A shocking new report has found how authorities missed 17 chances to save torture murder victim Jimmy Prout from a ‘cult’ gang who forced him to eat his own testicle.
Mr Prout, 45, was subjected to a campaign of horrific violence at the hands of killers Zahid Zaman and Ann Corbett, before they eventually murdered him in 2016.
Zaman and Corbett were both jailed for life for murdering Mr Prout at the home they all shared, in Percy Main, near North Shields.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how disabled Zaman cut out one of Mr Prout’s testicles and forced him to eat it, knocked his teeth out with a hammer and chisel and even forced him to have sex with a dog.
After his death on February 9, 2016, Mr Prout’s body was not discovered for more than a month after it was dumped on a wasteland near the Tyne tunnel.
A shocking new report has found that the authorities missed 17 chances to save torture murder victim Jimmy Prout (pictured) from a ‘cult’ gang
Zaman (top left) was the leader of a cult-like group of women, which included Corbett (bottom left), Kay Rayworth (bottom right) and Myra Wood (top right)
The court heard how Zaman was the leader of a cult-like group of women, which included Corbett, Kay Rayworth and Myra Wood.
And now, in a Domestic Homicide Review report publish today, it can be revealed that there were a string of missed opportunities – 17 to be exact – to identify Mr Prout as a victim.
North Tyneside Council, Northumbria Police, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and the Safer North Tyneside Partnership, all say lessons have been learned from the 45-year-old’s tragic death and that they have already begun implementing the series of recommendations made in the report.
The DHR concludes that Jimmy was abused in ‘plain sight’ but alerts were not made to those that could have protected him.
The key findings in the report include that there were opportunities when safeguarding alerts could have been made after GP appoitnments, police interviews and visits to A&E but none were made.
The report added: ‘It is well documented that perpetrators of domestic abuse control their victims through following them to appointments and insist on attending appointments and it is therefore best practice to seek to speak to people alone whenever possible.
‘This did not happen and as a result Jimmy did not have the opportunity to speak to professionals at any point during the timeframe of the review on his own.’
CCTV showed Mr Pout beings dragged to a property by Anne Corbett and Kay Rayworth just days before his death
Mr Prout suffered months of torture before he was murdered by a group he considered friends
The staggering report found he was not seen as a victim despite the fact he was dirty and dishevelled, he had lost weight, had lost teeth, and had visible bruising.
It noted that Mr Prout was too afraid to speak out and that professional curiosity was lacking across all agencies.
Paul Hanson, Chief Executive of North Tyneside Council has admitted that if agencies had communicated better, it’s possible Jimmy could have been protected from his killers.
He said: ‘The people responsible for the hideous murder have been served justice in our courts. The people Jimmy thought were his friends, controlled him, manipulated him and harmed him. They did this in an evil, calculated way and they knew the approach they were taking would stop Jimmy getting the help and protection he needed.
‘We welcome the findings of the review and we have already completed work on the recommendations. I accept that if services had communicated more frequently, through the right channels, a greater picture of Jimmy’s life could have been painted. This more complete picture might have provided us with a greater chance to protect Jimmy from the people who murdered him.
‘We will continue to work together to make sure North Tyneside is a safe and caring borough. We will continue to do our best so our communities recognise the warning signs of abuse and controlling behaviour, so they can report safeguarding concerns.
‘Please, if you see something, say something.’
Meanwhile Paula Shandran, associate director of professional standards and safeguarding at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘The report gives valuable insight into learning, which we have already shared across our trust, and in relation to further improvements we can make.
‘We are already implementing these improvements and they include mandatory domestic abuse training for staff, focussed on male victims too, and we now have a dedicated domestic abuse specialist practitioner.
‘We closely monitor when patients with potential safeguarding issues miss appointments or decline intervention and support. We are absolutely committed to working in partnership with other agencies which is crucial to continue to protect and look after vulnerable patients.’
Chief Supt Lyn Peart, Head of Northumbria Police’s Safeguarding Department, added that ‘protecting those who are vulnerable is our number one priority and we will continue to work with our partners to keep our communities safe’.
A statement on behalf of the Safer North Tyneside Partnership, which conducted the review says: ‘This was an extremely complex and challenging case for all agencies involved, we hope this finalised report highlights the valuable lessons all agencies have learnt. We would like to make it clear, when our agencies can work together better, we will.
‘All partners have acknowledged this report and are already well underway with implementing all recommendations highlighted in the Action Plan and Executive Summary.’
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk