Chair appointed for review into Anita Rose's death

Anita Rose had six children and 13 grandchildren

A review into how a wanted man murdered a Suffolk grandmother can begin gathering information, after an independent chairperson was appointed to oversee it.

Roy Barclay was given a life sentence for killing Anita Rose, 57, as she walked her dog in Brantham in July 2024.

The serious case review into how the police, probation and prison services dealt with Barclay - who had been on the run for more than two years at the time of the killing - was first announced in July this year.

Its findings will not be made public, but will be shared with the relevant authorities and Ms Rose's family.

Barclay had been on the run from police for more than two years when he attacked Anita Rose

Early in the morning of 4 July last year, Barclay punched, kicked and stamped on Anita Rose repeatedly, leaving her with injuries similar to those seen in high-speed car crashes.

She died four days later in Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.

At the time, Barclay was on a list of Suffolk's most wanted criminals.

He had been wanted on recall to prison having breached the conditions of his licence, having previously been jailed for attacking an 82-year-old man in Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, 10 years ago.

He managed to avoid being detected by the authorities by sleeping in makeshift camps, living off the land and hiding in quiet spots around Essex and Suffolk.

What is a MAPPA review?

Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) serious case reviews are carried out when a sexual or violent offender commits another serious crime.

These reviews do not happen often. The most recent figures show that only seven were carried out across the UK between April 2023-24.

This one will look at whether Suffolk Police, the probation service and any other organisation connected to Barclay could have done things differently to prevent him from reoffending - or whether they did everything they reasonably could.

The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) said the focus would be on Barclay's time unlawfully at large.

Suffolk Police said the review would be carried out as soon as possible, to provide "clear and definitive answers for Anita's family".

Nearly three months after it was first announced, a chairperson has been appointed who is independent of the police, probation and prison services.

The BBC understands this person to be Jon Chapman, and that he has begun writing to the family of Ms Rose.

The MOJ said it would share more details once Ms Rose's family had been updated.

'Would you please get on with it?'

Speaking just before the chairperson was announced, Suffolk's police and crime commissioner, Tim Passmore, said he was very concerned the review had not been happening more quickly.

"I think we need to get on with it very, very soon. As quickly as possible.

"Whoever is able to facilitate this process, would you please get on with it?"

Mr Passmore said he expected the review to take "three to four months", but the MOJ did not say how long the process would take.

It confirmed the findings of the review would not be made available to the public, but would be shared with the relevant authorities and Ms Rose's family - which it said was standard for this kind of review.

However, Mr Passmore argued that relevant details should be published so the general public could "have confidence in systems".