But Hardy inquiry says impossible to have stopped killer

CRUCIAL clues regarding the suspicious behaviour of Anthony Hardy – the Camden Ripper – were not passed to the coroner who reached a mistaken verdict that his first victim had died of natural causes, an inquiry has found.
The breakdown in communication was revealed in a review of Hardy’s killing spree and highlighted as a cause for concern in a final report published on Tuesday.
An independent panel said the police had not passed on detailed evidence to an inquest into the death of prostitute Sally White, Hardy’s first known victim, whose naked dead body was found locked away in the killer’s council flat in January 2002. Covered only in a towel, she had a bite mark on her thigh and a wound to the head.
Her clothes were bloodied and had been cut from her body.
Hardy, 55, was arrested on suspicion of murder but released after pathologist Dr Freddy Patel – in two separate post mortem reports – ruled that Ms White had died of a heart attack. No murder charge was brought and St Pancras coroner Dr Stephen Chan later ruled that that she had died of natural causes.
Hardy – free from the police investigation and later freed from St Luke’s mental health unit in Muswell Hill – went on to murder two more women at his home on the College Place Estate in Camden Town later that year.
The panel, who have spent more than a year investigating Hardy’s actions in private session, found that the coroner was never told of the suspicious circumstances in which Ms White’s body was discovered.
Hardy himself provided no explanation at the time, claiming to have had an alcohol-induced blackout and unable to explain how her body got there. He denied knowledge of her even being there but a key to the locked room was found in his coat and a bucket of warm water discovered near her body, proving somebody had been in the room.
The report said: “We do have concerns about the statement provided (to the inquest) by the police. It is what the statement omitted to say that causes us concern. There was no mention of the presence of the bucket of warm water in the room where her body was discovered, or how he reacted when the key was found in the lining of his jacket by a police officer.
“It did not mention the clothing that had apparently been cut from Sally White’s body when she was dead. The police had all this information but did not convey it to the coroner.”
Ms White’s body was found after police called at his house to arrest him for pouring battery acid into a neighbour’s letterbox and daubing their home with offensive slogans.”
The report added: “The coroner had no way of knowing these things. Had these matters been communicated to the coroner, we think it is likely that he would not so easily have been satisfied that there was no third party involvement or foul play.”
No detectives appeared at the inquest, at which the New Journal was the only newspaper present, and therefore were not questioned by Dr Chan. The mistaken verdict has left many people connected with the case wondering what would have happened if the full facts had been aired at inquest and whether Hardy would still have been free to lure prostitutes to their death in his council flat in December 2002.
Dr Chan has since left his position at St Pancras Coroner’s Court. He can not be traced and left no forwarding address with former colleagues.
The panel added: “The effect of the police statement was to close off any further inquiry by the coroner.”
Police said their initial murder probe ended with Dr Patel’s findings, even though they remained suspicious. Officers have previously pointed to the fact that they asked Dr Patel to perform a second post mortem on Ms White’s body as proof they took the investigation seriously.
Detective Sergeant Alan Bostock, the investigating officer, was not available for interview yesterday (Wednesday).
But he told a TV documentary last year: “The cause of death was given as coronary heart disease which we refer to as natural causes. Not suspicious. So to that extent there isn’t a case for us to investigate. I get paid to investigate unexplained deaths, suspicious deaths not deaths by natural causes. All those decisions are important decisions that are not made by me.”
Yesterday (Wednesday), police said the brief documents supplied to the inquest into Ms White’s death were provided to ensure that the body was released from the mortuary and transferred to her family. Officers said their correspondence was never meant to be regarded as evidence for an inquest. A spokesman said: “Regrettably, for an unascertainable reason, the letter sent to the coroner for the purposes of releasing Sally White’s body was tendered in evidence and the wider concerns of the investigative team were not fully brought before the coroner.”
The panel said they hoped any lessons had been learned from the breakdown but noted that it was not within the remit of its inquiry to fully review procedure.
Released to a press conference on Tuesday, their report exonerated psychiatrists for setting Hardy free from St Luke’s. They ruled that Hardy alone was to blame. Although he suffered from an untreatable mental illness, the panel said he was not psychotic or manic when he committed the murders – and knew exactly what he was doing.
There was criticism for Camden Council’s housing department. The report said there was a lack of focus to the handling of the case following complaints about Hardy’s behaviour from tenants and problems communicating with the mental health service about his housing needs. The council said it had already tightened up procedure but would look at the recommendations.