Mental health trust 'unable to justify' its own conclusion that Emily Jones' death was unpreventable, says independent report

A mental health trust is unable to justify its conclusion that Emily Jones's death could not have been prevented, according to an independent review. Seven-year-old Emily was killed by Eltiona Skana as she was riding her scooter through Queen's Park, Bolton, on March 22, 2020.

She was riding to meet her mother when stranger Skana sprang from a waiting bench, grabbed her and then sliced her across the neck with a craft knife she had bought that morning. Skana, a paranoid schizophrenic, was handed a life sentence with a minimum of ten years and eight months, along with a hospital order which means she will not be sent to prison until doctors deem her fit.

The 32-year-old was well-known to mental health services and had been under the care of a community nurse who would regularly check in on her. A serious incident review carried out by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Trust (GMMH) - the organisation responsible for Skana's care - concluded that the killing 'could not have been predicted or prevented'.

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However, an independent investigation has now said that the trust's review failed to 'provide sufficient analysis to justify its conclusion'. The inquiry, commissioned by NHS England, added that the trust's understanding of the risks posed by Skana prior to Emily's death had been 'poor'.

Investigators found she had 'a history of ambivalence around medication', and that she became seriously unwell and 'dangerous' when she had not taken it. They said the risks attached to Skana failing to take her medication should have been clear following a series of incidents in 2015 and 2017.

In July 2015, Skana - who the report refers to as 'Ms A' - was detained