London - A British woman who twice gave evidence in court against a man she said had raped her killed herself on Monday after he was acquitted.
Police said Tracy Shelvey, 41, had been angry and upset about the verdict and jumped from the roof of a shopping centre car park.
Shelvey, who died later in hospital, had testified against Patrick Hall when the former soldier stood trial last year charged with raping seven women between 2006 and 2011.
Hall, 24, was acquitted of three rapes and a judge directed the jury to find him not guilty on a fourth.
He was then retried in Manchester on the three other rapes, with Shelvey once again standing in court to testify against him.
But a jury returned not guilty verdicts for all three rapes last Friday.
Greater Manchester Police on Monday night said two specially-trained officers, who had been providing regular support and advice to Shelvey, visited her home on Friday to inform her of the verdict.
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, Shelvey, from Heywood, Greater Manchester, called police in an emotional and distressed state and officers and an ambulance 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 on Monday police were called to the Wheatsheaf car park in Rochdale, Lancashire, less than two miles from 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 Shelvey to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
Assistant Chief Constable Dawn Copley said: “I would firstly like to offer my condolences to the family of the woman who has sadly died.
“Our thoughts are with the family at what is clearly a traumatic time for them and we will be offering as much support and welfare as they need over the coming weeks.
“The woman had been a complainant in a case that recently concluded at court, and throughout that process specially-trained officers from Greater Manchester Police had been providing her with regular support and advice.
“This is a terribly sad end to what has been a long and difficult case.
“A full investigation will be carried out to establish the circumstances leading up to this woman’s death and it is important, especially for the family, that we do not speculate about what may have happened until all the facts are known.”
After joining the Army at 16, Hall served with 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers in Kuwait, Iraq, Canada and Germany. He was part of the armoured Strike Battle Group based at the British Army base at Basra airport in Iraq, but is now thought to have left the Forces.
Daily Mail