No misconduct in Nicola Cross killing

Officers have been cleared of wrongdoing after releasing a man who later killed a woman in her own home. Mother-of-two Nicola Cross was stabbed to death by Marcin Porczynski in September 2015 just hours after he was released by Hertfordshire Constabulary. Porczynski, who was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time, had been detained following calls that he had tried to force entry to Mrs Cross’ home. He later admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and was sentenced to an indefinite stay in a psychiatric hospital. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) found the force followed “applicable policies and guidelines” when deciding to release him. A complaint by Mrs Cross’s husband that officers had not informed her that Porczynski had been released was upheld. However, the IPCC said a tribunal could not judge this inaction as misconduct. IPCC Operations Manager Neil Orbell said: “Our investigation, which resumed this year following the trial of Mr Porczynski, concluded that while officers had detained him earlier that night their actions, and those of other Hertfordshire Constabulary employees, could not be considered misconduct. “My deepest sympathy goes out to Nicola’s husband and children, and to all those involved in this awful event.”