'Our missing daughter wasn't seen as high-risk by cops until she was found dead'
The family of an "ambitious" young woman who went missing during a bout of suspected psychosis believe she could have survived had it not been for the failings of police.
The body of 28-year-old Hannah Warren was found near the entrance of Port Talbot docks on February 4, 2016, around 100m away from where her car was found in a lock.
An inquest held before a jury in Swansea in January 2023 concluded that "inadequacies in the Metropolitan Police investigation [did] possibly cause or contribute to her death”.
The force has since admitted five shortcomings in the investigation.
Despite Hannah exhibiting the signs of psychosis prior to her death, it was heard how the Met Police only classed her as a medium-risk missing person before this was later escalated to high-risk.
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It was also revealed that the force did not contact Hannah's family once throughout her disappearance. By this point a body had been discovered at the docks by a member of the public, which was later identified as Hannah.
Following the inquest conclusion, Hannah’s mum Jane Barnes spoke to WalesOnline along with one of Hannah’s three brothers, Tomas.
Hannah's mum Jane Barnes at her home in London (Philip Coburn /Daily Mirror)
Hannah went missing almost a year to the day that a colleague allegedly raped her (Media Wales)Paying tribute to his sister, Tomas said: “Hannah loved life and was generous with hers. She lived to make others happy, to help and to heal. She lived life to the fullest."
The inquest heard how Hannah was reported missing to the Met Police by her partner and flatmate at around 8pm on February 3, 2016. It was almost a year to the day that a colleague allegedly raped her.
In the hours which led up to her disappearance, Hannah displayed signs of delusion, believing she had spoken to former US president Barack Obama, had hacked into a government website and was being chased by government officials.
With the behaviour out of character for Hannah, her family believe she was suffering from Rape Trauma Syndrome.
Rape Trauma Syndrome is a form of post-traumatic stress disorder frequently seen in survivors of sexual violence. Symptoms include intense fear, a feeling of detachment, having flashbacks and having triggers such as places and dates associated with the event.
Police officers PC Michael Lowe and PC Jordan Kozlowski visited Hannah’s flat in Streatham south London for around 20 minutes that evening, where they searched her bedroom, it was heard.
Hannah’s phone was found switched off but fully charged on her bed along with her engagement ring on her bedside table. The inquest heard how the officers went back to the station in Brixton to try and trace Hannah’s car via her black box but her phone was not used as a means of gathering information to possibly locate her.
Hannah's mum Jane Barnes and brothers Tom (left) and Joe pictured at home in London (Philip Coburn /Daily Mirror)As part of their investigation, the Met Police registered Hannah’s car on the automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera system, however it was marked as 'low urgency' for her to be stopped.
Mum appeared 'completely normal' moments before vanishing while walking dog
Hannah’s body was found by a member of the public at around 9.15am the following day. Met Police officers - who would not have been aware of the discovery at the time - escalated her as a high-risk missing person at around 9.30am, her family said.
Jane said a police officer finally got in touch with and visited her home at 5pm on February 4, 2016 - around eight hours after Hannah’s body was discovered by a member of the public in Port Talbot.
By this point, Jane said Hannah’s partner had already informed her of the heartbreaking news, some hours earlier.
Tomas and Jane said it was “hugely frustrating and upsetting” for the family when they pieced together what happened, and say there were “so many missed opportunities” to save Hannah’s life.
The pair said two Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC, which has since been replaced the Independent Office for Police Conduct, or IOPC) investigations into the Met’s handling of the case found no issues - despite the 2023 inquest finding five failures.
One of the IPCC investigations concluded in October 2017 that officers' actions were "proportionate and appropriate" and Janes' complaint was therefore not upheld.
The inquest concluded that Hannah tried to save her own life as she entered the harbour (Warren family/Media Wales)At the end of the inquest, the jury gave a narrative conclusion, finding that Hannah tried to save her own life after she entered the harbour, and then drowned in the process. They said: “Inadequacies in the Met Police investigation possibly [did] cause or contribute to her death."
This meant suicide could be ruled out as potential cause of death.
The family said the conclusion had brought them some relief, after they had been told by officers from the outset that Hannah had likely driven into the port in an attempt to kill herself.
Jane said although the inquest provided the family with much-needed answers, it would never bring her daughter back or put right the actions that she says “failed” her.
Jane said over the last seven years it had been “extremely difficult” for the family to function. Not only had they lost Hannah, they have been consumed in trying to find out exactly what happened to her and exactly what went wrong.
A Met Police spokesman said: “The Metropolitan Police Service did not investigate Hannah’s death. This was done by South Wales Police. At the point at which Hannah’s disappearance was being investigated by the Met, this was as a missing person investigation."
An IOPC spokesperson said: "We completed our report in October 2017 and concluded that there was insufficient evidence to uphold the complaint. Our findings were shared at the time with the parties involved and the Coroner.
“We acknowledge the jury’s findings at the inquest into Ms Warren’s death last month, which identified shortcomings in the force’s investigation which potentially contributed to or caused her death. We are considering the relevant evidence heard at the inquest and assessing whether further steps are required.”
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