Care staff unaware of killer's past, inquest told

Support workers at a care home where a teenager was murdered by a fellow resident said they did not know about his history of predatory sexual behaviour, an inquest has heard.

Melissa Mathieson, 18, was strangled by Jason Conroy at Alexandra House, a residential home for adults with autism and Asperger's syndrome in Bristol, in October 2014. Conroy, now 28, was jailed for life for the sexually-motivated killing.

He had previously attempted to kill his mother and strangle a teacher so he could abuse her, the inquest was told.

Mrs Coleman, a team supervisor at Alexandra House, said staff had only basic information about Conroy and were not told of previous incidents.

Miss Mathieson, from Windsor, Berkshire, was sent to Alexandra House by social services when she turned 18, after spending two years prior in a variety of placements.

In a letter, she wrote she was "dragged away from my home and everything I knew" by social services who "destroyed my life".

The court heard Conroy, who was fascinated by necrophilia, moved to Alexandra House two months before the murder, after trying to strangle a teacher at a residential school.

The inquest heard the school shared Conroy's history with the home's manager Yvonne Hin, including a detailed report from a forensic psychologist and the school's own risk assessments and care plans.

Several staff told the hearing they would never have been alone with Conroy if they knew of the risk he posed to others, and described reporting their concerns to supervisors.

Michelle Forde, a support worker, said Conroy made her feel "afraid" and after an incident at a swimming pool, she spoke to her team supervisor Elaine Coleman.

Mrs Forde said she knew nothing about Conroy's history of "opportunistic sexualised behaviour" until after Miss Mathieson's death, and had no knowledge of the measures in place at his previous placement.

She said: "We were just told he came from a boarding school and that was it.

"If I knew any of that I would not ever have worked with him – putting us all at risk," she said.

"A disgrace. We had one-to-one [contact] with him, all of the female staff."

Her colleague Michelle Cole told the inquest she reported her concerns about Conroy, including Miss Mathieson describing him as always watching her.

"I asked to speak with Elaine Coleman privately in the office, and reported those incidents to her," she said.

"She said she would keep an eye on things. I felt like I wasn't listened to and not taken seriously."

Mrs Coleman said she only found out about Conroy's predatory sexual history after the murder, and had she known she would have put in extra measures.

"We didn't know Jason was as dangerous as he was," she added.

"If I had seen something within his notes I would have made sure everybody was aware of that and made sure there was two-to-one staffing."

The inquest was adjourned until Monday.

Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.