Tragic mother who gave evidence against a former soldier accused of raping her leapt to her death after a jury cleared him because 'she was terrified he would kill her'



Tracy Shelvey, 41, jumped to her death three days after Patrick Hall was cleared of raping her

She testified against the former soldier twice after the first trial collapsed

Mother 'had wild fears that Mr Hall would kill her after being cleared of rape'

She had become a recluse and 'drank more because she was so scared'



Police Commissioner calls for review of how victims of crime are treated by officers in the wake of the death yesterday



Plunge: Tracy Shelvey, 41, pictured in happier times on a ride at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in 2011, jumped to her death after Patrick Hall was cleared of raping her

A mother threw herself to her death because she was living in fear of a former soldier who had been cleared of raping her, her friend claimed today.

Tracy Shelvey, 41, was forced to give evidence against Patrick Hall, 24, in the crown court twice after an initial case collapsed because the jury could not reach a verdict.



She jumped to her death off a shopping centre roof in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, yesterday morning just three days after the soldier was found not guilty of carrying out the attack following a retrial.

Today Miss Shelvey's friend of ten years Kathy McGowan, 45, said the mother felt she had been let down by the police and other authorities.

Greater Manchester's Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd has called for a 'root and branch review' of how victims and witnesses are treated in the criminal justice system in the wake of the tragedy.

Miss Shelvey was described by neighbours as an alcoholic who had been living in a run-down mid-terrace property in Heywood, Greater Manchester, without electricity or water.

Miss McGowan, 45, said: 'She told me about the rape because she was really frightened. She was very angry and she would say "I want him to go down".



'But she felt like no one was helping her and that she was not getting help from anyone other than her friends.



'It seemed the authorities could have done better in helping her - it was only her friends who were there for her. She was really scared about it all and she thought he would come after her if he got let off. She thought he would kill her.

'It had been really hard for her to testify and I think that's why she drank more because she was so scared. She became against all men - and she was very traumatised by it all.



'I just felt helpless because it seemed there was nothing I could do given what she had gone through. The authorities should have given her a lot more help and guidance.'

Miss Shelvey went to police around three years ago to report the alleged sex attack.

She told officers she had been walking to her home in Heywood when a car stopped and the driver offered her a lift home before attacking her inside the vehicle.

Death: Tracy Shelvey, 41, died after falling from this shopping centre in Rochdale despite police efforts to talk her down

Mr Hall, also from Heywood, went on trial on April 2 last year at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court charged with raping seven women between 2006 and 2011.



He was acquitted of three rapes and a judge directed the jury to find him not guilty on a fourth charge.

At the original seven-week trial, 36 witnesses gave evidence.



He was then retried in Manchester on the three other rapes, with Miss Shelvey once again testifying against him in court. But a jury returned not guilty verdicts last Friday after three days of deliberations.

Miss McGowan added: 'Tracy was a really generous loving and caring woman from a really nice working class family . But she had become really angry about the rape and felt that nothing was getting done.

'She let her house go really messy and didn't care about anything - not herself or her life anymore. I felt Tracy was very vulnerable especially towards the end and she was on her own. She was really scared that he would come after her and beat her.



'She told me that she knew him and he had called her into the car and was going to give her a lift so she only got in the car because she knew him.

'But she said he wouldn't let her out of the car and was raping her.



'She said it had been an ordeal for her and then he drove her home. I think her family will feel let down because she was so brave to report it and then she has been let down.



'After the rape she was taking overdoses and was in and out of hospital. We didn't know if she wanted to kill herself but it was after the rape that she started overdosing.



Tributes: Flowers left outside the shopping centre in Rochdale where Tracy Shelvey fell to her death yesterday 'I think she felt ashamed and she was trying to hide it that she was on drugs. It was heartbreaking for me because I couldn't do anything.

'I can probably guarantee that all the six other women were the same as Tracy. She went to the police thinking that something was going to get done. 'Everyone was telling her to report it saying he will get locked up and she would be protected but in the end she was not protected and she lost her life to it.

'I think it was a cry for help because she didn't want to be in that situation. She wanted to make clean breast of things and get a job.

'Finding out that he had been acquitted definitely must have tipped her over. Tracy was very angry about what happened to her and every time I saw her she would mention it.

'She was such a lovely woman, she loved helping people and was always nice and happy but inside she was angry and she tried to put on a brave face.

'After the rape she went downhill. I know she will be missed by a lot of people. this could have been prevented and it has all been happened because he was let off. She was very scared indeed.' In a short statement released through the police today, Miss Shelvey's parents said they were 'proud' that she had shown the courage to give evidence in the two trials. They said: 'Tracy was a kind and caring person and comes from a loving family who she kept in regular contact with.



Grief: Floral tributes left in Rochdale after Miss Shelvey died yesterday - despite police efforts to stop her from jumping

'She had a warm heart and was a loyal friend and will be deeply missed by all. We are so proud of Tracy for standing up in court on the two trials.



'She was a strong person with a lot of pride. We also want to thank Tracy’s friends for their support at this time.'

Two specially-trained Greater Manchester Police had visited Miss Shelvey on Friday to tell her that Patrick Hall bad been cleared of rape.

A spokesman said: ‘The woman appeared angry and upset at the news and she was offered support by the officers.



‘A referral was made to partner agencies who have previously provided support to the woman.’

Later that evening, Miss Shelvey, called police in an emotional and distressed state. Officers and ambulance staff visited her.

The police spokesman added: ‘The woman was in a much calmer state when the officers attended, who again gave her advice and made a further referral to partner agencies helping the woman.’

However, at around 10.10am yesterday police were called to the Wheatsheaf car park in Rochdale, Lancashire, less than two miles from Miss Shelvey’s home, after she was seen on the roof.



Although officers tried to speak to her, she jumped off the top of the multi-storey car park.



Greater Manchester Police has referred its involvement with Miss Shelvey to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Greater Manchester's Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd today called for the case to be reviewed.



'We have to learn from this tragedy and others that have come before,' he said. 'What is abundantly clear is that victims and witnesses are not where they should be - at the heart of the criminal justice system.'



Tragedy: Tracy Shelvey, 41, had lived in this property in Heywood, Greater Manchester, for a number of years, neighbours said

Tragedy: Frances Andrade took her own life after giving evidence against the choir director who sexually abused her while she was a music student at the Chetham's School of Music in Manchester

Ms Shelvey's death comes a year after Frances Andrade took her own life after giving evidence against the choir director who sexually abused her while she was a music student at the Chetham's School of Music in Manchester in the 1970s and 1980s.



Ms Andrade's family claimed she had not been offered enough support during and after the court process.



Mr Lloyd said: 'The court process is a brutal one, and the fact that we have had at least two people in Greater Manchester alone who have taken their lives after going through this ordeal is of grave concern.

'Many, many rape victims say that the court process is as traumatic as their original ordeal.



'This can't go on - a root and branch review of how victims and witnesses are treated is urgently needed.



'A chain of vulnerability exists from the moment someone reports an incident to police - and it can break at any point. We need to ensure that victims and witnesses are surrounded by support from when they report to police, throughout the investigation, the court process and - critically - after trial is over, whether the accused is found guilty or innocent.



'We need to ensure the right services are engaged, be they mental health or psychological counselling. And we all need to work much better together to ensure that victims and witnesses get the support they need, when they need it.'

After joining the Army at 16, Mr Hall served with 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers in Kuwait, Iraq, Canada and Germany.