Police left voicemail for man accused of harassment in Burton

It is not known whether Claudiu Vacaru ever received the voicemail message left for him by a police constable, the IOPC said

Police left a voicemail message for a man reported for harassment instead of talking to him in person.

The 16-year-old victim was later stabbed by Claudiu Vacaru in Burton-upon-Trent although the police watchdog said this could not have been foreseen.

It would have been better for police to have directly asked him to stay away from her, the Independent Office for Police Complaints said.

Staffordshire Police said it had since changed its policies on stalking.

The girl was stabbed in the grounds of All Saints Church on Branston Road on 23 January 2018.

Vacaru, 20, of no fixed address, was sentenced to three years and two months in a young offenders institution for wounding and possession of a knife following conviction at Stafford Crown Court last June.

The girl was stabbed in the grounds of All Saints Church in Burton in January 2018

IOPC Regional Director Derrick Campbell said: "Although opportunities were missed that could have led to improved welfare and safeguarding of the girl, the escalation in seriousness of the incidents in January 2018 could not reasonably have been foreseen."

The victim had reported her ex-boyfriend to police early in December 2017 with the incident being classified as stalking and harassment.

After interviewing the girl, a police constable left a voice message telling the man not to contact her, the IOPC said.

"It was not established that the message was ever received and our view was that it should have been delivered in person."

Another constable decided not to investigate a further incident in January 2018 as harassment, despite knowing "words of advice" had already been made to Vacaru. A sergeant agreed with the decision when reviewing it.

Four officers have received "management action" after the IOPC looked into the matter.

Staffordshire Police said it had shared "updated best practice" with staff from the results of the investigation and trained more than 800 staff in recognising the signs of stalking.

It had also changed polices "to incorporate improved safety advice and investigative response for this type of incident".