Probe into police handling of Georgia Williams' murderer Jamie Reynolds nears end

Interviews with seven serving officers at West Mercia Police in relation to professional standards will be completed in the coming days.

And Devon and Cornwall Police, which is carrying out the independent investigation, expects to present its final report early next year.

Operation Columbia is an investigation into how West Mercia Police dealt with Reynolds when he tried to strangle a teenage girl in 2008.

The sexual deviant first came to the attention of police when, aged 17, he lured a girl back to his house in Avondale Road, Wellington, Telford.

He used the pretence of a photo shoot and tried to strangle her in an attack that mirrored Georgia's murder. But he faced no charges over the incident.

The attack came to light at Stafford Crown Court when Reynolds, now 24, was sentenced to a whole-life term in prison for killing Telford teenager Georgia.

Georgia's mother, Lynnette Williams, called for an independent investigation, saying her daughter might still be alive today if inquiries into the previous attack had been more thorough.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said it was happy for West Mercia to conduct its own investigation, but force chiefs said it would be "more appropriate" for an outside authority to be involved.

West Mercia then asked its colleagues in Devon and Cornwall to examine its previous dealings with Reynolds to find out whether their action fell short of expectations.

Dan Mountain, media services manager at Devon and Cornwall Police, said: "Following an initial investigation, Devon and Cornwall Police officers served misconduct notices in relation to professional standards on six West Mercia police officers between September 4 and September 8.

"A seventh serving West Mercia police officer was served with a misconduct notice on Friday, November 14 in relation to the ongoing investigation.

"All of the complainants are being supported and regularly informed of the progress of the investigation.

"Although the interviews of the seven officers, subject of misconduct notices, are expected to be completed by the end of 2014, further inquiries will continue into the new year.

"Devon and Cornwall Police continue to carry out a thorough investigation with a view to presenting a final report to West Mercia Police in early 2015."

Lord Justice Wilkie, sentencing Reynolds to a whole-life term in prison, said of the 2008 attack: "Although in retrospect this incident was extremely serious and, in the light of what we now know, potentially fatal, at the time, although it was considered carefully, it was dealt with by way of a final warning."

Stafford Crown Court heard that by May 2013 Reynolds had stockpiled a sick stash of more than 16,800 images and 72 videos of extreme pornography.

Reynolds had also written some 40 storylines where the predominant theme was fatal assault on a young woman who was killed with a rope and noose.