THERE were significant failings in the services provided to double murderer Michael Stone, it has been revealed.

The long-awaited report into the treatment of Stone, who is from Gillingham, said there was a failure among the various agencies dealing with him, to share information.

Stone is serving life imprisonment for the murder of Lin and Megan Russell in the village of Chillenden, near Canterbury, ten years ago.

Other failings outlined by Robert Francis QC, who chaired the inquiry into Stone’s treatment, are that:

• The Prison Service lost vital medical records

• A consultant refused him care because he was said to be dangerous

• His medication was delegated to a GP who lacked understanding of the drugs prescribed.

But Mr Francis concluded: “We are unable to say that the murders could have been avoided by a better standard of care.”

This was challenged by Dr Shaun Russell, husband and father of the murder victims.

“What they are saying is that if everyone had done their job right, Michael Stone might still have done what he did,” he said. “But you could say if everyone had done their job right perhaps he wouldn’t have done what he did.”

Candy Morris, chief executive of the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority pointed out that the report said there was no suggestion that Michael Stone was deprived of any service which would have made him less of a danger to the public.

She said the NHS had responded to the report findings by producing a new model of care for people with mental health problems, which included more sharing of information, more psychiatric intensive care beds and 24-hour specialist care for patients.

At Monday's press conference to publish the report, held at the Tudor Park Hotel Maidstone, Michael Stone’s sister Barbara issued a statement from him, in which he denied killing Lin and Megan Russell, and claimed to be the subject of a cruel miscarriage of justice.

FULL STORY IN FRIDAY'S MEDWAY MESSENGER