AISLING MURRAY IN MANCHESTER: TRAGIC FAILURES ALLEGED IN LITTLE GIRL'S DEATH

On January 14, 2010, a tragic incident occurred involving Aisling Murray in Manchester. Murray, who was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, murdered her five-year-old daughter, Chloe, by stabbing her 52 times during a disturbing ritual after transforming Chloe’s bedroom into an altar. The devastating event followed a series of warnings that Murray posed a danger, which were ignored by authorities.

A report released yesterday detailed how Chloe’s teachers, her father David Fahey, and Murray’s mother had all desperately appealed to authorities to take action and have her detained, believing she was a threat. David made repeated calls expressing concern about Murray’s mental health, while school staff even dialed 999 due to their fears.

At the time of the killing, Murray, then 23 years old and a mother of two, had recently been discharged from hospital despite her fragile mental state, as official assessments had deemed her not to be a risk. The night prior, she was arrested for attacking David at their residence in Stretford, Greater Manchester. Although taken to hospital following her arrest, she was later discharged, and David stayed with relatives along with their youngest child.

On the day of the murder, a mental health team visited Murray but decided not to readmit her to the hospital. Later that evening, Chloe’s grandmother went to Stretford police station, pleading for officers to visit the house because Murray was alone with the child. Officers did visit but only spoke with Murray through a window and then left. Hours later, neighbors reported hearing Chloe begging for her life.

A report by Deputy High Court Judge Frances Patterson QC criticized the care provided to Murray as “sadly lacking” and described her family as “isolated.” It highlighted that the social worker managing Murray had been overloaded with cases, lacked sufficient resources, and was poorly supervised. Furthermore, the report acknowledged that Murray’s murder conviction was later reduced to manslaughter on appeal, and she has since been detained indefinitely in a secure unit.

The report also revealed significant failings, including the mental health team’s insufficient attention to Murray’s family’s needs and a “seriously flawed” assessment conducted just a day before the killing. Additionally, police were criticized for their failure to effectively communicate with Chloe’s father, David, leading to tragic gaps in the response to the warning signs of potential violence.