A man who attacked others with an axe and then cut his own throat in a Glasgow street had been repeatedly reported to police in the preceding days.
An investigation into the incident on April 13 last year by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc) praised the courage of officers who restrained the 33-year-old, who later died of his injuries.
The inquiry found that despite numerous reports about his behaviour in the days before, Police Scotland did not detain or interview him due to confusion over which police area should deal with it.
Pirc said it was not possible to say whether later events could have been avoided.
READ MORE: Iain Livingstone named as Scotland's new chief constable
The incident unfolded in broad daylight in the city's St Vincent Street, when the man attacked the brother-in-law of his former partner with an axe.
A community enforcement officer was also struck when he tried to intervene.
The man was then seen to cut his own throat with knives.
Two officers tried to pepper spray the man and managed to restrain and handcuff him, before he was taken to hospital where he died.
Pirc reported the man's relationship with his ex-partner had ended in December 2016 and he had blamed her relatives for the breakdown.
He sent threatening messages to them in the days before the attack, which were reported to police.
"Due to operational commitments and confusion over which police area should deal with the matter, Police Scotland did not detain, interview or warn the deceased regarding the text messages," the report said.
Officers were told not to go to the man's home as the crime had been committed in another policing division.
READ MORE: New chief constable wants a more devolved Police Scotland
The investigation was then passed on to the other division but no further action was taken.
The report continued: "Examination of text messages, witness accounts and letters recovered after the deceased's death, show that he clearly intended to attempt to murder the family member and then commit suicide.
"It cannot be determined whether, if Police Scotland had taken action to detain the deceased following the family's reports on 10 April 2017, that this would have dissuaded the deceased from his subsequent course of action."
The officers who attended the attack acted "courageously, professionally and proportionately," it concluded.
Pirc has recommended Police Scotland issue clear guidance to officers to ensure crime reports are dealt with timeously, "particularly where there is a danger that any failure to act may increase risk to the public".
In a statement the man's family said: "He was a loving brother, son and father who is sorely missed.
"It has been over a year since his death and the circumstances surrounding it have made it difficult for us, as a family, to come to terms with.
"At the time of his death he was suffering from serious mental health problems which led to his actions that day. Mental illness can be completely debilitating and we hope that others who suffer are able to find the help they need.
"We are aware of the Pirc report published today and the findings and recommendation contained within it and hope these will be considered carefully.
"We now ask that our privacy is respected as we come to terms with our loss."
READ MORE: Crime rates eight times higher in areas of Scotland with the most alcohol outlets, study finds
Chief Superintendent Brian McInulty, Greater Glasgow divisional commander, said: "I am pleased that the Pirc praises the actions of my officers who attended and provided assistance during this very distressing incident. My thoughts remain with everyone involved.
"The recommendation made in the report has already been implemented following our own review."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel