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Killer in the family podcast
A true crime podcast exploring men who kill their families.
Killer in the family podcast
Episode 41 - Bethany Vincent and Darren Henson
In May 2021 Bethany Vincent and her 9-year-old son Darren Henson were stabbed and killed by her ex-partner Daniel Boulton. A serial perpetrator of domestic abuse and coercive control Boulton had two restraining orders against him when he walked 28 miles to kill Bethany and her son. A review into the murders concluded that the risk he posed was underestimated by professionals and I believe that better understanding of coercive control could have prevented the murders.
This is the story of Bethany Vincent and Darren Henson.
Information and support
· Samaritans UK Contact Us | Samaritans
· National Domestic Violence Helpline UK 0808 2000 247
· Women’s Aid www.womensaid.org.uk
· Mental health support USA I'm looking for mental health help for myself | Mental Health America (mhanational.org)
· Domestic abuse helpline USA 1.800.799.SAFE Domestic Violence Support | National Domestic Violence Hotline (thehotline.org)
References
Clare Laxton is fundraising for Women's Aid Federation Of England (justgiving.com)
Bethany and Darren overview report (lincolnshire.gov.uk)
Bethany Vincent: How mum tried to escape her murdering ex - BBC News
Bethany Vincent and Darren Henson murders: 'Missed opportunities' to stop violent killer - BBC News
Family speak of 'unbearable loss' after murders of daughter and grandson | ITV News Calendar
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Hi there and welcome to Killer in the Family podcast. I'm your host, claire Laxton. Welcome to episode 41 and thank you so much, everyone, for your comments and feedback about last week's episode. It was definitely a tough listen and I really appreciate all of you brilliant listeners. It has been really sad to see.
Speaker 1:In the last couple of weeks there have been two other suspected familial sides in the UK, one in Bradford and one in Staines in Surrey. I'll probably talk about them later on in the year, but it's just a horrific reminder that women and children are losing their lives all the time at the hands of men who profess to love and protect them. So let's get straight into this episode. In May 2021, bethany Vincent and her nine-year-old son, darren Henson, were stabbed and killed by ex-partner Daniel Bolton, a serial perpetrator of domestic abuse and coercive control. Bolton had two restraining orders against him when he walked 28 miles to kill Bethany and her son. A review into the murders concluded that the risk he posed was underestimated by professionals and I believe that better understanding of coercive control could have prevented the murders. This is the story of Bethany Vincent and Darren Henson. This is going to be a tough listen, team Researching and learning about Bethany and Darren just brings home to me how heartbreaking this case is. As well as news reports, I've also read the domestic homicide review for Bethany and Darren and as usual, I've linked to all my sources as well as information and support if you need it, in the episode notes.
Speaker 1:Bethany Vincent was born in the mid-1990s in Lincolnshire, uk, which is very close to where I live. She was born to parents Caroline and Darren, and she had a sister, chloe. She was just 26 years old when she was killed by her ex partner. Her mum, caroline, told the Louth leader that Bethany was a total bookworm when she was growing up. She said quote she wasn't much of a girly girl. That was always her sister Chloe. She would just wear her jeans and t-shirt and was happiest when she was reading. Just wear her jeans and t-shirt and was happiest when she was reading. She loved baking as well. Her favourite was lemon drizzle. Now, I think we all love a lemon drizzle cake. So I totally agree with Bethany here. Apparently, bethany also loved everything Disney and had so much Disney memorabilia in her house. She loved the TV show Friends as well, like so many others. Caroline talked about how Bethany was really close to her family and they spent lots of time together, especially once Bethany had given birth to son Darren.
Speaker 1:So Bethany was in a relationship with Kieran Henson when she was 16 years old and she became pregnant with Darren. Caroline, her mum talks about the moment she told them she was pregnant Quote I wasn't thrilled to be a grandma at 36 to start with. She told us she was pregnant on April Fool's Day and I thought she was joking. But when Darren was born, they nicknamed him DJ for Darren Jr. He was named after Bethany's father and the family absolutely loved him. Dj was just nine years old when he was named after Bethany's father and the family absolutely loved him. Dj was just nine years old when he was killed.
Speaker 1:After having DJ, bethany and Kieran stayed together for a couple more years, but split up when DJ was two years old. They stayed on good terms, though, and DJ saw his dad every weekend. Apparently, dj and Kieran shared a love for football and he loved Chelsea and Mason Mount in particular. Dj was also diagnosed with autism when he was two years old and went to attend a special school in nearby Ayersby. Joy, bethany's grandma told the Louth leader quote he was incredibly good with dates and numbers. You could tell him any date and he'd be able to tell you what day of week that was straight away. He was brilliant at maths too. He was so clever, and DJ's school told the Domestic Homicide Review that he was a bright and curious boy and had a good relationship with all the teachers there.
Speaker 1:Now, after splitting up with Kieran, bethany didn't really date much and was a real homebody. She loved spending time with DJ reading books and just being with her family, and in early 2019 she reconnected with someone online that she had actually known growing up. That someone was Daniel Bolton. Bolton was four years older than Bethany, and the domestic homicide review into Bethany and DJ's murders stated that he had a somewhat troubled childhood, with his father leaving, and he got into quite a bit of trouble at school. From around 2009, the review stated that Bolton's offending became more violent in nature and by the time he met Bethany again in 2019, bolton had been convicted of actual bodily harm and robbery, racially aggravated assault, drunken disorderly behaviour and burglary, and he'd spent time in prison for these offences. He also had a conviction for a domestic abuse offence on a former partner in 2018 and had a history of breaking community orders, which will become important later on in the episode. So basically, bolton was not a good guy. He sounds like he's violent, potentially racist and also abusive to women as well, in a classic perpetrator move.
Speaker 1:The relationship with Bethany moved very quickly and I'm sure he love-bombed her at the beginning of the relationship. Bethany's family told ITV that they soon started seeing signs of control from Bolton. Caroline, her mum, said, quote he encouraged her to give up her job, which she loved, by telling her she could do better. We'd always been really close, but he gradually isolated her from us and she stopped coming round as much. We tried to tell her it wasn't right, but it was like she was brainwashed and the more she pushed, the more we pushed, the more she swayed towards him. It was all about control and we just want other people to look out for the signs like that. Now, if those statements sound familiar, it's because they are. We talk about in this podcast so many family and friends how they can see the isolation of someone from them and also the challenge of trying to get someone to see the control and coercion a partner is exerting At this point as well. Bethany's family didn't know about Bolton's violent history, so I'm sure that would have rung alarm bells for them too. Now, by the end of 2019, bethany's family didn't know about Bolton's violent history, so I'm sure that would have rung alarm bells for them too. Now, by the end of 2019, bethany was pregnant with Bolton's child and by the time the child was born, we don't know their name. In August 2020, bethany and Bolton had split up.
Speaker 1:Now, as you might be able to imagine by now, before they broke up, there were abusive incidents in their relationship, as well as continued control and coercion from Bolton. The police were called out around six times between 2019 and 2021 in incidents of abuse from Bolton towards Bethany, towards Bethany. The incidents included Bolton refusing to leave Bethany's home to him, physically assaulting and then following her to a police station. Now this was in November 2020 and he launched a violent attack on Bethany. He banged her head against a wall and punched her multiple times. He then followed her to the police station when she went to report it. The police were also called out many times when Bolton was shouting outside Bethany's home after they'd split up and he assaulted Bethany again and her mum as well. Now Bethany was risk assessed by the police twice and these risk assessments came out as standard and medium. Now for the incident where he assaulted Bethany in 2020 and then followed her to the police station.
Speaker 1:Bolton was arrested and faced conviction. Quite rightly, he was sentenced to a two-year community order which stated he had to go on a rehabilitative programme, but he didn't go to prison At this point. So January 2021, he also received a restraining order which stated that he couldn't contact Bethany directly or indirectly or go to her address, and that he had to go through a third party for child contact. He appeared at court again in February 2021 for the other assault on Bethany and her mum, and again he was given a community sentence and the restraining order was extended to August 2021. According to the BBC, in a statement to police, bethany said quote nobody has the right to hurt me like this. I don't want him anywhere near me or my family. I'm willing to attend court as I really want him out of my life. What a brave thing to do as well. We know how difficult it can be for victim survivors to go to court and tell their story and face their perpetrator, so she was obviously being so brave here and really wanting to get away from him. Wanting to get away from him. Bethany's family and me actually question why he was given community orders on both occasions and not sent to prison, particularly in the second instance. Clearly Bolton was a risk to Bethany, so much so that he was in court twice in two months for separate assaults on her. I really feel like prison time could have been sentenced here. So after these two restraining orders were issued to Bolton, they did nothing to deter his abusive and controlling behaviour. He repeatedly breached the injunctions, continued to contact Bethany via text, phone and social media and, as far as I can tell tell, none of these breaches resulted in him being arrested, charged and held. Breaching orders is a criminal offence Now.
Speaker 1:Throughout this time, bolton was also engaged with a range of health services and other services, such as the Salvation Army, seeking support with his mental health and other issues. There was at least one occasion where he said to a professional that he wanted to get rid of DJ and talked about how much he hated him. There are more warning signs here about the risk that he posed to Bethany and DJ. In fact, throughout their relationship and separation, fulton and Bethany were in touch with lots of services. He was under probation for the assault on his previous partner. He attended probation appointments and also attended health appointments with concerns about his mental health, as I talked about Around May 2021. Bolton would express frustration at these appointments about not always being able to see his child and thinking Bethany wasn't parenting well, and notes from a range of different professionals talked about his low mood and frustrations in the month leading up to the murders. At the same time, bethany also had many midwife appointments throughout her pregnancy and was also involved with social services who were concerned about DJ and the child's welfare.
Speaker 1:After the domestic abuse incidents and just to flag as well, the domestic homicide review did note that Bethany had been asked about domestic abuse by her midwife, but said that nothing was wrong. So midwives have to ask pregnant women about domestic abuse, as pregnancy is a risk factor for abuse and control. So it's now a national policy called routine inquiry. Research has found that, while the principle of routine inquiry is welcomed by both midwives and women, practicalities of it for example, finding a safe space, having time dealing with disclosures of domestic abuse have meant that it might have not been as effective as it could be. Also, as we'll discuss later, if the right information sharing measures between professionals aren't in place, then this routine inquiry might lead to nothing. So there were lots of statutory agency involvement with Bethany, bolton and DJ and their other child, mostly police, probation, health and social services. Yet these agencies were not sharing information about the behaviour of Bolton and the potential dangers he posed to Bethany, dj and their other other child. It makes this case so frustrating and heartbreaking.
Speaker 1:Towards the end of may 2021, with two restraining orders to his name, an increasingly controlling bolton harassed bethany with over 900 facebook messages, according to the bb. One message read quote you destroyed my life and have the cheek to say I ruined yours. Bethany did not, in High Home Road in Louth, demanding to be let in Not an uncommon sight over the past couple of years, as we've heard. Now, it's not clear if he got into the house that morning, but what we do know is that he spent the day loitering around Louth and then came back to Bethany's house in the evening with the clear intent to break in. It was at this point that two young girls who were walking to the local park heard screams coming from the house. They called 999 and ran off absolutely terrified, where they saw a man in the house holding a blue rope. Now I just want to give massive props to these girls here. How many times do we hear about something called the bystander effect, where people hear screams or something wrong but did nothing because they assumed someone else would be calling the police or helping? If you think something might be wrong, call the police.
Speaker 1:According to the BBC, a short time after the girls had seen the man with the blue rope, bolton left Bethany's house and apparently looked flushed and agitated and said someone's been stabbed to a passerby. He then fled the scene. What happened in the house in between the time Bolton forced himself in and then fled, only he knows. What we do know is that Bethany and DJ were found dead when police entered the house. Bethany had been stabbed nine times and DJ had been stabbed 14 times. Bethany and Bolton's nine-month-old child was also found in the house unharmed but, I'm sure, very distressed and traumatised. What I suspect is that Bethany probably died trying to save DJ and keep her child from harm. I just I can't imagine what it was like for her and DJ.
Speaker 1:After he'd brutally murdered Bethany and DJ, bolton ran off and sparked a huge manhunt by police. He was captured the next day, on the 1st of June, after an off-duty PC spotted him while out walking his dog on Hubbard's Hill in Louth. Pc Stephen Dennis said he recognised Bolton as soon as he saw him. His face must have been everywhere for the cops. He was going to call for backup but actually saw Bolton speaking to a woman so went to intervene. He was actually stabbed by Bolton as he tried to capture him, pc Dennis told ITV quote I thought he was going to attack that woman.
Speaker 1:I dropped the dog's lead and took hold of Bolton and he started to fight me immediately, throwing punches. He pulled a knife on the member of public. I ran after him. We then have another fight. Punches are thrown and he tried to stab me in the torso. I managed to knock his hand down, but he managed to stab me in the torso. I managed to knock his hand down, but he managed to stab me in the thigh. Bolton ran off after he'd stabbed the police officer but PC Dennis called for backup and he was soon captured. There's actually drone footage of the capture online. It shows Bolton running across like a farm-type yard, then into some fields he becomes surrounded by police and you can see that he's got a knife in his hand. It's actually really scary. I've linked to the video in the episode notes if you want to watch it. But thankfully police managed to arrest him and bring him in PZ. Dennis said of Bolton quote. He was one of the most dangerous people I've had to face and stare into his eyes. He didn't care about me in any way, shape or form, and his motivation was he would get away at whatever cost that may be.
Speaker 1:The horrific murders of Bethany and DJ reverberated throughout their community. One year on from their deaths, her mum, caroline, told the Laufleder that it still hadn't quite sunk in and that sometimes she still expects Bethany to come walking through the door. She said quote. My whole world changed that day. It will never be the same again. I never thought we'd get a knock on the door at 2am saying what had happened, but it shows what a wonderful mother she was. She died protecting DJ.
Speaker 1:According to the Domestic Homicide Review, dj's dad, kieran, said of the moment the police officer told him his son was dead quote. I will never again hear him shout daddy. The pain and heartache kills me every day. Those are words no parent ever wants to hear. They will be in my mind forever. Now, in their local area, a few people got together and created an organisation called Be their Voice and it was to raise awareness of domestic abuse and coercive control. I've linked to their Facebook page and it was to raise awareness of domestic abuse and coercive control. I've linked to their Facebook page and their aims are, quote for the public benefit, to promote awareness of domestic abuse in East Lindsay, the relief and assistance of people in need and the promotion of education concerning domestic abuse in East Lindsay by fundraising and collaborating with existing organisations. Caroline Bethany's mum told ITV quote After we lost them, some lovely people in Louth created a new charity in their memory called Be their Voice. We and DJ's father, kieran, are fully behind it and it sums up exactly what we intend to do Be their voice and try and help others.
Speaker 1:Now, after he was captured, bolton faced trial for the murders of Bethany and DJ in early 2022. He initially pleaded not guilty, citing mental health and diminished responsibility, and we've talked before about what this means for families, because when perpetrators plead not guilty, that means that there has to be a trial. When perpetrators plead not guilty, that means that there has to be a trial and the families have to go through, you know, sitting through that trial, hearing about what happened, maybe even hearing evidence from the alleged perpetrator and it's just really brutal for them. Thankfully, his plea of not guilty was not accepted by the prosecution. He did plead guilty to manslaughter part way through the trial, but went on to be convicted of murder. And I'm not going to talk loads about the trial because it's just more about him, isn't it? But we did find out a few important things about him at the trial. One was on on the day that he murdered Bethany and DJ. He actually walked 28 miles from the hostel where he was staying to her house in Louth.
Speaker 1:Now sometimes people try and say that a man just snapped or it was a crime of passion when he kills women and children, and I don't think anyone can argue that here, because Bolton had hours and hours of walking to plan, control and think about what he was about to do. This is a planned homicide, nowhere near a so-called crime of passion or someone seeing red. We also found out that when police arrived at the property, they found Bethany in the front room and DJ on the floor in his bedroom. They also said that although they were stabbed, both had marks consistent with blunt force trauma as well. Police officers found the nine-month-old child crawling around the house and the prosecution stated, quote untouched and unharmed, but clearly distressed and in one of the most heartbreaking aspects of this case. We also heard that during. We also heard during the trial that Bethany and DJ were due to move house in just a few days in an attempt to get away from Bolton and to an address that he wouldn't know. This is just so heartbreaking. Bethany did everything she could to keep herself safe from Bolton. She reported him to the police. She had restraining orders against him. She was moving away and yet he still found her and killed her and DJ.
Speaker 1:Now, as I said, bolton was found guilty of murder and in his sentencing remarks the trial judge, mr Justice Pepperell, said, quote I take the starting point of 30 years but move significantly upwards in view of the many aggregating features. In my judgment, the appropriate minimum term, after considering all the aggravating and mitigating features of your case, is 40 years. Bolton is serving his 40 year minimum sentence as we speak a year minimum sentence as we speak. Now, as I mentioned earlier in the episode, domestic Homicide Review was carried out in the case of Bethany and DJ and while most of these reviews are kept anonymous, bethany's family wanted their real names to be used. I've linked to the DHR, the Domestic Homicide Review. In the episode notes it was published earlier this year in May. In the episode notes it was published earlier this year in May.
Speaker 1:The BBC reported that the DHR chair, dr Russell Waite, said the level of the killer's risk to Bethany and her family was quote underestimated throughout. It said that the risk included signs of coercion and control and history of domestic abuse-related offences. He continued quote what is unequivocal is that the lines of communication between agencies was not sufficient to fully understand the risks involved. Opportunities to have addressed a more thorough understanding of the perpetrator's risk towards Bethany and DJ became secondary to the perceptions of the needs of the mental health of the perpetrator and he manipulated this to his advantage. A considerable amount of time and effort had gone towards supporting Bolton's needs and meant Bethany's safeguarding needs became secondary. This is so important here and a real indication of how perpetrators use services and their own narrative to pull attention towards them and what they need and draw attention away from their victims, their family and the risk that they pose to them. And that has clearly happened in this case.
Speaker 1:So much time and attention went towards Bolton and supporting his mental health needs and getting him support, which isn't inherently wrong, but by doing that, the domestic homicide review found that it made her needs and DJ's needs completely secondary. The review also talked about the controlling and coercive behaviour of Bolton and this being a sign of risk and something that could have been dealt with by police. As you know, coercive and controlling behaviour is a criminal offence, so he could have been arrested for this and it also stated that the fact that Bolton was seemingly repeatedly returning to Bethany's home was an obvious indicator of the escalation of risk of harm. Here Now, recommendations from the domestic homicide review included looking at information sharing processes between agencies and also increasing awareness and training of domestic abuse and coercive control with key professionals in the area, which I absolutely agree with. There wasn't anything specific, and there hasn't been anything specific that I've seen, that address why Bolton's breaches of restraining orders weren't dealt with or why he wasn't arrested when he assaulted Bethany again and had to be given a second restraining order when he assaulted Bethany again and had to be given a second restraining order. Personally, I feel like Bethany and DJ were failed here, and her family agree. I do agree with DHR in that the risk that Bolton posed and his escalating risk was not assessed properly and her and DJ were not kept safe from that risk.
Speaker 1:This episode is dedicated to Bethany and DJ, the people they were, their love of books and Chelsea FC and the joy they brought family, friends and their community.
Speaker 1:I'll close with a quote from Bethany's family to ITV quote. We'll never get Bethany and DJ back, but I think there are things people can take away from what's happened to us, things they might relate to that might help us make a difference in the future. This has been killer in the family podcast, written and produced by me, claire Laxton, with music from the brilliant Tom Box and Pixabay. I'll be back next week with another with a new episode, so please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Don't forget to send me any comments or questions to my insta at killer in the family pod or through a text via a link in the episode notes. Do let me know any stories you'd like me to cover as well. Also, don't forget that you can buy me a coffee if you like the podcast and help support its running costs. The link is in the episode notes. Until then, I've been Claire Laxton. This is Killer in the Family podcast no-transcript.
