30 Apr Inquest jury finds a catalogue of police failures contributed to the death of Yolanda Saldana Feliz

Before HM Senior Coroner Graeme Irvine, East London Coroner’s Court, 20 – 30 April 2026

Gold Jennings represented the family of Yolanda Saldana Feliz in Article 2 inquest proceedings touching on her death.

Yolanda, aged 53 and originally from the Dominican Republic, was murdered by her daughter’s ex-partner in October 2022. Her daughter, our client, was very seriously injured in the same attack.

In June 2022, our client had reported escalating abusive and threatening behaviour by her ex-partner to the Metropolitan Police. Her allegations included classic indicators of an increased risk of domestic homicide including stalking. Importantly, she also reported that he had made a credible threat to kill Yolanda.  A Domestic Homicide Review (DHR), published in 2024, expressed various serious concerns about the police investigation. An internal police investigation confirmed that the threat to kill Yolanda was never assessed or investigated.

The inquest heard shocking evidence from police officers regarding the force’s inaction in the wake of our client’s June 2022 allegations including failures to risk assess, investigate or arrest the ex-partner. The author of the DHR told the inquest that police inaction would have contributed to the ex-partner’s sense of “impunity” and that his behaviour prior to the murder should have raised “red flags” for the police.

In a damning critical narrative conclusion, the inquest jury concluded that multiple failures to investigate and deal with the risk posed by the ex-partner or to implement any safeguarding measures contributed to Yolanda’s death.

The Senior Coroner also announced that he will write a Prevention of Future Deaths report, addressing his ongoing concern about the ability of the Metropolitan Police to assess risk and delays in apprehending suspects.

Yolanda’s family said:

“Yolanda was kind, sweet, calm and incredibly generous, not just to her kids but to everyone she met. She loved living in the UK. But we were totally failed by the Metropolitan Police when we were desperate for help. We have never had an apology from the police, and we were shocked that officers who failed to help us or our mother had not even read the Domestic Homicide Review.”

Robert Hamill of Gold Jennings said:

“Yolanda died at the hands of a domestic abuser who bears the responsibility for this appalling crime. But her tragic death has also exposed a series of shocking inadequacies in the investigation of domestic abuse and the safeguarding of vulnerable victims. Through the inquest the family have learned that yawning gaps remain in the Met’s ability to investigate and respond to domestic abuse, and they are concerned that other victims like Yolanda are at risk. It is essential that the Commissioner addresses these issues as soon as possible.”

Yolanda’s family are represented by Robert Hamill and Jessica Harrison of Gold Jennings and Tom Stoate of Doughty Street Chambers.

For further enquiries please contact Robert Hamill on 0208 445 9268 or robert@goldjennings.co.uk