Officer tells inquest Bolland could have been arrested over arson threats
A Greater Manchester Police officer told an inquest that, “in an ideal world”, Zak Bolland would have been arrested after threatening to petrol bomb Michelle Pearson’s home. Bolland later set fire to the house, killing four of Pearson’s children; Pearson died in hospital in 2019 from her burns. The inquest is examining the police response to the threats and events leading up to the fire.
In November 2017, police took Pearson’s statement after Bolland smashed her windows and sent messages demanding £500 and threatening arson. The officer said she was initially anxious about going to court, and that officers were dealing with a busy, short-staffed shift, though he agreed there were grounds to arrest Bolland. The window-smashing case was closed after Bolland refused to answer questions; days later he taunted Pearson that he had been cleared, and she again sought police action.
- An officer said Bolland could have been arrested after threats to Pearson.
- Four of Pearson’s children died in the house fire.
- The inquest is examining how police handled the earlier reports.
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In November 2017, Zak Bolland smashed Michelle Pearson's windows and sent her threatening messages demanding money and threatening arson. Pearson reported these threats to Greater Manchester Police. Months later, Bolland set fire to the house, killing four of Pearson's children; Pearson herself died in hospital in 2019 from the burns she sustained.
When Pearson reported the incidents to police, they took her statement but closed the case after Bolland refused to answer questions during interview. Days later, Bolland contacted Pearson claiming he had been cleared, and she sought further police assistance.
An inquest is now examining the circumstances of the case and the police response to the reported threats. The investigation is reviewing the decisions made by officers during the initial reports.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “In an ‘ideal world’ police would have arrested arsonist over threats before he murdered mother and four children, officer tells inquest”.