Woman Was Killed While Walking from Store 'to Get Her Steps in': Did Police Ignore Killer's Explicit Threats? By Sean Neumann

The family of a British grandmother who was stabbed to death in an apparent random attack while walking home from the grocery store two years ago is remembering her this week as “a kind and loving lady who lived life to the full.”

The family of late 74-year-old Lorna England provided the emotional remarks at the end of a government inquest into the Exeter, England, woman’s murder, which was officially ruled unlawful this week, according to ITV, The Guardian, and local Devon Live.

“Lorna was the beloved wife of fifty-two years, mother and grandmother and sister,” the family said in a statement as this week’s inquest concluded. “She was a kind and loving lady who lived life to the full, and was the most content person you would ever wish to meet, her smile lit up the room and her gentle nature made everyone feel welcomed and loved.” 

England’s family added: “We have a permanent empty void because we miss Lorna so much, we will never come to terms with her loss, how do you come to terms with such a wicked act?”

The grandmother was ambushed, attacked, and stabbed to death while walking through the Ludwell Valley Park in Devon, England, on Feb. 18, 2023. Her attacker, Cameron Davis, later pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge and was sentenced to 28 years in prison, according to the BBC.

An ongoing government inquest into the emergency services for Davis, who struggled with mental health issues, has been taking place at the Exeter and Greater Devon Coroner’s Court in England this month. Testimony given by local officials during the inquest, which concluded this week, suggested that England’s murder may have possibly been avoided had Davis received proper medical care for the mental health struggles he was facing.

However, as The Guardian reported, Davis did not receive adequate mental health care and instead had his care delayed because his health care service had a compromised computer system that led to medical officials having issues sharing information about his case with one another. Local police and first responders are also accused of failing to take Davis’ threats of killing someone seriously.

Davis entered a local police station in Exeter a month before killing England and told police he would “100%” kill someone, leading police to take him to a local hospital where he was later discharged, according to The Guardian. The newspaper reported that the morning of England’s murder, Davis told a paramedic that he would kill a “random person” if officials didn’t detain him.

England was randomly stabbed to death in the park shortly after, according to reports.

The senior coroner reviewing England’s murder case found that after Davis made his threats to kill a “random person” that morning, a mental health care nurse who had concerns about Davis’ mental health had been put on hold for more than two hours while trying to contact local police, The Guardian reported. According to the newspaper, the mental healthcare worker’s call was then disconnected without reaching local police to share her concerns about Davis.

England’s family has continued to mourn the death of the 74-year-old grandmother, who was killed after walking to pick up flour at her local Lidl grocery store, according to the BBC. England had decided to walk there because she wanted to “get her steps in,” prosecutors previously said.

Dave England, Lorna’s husband, said last year at Davis’ sentencing that his wife was his “guiding light” and “soulmate,” while casting anger towards Davis, calling him “evil.”

“That morning she had planted daffodil and tulip bulbs ready for the spring,” England’s husband told her murderer. “No punishment that you ever receive will ever be adequate compared to the pain inflicted on Lorna and my family.”

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.