Police Failings Let Predator Free to Kidnap and Assault Girl, Review Finds
A dangerous sex offender who abducted and violently assaulted a six-year-old girl could have been stopped two years earlier, had police not mishandled a prior case.
Lewis Jones, 23, snatched the child from the streets of Droylsden, Manchester, in August 2022 and subjected her to a brutal sexual assault in nearby woodland. The attack ended only when neighbours intervened.
It has now emerged that Merseyside Police had been investigating Jones since 2020 for grooming a vulnerable child, but a series of internal failures left the case unresolved for over two years. He was released under investigation with no bail restrictions and faced no further action until the Droylsden abduction.
A review obtained by the BBC found the original case was left to drift due to workload pressures, database errors, and poor supervision. Critical evidence such as social media messages and phone data remained unprocessed.
In sentencing Jones to life in prison with a minimum of 12 years, a judge slammed the delays, stating that if Jones had been charged in 2020, “he would not have been at liberty to abduct this six-year-old girl.”
Merseyside Police has since admitted “significant learning” and announced reforms, including the creation of two specialist teams to oversee sexual offence cases. Despite this, the Independent Office for Police Conduct concluded
