Natasha Wild was "unlawfully killed", coroner rules

Natasha Wild

23-year-old Natasha Wild was unlawfully killed, a coroner has ruled.

Natasha died in November 2016 after she was stabbed in the neck by her boyfriend, Lloyd Brackenbury, then 31, at their home in Middle Hill, Syke.

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/106522/31yearold-man-arrested-on-suspicion-of-murdering-a-woman

Brackenbury was found guilty of manslaughter in August 2017.

Following an eight-day inquest with jury, concluding on 3 December 2019, the coroner recorded a result of ‘unlawful killing’.

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/111953/lloyd-brackenbury-found-guilty-of-manslaughter-of-natasha-wild

The family of Natasha Wild said in a statement following the inquest: “We welcome the jury’s conclusions in the inquest into her tragic death three years ago.

“The jury returned a conclusion of unlawful killing, with failings being admitted by Greater Manchester Police, Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council and the North West Ambulance Service. The jury found that some of the failings by Pennine Care, Rochdale and the police may have contributed to Natasha’s death.

“The jury agreed that Lloyd Brackenbury should have been treated as high risk, and not discharged from mental health services in the three weeks prior to the incident in which Natasha died. They also found that he should have been arrested when police attended at his property ten days before Natasha was killed, and that the failure to do so possibly contributed to what happened.  They failed to properly read a diary Natasha presented to police which detailed a number of criminal offences by Brackenbury.

“We are pleased to finally have answers to some of the many questions we were left with following Natasha’s death. We are eager to ensure that the mistakes made in Natasha’s case are not repeated.

“To that end, we welcome the changes made to the policies and practices of the organisations involved in her inquest.”