A coroner has said that without police staff shortages and heavy probationary workloads, the rape and death of a vulnerable student by a convicted sex offender, Simon Goold Ashton-under-Lyne Rapist, may have been avoided. Simon Goold, 52, strangled Elizabeth McCann, 26, to death in her bedsit in Ashton-under-Lyne in August 2022.
According to a Prevention of Future Deaths assessment, Elizabeth would not have died if knowledge of the higher danger Goold presented to women had been conveyed. Simon Goold, on life licence after being found guilty of rape, sexual assault and injury in 2010, had befriended Elizabeth at the Health and Wellbeing College in Ashton, where they both studied.
Police understood Simon Goold ‘presented a risk in certain scenarios’ especially around ‘alcohol use, lone females, intimacy and rejection’. But the killer was let to enrol at the college, which served those with mental health problems, without any risk assessments conducted.
Both his police offender management and the probationary officer had caseloads much over what was safely manageable at the time. In her findings, South Manchester senior coroner Alison Mutch noted that GMP had known of insufficient staffing in its sexual offender management unit “for many years,” yet a choice had been reached to run with numbers “far below” what was required.
Simon Goold told police and probation that he had had a “small relapse” with alcohol and revealed that a lady he intended to get “intimate” with had decided not to pursue the relationship. But police and probation ‘failed to demonstrate any professional curiosity’ and didn’t act’.
Elizabeth’s death resulted from Greater Manchester Police’s inaction as well as Probation’s neglect.
While the Probation Service said it had hired more officers, GMP said its sex offender management unit had increased in size since the murder.
Ms Mutch highlighted how Simon Goold had drunkenly grabbed and tried to kiss another college student at a Wetherspoons bar in Ashton in July 2022. The woman reported the incident to the college, but top management neglected to escalate it and “spoke to him informally”.
Ms Mutch said: “As a result, [Simon Goold] continued at the college, and probation was uninformed of these incidents, so they took no action. Had Elizabeth McCann’s past failings not been shared, likely, she would not have passed away on the day she did.”
Simon Goold, of Manchester Road in Ashton, was imprisoned for life and ordered to serve at least 35 years at Manchester Crown Court after he admitted guilt to murder, rape, sexual assault and assault by penetration on the second day of his trial in February 2023.
The court heard he had specifically targeted Hyde’s Ms McCann following his college visit. He met her at a pub in Ashton on 25 August 2022, plying her with drinks until he brought her back to his flat, where he raped and strangled her before reporting her murder to the police the next day.
Debbie McCann, Ms McCann’s mother, stated in a victim’s statement presented to the court: “Lizzie’s charisma affected everyone who met her. We shall always miss her; she was the most incredible, gorgeous daughter, sister, and mother anyone could ever wish for.
According to a GMP spokesman, “Our thoughts and sincere sympathies remain with Elizabeth’s family. We value the coroner’s conclusions about case management and offender handling.
“A complete review has been conducted to ensure we keep improving these areas and give people the force to come into touch with the best possible treatment and protection. Although it offers little comfort to Elizabeth’s family, our sex offender management Unit has grown twice in capacity and recorded more positive solved cases.
“These major developments show our will to guarantee community safety throughout Greater Manchester.”
According to a Probation Service spokesman, “This was a tragic act, and we have apologised to Elizabeth McCann’s loved ones for the shortcomings in this instance. We have already acted to resolve the report’s findings, including bolstering information exchange and hiring more probationary officers.
“We will further review our next steps in light of the coroner’s findings to ensure we have taken any action to keep the public safe.”
In a statement at the end of the inquiry, Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust’s medical director, Dr Simon Sandhu, who oversees the college, said: “We wish to offer Elizabeth’s family our profound condolences and apologies. We entirely agree with the coroner’s conclusion—that Elizabeth’s death most likely resulted from major shortcomings at the college where she was enrolled.
“We are now conducting an independent review of the college, which will consider all the inquest results. We regret not having systems and procedures that would have kept Elizabeth safe; all of our students depend on us for that protection.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.