Georgia Williams' mum calls for probe into police handling of killer Jamie Reynolds
The mother of murdered Georgia Williams today called for an independent investigation into why killer Jamie Reynolds wasn't dealt with more severely when he tried to strangle another teenager in 2008.
Georgia's mum Lynnette Williams, from Wellington, Telford, said her daughter might still be alive today if investigations into the previous attack had been more thorough.
She wants the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to investigate all of West Mercia's Police's previous dealings with 23-year-old Reynolds.
Seventeen-year-old Georgia was strangled by Reynolds in a sexually motivated attack in Shropshire last May.
It later emerged that sexual deviant Reynolds first came to the attention of West Mercia Police at the age of 17, when he tried to strangle a girl after luring her back to his house under the pretence of a photo shoot.
Mrs Williams said: "In 2008, Reynolds mirrored an attack basically that he committed on Georgia in that, he lured a girl round on the pretext of helping him out with a project and then there was a violent attack where he attempted to strangle her.
"Thankfully she managed to escape, but it has traumatised her and it has totally changed her life.
"As parents, we feel that had it been investigated properly, we wouldn't be in this situation.
"Obviously the young girl that was attacked has put in a complaint as she feels she wasn't dealt with properly at that time and ever since - she was interviewed initially, then that was it she had no other contact with the police."
Mrs Williams said Reynolds' stepdad had gone to the police with disturbing photographs he had found on his computer but the police never acted upon it.
West Mercia Police said it referred its handling of previous incidents involving Reynolds to the IPCC in January.
A spokesman said: "On Friday 14 March the IPCC informed us that their recommendation was that such an investigation should be managed locally by West Mercia Police.
"We take the concerns around these previous incidents very seriously and following the outcome of our referral to the IPCC we are reviewing their recommendation and how this investigation will progress."
Georgia's body was found in woodland off the Nant-y-Garth Pass in north Wales.
Reynolds has been told that he will spend the rest of his life in prison.
