A police officer told a court 'in an ideal world' it would have been better to arrest an arsonist who threatened to firebomb a house before he murdered a mother and four children.
asserted
he → tell → mother
Zak Bolland, 26, smashed the windows of the home of Michelle Pearson, 37, where she lived with her young family on Jackson Street, Walkden, Greater Manchester, as part of an escalating feud, Bolton Coroner's Court heard.
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Court → smash → feud
Bolland would later threaten to firebomb Ms Pearson's house and would eventually set fire to it, killing all four children inside.
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Bolland → threaten → children
Ms Pearson died aged 37 in August 2019, more than a year-and-a-half after her children did.
The mother died while holding a photo of her murdered children in hospital after suffering 68 per cent burns to her body in the fire.
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mother → die → fire
After Bolland initially smashed the windows of Ms Pearson, police attended.
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police → smash → Pearson
A statement was then taken from her naming Bolland as the culprit for the attack on the morning of November 26, 2017.
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statement → take → November
Later that day, he sent her text messages demanding £500 and threatening to petrol bomb her home.
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he → send → home
Michelle Pearson (pictured) died aged 37 clutching a photo of her children, more than a year-and-a-half after four of them died in a devastating house fire
Eight-year-old Brandon (left), Lacie (centre), seven, and Lia (right), three, died in the house fire
Police were then called to the house a second time, the inquest into the death of Ms Pearson and four of her children was told.
Pc Robert Webster, now a detective constable but at the time a probationary officer who had only been with Greater Manchester Police for six months, said Ms Pearson was 'fed up and frustrated'.
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Pearson → picture → months
He said she told him she was an anxious person and unwilling to go to court to prosecute Bolland over the smashed windows or the threats.
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she → say → windows
The officer said he told her if Bolland denied smashing her windows, it was his word against hers and if she was not prepared to go to court, a conviction was unlikely.
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conviction → say → court
Mr Webster said he did not at that time attempt to find and arrest Bolland, who lived a few hundred yards away in Walkden.
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who → say → Walkden
He said: 'We were extremely busy, we were short staffed.
'
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we → say → ?
It was the busiest shift I had attended up to that point.
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I → attend → point
We attended one emergency call after another.'
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We → attend → another
He agreed with Anna Morris KC, representing the Pearson family, that after taking a statement from Ms Pearson, when they left her home on November 26, there were grounds to arrest Bolland.
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they → agree → Bolland
Demi Pearson (pictured) also passed away at the age of 15 in the blaze
Zak Bolland (left) and David Worrall (right), then 26 and 28 respectively, were jailed for life over the attack
Ms
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Bolland → picture → attack
Morris said four children lived at the address and threats had been made, suggesting taking action should have been a priority.
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taking → say → action
'Was the best safeguarding to arrest him?' she asked the witness.
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she → arrest → witness
The officer replied: 'In an ideal world yes.
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officer → reply → world
There were other priority incidents we had to attend to.'
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we → be → ?
Two days later, another officer 'closed' the case into the smashed window after Bolland refused to give a single answer in a 12-minute interview.
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Bolland → close → interview
He was released and told he was NFA'd – meaning 'no further action' would be taken.
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action → release → ?
Four days later, Bolland returned to Ms Pearson's home, gloating, shouting he had been 'NFA'd' and calling her a 'grass' and a 'rat'.
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he → return → her
She again called the police and Mr Webster was one of the attending officers.
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Webster → call → officers
He told the inquest: 'We had to explain to her what 'NFA' meant.
'
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NFA → tell → what
She was upset by it, she just appeared quite puzzled why that had happened.
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that → upset → it
She wanted Zak to be prosecuted for what he had done to her and her home.
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he → want → her
She seemed at that point willing and wanting to take the matter further.'
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She → seem → matter
A statement released by the family when Ms Pearson passed away read: 'We know she's back with her children and out of pain'
But the court heard that the investigation had been 'closed' on the police computer system.
Mr Webster told the court the system did not appear to have recorded the identity of the person who closed the crime.
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who → release → crime
She also reported having her windows smashed, her bin set on fire and graffiti painted on the walls of her house as part of an escalating feud.
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bin → report → feud
Less than a week later, in the dead of night on December 11 2017, Bolland and an accomplice, David Worrall, 28, smashed Ms Pearson's windows at the back of the house.
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Bolland → smash → house
They tossed in petrol bombs which 'exploded' near the stairs, blocking the only exit to the ground floor and trapping the sleeping family upstairs as the flames spread.
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flames → toss → family
Demi Pearson, 15, her brother Brandon, eight, and sisters Lacie, seven, and Lia, three, all died in the blaze.
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Pearson → die → blaze
In 2018, Bolland and Worrall were both given four life sentences and told they would serve a minimum of 40 and 37 years respectively for the petrol bombing.
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they → give → bombing
Bolland’s girlfriend, Courtney Brierley, 20, was jailed for 21 years for four counts of manslaughter.
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girlfriend → jail → manslaughter
Their trial heard attacks on Ms Pearson’s home arose out of an escalating feud between Bolland and one of her sons.
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attacks → hear → sons
She had called police on at least five occasions in the two weeks before the firebombing and had begged to be re-housed, the murder trial at Manchester Crown Court heard.
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trial → call → Court
Demi was described as a 'happy, smiley child' who was 'best friends' with her mother.
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who → describe → mother
Brandon had an infectious smile and was a 'mummy's boy' while his sister Lacie was a little 'diva' and Lia a little chatterbox with a cheeky laugh.
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Lia → have → laugh
'All of the children had such bright futures ahead of them,' the family statement said, adding: 'We cherish the short time we shared with them.'
The eight-week inquest, which is investigating if there were any missed opportunities by the police or other agencies to protect the family, continues on Thursday.
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which → have → Thursday
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