POLICE have been strongly criticised for ‘unacceptable’ failures in their response to the family of a woman who was thought to have been murdered in West Somerset.

Kelly Faiers, aged 61, died in a flat in Minehead in which convicted sex offender Richard Scatchard lived in October, 2023.

Scatchard, who had previously been sentenced to life imprisonment for drugging women and carrying out sex assaults on them, went on the run hours after her death.

He had struck up a relationship with Ms Faiers, from Weston super Mare, whom he met online, which made him subject to a recall to prison for a breach of his probation conditions.

Scatchard was eventually found dead six months later in April, 2024, inside an isolated caravan near Watchet.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) opened an investigation into Avon and Somerset Constabulary after receiving complaints from the family of Ms Faiers about the force’s response to her death.

Now, the IOPC has concluded the level of service provided to the family was ‘unacceptable’ and there were failings in the force’s response to her death.

The family of Ms Faiers made several complaints in relation to the decisions and actions taken by the force immediately after she died.

An IOPC spokesperson said: “Our investigation into those complaints began in January, 2024, and concluded in September, 2025.

“We found the service provided by the force to be unacceptable in relation to three out of the seven complaints made.

“Ms Faiers became critically ill in the early hours of Sunday, October 15, and Scatchard called for an ambulance.

“Sadly, Ms Faiers was pronounced dead, following the arrival of paramedics.

“Avon and Somerset Police attended and spoke with Scatchard before leaving.

“The family were concerned that Scatchard was not questioned at that time despite his previous convictions.

“Officers who spoke to him said they had concerns about his behaviour and had considered arresting him, but they were advised by CID not to, and that Ms Faiers’ death should not be treated as suspicious.

“The next day, a decision was made to treat Ms Faiers’ death as a murder inquiry but when officers returned, he had left the property.

“We determined that the service provided to the family was unacceptable.”

The IOPC also upheld two further complaints relating to ‘an unacceptable level of service related to failings in communications’.

The spokesperson said: “Ms Faiers’ family were not told for nine days that Scatchard had been at the property at the time of Ms Faiers’ death.

“We also found it unacceptable the force delayed telling Ms Faiers’ relatives they were treating her death as suspicious.

“They were only told the day after a missing person appeal had been issued for Scatchard on October 17.

“Scatchard’s name was later released to media before the family were notified of either his full name or his offending history.”

IOPC director Derrick Campbell said: “Our thoughts and sympathies remain with the family of Kelly Faiers for their loss.

“Avon and Somerset Police could and should have done better in the tragic circumstances of this case.

“We found the service provided by the force was unacceptable regarding three individual officers, whose actions and decisions fell below expectations.

“While we did not find any evidence to indicate they may have breached police standards of professional behaviour, justifying disciplinary proceedings, we decided the officers should reflect and learn from the failings we identified and they will undergo the reflective practice review process.”

During the IOPC investigation, statements were obtained from family members, police officers, and staff.

The IOPC examined relevant incident logs and calls, as well as relevant policies and procedures, but did not identify any organisational learning.

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police in response to the IOPC report said the force ‘would like to apologise to Kelly Faiers’ family’ for the impact of several of the decisions its officers made.

The spokesperson said the death was initially considered non-suspicious but an operational decision was made the following day to treat it as suspicious and investigate as a murder inquiry.

However, the change was not relayed to the family for 48 hours, in part due to not having available trained family liaison officers to meet the family and deliver the update in-person.

The IOPC determined an alternative option could and should have been considered to ensure the family knew the information sooner.

The spokesperson said: “Similarly, we recognise the additional distress experienced by Ms Faiers’ family at learning of Scatchard’s criminal record through an online search and by not disclosing sooner he was at the address and spoken to by officers when police initially attended.

“This was information that should have been privately communicated to Mrs Faiers’ family in a sensitive way and at an appropriate time.”

Regarding the decision not to arrest Scatchard at the scene, the spokesperson said: “While we are committed to being transparent around that decision, we consider commenting further at this stage would be inappropriate in light of ongoing coronial proceedings.”

The spokesperson said four of the family’s seven complaints were not upheld by the IOPC and no conduct or unsatisfactory performance matters were identified relating to any police officers or staff.

However, the spokesperson said: “It did, however, identify areas where three officers’ performance fell short of expectations and believed these were suitable to be dealt with via the reflective review practice process.

“This process is overseen by an officer of a more senior rank and is designed to be a challenging and transformative learning process when an improvement need has been identified.

“The contents of the IOPC report are being closely reviewed and analysed to consider and implement any further learning and improvements to the service we provide to the public.

“We have taken the family’s concerns seriously and referred the complaints received in December, 2023, to the IOPC.

“To ensure complete transparency, officers and staff have provided the IOPC with detailed accounts and evidence to assist them with its inquiries and we welcome the independent scrutiny the IOPC has been able to provide.

“A separate mandatory IOPC referral was made in April, 2024, on the grounds of death following police contact after confirmation of Scatchard’s death at a caravan site in Watchet.

“The IOPC determined this was suitable for local investigation by Avon and Somerset Police.

“That process is ongoing.”

Somerset Chief Coroner Samantha Marsh has scheduled an inquest hearing in Taunton on December 8 into the death of Ms Faiers.