A father who begged police to help his daughter before she was killed by her abusive ex has slammed the force – asking where they were when his girl lay dying in her bedroom.
Dave Tierney, 54, was speaking out in the wake of daughter Regan’s inquest, where it was found authorities missed chances to save her.
The 26-year-old mother was killed by her former partner and father of her two children, Daniel Patten, at her house in Salford, Manchester in June 2019.
Just days prior he theatened to put her ‘head on a spike’ and ‘throw acid in her face’.
Bolton Coroners Court last month heard how Regan reported the threats to Greater Manchester Police (GMP), but it was not deemed a high risk situation.
And now Dave has blasted the force, who he said he’d tried to get to help his daughter before she was murdered by Patten.
The 54-year-old father, who found his daughter dead in her bedroom, slammed: ‘Where were police when my daughter was being murdered by her abusive partner?’
Dave told the Mirror: ‘My daughter spent years asking for help. I even called Greater Manchester Police myself and begged them for support. I printed out the forms for a non-molestation order. They were still in her home when she was murdered.’
The father, who has spent the past five years campaigning for victims of domestic abuse, said he promised Regan he wouldn’t confront Patten after she threatened to never speak to him again.
Dave continued: ‘Now, I would trade that in an instant. I’d accept her never talking to me again if only she was alive.’
The memory of finding Regan’s body in a pool of her own blood would ‘always’ haunt him, but the memory of officers swarming the street does, too.
Dave said: ‘I remember asking them: “Where were you when she needed you? You are too late now
The father-of-three claimed he’d heard nothing from GMP since the inquest finished on July 20, nor had he received an apology.
has contacted GMP for comment.
Dave said Regan brought Patten home when she was 15 and he was 21 and the father ‘instantly didn’t like him’.
In the years that followed the couple moved in together and had two children of their own, and Dave said Patten became increasingly abusive.
He said he was worried about Regan, so encouraged her to go to the police – before he and his other daughter Shannon too contacted the force.
Incidents dated back ten years, with Regan’s mother calling police in August 2009 – just after they had met – to tell officers he had ‘held Regan by the throat’.
At the time, Regan denied this, but later told officers he had ‘strangled’ her early into the relationship.
There were also missed opportunities to protect the young mother by Bolton NHS Foundation Trust A&E after she presented with a broken nose in October 2012, a report found.
Patten eventually received a suspended sentence for an attack on Regan, the court heard and the physical abuse appeared to stop for some time.
But Shannon told the inquest ‘there was a lot of mental abuse’ that followed.
‘He would send her messages telling her she was fat, she was horrible and no other man would want her.’
Shannon said the relationship with Daniel was ‘on and off’. In June 2019, she updated her Facebook relationship status to say she was dating someone new.
She told Daniel as she ‘did not want to lie to him’.
She said he had asked calmly if she was seeing anyone else and when she confirmed she was, he sent her a chilling message that read: ‘He is dead.’
PC Stephen Roxburgh, who visited Regan after she’d filed a complaint, told the court there were no signs she was in ‘grave danger.’
Regan called Greater Manchester Police and told the call handler: ‘He said he’s going to kill me. Have my head on a spike. Kill whoever I’m with. It’s getting quite scary.’
In footage of the meeting played to the court, Regan is heard saying to an officer: ‘My ex-partner has been threatening me constantly.
‘He follows me around the house swearing and screaming. I wanted to know my options, what I can do to stop it.
‘He says he is going to put my head on a spike, to end my life, to throw acid in my face.’
The threats came just 11 days before Regan’s body was found.
Following her death, GMP made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
At the time the Domestic Homicide Review was published in September 2021, the IOPC’s report had not been published.
Regan was described by her family as a lovely young woman who had ‘everything to live for.’
In a statement released following her death, they said: ‘She was a loving mum who loved family life, she will be greatly missed by her two children and family.
‘Regan was taken from our lives too soon. She was a beautiful daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, and an amazing mother. We will forever cherish the memories.’
If you are experiencing domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline at any time of day or night for confidential, non-judgmental support and information at 0808 2000 247.
You can also find help by calling the UK police non-emergency number on 101, if you need support or advice and it is not an emergency. If you’re in immediate danger, always call the police on 999.