‘We believe all relevant agencies must learn to recognise warning signs for domestic homicide long before they reach such a tragic stage’
Kenneth McClean-Flanagan
The family of a woman killed by her son before he took his own life, issued a statement hoping that “lessons will be learned” following the inquest into his death.
Kenneth McClean-Flanagan died after he killed his mum, Karen McClean- Flanagan, and girlfriend, Stacey Knell, on March 20, 2021.
A inquest into the 26-year-old’s death heard that he had been at his grandfather’s house in Newtownabbey, where he stayed in an out-building, with his girlfriend when he left and drove to his mum’s property.
There he barged past her partner, locked himself in her flat with her and stabbed her. The inquest heard that her partner attempted to enter the flat and witnessed part of the attack.
After this, Kenneth left the property and drove back to his grandfather’s house. He was later found dead by armed police officers who attended the house. During a search of the property, officers discovered the body of Stacey Knell.
The inquest heard from a number of witnesses including Dr Doran, a general practitioner at the practice Kenneth was registered to. She submitted call logs from the five years prior to his death that showed complaints of addiction and mental health issues.
Dr Doran said there were times Kenneth, who had a history of cocaine and heroin use, had expressed suicidal thoughts to mental health teams when under the influence but retracted this when he sobered up.
She also said that Kenneth could not get dual support for his mental health complaints due to his addiction problems and was never formally diagnosed with a mental health condition other than depression and anxiety. The GP said she was frustrated that community mental health teams would not see Kenneth until he was able to address his addictions.
A toxicology report showed that Kenneth may have been under the influence of cocaine at the time of his death.
A statement from a representative of the McClean-Flanagan family following the hearing said: “As a family, on Karen’s behalf we hope that the coroner’s findings will ensure that all relevant agencies learn the lessons that were so painfully missed, out of respect for our family and the Knell family.
“We found the inquest process to be especially difficult without legal representation, but are thankful to those who have helped us get through it this week. We believe it is important that a spotlight continues to be shone on these failures, and that it will drive meaningful change.
“We believe that all relevant agencies must learn to recognise warning signs for domestic homicide long before they reach such a tragic stage, to prevent any other families from suffering losses as devastating as ours and the Knell family’s.”
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