Serial Offender David Kerr's Violent Past Ignored by Police and Court

David Kerr, a serial attacker, had a long history of violence against women, with convictions dating back to 2012. Despite his extensive criminal record, police failed to inform the court of his past, only reporting his driving convictions at the time of sentencing. Notably, Kerr had assaulted multiple women including Amy Clarke in 2012, whom he broke into her house and strangled until she lost consciousness, and Paula McNeill, whom he beat and threatened multiple times. Kerr’s violent pattern includes strangling women, physical assaults, and breaches of court orders. His criminal history spans over a decade and involves convictions in both Wales and Scotland, with multiple breaches of restraining orders, community payback orders, and periods in prison. In court, Kerr only faced minor fines of £150 for breaches of restriction orders in 2021, due to police human error in not passing his full criminal background to prosecutors. His victims, shocked and angered, expressed concerns about the police’s failure to disclose his extensive violent past, which could have impacted his sentencing. Prosecutors only learned of Kerr's full criminal history by chance, after a victim contacted them, revealing that Kerr had previously strangled women, beaten partners, and committed domestic assaults, including a brutal attack on Amy Clarke in Wales in 2012. Kerr’s criminal record also includes a 16-week prison sentence in 2019, charges related to assaulting partners, and multiple breaches of court orders, with sentences often being light and involving community payback orders. Police Scotland claimed the failure to disclose his convictions was an "human error," but victims and advocates emphasized the risks posed by Kerr and the need for better criminal history tracking and reporting.