My daughter was slaughtered by snuff film-obsessed monster who killed for pleasure – it exposed sickening police scandal
THE mother of a murdered teenage girl has slammed the scandal-hit force who bungled the case - after learning it has PROMOTED over a dozen officers while probing them for failing to do their jobs.
Georgia Williams, 17, from Telford, Shropshire, was horrifically killed by snuff movie-obsessed college pal Jamie Reynolds in May 2013.
The monster was given a rare whole life order ten years ago, meaning he will spend the rest of his days behind bars.
Prosecutors said Reynolds had the "potential to progressing to become a serial killer" had he not been caught.
However, it emerged after he was caged that West Mercia Police botched an investigation into Reynolds’ earlier offending, which Georgia’s devastated parents Steve and Lynnette say left him free to kill.
Heaping misery on their heartache, the couple also learned that one of the officers involved in the flawed inquiry was promoted to chief inspector while being investigated for his failures.
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And despite West Mercia admitting mistakes were made in the officer’s promotion, The Sun can reveal the force has given a leg up to over a dozen more in the last decade while they were also under investigation.
Others were promoted in rank despite being found guilty of misconduct, and one officer stepped up the ladder after being found guilty of gross misconduct - a sackable offence.
Lynnette, 62, said: “After all the promises and platitudes, it seems West Mercia have learned nothing since Georgia died.
“It’s a pattern we see repeated across the country, time and time again - police forces rewarding failure.”
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Lured to her death
Reynolds lured Georgia to her death on the pretext of helping out with a photoshoot.
In reality, while she posed for the shoot, he hanged and killed her before photographing himself abusing her dead body.
He dumped her naked corpse 50 miles away in woodland near Ruthin, north Wales, before going on the run to Glasgow, where he was later arrested.
“It was so callous and calculated that it almost defied belief,” says Lynnette. “He killed purely for the sake of it, to take pleasure in watching someone die.
“The thought of Georgia being violated in that way just sickened us. He showed her zero respect or compassion, and instead treated her like a piece of meat.
“Every time I closed my eyes I was tormented with visions of what he did to her. His cruelty was on another level.”
Police found thousands of images and dozens of pornographic snuff movies on Reynolds’ computer, including images of women containing extreme violence.
He had even penned a grim fantasy describing trapping a girl and killing her.
“It was so similar to the way he killed Georgia, it could have been an instruction manual,” says Lynnette, also mum to Scarlett, 32, a midwife.
Still reeling from their grief, Lynnette and Steve - who was himself a highly commended murder squad detective serving with West Mercia’s Major Investigations Unit - learned the force had had Reynolds in its sights years earlier.
He had used an almost identical ruse to lure a 16-year-old to his home five years earlier in 2008 - but she had escaped with her life after he tried to strangle her.
Investigating officers treated the attack as a simple assault, despite Reynolds’ stepfather handing officers a stash of snuff pornography.
Steve, 67 and now retired from policing, said: “The evidence pointed to a clear sexual motive. It should have been put before the courts for a judge and jury to decide - but instead Reynolds was let off with a warning.
“No one from forensics visited the scene of the crime. No one took photos of this poor girl’s injuries. It stank of laziness. They just wanted to get it off their desks.”
Two years later Reynolds was involved in another incident when he rammed a female colleague’s car after she spurned his advances - but officers wrote it up as a traffic accident.
'Kick in the teeth'
Several officers were probed in an independent inquiry into West Mercia’s earlier dealings with Reynolds.
Among them was Richard Langton who at the time was serving a probationary period in his recently promoted rank of chief inspector.
And to Lynnette and Steve’s horror, Ch Insp Langton’s promotion was finalised while he was still under investigation.
“We couldn’t believe it,” says Lynnette. “Wherever I’ve worked before, you weren’t allowed to go for promotion if you were facing a disciplinary.
“What other employer on the planet would reward you with a promotion while you were being investigated for failing to do your job properly? I was furious. It was another kick in the teeth.”
The inquiry found the decision to give Reynolds a warning was “flawed due to an incomplete investigation”, and recommended seven officers and one civilian worker be disciplined.
Ultimately just three officers - Langton included - plus the civilian worker faced a misconduct meeting.
PC Fay Osmund-Smith, who was in charge of the 2008 investigation, received ‘management advice’.
Her supervisor, Detective Sergeant Joanne Delahay, got a written warning, as did evidence review manager Louise Hill.
Langton - who had overall responsibility for both officers and has since retired - also received management advice.
“It was slapped wrists all round,” says Steve. “Like a bunch of naughty kids being told off by the headmaster. And at the end of the day, Langton kept his rank.”
Lynnette complained about Langton’s promotion to West Mercia Police.
The force admitted to her that “relevant information” about the ongoing investigation was not made available to Langton’s promotion panel - but stressed he might still have been promoted even if the information had been available.
“There was no retribution for him,” says Lynnette. “To my mind, he should never have been given the job.”
West Mercia’s then Chief Constable David Shaw said at the time that Langton “fully deserved his promotion,” but also admitted: “We have to review our procedures and see how that (promotion) came around.
“Had we been in possession of all the information at the time, we may have made a different decision.”
Controversial promotions
A Freedom of Information request reveals West Mercia Police has promoted 13 officers while they were under investigation in the decade since Georgia died.
Twelve were also promoted after being found guilty of misconduct, and one officer landed a promotion after being found guilty of gross misconduct - which can result in instant dismissal.
Standard police procedure usually allows officers to apply for promotion while under investigation for misconduct. The final decision rests with the Chief Constable.
However, West Mercia Police said its officers were currently barred from being promoted while an investigation remained live.
Deputy Chief Constable Richard Cooper said in a statement: "Our thoughts remain with the parents of Georgia Williams, the pain they have endured and still endure is unimaginable, especially at this incredibly difficult time of year.
"Under our current promotion policy any officer subject to a criminal or misconduct investigation will not be eligible for promotion until the investigation has concluded and the outcome has been decided, unless in exceptional circumstances.
"All promotion applications are reviewed by a Superintendent, those approved for the next stage are passed to our professional standards department for final review and assessment for suitability to progress.
"Any officer subject to a written warning or final written warning will not be eligible for promotion until the end of the sanction.
“We’re committed to being open and transparent about our misconduct proceedings and in accordance with national guidance publish the outcomes of these on our website.”
In a bid to restore public faith in the police in the wake of the Sarah Everard case, the Home Office announced in September that all officers found guilty of gross misconduct would now be sacked.
However, former undercover detective and policing expert Peter Bleksley said the promotion of failed officers was rife.
“You won’t have to search far and wide to find other examples of wrongdoing police officers being rewarded," he said.
“Senior officers who couldn’t catch a cold - let alone a burglar, robber or knife-carrying teenager - will stop at nothing to protect their positions, their pay packets and their pensions.
“Check out any Honours List, be it New Year's or King's Birthday. Look at how many senior police officers are rewarded with Knighthoods, Damehoods, King's Police Medals, places in the House of Lords, and other thoroughly undeserved gongs.
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“And for what? For leading police services that fail to do the basics right, for leading police forces into Special Measures. It is scandalous.”
Lynnette tells her story in the book Our Georgia, out now with Mardle Books
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.