Telford murder victim Davinia Loynton 'failed by the system' - brother

Dale Loynton accused the service of failing to protect the public following the murder of his sister Davinia Loynton at her flat in Wellington, in September 2014.

Mr Loynton spoke out following the publication of a report by the National Probation Service, which conceded that a "more inquisitive approach" may have led to her killer being kept under closer supervision.

Her killer, 36-year-old Kevin Hyden, had admitted burgling Miss Loynton just nine months before her death, again while he was on licence from prison.

Cocaine addict Hyden returned to Miss Loynton's home in September 2014 and murdered the 59-year-old office manager, leaving her with injuries that were described as being more normally associated with a car crash.

Hyden was on licence after being released from a six-year sentence imposed after he attacked an antique dealer with a hammer.

Mr Loynton said if Hyden had been more closely managed, his sister may still be alive.

Ministry of Justice spokeswoman Rebecca Davidson-Olly, speaking on behalf of the Probation Service, today said action would be taken following the release of the report.

She said: "This was an appalling crime and our deepest sympathies are with the family of Davinia Loynton.

"Whilst the serious further offence report makes clear Kevin Hyden bears full responsibility for Miss Loynton's death, it also found that the National Probation Service could have done more.

"As such, the NPS will reflect on these findings and will seek to ensure that the lessons learned are brought to bear on future operational practice."

She said serious further offences such as this are rare but each one is taken extremely seriously and investigated fully.

A review is carried out to identify any lessons for the better management of future cases. Officials from the Victims Unit have offered to meet the family of Davinia Loynton to hear their concerns and offer reassurance about the service they will be entitled to in the future.

Mr Loynton, a 63-year-old retired BT worker who now lives in London, Ontario, Canada, also criticised the lack of work done to prepare criminals like Hyden for their release.

A leaked report by the National Probation Service revealed that after leaving prison in August 2011, Hyden had breached the terms of his licence several times.

It said Hyden failed to complete an offender management programme, which encouraged him to think about his actions, and he also failed to turn up for a programme to improve his job prospects.

Despite this, 14 months after his release from prison he was downgraded from a "high-risk" case to "medium-risk".

The report also said that Hyden appeared to relapse into drug abuse once it was decided to discontinue regular drug tests.

"The review found that a more inquisitive approach by the offender manager may have gleaned more information about Mr Hyden's behaviour," the report said, adding that this could have led to him being re-classed as a high-risk offender.

Mr Loynton said: "Hyden is a violent criminal, a habitual offender and a drug addict.

"It is shocking to think that an offender like Hyden would be allowed to break any of the rules of his probation without any consequences.

"As a habitual offender, the Probation Service should take the stance that he will re-offend, so question and verify everything he says.

"Far from that he was given enough freedom to commit numerous burglaries, take drugs and ultimately murder my sister.

"If the management had been a lot stricter, perhaps this would never have happened."

Mr Loynton describes his sister Davinia as the link that held the family together.

Mild-mannered and shy, she led a quiet life in her small flat on the edge of Wellington town centre which had been her home for more than 30 years.

She had worked for about the same period of time as an office manager at Telford-based Serchem. But her tranquil life would come to a brutal end when she was attacked in her own home.

Hyden, who lived in a flat almost opposite her home, was on licence from prison at the time for a vicious hammer attack on an antique dealer.

During interviews with police Hyden admitted that he had burgled Miss Loynton's flat nine months before the murder, although he denied any involvement in the killing.

The report, leaked to the Shropshire Star, reveals that Hyden failed to complete an offender management programme and also failed to turn up for a programme to improve his job prospects.

As part of the terms of his licence, Hyden was initially subjected to regular drug tests. However, after passing a number of these tests, the Probation Service decided they could be discontinued, and it appears that after this he started taking drugs again.

"This was not picked up by his offender manager as he was no longer subject to drug test monitoring, and did not show any signs of being under the influence of drugs," says the report.

"The review found that a more inquisitive approach by the offender manager may have gleaned more information about Mr Hyden's behaviour," the report continues, adding that this could have led to him being re-classed as a high-risk offender.

Mr Loynton says: "Hyden is a violent criminal, a habitual offender and a drug addict.

"With stricter rules and drug testing, he would not have needed to commit the burglaries to supply his drug habit."

Miss Loynton, who was known to friends as 'Dink', was found rolled up in a rug in the lounge of her flat in St John Street, Wellington.

Her body was discovered by friends and colleagues after she had failed to turn up for work.

Staff at Telford-based Serchem, where she had worked as an office manager for nearly 30 years, became suspicious when they received a text message from her phone suggesting she was in Falmouth on holiday.

A post-mortem revealed Miss Loynton's injuries included a fractured skull and extensive fractures to the cheek, nose, jaw and eye socket.

A pathologist likened her injuries to those that would be expected of a car crash victim or someone who had fallen from a great height.

Hyden, who was living in nearby Glebe Street at the time, had burst into the flat when she answered the door to him on September 20, 2014.

He tortured her until she gave him her pin numbers. Once he had that information he brutally murdered her.

Hyden denied the offence when he appeared before Stafford Crown Court in June last year, but was found guilty by a jury and sentenced to life in prison. Judge Paul Glenn said he must serve a minimum of 32 years before being considered for release.

His girlfriend Emma Lucas, of Stafford, was jailed for 18 months for providing Hyden with a false alibi.

Hyden had admitted to police that he had burgled Miss Loynton's flat nine months before the murder, taking a laptop, computer tablet and jewellery box worth more than £1,000.

The court was told that the killer withdrew £2,770 from her bank accounts over the three days that followed the murder. He used the money to buy large quantities of cocaine, which he had ordered using Miss Loynton's mobile phone, but insisted throughout the trial that he had found her handbag in a field.

The brutal manner in which Hyden killed Miss Loynton bore a chilling resemblance to the crime for which he was on licence.

Hyden had served just over half of a six-year sentence for a vicious hammer attack on antique dealer Kevin Tomkins in the Burntwood area of Staffordshire.

Mr Tomkins, who was 52 at the time, managed to struggle free and threw about £50 at Hyden, who shouted "is that all you have got?".

Speaking after the verdict, Det Insp Mark Bellamy, of West Mercia Police, said: "Throughout this investigation, nobody has a had a bad word to say about Davinia Loynton.

"It is clear she was a kind and caring person who touched the lives of many people. Her life was ended in the most brutal way by a vicious man who had no respect for life.

"We would like to thank Davinia's family for their support through what has been an unimaginably traumatic time for them."

The report said that while there were lessons to be learned from the case, responsibility for the murder lay solely with Kevin Hyden.

"It can never be possible to completely eliminate the risks posed by an offender who is being supervised in the community," it said. "The responsibility for the commission of any offence can only ever lie with the offender, and even when a review uncovers deficiencies, that does not mean that had such deficiencies not occurred the offence concerned would not have been committed."

Mr Loynton is not satisfied with that explanation. He says there are several questions he wants answers to, including whether Hyden was ever penalised for failing to comply with the conditions of his licence.

"He was unemployed and appeared to have no intentions of working," says Mr Loynton.

"So what do you think a person like this does with his life. Don't you think it is naive to think he is abiding by the rules?"

Mr Loynton describes his sister as the link between different members of the family.

He added: "She had lived in Wellington all her life and had in her current home for over 30 years. She lived there with our mother, caring for her until her death in 2008.

"It was Dink's home with lots of memories and she liked living there because it was convenient for the town and her job.

"She is sadly missed by us all. Our thoughts are now of all the great memories that we have of her, although we will never forget the brutality of the last minutes of her life."