2 Police Agencies Failed Mom Who Was Forced to Swallow Wedding Ring, Then Killed by Estranged Husband: Inquest

Mar. 15, 2025

Lucy-Anne Rushton; Shaun Dyson.Photo:Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary

Lucy-Anne Rushton, 30, of Andover, Hampshire, was killed in June 2019 from injuries she sustained when her estranged husband, Shaun Dyson, 28, kicked and stomped on her at her home, according to theBBC.

In Dec. 2019, Dyson pleaded guilty in Winchester Crown Court to murdering Rushton, 30, the BBC reports. He was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 17 years, according to a statement fromHampshire Police.

Now a Winchester Coroner’s Court inquest into Rushton’s death found that authorities from the Dorset Police and Hampshire Constabulary failed her, according to theAndover Advertiserand a statement fromGold Jennings, which represented Rushton’s family.

During Dyson’s 2019 trial, jurors heard how Dyson forced Rushton to swallow her wedding ring after an ex-boyfriend reached out to her, the BBC reports.

The jury concluded that two departments failed her, according to the inquest, which cited two incidents: one in Bournemouth in 2018 and one in Hampshire in 2019.

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In September 2018, witnesses at a hotel in Bournemouth called police after they said they saw Dyson assault Rushton, the statement said.

The second incident cited at the inquest took place in May 2019, when Rushton’s brother Luke told Hampshire police that Dyson was allegedly sexually and physically abusing his sister.

“Luke gave police copies of graphic photographs depicting this abuse,” that Dyson allegedly took and shared with others, according to the statement. “Luke told officers he was very concerned about Lucy’s safety, that she may be reluctant to speak to officers because she was ‘petrified’ her children may be removed and that Mr Dyson was controlling of his sister."

Police initially wanted to arrest Dyson, but did not when Rushton denied her brother’s allegations about Dyson.

“The jury heard from the officer who spoke with Lucy that she accepted that she wasn’t sufficiently experienced to visit her. DCS Fiona Bitters, Hampshire Police’s strategic lead for domestic abuse, told the inquest that her officer could have been more ‘probing’ with Lucy.”

Rushton was killed three weeks later.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

source: people.com