Stalker stabbed woman on day he was freed from court

An internal inquiry has been launched by Scotland Yard into the circumstances leading up to the murder of a woman in front of her child at a local nursery last September. It has emerged that Sean Francis killed Wendy Billing just hours after being released from court despite persistent breaches of court orders which should have led to him being jailed.

The 32 year old woman was stabbed to death after a frenzied knife attack by Francis, her estranged partner. The incident occurred in front of their three year old son, John, at the Caterpillar Day Nursery which is situated inside the Old Actonians Sports Club on Gunnersbury Drive. The couple were estranged and both still lived in the Ealing area.

Francis initially stabbed Wendy Billing through an open window of the car and then pulled her from the car and dumped her body in the car park. The child was pulled from the car during the attack by a member of staff at the nursery. His mother was brought to New Ealing Hospital but she died shortly afterwards. That same afternoon Francis drove to Hanwell station and threw himself under a speeding train.

A few days earlier Francis had been arrested for an attack on Wendy Billings. Despite a history of domestic violence he was given a conditional discharge at Ealing Magistrates Court on September 12th. That same day he approached Wendy Billings in the street and threatened to kill her which was a breach of a restraining order. He was arrested and held in custody overnight.

The following morning he faced a Judge Marcus Edwards at Brentford county court for breaching the order. Such breaches can carry up to a five year sentence but the judge decided to release Francis. The victim's sister, Lucy Billing, 26, who accompanied her to court that day, told the Evening Standard: "If they had locked him up my sister would still be here."

In addition to the Scotland Yard inquiry an inquest will take place into the events leading up to Wendy Billing's death in the next few months.

January 27, 2007