A RYDE man, murdered by his partner, was never seen as a victim of domestic abuse — even after being assaulted and threatened.

Jolyon Wray, 46, was stabbed by Deborah Napier in June 2016 at his flat in Ryde.

Napier was handed a life sentence, and told she would spend at least 13-and-a-half years in prison.

A report into his death published by the Isle of Wight Community Safety Partnership (CSP) has revealed there were missed opportunities to assess Mr Wray as a victim of domestic abuse.

Napier had a history of domestic violence and had previously called police saying she feared she was going to harm her previous partner — referred to in the report as Mr Allen. At the time, Mr Allen was assessed as the victim and told to the leave the house — and threatened with arrest if he did not.

Police were called nine times in the three years before Mr Wray’s murder. Despite assertions by Mr Wray he had been attacked, at no point was he treated as a victim.

The report said Mr Wray’s family suspected he was suffering from domestic abuse, but did not feel it was their place to report these suspicions to the police.

There was also a missed opportunity to consider Mr Wray as an abuse victim when he underwent a mental health assessment at St Mary’s Hospital, Newport.

The Isle of Wight NHS Trust declined to comment on the report.

Both Napier and Mr Wray were heavy drinkers, with a ‘fractious relationship’, which the report said was ‘typified by constant and noisy arguments and, on occasions, violence’.

Nearly all agencies involved with Napier and Mr Wray knew of their alcohol dependency, however, only one attempt was made to refer them to any sort of service. While Spectrum Housing did not know domestic abuse was occurring, they did refer Mr Wray to IRIS (the Island Recovery Integrated Service), a council run service.

The report said: “Their referral was unsuccessful and he did not take up appointments, but it was reassuring that they at least tried.”

There were occasions when Napier was said to be in possession of a knife. The report said: "The nature of the assaults she inflicted on Mr Wray, that came to the attention of agencies, was minor, likewise for those assaults by Mr Wray on Napier."

Giving evidence during the trial in 2016, Napier described how a life of alcoholism, sexual abuse, anxiety and domestic violence led to the moment she stabbed Mr Wray, 46, in the back. After she killed him, Napier said to the operator: “I had enough of him, I just got so fed up of him hitting me.”

She told the court how, on the day of the killing, the couple had had a heated and physical argument. She claimed he had hit her with a walking boot and kicked her, prompting her to phone 999.

The report said: “They should have received services which helped them recover.”

The Home Office criticised the initial report drawn up by the CSP. It said ‘judgemental’ language was used and no condolences were expressed in the report.

A Community Safety Partnership spokesperson said: “As per any domestic homicide review, all agencies involved take their responsibility to learn and action recommendations.

“The comments made by the Home Office were reviewed by the author and partnership agencies with amendments made prior to publication. Our thoughts and sympathy remain with the family, at what has been an extremely difficult time.”

The report also said lessons had been learned by officers, who were at risk of categorising the victim and perpetrator before undertaking an initial investigation, thereby failing to recognise the vulnerabilities and support the needs of all parties involved.

It said there may also be a lack of awareness in the police about the added vulnerabilities that substance abuse and mental ill health can bring to people.

The review concluded by saying the homicide could not have been predicted or presented.