Police Scotland left message for M9 victim 10 days after her death

Senior officers apologise again to the family of Lamara Bell after a message is left on her mobile phone inquiring about the whereabouts of a missing relative

John Yuill and Lamara Bell were left three days in a car three days after a crash
John Yuill and Lamara Bell were left three days in a car three days after a crash Credit: Photo: Police Scotland

Scotland’s beleaguered police force have issued another apology to the family of a woman left dying in a crashed car after an officer left a message for her on her mobile phone 10 days after her death.

Lamara Bell’s horrified family disclosed how Police Scotland had attempted to contact her to see if she knew the whereabouts of a relative who had gone missing.

The officer made the call despite the international publicity and furore around the death of Ms Bell and her boyfriend John Yuill, and the fact that the police had possession of her mobile phone.

The couple lay inside their crashed Renault Clio for three days near a slip road off the M9, one of Scotland’s busiest motorways, after police failed to answer reports from members of the public.

Martin Bell, her brother, posted a message on Facebook lambasting the force as a useless “shower” and describing how a senior officer visited the family home to issue another apology.

The Tories said the blunder underlined the “chaos” surrounding Police Scotland but Kenny MacAskill, the former SNP Justice Minister who oversaw the merger of the country’s regional forces, argued that “errors happen” and insisted it provided an “exemplary service” to the public.

Scotland's Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill

Kenny MacAskill defended Police Scotland's performance

Writing on Facebook, Mr Bell disclosed how the officer had visited the family home in Falkirk to inform his father that a constable had attempted to telephone his sister on July 21, 10 days after she died.

"They told my dad this constable left a voicemail on her mobile saying 'Lamara, we are looking to speak to your sister Rebecca. If you have seen her can you give us a call back?” he wrote.

"Are you kidding me on? Are the police for real!!! They came to apologise in advance for when my mum and dad hear this voicemail for themselves ... Shower of useless ********!!"

Chief Superintendent John Hawkins, Forth Valley Divisional Commander, admitted he was the officer who had issued the apology.

He said: "I am deeply disappointed that we have shown such a lack of awareness given all the briefings put in place within Forth Valley area and the media coverage reflecting the level of shock felt across the country.

"We clearly regret having caused any further upset to them. I have given all the details to the Bell family of why the call was made and given my, and the Chief Constable's, sincere apologies on behalf of the force."

Ms Bell, 25, a mother-of-two, was badly injured in the accident near Stirling on July 5, while Mr Yuill died at the scene. Police received a 101 call on the morning the accident happened but it was not entered into the computer system or acted upon.

Officers only found the couple, who were returning home to Falkirk from a camping trip, after a second call three days later. Ms Bell died of her injuries in hospital.

Investigations into Police Scotland and the way they handle calls are already under way but Sir Stephen House, the Chief Constable, has rejected calls for him to resign.

Sir Stephen House

Sir Stephen House has rejected calls for him to resign

Margaret Mitchell, Scottish Tory justice spokesman, said the latest apology to Ms Bell’s family “just underlines the chaos that is Police Scotland at the moment.”

She added: “Calls are not being dealt with correctly and simple information – which should be at people’s fingertips – is clearly not being passed on at a local level.”

Hugh Henry, Scottish Labour's justice spokesman, said: "This is the last thing Lamara Bell’s family needs. We all know that people can make mistakes but when it’s one mistake after another then it becomes more serious.

"This is a shambles and unfortunately it damages the credibility of Police Scotland even further. Someone, either in government or the police, must take responsibility for all this."

But, writing in the Herald, Mr MacAskill, said the creation of Police Scotland was “not only necessary but long overdue” and insisted that “the service given is in the main outstanding.”

Arguing that the sheer scale of the merger meant it would take time for the new national force to “bed down”, he said: “Errors happen and officers fall from grace but that happens in all walks of life.”