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Police to be investigated after fatal explosion

Chris LockyerBristol
Family Handout A young woman with straight dark hair, smiling. She has a nose ring and a piercing below her bottom lip. She is sitting outside in a garden on a sunny day, in front of a wooden fence and several trees.Family Handout
Jo Shaw - who died in the explosion - had the "biggest heart", her family said

Police contact between a mother and her ex-partner in the years before she was killed in an explosion will be investigated by a police watchdog.

Jo Shaw, 35, suffered fatal injuries in a blast in Bristol after her ex-partner Ryan Kelly, 41, forced his way into a house in Sterncourt Road, Frenchay, with an explosive device.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said Avon and Somerset Police had last been in contact with Shaw four days before her death.

The force had a "significant history" of involvement with Kelly - who also died in the explosion - prior to the incident, which included allegations of stalking, harassment and assault, the watchdog said.

The investigation comes after Avon and Somerset Police made a mandatory referral to the IOPC following the pair's deaths in the explosion on 3 May.

The watchdog said it would now look at what steps were taken by the force to safeguard Shaw between May 2021 and May 2026.

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The investigation will include resourcing and risk assessments, as well as identifying any missed opportunities which may have contributed to the pair's deaths, the IOPC said.

IOPC director Derrick Campbell said the watchdog was reviewing extensive documentation relating to allegations made to police about Kelly's behaviour.

"We are independent of the police and it is important that we carry out a thorough investigation, to fully establish the circumstances of what happened prior to the tragic events of 3 May," he added.

Police cars parked on a residential street. They are outside a house with a boarded up window or door.
The explosion happened at a house in Sterncourt Road

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said it made the mandatory referral to the IOPC "due to previous domestic incidents having been reported to us".

"We have recorded Ms Shaw's death as a homicide. As previously stated, we are not looking for anyone else in connection with her death.

"Our thoughts remain with her family, and we will continue to cooperate fully with the IOPC's enquiries," the force said in a statement.

After her death, Shaw's family described her as a "devoted and loving mother" with the "biggest heart".

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