Probation officers who worked on the case of a violent offender before he murdered three children and his pregnant girlfriend have told an inquest their workload was “overwhelming” when they were managing him.
Damien Bendall, 33, is serving a whole-life order for the murders of Terri Harris, 35, her daughter Lacey Bennett, 11, her son John Paul Bennett, 13, and Lacey’s friend Connie Gent, 11, after he attacked them with a claw hammer at their home in Killamarsh, Derbyshire.
He also admitted raping Lacey Bennett.
Inquests into the deaths of Ms Harris, her children and Connie Gent, began at Chesterfield Coroner’s Court on Monday and will seek to understand how Bendall, who had a history of serious and violent offences dating back to 2004, was classed as posing a low risk of serious harm to partners and children.
Two probation officers who worked at Swindon Probation Service, which was dealing with Bendall as he lived in the area before moving in with Ms Harris, told the inquest their workload left them stressed.
Chief inspector of probation Justin Russell previously said the Probation Service’s handling of Bendall was of an “unacceptable standard” at every stage and “critical opportunities” to correct errors were missed.
Probation officer Matt Read, who worked at the Swindon office between May 2016 and April 2017, said he moved to the branch to help out because they had staffing and recruitment issues.
Mr Read told the inquest how an ex-partner of Bendall had made allegations of domestic abuse against him, but this could not be recorded in the offender assessment system, known as OASys, because it is a document that is seen by the offender and thus could put the woman at risk.
But it meant the potential risk of domestic violence was not passed on to probation officers who took on Bendall’s case in future.
Rebecca Thomas, who worked on Bendall’s case from June 2018 to July 2019, said she was not aware that an ex-partner had made allegations of domestic abuse.
