Officers 'too busy' to visit murder scene

Two police officers who refused to attend an incident where a woman was stabbed to death have been disciplined.

The officers were the closest to the house where Louise Webster was stabbed in January 2010, but they claimed they were not supposed to leave the anti-prostitution operation they were assigned to. Another officer had to disarm the killer.

Ms Webster's partner, Martin Ashby, was jailed for life at Northampton Crown Court last week for her murder.

Medical specialists found that Ms Webster would have died in any case, but the Independent Police Complaints Commission said the officers had put others in danger. It also found that one of them went house hunting while on the same anti-prostitution operation the night before the murder. Both officers have since received final written warnings for gross misconduct.