"The police failings are absolutely disgusting," said Rachel, who blamed "the

perpetrator, his family, Merseyside Police, and social services".

"Everybody who is paid to safeguard her let her down. Not one of them told her she
was worth their time."
"We've been robbed of a massive piece of our family, and for the last nine and a half
months we've been robbed of the ability to grieve that loss," said Clare.

Image:Semina's mother Rachel Halliwell said she holds Merseyside Police accountable
Police issues with digital investigations
Rachel and Clare Halliwell contacted Sky News following our investigation
into police failings in the case of Abdul Elahi, a prolific online sexual predator who
targeted girls and vulnerable women.
More than a dozen victims had reported him to their local forces, but none of those
reports were pursued until after Elahi was identified by the FBI investigating the
blackmailing of a 15-year-old girl in the US.
Instead, according to multiple victims, British police gave them the impression that it
was they who were to blame for being extorted into sending intimate images of
themselves.
Officers also incorrectly told the girls and women that they could not obtain any
evidence from the digital platforms Elahi had used to extort and blackmail them.
A study from the University of Suffolk in 2018 warned there was "an urgent need for
training across police forces" - as fewer than a fifth of police force members knew
how to collect evidence from technology companies.
Semina Halliwell's family said Merseyside Police responded similarly regarding the
harassment of the family and Semina over Snapchat, and they do not believe the
police sought any data from the company as evidence.

Image:The family does not believe Merseyside Police contacted Snapchat to investigate

According to Rachel, the police "tried to justify their actions - or lack of them - by
saying Semina wouldn't hand the phone over" and countered this by saying Semina
had "offered her phone up several times".
Even then, seizing a victim's phone is not essential to the investigation of these crimes,
as stated by national training materials seen by Sky News.
One training presentation from the College of Policing advises that "capturing a
screenshot of a social media post regarding a hate crime may be sufficient to prove the
offence. Seizure of the device may not necessarily be required".
In the case of Snapchat, although the content of messages is usually automatically
deleted after 30 days, the company can retain metadata and potentially content if it
receives a request to do so.
In its advice for law enforcement, Snap says it can also provide basic subscriber
information - potentially including phone numbers and the IP addresses used to log in
- as long as police provide a username.
According to Europol these two types of evidence are the most important information
that investigators can collect during digital investigations, while content data is only
the seventh most valuable.
Location data, as would have been established by the triangulation methods suggested
by officers to Semina's family, was considered only the eighth most important type of
data when investigating digital crimes.
Semina's phone was taken by Merseyside Police following her death and is still in the
police's possession.
The family has requested that it be returned to them as it contains images and videos
of Semina which are not available elsewhere.

Image:Connection logs are the most important form of digital evidence. Pic: Europol
Coroner to hold inquest in due course
A spokesperson for Snapchat was unable to confirm whether the app had received any
requests for information from Merseyside Police in Semina's case.
They said: "This situation is devastating and our thoughts are with the family at this
difficult time.
"Nothing is more important than the safety and wellbeing of our community. We
strictly prohibit bullying, harassment and other types of unwanted contact."
 "Our global law enforcement operations team supports police investigations, and we
have the ability to preserve and provide content to the authorities when we receive
requests for assistance," they added.
A spokesperson for Merseyside Police told Sky News it was "not appropriate" for the
force "to comment on any of the substantive issues raised at this time, as we would not
wish to prejudice the coronial investigation".
"However, we have, and are, co-operating fully with the coroner in this matter," the
spokesperson added.
The force declined the opportunity to discuss any of the family's complaints with Sky
News.
A spokesperson for the Home Office said: "This is a heartbreaking case and our
thoughts are with Semina's family and loved ones.
"No woman or girl should live in fear of violence or sexual abuse and victims should
never be denied the justice they deserve."
They added: "This is why we are committed to ensuring more perpetrators face the full
force of the law and overhauling our response to rape including increased funding for
victim support services.
"It is important that the coroner is given the space to reach their conclusions and it
would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage."
The senior administrator at the Sefton, St Helens & Knowsley Coroner's Service told
Sky News the initial inquiry was ongoing and a full inquest into Semina's death would
be held in due course.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on
116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans
branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK
Related Topics
 Merseyside
 Snapchat
Sky News Footer
 Facebook
 Twitter
 YouTube
 Instagram
About Sky News
 About Us
 Sky News International
 Sky News Library Sales
 Site Map
 Editorial Guidelines
 Sky News Board
Sky News Services
 Sky News RSS
 Sky News For Your Phone
 Sky News Radio
Sky Channels
 Sky Witness
 Sky Atlantic
 Sky Arts
 Sky Cinema
 Sky Sports
More Sky Sites
 NOW
 Sky Zero
 Sky Academy Studios
 Bigger Picture
 Sky Group
 Sky Bet
 Sky.com
 Sky News Arabia
 Advertise With Us
 Terms & Conditions
 Privacy & Cookies
 Privacy Options
 Accessibility
 Contact Us
© 2023 Sky UK