A coroner's inquest has exposed severe safeguarding failures by Greater Manchester Police. these lapses led to the deaths of Michelle Pearson and her four children after Zak Bolland was not arrested despite explicit threats to petrol bomb the family's Walkden home.
The 12-minute interview that left Zak Bolland free
Greater Manchester Police closed the investigation into Zak Bolland after a brief 12-minute interview in which the suspect refused to cooperate. According to the report, this decision resulted in a "no further action" (NFA) status, which Bolland later used to taunt Michelle Pearson.
The suspect reportedly returned to the Jackson Street property to shout that he had been NFA'd,calling the mother a "rat" and a "grass." This interaction highlights a chilling gap in protection,where the legal system's failure to secure a suspect provided the perpetrator with a sense of impunity.
PC Robert Webster's justification for ignoring petrol bomb threats
Testimony from probationary officer PC Robert Webster revealed that he chose not to arrest Zak Bolland despite menacing text messages demanding 500 pounds and explicit threats of arson. PC Robert Webster testified that he believed a conviction was unlikely because Michelle Pearson appeared anxious and frustrated, suggesting she might be unwilling to go to court.
Furthermore, as reported, the officer cited a severe lack of staffing and an overwhelming number of emergency calls during that specific shift as reasons for the lack of intervention. This admission suggests that resource shortages within Greater Manchester Police directly contributed to the decision to leave a high-risk suspect on the street.
The December 11 attack on Jackson Street
The failure to intervene culminated on December 11, 2017, when Zak Bolland and David Worrall threw petrol bombs into the residence. by targeting the area near the stairs, the attackers effectively blocked the only exit to the ground floor, sealing the fate of the children sleeping upstairs.
The victims included Demi, aged 15, Brandon, aged 8, Lacie, aged 7, and Lia, aged 3, all of whom perished in the fire. Michelle Pearson survived the initial inferno but suffered 68 per cent burns to her body, eventually passing away in the hospital in August 2019.
The missing record of the 'no further action' decision
A critical systemic failure was uncovered at the Bolton Coroner's Court regarding how Greater Manchester Police managed the case on their computer system. The inquest revealed that the system failed to record which specific officer had decided to close the crime and mark it as "no further action."
This lack of accountability left a void in the investigation, meaning that even as Michelle Pearson renewed her pleas for help, the case remained closed without a clear trail of responsibility.. It remains an open question exactly who authorized the closure of the file, as the digital record provided no name.
Life senteences for Bolland, Worrall, and Brierley
The legal aftermath saw Zak Bolland and David Worrall receive life sentences with minimum terms of 40 and 37 years, respectively. Additionally, Courtney Brierley was sentenced to 21 years for manslaughter.
While these sentences reflect the gravity of the crime, the proceedings at the Bolton Coroner's Court emphasize that the tragedy was preventable. the family continues to seek answers regarding why a known threat to their lives was permitted to remain free despite multiple warnings provided to the authorities.
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