'Police failures let violent husband attack wife'

The Independent Police Complaints Commission says the failure by police in South Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire to take “crucial” steps to keep Gail Hdili and her son safe led to her being attacked by her estranged husband.

She suffered multiple stab wounds when she was attacked by Adel Hdili in front of her five-year-old at a bus stop last January.

Mrs Hdili had left the couple’s home in East Dene because of domestic abuse, eventually moving to a women’s refuge in Nottinghamshire.

But her husband traced her to a friend’s address in Bulwell, Notts, where she had been staying. Fearing for theri safety, she and the friend called both South Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire Police, but Mrs Hdili had been attacked on her way back to the refuge.

Tunisian-born Hdili was jailed for nine years after admitting wounding and was ordered to be deported after serving his sentence.

The IPCC investigated both forces and found that crucial steps had not been carried out,

Rick assessments had ben been completed, calls were not handled in compliance with domestice violence policies and specially-trained domestic violence officers were not used.

As a result of the investigation, one officer had  admitted misconduct although the IPCC decided not to take further action.

Spokesmen for both forces said recommendations by the IPCC about handling domestic incidents had been implemented.