Family of North Derbyshire stalking victim 'eager' to help police 'better understand' the issue

Gracie Spinks died after getting fatally attacked by her stalker in Duckmanton back in June 2021

Author: Chris Davis-SmithPublished 23rd Apr 2024

The family of a North Derbyshire woman - who was killed by her stalker - tell us they're 'eager' to help police officers better understand the complexities of stalking.

Gracie Spinks' parents are currently putting together a number of training videos for Derbyshire Police to use in future.

The 23-year-old reported her killer to the police in the months before her death - with the force since admitting 'multiple failings' over the way her complaint was handled.

Gracie's dad - Richard Spinks - hopes the videos will be rolled out to different forces across the country:

"Last week, we recorded some training videos to be used for new officers and present officers within the police force on stalking and how to handle the cases.

"They'll provide extra information, procedures to be followed, how to be more investigative, and just generally I think it's far more personal for a police officer to see a training video with the family of a victim.

"It will also look at our experience with how the police dealt with Gracie's case, and the detail surrounding what happened to Gracie.

"We hope it can be used not only in Derbyshire, but with other police force's up and down the country."

Richard's daughter was killed almost 3 years ago by her stalker - Sheffield man Michael Sellers - whose body was found close to Gracie's in the hours after she'd been stabbed to death.

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