Five Metropolitan Police officers are being investigated over their handling of assault allegations made by a 17-year-old against her boyfriend in the months before she was killed.
The police watchdog inquiry was made public after Oluwaseyi Dada, 21, admitted the manslaughter of Katrina Makunova at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday.
The teenager died following an altercation with Dada in which she fell onto a knife she had inside her handbag. The blade pierced the bag and punctured her chest. The incident happened in Camberwell, south London, on July 12 last year.
Miss Makunova, a trainee hairdresser, made five police allegations against Dada of assault and harassment between February and June, The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.
The Times reports the probe comes after the victim’s family criticised the way the force handled their complaints.
Following her death, Dada admitted manslaughter, but Ms Makunova’s family believe he should be charged with murder.
Her older brother, Julius, 21, claimed that Dada often threatened Katerina with violence if she went to police. He paid tribute to Ms Makunova calling her ‘loving and ambitious’.
He told the Evening Standard: “She was a hardworking, confident and joyful girl.
“She could walk into the room and put a smile on everyone’s face.” “She was just a young girl who wanted to be a beautician and humanitarian.”
Dada is due to be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on January 29.
