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Outrage as police cleared in Jordan McGann death case
Apr 3 2008 By Catherine Lillington
A MUM who reported her violent boyfriend to police weeks before he murdered tragic Birmingham toddler Jordan McGann reacted angrily to a report by watchdogs which cleared officers of serious errors.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission said there was "no evidence of systemic failure" but did find there was scope for "significant improvements" after probing the actions of West Midlands Police leading up to the murder of 18-month-old Jordan.
Jordan was murdered by Darren Bennett, who lived in Shard End, in August 2004, for which he was jailed for at least 25 years.
Jordan's mother, Sarah Collins, received 18 months after admitting two counts of child cruelty.
Bennett had a long history of criminal offences with previous convictions for domestic violence and assaulting children within the context of previous relationships.
His former partner, Charlene Rawlings, of Hamar Way, Chelmsley Wood, was the key figure in bringing Bennett to justice.
The 24-year-old, met Bennett in 2003 and endured attacks on her and her daughter Destiny, then aged two, almost every day for two months, before she went to the police.
The mum-of-three, whose two-year-old son Kyle was fathered by Bennett, said he once held a knife to her throat and rained down blows on her head.
She said: "I reported him but they let him go because he didn't have anything by his name.
"He slipped through the system. The police didn't do their job properly. It upsets me still to this day."
Bennett was convicted of Jordan's murder, and also of three counts of child cruelty, one relating to Destiny.
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