Derbyshire Police has apologised for failing a woman who was murdered after making a complaint against her stalker. Gracie Spinks was killed in June 2021, a few months after going to the police over concerns for her safety.
The 23-year-old left her home in the early morning of Chesterfield on 18 June and drove to the nearby stables where she kept her horse. Sadly, within half an hour, she was found at the stables unconscious with a fatal stab wound to her neck.
Just a few hours later, the body of Michael Sellers was found in a nearby field. Sellers had been Gracie's supervisor at a warehouse where she had a temporary job, and four months before their deaths she told police that he had become infatuated with her and turned up to the stables uninvited.
After her death, Gracie's family learned that a bag containing a number of weapons, including knives, an axe and a hammer, as well as a note that read "don't lie" had been found in the vicinity of the stables and handed in to police just six weeks earlier.
Her family claim police did not take adequate action after the bag of weapons was found, nor did they link this to their daughter's stalking report.
Following an inquest into Gracie's death this month (November 2023), a jury concluded the 23-year-old was unlawfully killed, as BBC News reports.
The jury found a number of failings by police, but they were unable to conclude whether these contributed to Gracie's death. Several "failings and missed investigative opportunities" were also highlighted by The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Following the conclusion of the inquest, Detective Superintendent Darren De’ath said: "During the inquest it has been clear that there were significant failures throughout both Gracie’s report of stalking and the way in which the finding of the bag of weapons was dealt with.
"Put simply, as a force we failed Gracie - and for that I can only offer my own, and the force’s, most sincere apologies."
He also said the force will review any further recommendations that may come from the Coroner, adding: “I want to be clear that, since Gracie’s death in June 2021, significant work has already been completed to tackle the failures that were identified prior to the inquest.
"There has also, over the last two-and-a-half-years, been significant changes to the ways in which we as a force receive and investigate stalking reports – as well as how we support and safeguard victims of these crimes.
"However, none of this seeks to minimise the failings that we have seen in this case and the force fully accepts the failures that were part of this most tragic set of circumstances."
Speaking to Sky News previously,Gracie's father, Richard, pointed out that if the family had been made aware of the weapons, they could have "protected" her. "We wouldn't have allowed her to go to the field that day on her own," he said, "We wouldn't have let her go anywhere on her own after that, so that's the view that I've got: I think they let her down big time."
Gracie's family hope to raise awareness of a campaign they're calling 'Gracie's Law'. They're calling on the government to pledge funding to each police force for a dedicated point of contact for stalking complaints.
Our thoughts are with Gracie's friends and family at this heartbreaking time.
Amber O’Connor is Cosmopolitan UK’s former junior features writer, who covers everything from breaking news, women’s safety and real life features to fitness, travel, and cultural trends. She works on first-person features, reports, and long reads, plus the hottest stories of the day (if you want to know about the latest wellness craze or TikTok trends, she’s your girl). Amber has previously worked as a reporter and a lifestyle writer, with her work appearing in numerous publications, including The Mirror, Red Magazine, Evening Standard, Indy100, and Yahoo News. When she’s not working her way through her TBR list, Amber loves dancing, running, and going on adventures with her dog.
