My mum died after being stabbed in eye by ex freed from jail two weeks earlier…danger signs were missed in broken system

WHEN her abusive ex was released from jail, caring Michaela Hall was manipulated into taking him back into her home. Just two weeks later, Lee Kendall stabbed her to death in a row over a meal she had cooked him. Now her teenage son, Shaun Hall – who was just 13 when his mum was brutally murdered – and her family have warned Britain’s prison system is “not fit for purpose”. Shaun Hall was just 13 when Lee Kendall stabbed his mum, Michaela Hall, to death – two weeks after he’d been released from prison Credit: SWNS A probation report had failed to include crucial details about Kendall’s previous violence towards the 49-year-old mum — including an incident in which he had strangled her Credit: SWNS Kendall, who had 47 previous convictions across 78 offences, had been jailed for assaulting Michaela but was wrongly classified as a “medium risk” offender on his release and was allowed to move back in to the house with no close monitoring. A probation report had failed to include crucial details about his previous violence towards the 49-year-old mum — including an incident in which he had strangled her. It meant Kendall was released under less stringent conditions than if he had been correctly deemed high risk and was able to return to Michaela’s home in Mount Hawke, Cornwall. Just two weeks later, on May 31, 2021, he murdered her by stabbing her in the eye with a kitchen knife following a row over a meal she had made him. Now Shaun, 18, and his grandfather Peter Hall, 74, fear other families could suffer the same fate if thousands of prisoners are released early into an already overstretched probation system. Shaun said: “What I remember is he was labelled as a medium risk and he should have been labelled a high risk. “It was a disaster.” Shaun claimed the probation officer who took on Kendall’s case “shouldn’t have dealt with it”. Kendall was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his girlfriend in 2021 Credit: SWNS Before meeting Kendall in 2019, Shaun remembers a happy childhood with his mum and brother, spending days together at the beach Credit: SWNS He explained: “She forgot to include important details to the judge and so it all went down a different channel. “If he had been properly assessed, he would have been dealt with very differently on his release. “That mistake set in motion a whole different tragic set of events. “He ended up being released under a set of circumstances he shouldn’t have – it was catastrophic.” Shaun, who is now taking legal action against the police and probation service, believes his mum could still be alive if Kendall had been correctly assessed. He said: “If he was properly categorised as a high risk, he wouldn’t have been released [in the same circumstances] and the extra restrictions could have kept him away. “That was another opportunity to prevent this.” His grandfather Peter is now questioning how authorities will safely assess thousands more offenders being released from prison. The government are set to release 5,000 offenders from October in a bid to free up space in overcrowded jails. Critics have however warned the probation service may not be able to keep up with the demand of monitoring offenders. He said: “Five years ago they failed Michaela. There is no evidence anything has improved. What I see is it has got worse. “The problem we have got now is this is the same probation service letting 5,000 prisoners go. Who is making that assessment? “Out of those 5,000, who is making the call whether they are medium or high risk – especially those who have been involved in domestic violence?” Peter believes the failures surrounding Kendall’s release demonstrate the potentially devastating consequences of getting those decisions wrong. He said: “The severity of the mistakes they had made mean they are not fit for purpose. “It is systemic. From the very top of the probation service. Right from the start when Lee Kendall was released from prison. “He was assessed by someone not qualified to assess him. The report for him to be released was not complete. “He had tried to strangle her but there was no mention of that. The judge did not have all the facts.” Peter said that if Kendall had been correctly assessed as high risk, authorities could have imposed greater restrictions and monitored him more closely after he left prison. Instead, he says, Kendall returned to Michaela. Peter added: “When they released him, the police were supposed to have done a check and asked if she wanted him back to live with her – they didn’t. “He went straight back to her house in Cornwall. He should have stayed in Plymouth. “He should never have been released [in those circumstances], let alone back to her house. There should have been a ban on that and they should have checked on him. “So many mistakes were made and he should have been recalled — but nobody bothered to call him out.” Michaela met Kendall while working for a group helping freed convicts. But she broke professional boundaries and began a sexual relationship, moving him into her home in Mount Hawke, Cornwall. Michaela was soon subjected to numerous assaults by Kendall. He was in and out of prison during their two-year relationship and was well known to police. Authorities had recorded 16 assaults by him against her. Shaun remembers growing increasingly uncomfortable around Kendall as a child and witnessing some of the abuse his mum endured. He said: “He was drunk a lot of the time and I witnessed some of the domestic abuse. “I did not fully understand domestic abuse. I knew what was happening but I did not know how I was meant to deal with it or what I was meant to do. “It was a very manipulative relationship. He exerted a lot of control without her realising. “It was not just physical but there was a lot of mental abuse and mind games.” Seven months before Michaela’s death, Shaun moved out of the family home to stay with his aunt – something he now believes his mum arranged to protect him from Kendall. He said: “I think Mum was trying to protect me from everything. “There was a lot of stress with police and social services – and I think she just wanted to know I was safe. “I see now she was trying to help him – fix him, I guess. Her knowing I was safe at my aunt’s allowed her to try and help him.” On the night Michaela was killed, Kendall had drunk five bottles of wine before becoming angry over a dinner he “didn’t want”, Truro Crown Court previously heard. Police were called to Michaela’s home but did not enter the property. Body-worn camera footage later revealed one officer telling the control room they had visions of “her lying there with him covering her mouth”. Shaun claims an officer also said his mum “didn’t help herself”. He said: “The night she was killed police came to the house but did nothing. “The police said she ‘didn’t help herself’. How can you say that to a victim of domestic abuse? Shaun remembers growing increasingly uncomfortable around Kendall as a child and witnessing some of the abuse his mum endured Credit: SWNS Shaun wants his mum’s death to force changes in how dangeorus offendors are handled Credit: Family Handout “She was trapped in the relationship and wanted help. “Yet they just left her there without doing anything – and hours later she was dead.” Michaela was eventually found dead by her father the following evening. At an inquest in 2024, coroner Andrew Cox found there had been “shortcomings and errors” by probation services before her death. Kendall was jailed for life for Michaela’s murder and ordered to serve a minimum of 21 years. Now 18, Shaun says learning the full extent of what happened to his mum has made him determined to force change. He said: “My mum was failed terribly by the police and probation service. We need change to stop this from happening again. “The probation failed by classifying him as medium risk – he should have been high risk considering his past. “There were obviously multiple incidents when he could and should have gone back to prison. “No one made that call. It always felt a bit lazy just to let him back out and wait for something bigger to happen to then lock him away for a longer time. “That obviously did happen – but the result of that was my mum lost her life.” Before meeting Kendall in 2019, Shaun remembers a happy childhood with his mum and brother, spending days together at the beach. Shaun Hall is speaking out on his mother’s death Credit: SWNS Domestic abuse - how to get help DOMESTIC abuse can affect anyone - including men - and does not always involve physical violence. Here are some signs that you could be in an abusive relationship: Emotional abuse – Including being belittled, blamed for the abuse – gaslighting – being isolated from family and friends, having no control over your finances, what you where and who you speak to Threats and intimidation – Some partners might threaten to kill or hurt you, destroy your belongings, stalk or harass you Physical abuse – This can range from slapping or hitting to being shoved over, choked or bitten. Sexual abuse – Being touched in a way you do not want to be touched, hurt during sex, pressured into sex or forced to have sex when you do not consent. If any of the above apply to you or a friend, you can call these numbers: The Freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge on 0808 2000 247 for free at any time, day or night Men who are being abused can call Respect Men’s Advice Line on 0808 8010 327 or ManKind on 0182 3334 244 Those who identify as LGBT+ can ring Galop on 0800 999 5428 If you are in immediate danger or fear for your life, always ring 999 Remember, you are not alone. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience domestic abuse over the course of their lifetime. Every 30 seconds the police receive a call for help relating to domestic abuse. He said: “She was always very loving. She was a wonderful mum and always made us feel comfortable. “She was very caring to everyone, close friends and family, and would always look out for everyone. “Getting involved in that relationship was really out of character for her. But there is not really a certain type of person it happens to. “No one who knew her thought she would ever get into the situation and it shows it can happen to anyone.” Shaun says he has needed therapy to process his mum’s murder and struggles with knowing she will miss the milestones of his adult life. But rather than focus on Kendall, he wants his mum’s death to force changes in how dangerous offenders are handled. He said: “The more I find out about how drastically the police and probation service failed my mum, the more determined I am. “This could have been prevented on so many occasions. “He should not have been able to have had that opportunity to take her life. He should have been shut off a long time ago.” Peter said families of domestic abuse victims will understandably be terrified at the prospect of offenders being released early if the probation system cannot properly assess and monitor them. He said: “There will be an awful lot of women and men who have been victims of domestic violence offenders potentially being released early who will be very anxious about what happens now. “Michaela’s case was coercive behaviour and in these cases the offenders control their victims. They remove them from their families, isolate them. “The families will have got some of those people back but soon could lose that when the perpetrators are released.” Shaun and his family are now working with the Good Law Project and taking legal action against the police and probation service. Shaun added: “We have no option but to go down the legal route. “It is so important we stop this from happening again.” The Ministry of Justice said Michaela’s murder was a “horrific crime” but it would be “inappropriate to comment on live legal proceedings”. Jim Colwell, Deputy Chief Constable for Devon and Cornwall Police, said the force “immediately addressed recommendations made by the Independent Office for Police Conduct”. He added: “We recognised some areas of learning in formal admissions within the inquest which have been implemented, and this work continues.” Cat Knight, solicitor at the Good Law Project, said: “With one woman killed in the UK every three days, Michaela’s tragedy is all too common. “The criminal justice system is failing women and putting them in danger. “It’s time for the police and probation service to treat domestic abuse as a threat to life and tackle it with the urgency it demands.” of these prisoners – and we need to make sure they are held accountable.” A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “The murder of Michaela Hall was a horrific crime, and our thoughts remain with her loved ones. “We have always stated we wanted to go further to protect the public, and we are fast-tracking a plan to keep more of the most dangerous offenders behind bars. That’s on top of murderers, anyone on life sentences and those in prison for rape, serious child sexual abuse and grooming offences who are already blocked from any changes. “Our record £700 million investment in probation is ensuring staff have the resources, powers and technology they need to manage offenders safely in the community, and we are tagging a record number of offenders to track their every move alongside investing a record £550m in victim support.”