'I found out on Facebook my mum had been killed'

A woman who found out her mum had been killed from a Facebook post said she felt "angry" and "let down" by police.

Karen Bassett, from Chepstow, Monmouthshire, came across an article on the social media site the day her mum Ann Green was killed, when she was at the time unaware that her mother had died.

The 61-year-old was found dead at an address on Apple Tree Close, Bromyard, Herefordshire, with Green's partner, Julian Thomas, 54, charged with her murder and set to appear at Worcester Crown Court on 27 February.

West Mercia Police said it would not be appropriate for the force to comment while the investigation was still ongoing but added: "We will as soon as we are able to."

Recalling the day of her mum's death, Bassett said: "I received a message on 27 September from a friend who said 'I'm pretty sure this is where your mum told me she lives'.

"She'd sent me an article from a certain place that had published it on social media.

"I read this article and the ages matched up so I commented that this was where my mum lives because it was a tiny cul-de-sac, literally everyone knows everyone.

"People were also writing 'RIP Ann' on the post and that's when I realised it was my mum.

"So I phoned my local police because I'm actually in south Wales and said I was pretty sure this was my mum that's been killed and they said they'd do some inquiries."

She was then told someone from West Mercia Police would be visiting her in 40 minutes.

"I knew then, I knew straight away that it was my mum. I knew from the article it was my mum," Bassett, who is originally from Bromyard, said.

"It was heartbreaking. I felt angry, I felt emotional, I felt like I had been let down - I shouldn't have found out that way.

"It was awful and I then had to pass the news on to other family members myself and I even had some family members asking me if it was mum - it was just awful."

Bassett said she had since received an apology from West Mercia Police which had passed the case on to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

"I don't think it will ever be good enough," the mum-of-three said.

"No-one should ever have to find out their loved ones have been taken through social media."

An IOPC spokesperson told the BBC it was "examining the police response to several incidents" and was "considering the actions and decisions taken by West Mercia Police".

"We are also looking at the timeliness and steps taken by the force to notify Ms Green's family of her death," they added.

The West Mercia Police spokesperson added: "We continue to extend our condolences to Ms Green's family and loved ones during this extremely upsetting and difficult time.

"The IOPC continues to carry out an independent investigation into our contact with Ms Green prior to her death, as well as steps taken by the force to notify her family of her death."

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