Safeguarding police visited mother before she and 4 children killed in firebombing, inquest hears

A mother who was murdered along with four of her children in a petrol-bomb attack was visited by police from a safeguarding unit before the fatal incident, an inquest heard.

Michelle Pearson, 37, died 20 months after Demi, 15, Brandon, eight, Lacie, seven, and Lia, three, were killed in the attack on their home in Jackson Street, Walkden, Salford, on 11 December 2017.

The attack was carried out by Zak Bolland, 26, who had been targeting the home during an escalating feud with one of Ms Pearson's sons.

Two weeks before, on 26 November, she had called police after Bolland had used a hammer to smash her front windows.

Two days later, two officers from the Safeguarding Unit of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) in Salford visited Ms Pearson's home, Bolton Coroner's Court heard.

Detective Sergeant Alison Barber, from the safeguarding unit of Greater Manchester Police in Salford, told the inquest into the family's deaths that the unit's job was mainly focused on looking at the risk of harm and threats to the life of members of crime gangs and their families.

The coroner's court heard her unit was notified about the Pearson family from housing service providers and officers visited to gather any intelligence and look at any safeguarding measures.

But Ms Barber said after the visit her unit had no further involvement with the family.

She said the officers were told by the family that the harassment from Bolland was due to Ms Pearson's son being in a dispute with Bolland over damage to a car.

And she said the police had no intelligence linking Bolland or anyone in the Pearson family to ongoing gang warfare in Salford involving the A Team - a notorious, violent organised crime group in the city.

The court heard there was no 'standalone' safeguarding unit dealing with other people who may need safeguarding, but who are not linked to organised crime gangs.

Fiona Barton, representing GMP, put it to the officer that her unit was not the "start and the end" of safeguarding for GMP, which is a "multi-layered" process.

Ms Barber agreed that safeguarding starts with the first officer responding to an incident, adding: "Safeguarding is everyone's business."

Ms Barton asked if the Pearson family met the criteria to be issued with a threat to life warning.

Ms Barber replied: "No, there was no information GMP held that gave us an obligation to notify Michelle there was a significant risk to her."

Earlier, the inquest heard Bolland had previously threatened to firebomb Ms Pearson's home and just hours before the fatal arson, had attacked her property again, claiming he would "do the house".

Police were called, took a statement and left, but did not try to arrest Bolland, who lived 350 yards away from Jackson Street.

He returned around 90 minutes after they left to petrol bomb the property.

Bolland had already been questioned by police for smashing Ms Pearson's windows but no further action was taken.

And two days before the fatal attack Ms Pearson had called police naming Bolland as responsible for setting her wheelie bin on fire and spray-painting Grass on her home.

Police were called again but the crime report was open and closed the same day.

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In 2018, Bolland and accomplice David Worrall, 28, were both given four life sentences and told they would serve a minimum of 40 and 37 years respectively for the petrol bombing.

The inquest continues.

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