A coroner’s inquest hears that a Greater Manchester Police officer did not think a man who later firebombed a property was making credible threats before the Walkden attack that killed five people. The officer, PC Gemma Quinn, gave evidence about her actions after a 999 call made by Michelle Pearson.
Quinn tells the court she and a colleague discussed the case and intended to attempt to arrest Zak Bolland, but she believed it was not necessary to arrest him immediately. Sources describe her view that the threats appeared to be “empty,” and that she therefore did not treat the situation as warranting an immediate arrest at the time of the call. The inquest considers what happened in the period leading up to the arson attack and how emergency responses were handled.
The outlets report overlapping details of Quinn’s testimony, including that her decision not to press for an immediate arrest was based on her assessment of the seriousness of the threats conveyed during the 999 call. The hearing focuses on the timeline and operational decisions surrounding the fatal incident.
