Martlesham Heath murder of ex-girlfriend 'could not be prevented'
- Published
Jane Bartholomew had been hit 20 times with a hammer
The hammer murder of a woman by her ex-boyfriend could not have been prevented by the authorities, a report has found.
Scott Ellis "brutally executed" Jane Bartholomew at her house in Martlesham Heath, Suffolk, in 2014.
Ellis was found guilty of murder in the same year and was given a minimum sentence of 22 years.
The domestic homicide review concluded it "could not have been prevented by anyone other than [Ellis]".
Ms Bartholomew, 39, died after sustaining 20 hammer blows from Ellis, aged 48.
'No contact'
She had had three children with him but their relationship ended shortly before he killed her.
The review, which does not name the perpetrator or his victim, found "criminal justice and domestic abuse agencies had no contact" with either Ellis or Ms Bartholomew.
It also said the children's schools "appear to have no indication that all was not well at home".
Scott Ellis had told friends he wanted to kill his ex-partner, the report said
The review, external found that a month before Ms Bartholomew's death, Ellis had assaulted her outside her workplace by grabbing her around the throat and pushing her into bushes.
She refused to let colleagues report the assault, and they "respected her confidentiality" and did not appreciate the "growing risk" to Ms Bartholomew.
The review, by Suffolk Coastal Community Safety Partnership, said had it been reported "his behaviour could have been challenged by him being arrested and a risk assessment would have been completed".
But because Ellis had no previous convictions it was unlikely he would have gone to jail for the assault.
Despite its conclusion, the review made several recommendations including developing a "communications strategy" to increase knowledge of domestic abuse and coercive control.
It also suggests an "anonymous reporting mechanism" for those concerned about friends or colleagues, and increased domestic abuse training for police, schools, council workers and GPs.
- Published10 December 2014
