Killamarsh murders: Inquest hears Damien Bendall predicted killings months earlier

An inquest has heard how a violent criminal predicted murdering his girlfriend and children months before he went on to kill them.

Damien Bendall was being fitted with an electronic tag following previous offences when he told an officer for the Electronic Monitoring Services (EMS): "If this relationship goes bad I'll murder my girlfriend and children."

Three months later, Bendall, 33, killed his pregnant partner Terri Harris, 35, and three children at her home in Killamarsh, near Sheffield.

He used a claw hammer to attack Ms Harris, her son John Paul Bennett, 13, daughter Lacey Bennett, 11, and Lacey's friend Connie Gent, also 11, who was staying at the house for a sleepover.

An inquest into their deaths is being held at Chesterfield Coroners' Court, in part to examine how probation services assessed Bendall, who had a violent criminal history, as posing a low risk of serious harm to partners and children.

On the second day of the hearing the court heard that Bendall told the EMS officer that he had set his ex-girlfriend's car on fire because she loved it more than him.

In a written statement, the officer said she did not believe Bendall and that his comments were not recorded and she did not report them.

She said she was "shocked" that his facial expressions didn't change at all when he was saying it.

She said she thought he was "just a bloke saying what came into his head."

Simon McKeown, from Capita, the company which is contracted by the Ministry of Justice to install and monitor tags, gave evidence at the inquest.

Mr McKeown said staff were only qualified and expected to pass on risks to staff in order to keep them safe.

He said: "I don't believe she felt there was imminent danger but that comment was so severe I would have hoped it would be raised."

Mr McKeown was questioned by the families' advocate Paul Clark who asked whether he felt there was an obligation to report the comments.

He replied that there was.

The inquest previously heard how probation officers repsonsible for managing Bendall before he committed the murders were struggling with an "overwhelming" workload.

Two officers who worked at Swindon Probation Service, which was dealing with Bendall as he lived in the area before moving in with Ms Harris, told the inquest their workload left them stressed.

Chief inspector of probation Justin Russell previously said the Probation Service's handling of Bendall was of an "unacceptable standard" at every stage and "critical opportunities" to correct errors were missed.

Bendall is serving whole-life sentences for the murders. He also pleaded guilty to raping Lacey.

The bodies of his victims were found in a property on Chandos Crescent on 19 September 2021.

The EMS officer is due to give evidence at the inquest on Wednesday. The inquest continues.

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