Greater Manchester Police Officer Dismissed Over Failure to Act Before Fatal Arson

Police Constable Gemma Quinn has been dismissed without notice from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) following a disciplinary hearing. The officer was found to have committed gross misconduct by failing to act on credible threats made by Zak Bolland, who subsequently launched a petrol bomb attack that killed four children.

The tribunal heard that Michelle Pearson, the mother of the deceased children, made a 999 call two weeks before the December 2017 fire, reporting Bolland's threats to petrol bomb her house. PC Quinn, who took the call, assessed Bolland's statements as "empty threats" and did not deem an arrest necessary.

Despite Bolland being wanted for breaching a court order and despite a clear directive on his police file for officers to arrest him upon contact, Quinn instructed a colleague to drive past Pearson's home and then logged the incident with no further action. Bolland and David Worrall were later convicted of four counts of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment for the attack, which claimed the lives of Demi, Brandon, Lacie, and Lia Pearson.