Family seeking answers after death of murder accused

Father tells of daughter's struggles before pensioner was killed

- PAUL BRITTON

THE father of a woman who died in prison after being charged with the murder of a pensioner walking his dog in a park said she was suffering from schizophrenia at the time - and questioned whether her deteriorating mental health had been adequately recognised and treated.

Emma Borowy, who was 32, was 'in and out' of hospital and had been sectioned at one point.

Her father said she had previously been admitted to mental health facilities in Salford, Bolton and Warrington, but was 'seemingly allowed to escape at will' and 'run away' while on escorted walks. He also claimed 'she could be a hazard to herself and others, but said that wasn't taken seriously by mental health professionals involved in her care.

Borowy, an artist from Farnworth in Bolton, was charged by police in Sheffield with the murder of 74-yearold Roger Leadbeater, who drove children with special needs to schools for the council, in August this year. Mr Leadbeater, a total stranger to her, was stabbed to death as he walked his dog, Max, in parkland in the Westfield area of the city.

A court heard this week that Borowy, who was remanded in prison awaiting a trial date, died in custody on Tuesday, December 12.

It's understood she was at New Hall Prison in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, and was about to be transferred to a secure hospital. Police subsequently confirmed nobody else is now being sought in connection with Mr Leadbeater's death and said the investigation has been closed ahead of inquest hearings.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News from his home in Farnworth, Borowy's father Karl, 64, said both families have many questions they want answers to.

Father-of-four Mr Borowy revealed the family believe Emma was in Sheffield living with a friend she had struck up a relationship with when both were in-patients at a mental health facility in Warrington, but said he didn't know how long she had been in South Yorkshire for.