Social services had expressed concerns about a violent offender, Christopher McGowan, who went on to kill his girlfriend, Claire Inglis, and torture her in her Stirling flat on 28 November 2021, weeks after being granted bail. On 25 November, social workers had attempted to visit McGowan at Inglis’ flat, but there was no answer, and no one appeared to be at home. Documents seen by the BBC show that social workers had notified the council about McGowan’s case in September and tried visiting the property three days before the killing. The council, however, said reports for McGowan were not requested by the courts.
McGowan had lived with his former partner for two years, and he had breached the peace with another family in 2014. He had been granted bail five times before the murder and had been sentenced to a minimum of 23 years for Inglis’ murder, which the judge described as “beyond sadistic.” The top prosecutor and judge in Scotland had both written to the first minister about Inglis’ case, arguing that the courts would not have had any information suggesting that McGowan was a risk.
Scottish Women’s Aid CEO, Marsha Scott, believes that the lack of communication between public service systems is a major issue that has been raised for decades. The Judicial Office for Scotland, which is responsible for bail decisions, stated that when the court considers granting bail, the sheriff must apply the appropriate legal tests set by parliament and consider any relevant previous convictions and what is put before the court by both the Crown and the defence.
Inglis’ parents, Fiona and Ian Inglis, are demanding answers and have been campaigning for justice. They are puzzled as to how social services could see someone as a risk, but the courts could not. “If due process was followed, then it needs to be changed,” Ian stated. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Stirling Council said decisions on bail were for the courts to make based on the facts and circumstances of the case before them
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