Regan Tierney inquest: Jury returns findings in murder-suicide of 27-year-old mother killed by ex

A young mother stabbed to death by her ex-partner was unlawfully killed and did not receive “sufficient support and protection” from police, jurors have found.

Regan Tierney, 27, was found dead at her Salford home in June 2019 after her ex-partner Daniel Patten phoned his grandfather and confessed what he had done – telling him he needed to collect their two children. Patten was later found with serious injuries and died in hospital a short time later. A coroner ruled his death a suicide.

Today, after a seven-day inquest at Bolton Coroners Court, jurors concluded her death was “unlawful” and that it was “possible” that additional support from state agencies, including the police, could have prevented it. Regan’s medical cause of death was recorded as Type 1A, multiple stab wounds.

LEARN MORE: A year before Regan Tierney was stabbed to death, police recorded ‘idle threats’, inquest hears

During the seven-day inquest, jurors heard testimony from several witnesses, including police officers, medical professionals, friends and family of Regan. They learned that during their 10-year relationship, Regan suffered “emotional” and physical abuse from Patten.

Jurors were told Patten was convicted of assaulting Regan in 2012, leaving her with a broken nose and “choking on her own blood”.

In 2018, the court heard an argument between Regan and Patten at a party resulted in Patten threatening to “stab” Regan, as well as her sister Shannon and her partner Alan. When police visited Shannon, they recorded the argument as a “two-way argument with empty threats”.

Regan and Daniel split in April 2019, reportedly leaving her heartbroken. The court heard he continued to “harass” Regan and send her “threats”, telling her he would “put her head on a stake” and “kill” her new romantic interest.

In May 2019, Regan called GMP, hoping to report the threats. The jury heard that it took officers three days to visit Regan and that their domestic violence risk assessment was left “incomplete” and, in part, “incorrect”. In their conclusion, the jurors described the risk assessment and Regan’s final risk rating as “inaccurate”, “standard”.

Eleven days later, Regan was stabbed to death by Patten, in what jurors concluded was an unlawful killing.

They added that Regan had not received sufficient support and protection from government agencies and that it was “possible” that additional support, if offered, could have prevented her death. Professional curiosity was deemed “unsatisfactory” and government agencies had missed “opportunities” to support and protect Regan.