Joshua Jacques: ‘Serious failings’ in probation

There had been “serious failings” in the probation supervision of a quadruple assassin, the chief inspector of probation has talked about.

Joshua Jacques, 29, killed female friend Samantha Drummonds and her family with a knife in Bermondsey, south London, on 25 April 2022.

Jacques was once on probation and was once intoxicated with cannabis at the time of the incident.

Police realized the bodies of Ms Drummonds, 27, her mother Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo, Forty five, grandmother Dolet Hill, 64, and Ms Hill’s partner Denton Burke, 58, after being alerted to a disturbance by a neighbour.

During his trial, the Former Bailey heard that Jacques took 3g of skunk cannabis a day and refused to grab into consideration cutting down, saying he would raise on smoking marijuana “even supposing it killed” him.

Chief Inspector of Probation Martin Jones, who conducted an independent review into Jacques’ supervision by the Probation Service, talked about it did not organise a drug abuse intervention for Jacques, despite it being a condition of his start.

Jacques had been released on licence on 11 November 2021, following a 51-month custodial sentence in 2019 for drug-connected offences.

The determine realized Jacques’ offending had been contributed to by cannabis abuse, and he was once “properly mindful” of the affect of it on his psychological properly being.

Mr Jones talked about: “The case data indicate that Jacques was once routinely using cannabis at the same time as on probation, and his licence contained a condition to interact in a drug abuse intervention on start from jail.

“No such intervention was once organised by the Probation Service and our inspection realized no proof of a referral to a medicine company.”

Mr Jones talked about the enforcement of Jacques’ probation was once “inconsistent” despite concerns about repeated non-compliance.

“There had been serious failings in the supervision of Joshua Jacques,” he talked about.

“Despite concerns about repeated non-compliance with his licence conditions, enforcement put together was once inconsistent and opportunities to recall Jacques to custody had been uncared for.”

He talked about Jacques was once incorrectly distributed to a newly-certified probation officer and administration oversight of the case was once “insufficient”.

Jacques was once additionally assessed as posing a “excessive threat” of serious injure to the public sooner than being released from custody, he talked about, however his threat to frail partners or probation workers was once “underestimated”.

Mr Jones talked about that the case was once “symptomatic” of disorders observed all around the Probation Service in fresh years.

“On yarn of this review, eight strategies had been made to HMPPS (HM Reformatory and Probation Service). They’ve permitted all these strategies and responded with an action notion for implementing them.”

Tracey-Ann Henry, Mr Hill’s daughter informed the BBC sooner than the listing was once printed: “If he in reality had these disorders he need to gain had a social worker or something who’s checking on him.

“After which we realised he’d not too long ago obtained out of jail. He need to gain had a impress or something.”

Asheka Jones, Denton Burke’s niece talked about it was once not easy to “hear the long document he had”.

She talked about: “I think love maybe something need to had been done sooner than give him the strengthen he desired to forestall this from happening.”

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