An ongoing inquest at Chesterfield Coroners’ Court has shed light on the harrowing events that led to the brutal murder of a pregnant woman and three children in Killamarsh, near Sheffield. Damien Bendall, a 33-year-old with a history of violence, had ominously predicted the heinous act months before it occurred.
The court heard that while being fitted with an electronic tag as part of his probation for previous offences, Bendall chillingly confided in an officer from the Electronic Monitoring Services (EMS), stating, “If this relationship goes bad, I’ll murder my girlfriend and children.” Shockingly, three months later, Bendall followed through on his sinister words and took the lives of his pregnant partner, Terri Harris, 35, her son John Paul Bennett, 13, her daughter Lacey Bennett, 11, and Lacey’s friend Connie Gent, also 11, who was staying over.
The purpose of the inquest is to investigate how probation services assessed Bendall’s risk level, considering his violent criminal history, and deemed him to pose a low risk of serious harm to partners and children. The court was particularly disturbed by the revelation that the EMS officer had been informed of Bendall’s threat but failed to record or report it.
During the second day of the hearing, it was revealed that Bendall had also confessed to setting his ex-girlfriend’s car on fire because he felt she loved it more than him. The EMS officer, in a written statement, admitted to disregarding Bendall’s statement, believing it to be an idle comment. She expressed shock at his lack of emotional response when making the statement and perceived it as a mere passing thought.
Simon McKeown, representing Capita, the company contracted by the Ministry of Justice to install and monitor electronic tags, testified that staff members are trained to identify and report risks to ensure the safety of both themselves and others. He acknowledged that the severity of Bendall’s comment should have prompted immediate action.
The families’ advocate, Paul Clark, questioned McKeown about the obligation to report such statements. McKeown stated unequivocally that there was indeed an obligation to report the comment, highlighting the missed opportunity to intervene and prevent the tragic outcome.
Earlier testimonies revealed the overwhelming workload faced by probation officers responsible for managing Bendall before the murders. The Swindon Probation Service, which was handling Bendall’s case before he moved in with Ms. Harris, admitted to struggling with the workload, resulting in considerable stress for the officers involved. Chief Inspector of Probation Justin Russell condemned the “unacceptable standard” of the Probation Service’s handling of Bendall and emphasized the missed chances to rectify errors.
Bendall, who has been sentenced to whole-life imprisonment for the murders, also pleaded guilty to the rape of Lacey. The bodies of the victims were discovered at a property on Chandos Crescent on September 19, 2021.
The EMS officer is expected to provide her testimony on Wednesday as the inquest continues. The court seeks to uncover the failures in the system that allowed a violent criminal to carry out such a horrific act, hoping to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
