Sussex Police have been ordered to improve their handling of domestic violence cases after a woman in contact with the force was murdered by her abusive partner. The Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC), the police watchdog, found wider recommendations were needed for the force’s policing of domestic violence following a review in the wake of Holly Sanchez’s death. The IOPC investigated officers’ engagement with Ms Sanchez, 32, who had told officers less than a month before her death she was scared Ryan Evans would kill her if he found out she revealed his abuse of her to police.
Evans, 31, was convicted of her murder on Tuesday following a trial at Brighton Crown Court , which heard he had been arrested by police on three occasions and denied allegations of abuse. He was on bail conditions which said he must not contact Ms Sanchez directly or indirectly, when she was found dead on the floor in his lounge in Crawley, on May 13, 2023. Jurors heard how the police were called on four occasions in March and April because of incidents between Evans and Ms Sanchez in the months before her murder.
An IOPC spokesman said the investigation found no breach of professional standards by individual police officers but found learning recommendations for the force on policing domestic violence. Read more: Family pays tribute to mum murdered by 'evil monster' The spokesman said: “In May 2023, following a mandatory referral from Sussex Police, we began an independent investigat.
