Georgia Williams Murder: Police To Be Investigated Over Killer's Previous Cases

25 June 2014, 14:57 | Updated: 25 June 2014, 15:00

Another police force are going to investigate how West Mercia Police handled cases involving a man who went on to kill Shropshire teenager Georgia Williams.

The force has asked Devon and Cornwall Police to look at its handling of previous incidents and find out whether its own investigations "fell short of what is expected''.

Reynolds is serving a life sentence after admitting murdering former head girl Georgia at his home in Wellington in May last year.

Mr Justice Alan Wilkie, sentencing the then 23-year-old at Stafford Crown Court in December 2013, told him he "had the potential to progressing to become a serial killer''.

It emerged in court Reynolds was handed a police caution in 2008, aged 17, for trying to strangle another teenage girl.

Georgia's father - a serving detective with the West Mercia force - told the judge at the time: "We've been damned by evil to endure this sorrow and misery to the end of our natural lives.''

In a statement, West Mercia Police said it had initially referred its previous contact with Reynolds to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) recommending an investigation be carried out in the interests of the public good.

In March, the IPCC replied informing the force to manage such an investigation locally.

The statement went on: "Our officers and staff strive to provide the best possible service to the public and it's important to examine previous incidents involving Jamie Reynolds to ascertain the details of those investigations and whether they fell short of what is expected.

"We take the concerns around these previous incidents very seriously and we strongly feel that it would be more appropriate for the investigation to be carried out by an alternative force.

"We have therefore asked Devon and Cornwall Police to conduct the enquiries.''

It added that it was "inappropriate for us to comment further around specific details'' until the investigation had run its course.

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed it was investigating following West Mercia's request.

Georgia was last seen by her family on May 26 2013 and reported her missing two days later.

Reynolds had answered texts from the girl's concerned parents, pretending to be Georgia in order to cover his tracks.

He was arrested in Glasgow after dumping the teenager's body in woodland at Nant-y-Garth pass in north Wales.

It emerged Reynolds had what prosecutors in the court case labelled a "morbid fascination'' with images of extreme sexual violence.

After his arrest, detectives found 16,800 images and 72 videos of extreme pornography on his computer.

Some of the images were doctored pictures of girls and women he knew, with ropes digitally drawn around their necks.

He had penned up to 40 short stories with graphic descriptions of sexual violence against women and had also written a script detailing a girl's murder.

Reynolds lured the defenceless teenager to his parents' house just a few hundred yards from where she lived on the pretence of a photo-shoot before trapping and killing her.

Later, he took photographs of his crime, before fleeing.