Mum of murder victim welcomes FAI “after cops fail to lock up violent offender”

A fatal accident inquiry is to be held to probe potential failings around a murder committed by a man on bail.

Daniel Greer, 33, was struck with a shovel and stabbed nine times in his own front garden at Greengairs near Airdrie, North Lanarkshire.

Brutal killer Nicholas Henry then hid Daniel’s body within the property where he was found two days later.

Henry was jailed for life after being found guilty of murder – he died in prison last month aged 49.

However it later emerged that Henry struck while released on licence for another violent attack and that in the month before he murdered Daniel he was arrested twice – and released each time – for violence and drug offences.

Speaking for the first time around the sixth anniversary of her son’s death, devastated mum Amanda Greer now hopes that her battle to uncover the truth will help protect other families from known offenders.

She said: “It’s not good enough to trust an electronic tag, a fortnightly check in with a social worker or to blame overcrowding prisons – innocent people literally die because of bad decisions and it needs to stop.”

In 2011 Henry was jailed for 12 years after a horror attack that left his victim with a severed hand.

He was released on license around May 2017 with restrictions placed on him until February 2023. 

But on 17 September 2020 he was arrested for drug driving and carrying a knife – he was initially held in police cells then released.

Henry was arrested a second time a few weeks later on October 10 for drug offences and assaulting a police officer – again, Henry was initially held then released back into the public.

Henry then murdered Daniel one week later at Rankin Crescent in Greengairs on 17 October 2020 in a brutal knife attack.

He was jailed at the High Court in Glasgow for a minimum of 21 years in September 2022 and died at HMP Low Moss on August 27 this year – prison bosses did not reveal his cause of death.

Remembering her son, Amanda said: “Daniel was the was the love of our lives and a devoted big brother to Kieran.

“He was a kind-hearted and good spirited person that lifted the moods of those around him.

“There are simply no words to describe the agony I felt after Daniel was murdered and it’s a pain that has never diminished. 

“There was simply no reason for this attack to have happened. 

“People think the jailing of a killer can help you move on but it doesn’t – closure of a jail cell does not bring emotional closure, not even close. 

“When I heard Henry had a history of violence and that police were in contact with him for license breaches before he killed Daniel I was just stunned. 

“I was devastated, shocked, furious and confused. I couldn’t process what I was hearing.

“Ever since then I’ve tried to get to find out just what went wrong.

“I’m glad that the Crown has decided to look into things.

“Waiting all this time has been a real challenge but knowing there’s hope and answers on the horizon means I know it will be worth the wait and the fight.

“Not just for Daniel but for the public. 

“Good people up and down the country would rightly think that when police come into contact with known criminals – especially violent offenders – that common sense will kick in to deal with them properly, remove risks and keep people safe.”

It is understood that the fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the police processing of Henry will have an initial hearing at some point in the near future after Crown agents met with Amanda days before the anniversary of her son’s death.

Daniel’s family is being supported around the FAI by Gordon Dalyell, Partner at Digby Brown and expert in miscarriage of justice claims.

Mr Dalyell said: “What happened to Daniel was utterly horrific and the strength of character that Amanda has shown is immeasurable.

“At this stage there is a clear argument to be made that Daniel’s death would not have happened had reasonable steps been taken to address Henry’s repeat offending, especially when considered alongside the conditions of his early release license and criminal background.

“We will continue to support the Greer family as they seek to get answers and recognition.”