Reece Murphy: Jury asked if police 'failed' missing teen before his death

Reece Murphy, 16, had a "particularly troubled childhood", the inquest heard

A jury has been asked to consider if police "failed" in their duty to try to find a missing teenager before he died from a drugs overdose.

Reece Murphy, 16, was regarded as a medium risk when he was reported missing from his accommodation in Taunton, Somerset, on 29 June 2018.

He later died from multiple organ failure after consuming a lethal dose of the drug MDMA.

The jury was sent out to consider its verdict earlier.

Addressing the jury at Wells Town Hall, coroner Geraint Williams, said it could be judged there had been a "failure on behalf of Avon and Somerset Constabulary to trace Mr Murphy" and a "failure" to follow its own missing persons rules.

Summing up, he said that, according to Supt Yannis Georgiou, Reece should not have been categorised as medium risk when he was reported missing at 19:30 GMT on 29 June.

The teenager's medical cause of death was given as multiple organ failure caused by a drugs overdose

Instead, the teenager, a looked-after child with a "particularly troubled childhood", should have been classed as high risk like he had been when he disappeared from his accommodation a day earlier.

Speaking in court, Supt Georgiou said that after looking at police logs on the night Reece was reported missing, he had "found no evidence police officers had taken any steps to trace" him.

Later that night, Reece collapsed in Hamilton Park and was taken to Musgrove Park Hospital where his condition deteriorated.

He died from multiple organ failure on 2 July which a pathologist attributed to consuming a lethal dose of the Class A drug.

Supt Yannis Georgiou said Reece should not have been categorised as medium risk when he was reported missing

The inquest has heard that Reece had been out with friends in Taunton and they had bought and consumed MDMA pills.

Police were called to the park after reports of an attack on a woman shortly before midnight.

PCs Dean Meace and Stewart Baird attended and identified the alleged victim.

PC Meace approached the group of boys they were with and had "strong suspicions" that Reece was among them.

This came after he had been told at the start of his shift that Reece was missing and may have been shown a picture of him during the briefing, although he could not be certain, the inquest was told.

Reece and the other boys denied it was him - all insisting his name was Jay Evans.

Despite his suspicions, PC Meace declined to call for backup or check the details he was given, telling the hearing: "I appreciate in hindsight I should have made the call."

PC Meace later faced allegations of professional misconduct.

'Refute absolutely'

The officers took the woman and one of her friends, Naomi Norris, back to her parent's house and during the trip the pair admitted that Reece was in the park, prompting PC Meace to call his sergeant who dispatched officers to the park.

They left when they were unable to find him.

As part of a "sweetener" to convince the girl to go home, the officers agreed with Ms Norris that they would drop her back at the park afterwards, the jury heard.

They arrived at around 01:40 GMT when PC Baird said "nobody was around" but in her evidence, Ms Norris said that the boys were there and Reece was "obvious" because he was bare-chested and walking at the front of the group with his t-shirt wrapped around his head.

She said she pointed this out to officers but they did nothing and left the scene.

Both officers "refute absolutely" her version of events and said that "if they had seen him they would have done something about it".

Addressing the jury, Mr Williams said: "Is that right? It is something you may wish to make a finding about?

"Naomi - her recollection of events wasn't very good (during the inquest) but in an interview 16 days after (Reece died) she was 100% certain what she said in the interview was correct."

He gave the jury a list of questions - including how Reece came to die and if enough was done to try and find him.

The inquest continues.

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