Before HM Assistant Coroner Edmund Gritt
South London Coroner’s Court
7 – 15 October 2024
This is a media release by Gold Jennings Solicitors, reshared by INQUEST.
Chenise Gregory, 29, died at the Majestic Hotel in Harrogate on 4 May 2021 having suffered 22 stab wounds inflicted by her partner, Michael McGibbon. After killing Chenise, McGibbon then took his own life.
Chenise was born in Brixton and leaves behind three siblings. Her family describe her as a friendly, active and polite person. She had a big personality and loved baking. She had a passion for caring for others and worked as a nursery assistant.
Chenise began a relationship with McGibbon in 2013 prior to his conviction for rape of a female stranger in 2016. Prison and Probation Services suspected that Chenise was vulnerable, and that McGibbon was both manipulative and controlling of her from even prior to his release from prison. Chenise’s previously happy and outgoing personality changed while she was in a relationship with McGibbon. He exerted extreme and domineering control over her life and the jury heard evidence of physical abuse perpetrated by McGibbon towards Chenise.
In February 2019, McGibbon was released from prison and was monitored by state agencies, including the police and probation service, at MAPPA Level 2 (active inter-agency management). Agencies determined that disclosure of the details of McGibbon’s rape offence and previous offending should be made to Chenise, but this did not in fact happen.
McGibbon was recalled in April 2019 after a series of warnings had been issued about his behaviour. Recall was eventually triggered when knives were found in the bedroom of his Approved Premises. McGibbon’s MAPPA level was returned to Level 1 (ordinary management).
McGibbon was re-released from prison in January 2020 at the direction of the Parole Board. His MAPPA management level was not reviewed prior to his release as it should have been due to an oversight by the Probation Service.
On 25 April 2021 McGibbon dialled 999 and reported that people in his accommodation had threatened to kill him. Police attended and assessed that McGibbon’s suspicions were false and that he was suffering from “paranoia”. Police found three knives in McGibbon’s bedroom, positioned strategically around his bed. Instead of questioning why the weapons were there, officers decided to hide them. One of these knives was identical to one found later in McGibbon’s hand at the murder scene. Chenise was present in the bedroom but was not spoken to in any detail by officers who did not even ask her for her name, let alone consider the risk to her in the circumstances.
It was not until 27 April 2021 that police officers who had attended on 25 April completed an intelligence report. On 28 April an intelligence officer reviewed the report and then sent it to the wrong public protection team (so called ‘Jigsaw’ teams); instead of being sent to the Croydon Jigsaw Team which was responsible for monitoring McGibbon, it was sent to the Sutton Jigsaw Team who failed to forward it to Croydon. The jury heard evidence that had the Croydon Jigsaw Team received this report they would have immediately visited McGibbon and informed his probation officer.
The jury heard during the inquest that had his probation officer been made aware, there is a possibility that McGibbon would have been recalled to prison within 24 hours.
The jury concluded that but for the communication failings in April 2021, it is possible that Chenise might not have died. They also found that there was a failure to have a proper process in place to make sure intelligence reports reached the correct Jigsaw team.
HM Coroner has deferred his decision on the need for a Prevention of Future Deaths/Regulation 28 report pending receipt of further evidence.
Cherene Williams, Chenise’s sister said:
Chenise will be remembered most for her big contagious smile, her curly hair and her caring heart. As a family, all we now have is memories. She wasn’t just my baby sister, but also my best friend. I treasure the 29 years we spent together and will always talk about her to my son because I never want him to forget Chenise.
As a family, we are pleased with what the jury found because it confirms what we know but it doesn’t bring her back. There has been some accountability, and we hope this means the police and probation services will do better in future. Chenise wasn’t just a number; she was a loved member of our family. We hope lessons can be learned.
Robert Hamill, of Gold Jennings Solicitors, said:
Chenise was badly let down by the state bodies with responsibility for protecting the public from dangerous offenders such as McGibbon. Failings around risk assessments and mental health training in this case are stark and the jury were right to conclude that but for the failings of police staff Chenise possibly would not have died in such tragic circumstances. It is now incumbent on agencies to learn from these mistakes and ensure similar systemic and operational failures cannot happen again.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
Chenise’s family are represented by INQUEST Lawyers Group members Maya Sikand KC of Doughty Street Chambers, Serena K. Sekhon of No5 Chambers and Robert Hamill of Gold Jennings Solicitors.
The family are supported by INQUEST caseworker Selen Cavcav.
Other recent deaths involving people on licence to the probation service include:
- Quyen Ngoc Nguyen, 28, died in August 2017 following sexual and physical violence by two men who had been released from prison on licence. The inquest exposed a ‘dysfunctional’ system for public protection. Media release.
- Alex Malcolm, 5, was killed by a man in November 2016. The former partner of his mother was under supervision of probation service following a series of convictions for violent behaviour. Despite having spoken to the relevant probation officer, Alex’s mother was never made aware of her former partner’s history and the risks for which he was being monitored. See media coverage.
- Connor Marshall, 18, died in March 2015, after being attacked by a man on probation who had breached the terms of his license and missed numerous meetings. See media coverage.
- Raneem Oudeh and Khaola Saleem, double homicide involving failures by police to follow their own basic policies and guidance when death with repeated reports of domestic violence. See
media coverage
Failures By The Police Contributed To The Homicide Of Chenise Gregory
CONTENT WARNING: Please read with care as this page may involve information on death, suicide, mental illness, disability, state neglect, and police and prison violence that some people may find upsetting. If you need support, please visit our support page.
Before HM Assistant Coroner Edmund Gritt
South London Coroner’s Court
7 – 15 October 2024
This is a media release by Gold Jennings Solicitors, reshared by INQUEST.
Chenise Gregory, 29, died at the Majestic Hotel in Harrogate on 4 May 2021 having suffered 22 stab wounds inflicted by her partner, Michael McGibbon. After killing Chenise, McGibbon then took his own life.
Chenise was born in Brixton and leaves behind three siblings. Her family describe her as a friendly, active and polite person. She had a big personality and loved baking. She had a passion for caring for others and worked as a nursery assistant.
Chenise began a relationship with McGibbon in 2013 prior to his conviction for rape of a female stranger in 2016. Prison and Probation Services suspected that Chenise was vulnerable, and that McGibbon was both manipulative and controlling of her from even prior to his release from prison. Chenise’s previously happy and outgoing personality changed while she was in a relationship with McGibbon. He exerted extreme and domineering control over her life and the jury heard evidence of physical abuse perpetrated by McGibbon towards Chenise.
In February 2019, McGibbon was released from prison and was monitored by state agencies, including the police and probation service, at MAPPA Level 2 (active inter-agency management). Agencies determined that disclosure of the details of McGibbon’s rape offence and previous offending should be made to Chenise, but this did not in fact happen.
McGibbon was recalled in April 2019 after a series of warnings had been issued about his behaviour. Recall was eventually triggered when knives were found in the bedroom of his Approved Premises. McGibbon’s MAPPA level was returned to Level 1 (ordinary management).
McGibbon was re-released from prison in January 2020 at the direction of the Parole Board. His MAPPA management level was not reviewed prior to his release as it should have been due to an oversight by the Probation Service.
On 25 April 2021 McGibbon dialled 999 and reported that people in his accommodation had threatened to kill him. Police attended and assessed that McGibbon’s suspicions were false and that he was suffering from “paranoia”. Police found three knives in McGibbon’s bedroom, positioned strategically around his bed. Instead of questioning why the weapons were there, officers decided to hide them. One of these knives was identical to one found later in McGibbon’s hand at the murder scene. Chenise was present in the bedroom but was not spoken to in any detail by officers who did not even ask her for her name, let alone consider the risk to her in the circumstances.
It was not until 27 April 2021 that police officers who had attended on 25 April completed an intelligence report. On 28 April an intelligence officer reviewed the report and then sent it to the wrong public protection team (so called ‘Jigsaw’ teams); instead of being sent to the Croydon Jigsaw Team which was responsible for monitoring McGibbon, it was sent to the Sutton Jigsaw Team who failed to forward it to Croydon. The jury heard evidence that had the Croydon Jigsaw Team received this report they would have immediately visited McGibbon and informed his probation officer.
The jury heard during the inquest that had his probation officer been made aware, there is a possibility that McGibbon would have been recalled to prison within 24 hours.
The jury concluded that but for the communication failings in April 2021, it is possible that Chenise might not have died. They also found that there was a failure to have a proper process in place to make sure intelligence reports reached the correct Jigsaw team.
HM Coroner has deferred his decision on the need for a Prevention of Future Deaths/Regulation 28 report pending receipt of further evidence.
Cherene Williams, Chenise’s sister said:
Chenise will be remembered most for her big contagious smile, her curly hair and her caring heart. As a family, all we now have is memories. She wasn’t just my baby sister, but also my best friend. I treasure the 29 years we spent together and will always talk about her to my son because I never want him to forget Chenise.
As a family, we are pleased with what the jury found because it confirms what we know but it doesn’t bring her back. There has been some accountability, and we hope this means the police and probation services will do better in future. Chenise wasn’t just a number; she was a loved member of our family. We hope lessons can be learned.
Robert Hamill, of Gold Jennings Solicitors, said:
Chenise was badly let down by the state bodies with responsibility for protecting the public from dangerous offenders such as McGibbon. Failings around risk assessments and mental health training in this case are stark and the jury were right to conclude that but for the failings of police staff Chenise possibly would not have died in such tragic circumstances. It is now incumbent on agencies to learn from these mistakes and ensure similar systemic and operational failures cannot happen again.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
Chenise’s family are represented by INQUEST Lawyers Group members Maya Sikand KC of Doughty Street Chambers, Serena K. Sekhon of No5 Chambers and Robert Hamill of Gold Jennings Solicitors.
The family are supported by INQUEST caseworker Selen Cavcav.
Other recent deaths involving people on licence to the probation service include:
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