North Yorkshire Police makes IOPC referral over death of woman in River Derwent

A police force has referred itself to the watchdog over contact it had with a woman who later died after being pulled from a river.

North Yorkshire Police made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over the death of 49-year-old Lisa Welford.

She was pulled from the River Derwent, Malton, on 24 April and died in hospital.

Vincent Morgan, 47, from Malton, has been charged with murder and appeared at Leeds Crown Court on 30 April. He was remanded in custody to appear in court again on 21 May.

A preliminary trial date has been set for 21 October.

An IOPC spokesperson said its investigation was in the "very early stages".

A spokesperson added: "Following a referral from North Yorkshire Police we have begun an investigation into the prior contact the force had with a woman who was found in the River Derwent on 24 April and sadly pronounced dead in the early hours of the next day."

In a tribute Ms Welford's family described her as a "wonderful daughter, mum, auntie, and little sister".

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