An inquest has heard how a killer who murdered a mother and her four children after torching their house could have been arrested by police hours before the attack.
uncertain
who → hear → attack
Michelle Pearson passed away aged 37 in August 2019, more than a year-and-a-half after her children, Demi Pearson, 15, Brandon, eight, Lacie, seven, and Lia, three, died in the devastating blaze at their home in Salford.
Ms Pearson suffered 68 per cent burns to her body in the fire - which occurred in December 2017 - but 'clung on to life' until she died in hospital.
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she → pass → hospital
Now, a court has heard that her killer could have been arrested hours before he petrol bombed their home.
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he → hear → home
PC Mick Grundy, who was, at the time, a probationary officer with Greater Manchester Police (GMP), was called to the home of Michelle Pearson, 37, after she made a 999 call.
Bolton Coroner's Court heard how Ms Pearson's son had been threatened and her home came under attack by Zak Bolland and his associates.
Bolland, 26, had been in a feud with Ms Pearson's son and had already daubed 'Grass' on her house, smashed her windows, set her wheelie bin on fire and threatened to firebomb the house.
At around 12.40am on December 11, 2017, Bolland and others damaged her home again and threatened to 'do the house', leading Ms Pearson to call the police again.
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Bolland → call → police
Michelle Pearson (pictured) died aged 37 clutching a photo of her children, more than a year-and-a-half after four of them died in a devastating house fire
Demi Pearson (pictured) also passed away at the age of 15 in the blaze
PC Grundy and his colleague PC Gemma Quinn took a statement from her and left the property in Jackson Street, Walkden, around 3.20am.
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Grundy → picture → 3.20am
But they went back to the station to do the paperwork - and did not go to arrest Bolland immediately.
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they → go → Bolland
He is understood to have been at his home at the time, around 350 yards away.
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He → understand → time
Bolland returned to Jackson Street at just before 5am with an accomplice, 28-year-old David Worrall.
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Bolland → return → accomplice
They smashed Ms Pearson's windows at the back of the house and tossed in petrol bombs.
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They → smash → bombs
One 'exploded' near the stairs - blocking the only exit to the ground floor and trapping the family inside.
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One → explode → family
Sleeping upstairs along with Ms Pearson were her children - Demi Pearson, 15, her brother Brandon, eight, and sisters Lacie, seven, and Lia, aged three.
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children → sleep → Pearson
All four children were killed, as the blaze quickly engulfed the property.
Ms Pearson suffered 68 per cent burns to her body and 'clung on to life' until she died, 20 months after the attack, on August 25, 2019.
Zak Bolland (left) and David Worrall (right), then 26 and 28 respectively, were jailed for life over the attack
On the seventh day of evidence at the inquest into the deaths, Anna Morris KC, representing the Pearson family, questioned PC Grundy.
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KC → kill → Grundy
Ms Morris said the family were concerned that it would have only taken a few minutes to go to Bolland's home.
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it → say → home
PC Grundy said: 'I did not think about him coming back and doing what he did.'
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he → say → what
Ms Morris continued: 'He could've been arrested that night from the timings and information you had available to you?'
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you → continue → you
'Yes,' PC Grundy replied.
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Grundy → reply → ?
Ms Morris said that all the family received was a crime reference number by text message.
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family → say → message
She added: 'But what else did you put in place to keep them safe that night?'
'Nothing,' the officer replied.
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officer → add → them
A statement released by the family when Ms Pearson passed away read: 'We know she's back with her children and out of pain'
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she → release → pain
The court then heard of another possible 'missed opportunity'.
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court → hear → opportunity
Two days before the fatal attack, Ms Pearson had called police when her wheelie bin was set on fire and the word 'Grass' was spray painted on her home.
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word → call → home
Andrew O'Donnell, a police constable with GMP, was called to the house.
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O'Donnell → call → house
Ms Pearson named Bolland as the culprit, the same person who had broken her windows two weeks before and threatened to firebomb her home.
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who → name → home
PC O'Donnell told the hearing Ms Pearson did not actually see Bolland setting the wheelie bin on fire or spraying the graffiti.
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Bolland → tell → graffiti
He said he made some house-to-house inquiries but could not trace any eye-witnesses or CCTV opportunities, and so concluded that there were no further lines of inquiry to pursue.
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he → say → inquiry
Laura Nash, counsel to the inquest, asked PC O'Donnell: 'So as far as you are concerned, it's case closed.
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it → ask → O'Donnell
And it was case closed.
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it → close → ?
You closed this crime the same day.
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You → close → crime
'
'It is, yes,' the officer replied.
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officer → reply → ?
Ms Nash asked where the officers' 'professional curiosity' was to link Bolland to this latest attack.
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curiosity → ask → attack
The officer said he took 'reasonable and proportionate' inquiries and at the time it was regarded as a low-level crime, so crime scene investigators would not have attended to look for evidence.
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investigators → say → evidence
Ms Nash pointed out that one way to deal with any risk from Bolland would be to arrest him.
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way → point → him
'On what evidence?' the officer replied.
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officer → reply → ?
Ms Nash replied: 'Your inquiry started and stopped on the same day.'
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inquiry → reply → day
Sophie Cartwright KC questioned the officer as to why he did not go to Bolland's address to check the CCTV there, adding: 'This is basic policing.'
The officer replied: 'Putting somebody near the scene or three streets away, does not put them at the scene.'
PC Grundy said they had no evidence on which to arrest Bolland at the time.
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they → question → time
Ms Cartwright said there was a 'chain of events' linking him to the crime and that he could have been checked for any paint, smoke smell or fire damage to his clothing.
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he → say → clothing
She added: 'The very least you could have done was go and find Zak Bolland.
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you → add → Bolland
PC O'Donnell replied: 'Ok.
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O'Donnell → reply → ?
They would be, if we could have put him at the scene.'
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we → put → scene
Timothy Brennand, senior coroner for Manchester West, asked the officer - given that 48 hours later Bolland would murder the family in a firebombing - what his reaction was and if he had thought about what he could have done differently.
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he → ask → what
…and 8 more, not listed.
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