Sheffield man killed by woman who absconded from mental health unit 'unlawfully killed' - inquest
Special needs bus driver Roger Leadbeater, 74, was stabbed multiple times by Emma Borowy in August 2023
Last updated 22nd Jan 2026
The family of a pensioner who was killed in a "ritual sacrifice" by a woman who went missing from an acute mental health unit has said two police forces and a NHS trust "failed on every level", after a coroner concluded the patient's leave request would probably have been rejected if procedures had been followed.
Special needs bus driver Roger Leadbeater, 74, was stabbed multiple times by Emma Borowy, 32, as he walked his dog Max in a Sheffield park in August 2023 after Ms Borowy absconded from leave from a unit in Bolton, Greater Manchester.
On Thursday, Sheffield coroner Tanyka Rawden concluded an inquest which heard how Ms Borowy, who died in prison four months after the attack, had absconded from her ward nine times, attempted to abscond 15 times and failed to return from leave three times.
Ms Rawden outlined how permission was still given for escorted leave two days before Mr Leadbeater was attacked, when staff at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust failed to follow their own policies and did not have an accurate risk assessment.
The coroner concluded "it is likely the risk factors would have been too high and leave would not have been granted" if the procedures had been properly followed.
Ms Rawden also criticised the procedures of both Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire police forces when dealing with handovers of vulnerable missing people.
Outside Sheffield coroner's court, Mr Leadbeater's niece Angela Hector said: "I ask those who were in positions of trust - Greater Manchester Mental Health, Greater Manchester Police and South Yorkshire Police - Emma Borowy put her trust in you to keep her safe and well.
"The public put their trust in you to protect us.
"You all failed on every level."
Surrounded by members of her family, Ms Hector said: "To everyone involved in Emma's care, whether from a health or policing perspective, I ask you to walk in our shoes for just one day - feel what it's like to live with the consequences of your decisions.
"I am certain you would think twice before granting leave, before withholding vital information, before ignoring clear warnings.
"Roger will never come home. That outcome cannot change.
"But you must make sure no other family suffers this devastation."
She recounted how her uncle suffered 124 injuries in the attack which was "was not just violence, it was barbaric beyond comprehension".
She said: "This is like a horror film you cannot switch off, except this is real."