Killing of Gracie Spinks

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Gracie Spinks
Gracie Spinks.jpg
Born19th October 1997
Died18 June 2021
Derbyshire, England
Cause of deathHomicide
OccupationLifeguard
Known forVictim of murder by a stalker

Gracie Spinks was a lifeguard from Old Whittington who was murdered by a former colleague. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Background

Spinks was a swimming instructor and lifeguard but had been working as a warehouse operative at the time of her death. [1] [2] She was a keen horse rider and kept a horse at Blue Lodge Farm in Duckmanton. [2] [6]

In February 2021 she had reported a former colleague, Michael Sellers, to police for stalking. [6] He had been her supervisor at a warehouse where she once worked. [6]

Discovery

Gracie was last seen alive by her mother at 7:30am on 18 June 2021, when she left home to tend to her horse. [1] She was found unconscious in the horse's field after 8am and a man was seen running away. [2] Initially it was thought she had been kicked by the horse, but paramedics realised she had been attacked and called police. [2] She was declared dead at 8:50am. [2]

Sellers was found dead in a field less than a mile away, at 11am the same day. [2]

Inquests

Separate inquests were held into the two deaths. [2]

A post-mortem examination determined that Spinks died from a stab wound that severed an artery and her spine. [2] There was no evidence she was sexually assaulted. [2]

It is believed by police that Michael Sellers was responsible for her stab wounds, and that he killed himself afterwards. [6]

Police conduct

After the incident, Derbyshire police referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct due to their previous contact with Gracie. [2] After an investigation disciplinary notices were served on five police officers. [6]

Two were served with notices over their handling of her allegations of stalking against Michael Sellers. [6] A sergeant and two constables were served with misconduct orders over the steps they took after discovering a bag of weapons which included a hammer, an axe and knives in May 2021 near the site where Gracie was eventually stabbed. [6]

Her family has campaigned for "Gracie's law", which would increase funding for investigating stalking cases. [6] Her parents said she was failed by police. [5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Gracie Spinks: 23-year-old died from stab wound to neck". BBC News. 30 June 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Murray, Jessica (30 June 2021). "Gracie Spinks died from stab wound to neck, inquest hears". The Guardian . Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  3. "Gracie Spinks: IOPC investigates police handling of stalking allegations". BBC News. 9 July 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  4. Giordano, Chiara (20 June 2021). "Gracie Spinks: Police probe suspected murder-suicide in Derbyshire village". The Independent . Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  5. 1 2 Mathers, Matt (20 October 2021). "Gracie Spinks: Woman murdered by 'stalker' was failed by police, parents say". The Independent . Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Murray, Jessica (26 November 2021). "Gracie Spinks death: officers served notices over handling of stalking report". The Guardian . Retrieved 30 November 2021.