Trust looks into how cop killer ‘went off the radar’

CCTV footage of Tennyson Obih on the morning of the stabbing

Last March ‘highly dangerous’ Ikechukwu Tennyson Obih was convicted of killing PC Jon Henry, 36, in Luton town centre in June 2007.

Obih, 30, of Winsdon Road, Luton, denied murdering PC Henry, whose daughter Maggie was just 11 months old when he died, but admitted killing him on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

Despite this he was found guilty of murder. He was also found guilty of attempting to murder a window cleaner.

Obih, who was diagnosed in 2005 and had suffered problems with alcohol and cannabis, was suffering from schizophrenia at the time of the attack.

Obih’s own defence solicitor described his client as a man who ‘went off the radar’.

Following an internal investigation, Bedfordshire and Luton Mental Health NHS Trust – which was responsible for Obih’s care – found ‘serious failings’ in its handling of him.

The Trust said it had put in place a detailed action plan to deal with the issues.

An NHS East of England spokesman said: “Following the completion of all the internal investigations, the case was then assessed against the criteria for commissioning an independent investigation.

“Following the framework, we were then able to commission an independent investigation. This happened in 2009.

“It is difficult to pre-empt when the independent panel will be ready to report its findings, as we don’t yet know what other additional lines of enquiry will require investigation as the independent investigation proceeds.

“However we do expect to have an indication of the panel’s findings in the summer.

“We are keen to ensure that this case is investigated in a thorough and timely manner.

“Once the independent investigation is completed then we will make public its recommendations.

“We will ensure any issues identified by the independent investigation have action plans developed to address the issues and ensure relevant learning is gained from this case.”