Two teenagers who died at a Dorset nature reserve in a suspected suicide pact had been released from police custody just days before the tragic incident, it was revealed today.

Jack Williams, 18, and Katherine Powell, 17, were found dead at Bothenhampton Nature Reserve near Bridport on January 25, 2022. Their bodies were discovered by a member of the public.

Miss Powell was reported missing by her family on January 22, and Mr. Williams was reported missing on January 24. They had been arrested by Dorset Police on January 19, 2022, and subsequently freed on bail. The offences for which they were arrested have not yet been disclosed.

A post-mortem examination revealed the provisional cause of death for both teenagers was hanging, and they were identified using their police custody images.Jack Williams, 18, (right) and Katherine Powell, 17, (left) were found dead at Bothenhampton Nature Reserve near Bridport on January 25, 2022.

At a pre-inquest review held today, Dorset area coroner Brendan Allen stated that the full inquest will examine the “safeguarding” steps taken by Dorset Police in relation to the arrests and the decision to bail the pair. The force referred itself to the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), over the matter, which has since completed an investigation. Its findings have not yet been disclosed.

Mr. Allen has requested written statements from the Dorset Police officers involved within six weeks. The hearing in Bournemouth also revealed that Mr. Williams had been arrested by Dorset Police in November 2021.

The scope of the inquest will include how both missing persons’ searches were handled by Dorset Police and Warwickshire Police. Mr. Williams, who was single and unemployed, lived in a flat on Station Road in West Bay, the setting of the hit ITV crime drama Broadchurch. Miss Powell, also single and unemployed, was from Kenilworth, Warwickshire.

Today’s hearing was attended virtually by the families of Mr. Williams and Miss Powell, as well as representatives on behalf of Warwickshire County Council, Dorset Council, Warwickshire Police, Dorset Police, Dorset Healthcare, and the IOPC.

A further pre-inquest review will take place on November 27, with a two-week joint inquest listed to start on March 24, 2025.

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