Probation officers fear repeat of failings in murder case as pressures mount

Moves to free up prison places in England and Wales have prompted panic in already overstretched probation service

• Stark' failures by probation service contributed to murders

Giving evidence at an inquest last week, England's most senior probation officer admitted that inexperienced and unqualified staff had made a fundamental error" by classing Damien Bendall as posing a low risk of harm to partners and to children".

When Bendall, who had a history of domestic violence, murdered his pregnant girlfriend and three children in September 2021, he was on probation after receiving a 24-month suspended sentence for arson. He is now serving a whole-life sentence for the murders.