"Empty words": Brother of Huddersfield murder victim reacts to case review
Video report by Amelia Beckett
The brother of a man who was killed by his girlfriend's ex-partner has branded the review into the police's handling of the case as "empty words".
Steven Harnett, 25, and Katie Higton, 27, were stabbed to death by Marcus Osborne in a "ferocious, merciless and sustained" attack at a house in Huddersfield on 15 May 2023.
Days before her death, Katie reported to authorities that she had been physically abused by Osborne, 34, and that he threatened to kill her if she ever got a new boyfriend.
A review by the Independent Office for Police Conduct raised "opportunities for learning" to West Yorkshire Police in their handling of the case.
Steven's twin brother, Jordan, said: "I'm not even angry. I'm just sad and worried for the next woman in the same situation as they have done nothing to avoid this happening again.
"They refuse to acknowledge any wrongdoing or take any sort of responsibility as to what has happened which means this will inevitably occur again and again.
"I hope when a woman approaches the police concerned for her life, measures are put in place to protect her. Sadly, I can't see this being the case.
"They may as well be empty words."
A court heard that Katie ended her five-year relationship with Osborne four days before her death.
She made a statement to police about Osborne's behaviour, describing him as coercive and controlling.
Police arrested Osborne, of Harpe Inge, Dalton, but released him on bail stating they were "building a file of evidence for consideration".
Whilst on bail, he returned to Katie's home and stabbed her and Steven to death.
West Yorkshire Police said Osborne's bail conditions banned him from contacting Katie or attending certain addresses. He was also served with a Domestic Violence Protection Notice.
Alison Lowe, West Yorkshire deputy mayor for policing and crime said: "There are 53,000 domestic abuse cases recorded, we know there will be many more than that.
"Many of those cases will report threats to life, so the police have to risk assess and have to take into account the totality of information that they get, and on this case you could not legislate for the level of evil that was presented by Marcus Osborne."
Interim Director of Fundraising, Police and Communications at Refuge, said: "Their deaths were preventable.
"The perpetrator had a known history of domestic abuse and violence, but Katie's reports of his threats were not treated with the seriousness requires to keep Steven and herself safe.
"The devastating deaths of Katie and Steven are part of a broader problem - the reoccurring failure of the police to take immediate action upon receiving reports of abuse and violence."
The review into the case found "areas of possible improvement" for West Yorkshire Police.
This included "improving decision-making procedures around the decision to grant suspects bail in similar cases".
It also raised making it easier for members of the public to report incidents to the police.
The review did not find any misconduct by officers or potential criminal offences by the force.
Assistant Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police, Damien Miller, said: "While the IOPC did not identify any misconduct by officers for how Osborne was dealt with, we have fully accepted that there are identified opportunities for organisational improvement and learning regarding both safeguarding victims and releasing domestic abuse suspects on bail.
"Work has been ongoing in force for some time to implement this learning.
"An independent Domestic Homicide Review is ongoing and this will fully explore the background and wider circumstances of this case.
"The murders of Katie Higton and Steven Harnett were truly appalling crimes and the whole life term given to Marcus Osborne reflects the savagery of his actions.
"Our thoughts remain with the families of both Katie and Steven."
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.