Safeguarding concerns were raised before killing of Gorleston grandmother

The daughter of a woman who was murdered by her lodger has said she raised concerns with the local council about him before the killing but they were not acted upon. Kathryn Holland said she told officials she was worried about her mother Patricia and her treatment by her increasingly aggressive tenant Allan Scott.

She asked them to open a safeguarding enquiry – which investigates possible cases of abuse – but this was not done. Scott went on to murder Patricia Holland after she asked him to leave her Gorleston home. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 35 years last week.

Neither Norfolk County Council nor Great Yarmouth Borough Council – which both have safeguarding responsibilities – would comment on Ms Holland’s allegations. However, both authorities are taking part in official reviews into the case to assess whether any opportunities to help her were missed.

Read more: Man who murdered Gorleston nan and then tried to burn her body jailed for 35 years

Two reviews will be carried out – a domestic homicide review and a safeguarding adults review – by the Norfolk County Community Safety Partnership, made up of various organisations, including the police, councils and health agencies.

Separately, an inquest will be held into Patricia Holland’s murder with the hearing expected to take place on Wednesday, July 12. During the sentencing, Ms Holland stood up in court and gave her victim impact statement.

In it, she said: “I was afraid because even after a violent incident, in which she swore to me she would never let him back, she would let him back.

“I was afraid because I could see so very clearly, that my mum did not have the capacity to resist his coercion and she did not have the physical strength or mobility to protect herself.

“I tried to speak up about this. I work as a safeguarding lead so I know about risk and safeguarding. Yet with this knowledge, I could not convince the local authority to open a safeguarding enquiry.

“I was afraid because even after a violent incident, in which she swore to me she would never let him back, she would let him back.”

After the sentencing, she added: “He [Scott] abused her for her house and her money. To achieve this he convinced her he was her friend. During the time he was there, despite his drinking and abuse, despite the fact that at times my mum was scared for her life, he was able to continue to convince her he was her friend. Over and over again.

“Eventually, after failing to persuade my mum to change her will, he convinced her to sign a tenancy agreement. There were so many missed opportunities to protect my mum from this man. But she was not seen as vulnerable, she was not protected and he, quite literally, went on to abuse her to death.”

Ms Holland said she could not comment further while reviews are taking place. Neither review will apportion blame but will establish what lessons can be learned within and between agencies, including local authorities, the police and health agencies. They can lead to changes in policy and are intended to improve services.

The councils said they are engaging with the review and cannot comment further while they are being carried out.

Scott killed Patricia Holland at her home in Gorleston before burning her body on a garden bonfire. A jury took little over two hours to find Scott guilty, after a Norwich Crown Court trial lasting almost five weeks.

Patricia Holland was described as a “very charitable woman” who was said by friends and neighbours to have a “heart of gold”.

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