AN INQUIRY has slammed the system which failed to recognise the risk posed by a mental health patient who went on to brutally kill an elderly woman.

Several organisations monitoring Richard Loudwell were said to have failed to recognise a series of warning signs prior to him killing 82-year-old Joan Smythe at her home in Rainham in 2002.

Loudwell was later attacked by a fellow inmate at Broadmoor two days after he admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. He died in hospital on June 5, 2004.

An independent inquiry was launched to investigate the treatment given to Loudwell, 59. The aim of the inquiry was to discover what failures led to him being allowed to roam the streets.

The inquiry report was published on Thursday. It says:

* There was a collective communication breakdown among all the agencies dealing with Loudwell;
* There was poor communication and liaison between the various agencies dealing with his health and social care and those dealing with his offending;
* He had been brought to the attention of mental health services in the mid 1990s when he began to suffer from depression;
* Despite admitting he had trouble controlling his sexual urges and having committed a series of offences he still remained in the community.

Anthony Harbour, who chaired the inquiry, said: "There were clear organisational failures in the run-up to Joan Smythe’s death but I am satisfied that since 2002 there have been a number of service improvements.

"We have also identified a number of individual failures all of which have been drawn to the attention of the report’s commissioners."

Mr Harbour also backed the family of Loudwell, formerly of York Farm, Lower Twydall Lane, Gillingham, who said prior to 2002 the agencies did not recognise their views or opinions.

Speaking on behalf of all the agencies Bill Gillespie, chief executive of Medway Primary Care Trust, said: “All the agencies involved in the care and treatment of Richard Loudwell accept the findings in the independent report and welcome the recommendations."

The report says that from 1997 onwards, Loudwell’s behaviour spiralled out of control. A month before the attack on Mrs Smythe he described himself as a manic-depressive bi-sexual, who had no control over his sexual urges.

In 1999, he pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of a woman. He was arrested after the rape of a 35-year-old man in Canterbury and placed on bail, a month before he brutally killed Mrs Smythe.

Despite these events and the growing concern of his family, he was free to drive to Wakely Road in Rainham on December 2, 2002, help Mrs Smythe with her shopping, enter her house, sexually assault and strangle her.