Police defend handling of Leah Croucher investigation in Milton Keynes as inquest concludes

Teenager Leah Croucher is believed to have died after trying to defend herself in a sex attack, a police officer told an inquest.

Ms Croucher, 19, who was a black belt in martial arts, disappeared while walking to work in Milton Keynes on 15 February 2019. Her body was found more than three years later in a house nearby to where she disappeared.

That sparked anger in the Milton Keynes community where the police investigation had been heavily criticised.

Police named Neil Maxwell, a handyman and convicted sex offender as a murder suspect. But he had already taken his own life in April 2019 - two months after Leah vanished.

Now Thames Valley Police has defended its handling of the case and reiterated that Maxwell was responsible.

Police have released a statement in connection with the inquest into the death of Leah Croucher.

"Today, my thoughts, and the thoughts of everyone at Thames Valley Police are with the family of Leah Croucher, " said Assistant Chief Constable Katy Barrow-Grint.

"I cannot begin to imagine what it has been like for Leah’s parents and family, since Leah left home for work nearly five and a half years ago.

"When Leah was reported missing to us on the evening of 15 February 2019, our focus was to find Leah and bring her home.

"Our investigation into her disappearance included enquiries at 3,675 properties, taking 566 statements and following 1,537 separate lines of enquiry.

"When Leah’s body was discovered on 10 October 2022, all those working on the murder investigation were dedicated to finding the truth for Leah’s family, the search for which culminated in the inquest today.

"During the inquest, we heard evidence of the thorough and professional investigations when Leah was reported missing and when a murder investigation was launched on the discovery of her body. I know that everyone who worked on these two investigations gave everything to them and I want to thank them for their hard work and dedication.

"Our murder investigation has concluded that Neil Maxwell was solely responsible for Leah’s death and that he acted alone. Maxwell was found dead on 20 April 2019 having taken his own life. Had he still been alive, we would have sought to arrest him and charge him with Leah’s murder.

"At the time Leah went missing, Maxwell was a suspect for a sexual assault that took place in November 2018. Maxwell knew he was a suspect in that sexual assault investigation and that he could go back to prison if he was detained by police. He proactively evaded arrest by using a false name, changing his phone and his vehicle.

"We had followed a number of lines of enquiry, including intelligence enquiries, sharing information with the probation service, circulated information with the Police National Computer, and made 50 separate arrest attempts on 19 different days for Maxwell.

"He was also subject to Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), which is an arrangement whereby Probation, Prison and Police work together to assess and manage the risks posed by sexual and violent offenders.

"Since 2019 Thames Valley Police have made improvements that will contribute to the overall effectiveness of the partnership MAPPA arrangements. They include significantly increased resources, more rigorous governance and supervision arrangements, better processes for interagency working, and more robust procedures to understand and respond to the risk when managed offenders are suspected of a further offence.

"Leah and her family will always be in our thoughts."