff member with Hertfordshire Constabulary could be considered misconduct.