Inquiry over woman stabbed to death by boyfriend after hospital release

James Kennedy admitted stabbing Joanne Gallacher to death

The family of a woman killed by her boyfriend have welcomed the news that a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into her death will begin in the summer.

Joanne Gallacher was stabbed to death by James Kennedy, who had previous psychiatric issues, just hours after he was released from hospital in 2018.

The FAI will focus on the way Kennedy was managed by mental health services.

A preliminary hearing will take place on 12 July.

Ms Gallacher, of East Kilbride, had visited Kennedy two days before she was killed.

He claimed to have swallowed weed killer and she immediately called for an ambulance.

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He was later discharged from hospital with a follow-up appointment made for a short time later.

On the day of her death, Ms Gallacher contacted the hospital to express concerns about him being sent to his home in Biggar, South Lanarkshire.

Kennedy pled guilty in 2019 to a reduced charge of culpable homicide on the basis of diminished responsibility due to him suffering "an abnormality of the mind" at the time of the killing.

'Serious gaps in process'

Ms Gallacher's mum, Louise said she has been left "sick to my stomach" when hearing the first FAI hearing is on 12 July - the day her daughter would have been turning 38 years old.

She added: "I am pleased this FAI is now going ahead but I'm obviously still devastated about why it's going ahead.

"It's not just Kennedy that's responsible for Joanne's death - there are serious gaps in process and care that contributed to this and that's what we need to address to make sure something like this never happens again.

"The last few years have been a rollercoaster so this FAI is the first sense of progress we've had. But ultimately Kennedy is still alive and Joanne isn't, and no amount of hearings will ever change that."

Joanne Gallacher died in a flat in Biggar, South Lanarkshire

The FAI will explore the circumstances of Ms Gallacher's death, focusing on the way Kennedy - who is detained at the State Hospital at Carstairs - was managed and risk assessed by mental health services.

It will also look at the care planning and inter-agency communications in the lead up to her killing.

Procurator Fiscal Katrina Parkes, who leads on death investigations for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said:  "The Lord Advocate considers that the death of Joanne Gallacher occurred in circumstances giving rise to significant public concern and as such a discretionary FAI should be held. 

"An FAI will allow a full public airing of the evidence of the procurator fiscal's wider investigations with interested parties.

"The evidence will be tested in a public setting and be the subject of an independent judicial determination."