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A mother has expressed feelings of anger and disappointment after learning about her son’s killer appearing in court on a separate matter, not through official channels but via a news report. David Braddon, who was serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 20 years for the murder of Conner Marshall, showed up in court earlier this year on charges related to offenses committed while incarcerated. Nadine Marshall, Conner’s mother, revealed she was completely unaware of this court appearance until she happened upon a photo of Braddon on her phone. “I was crying,” she recalled, “It took me right back to the day the police arrived.”
Conner Marshall was fatally attacked by Braddon in March 2015 at Trecco Bay caravan park in Porthcawl, Bridgend county, as the result of mistaken identity. At the time of the murder, Braddon was already under two community orders due to previous drug-related offenses and assaulting a police officer and was deemed a low-risk offender. Braddon pleaded guilty to Conner’s murder in June 2015 and was sentenced to life imprisonment. However, he reappeared in court earlier this year, admitting to a charge of handling property by unlawful means and possessing a phone while in custody.
Nadine found out about this latest legal development solely through reading a news article. She said, “I had no idea, and no one in the family knew this had happened.” She described the moment she saw the news on her phone: “I got up and just looked at my phone like you do, and I saw a notification saying something had been posted. I clicked it and saw a picture of David Braddon. I was crying – I just didn’t know what to do or who to contact. Our whole world just fell through my fingers, it took me right back to the day the police arrived.” She was also unaware that Braddon was being held at Parc Prison in Bridgend, about 10 miles from where the murder occurred. “There aren’t any words to explain how I feel. I feel angry, terribly angry. I feel the system, once again, has let us down,” Nadine stated.
The Ministry of Justice acknowledged that seeing offenders in the media can be distressing for victims’ families and said it is investigating her complaint. A spokesperson explained that under the Victim Contact Scheme, victims are kept informed at significant moments during the offender’s sentence, and liaison officers can share relevant information if they anticipate media coverage. However, Nadine criticized the communication, saying, “I would have liked, and expected, to be told about this change in the situation – it’s just not good enough.” Retired Crown Court Judge Nic Parry also weighed in, noting the tragic nature of Conner’s death and indicating that authorities would likely review whether anything could have been handled differently. Yet, he questioned whether there is a formal obligation to inform victims or their families about an offender’s misconduct while in prison, commenting, “Is that really the kind of information that needs to be shared with a victim or victim’s family? Does the duty go that far? I rather doubt it.
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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