THE torture and death of a woman who was stabbed 14 times could have been avoided if authorities had offered the right support to her killer, a report has found.

Scott Hilling watched television after tying up Good Samaritan Kathleen Griffin, 57, and stabbing her to death.

He then tried to dispose of her body in a wheelie bin, before covering her corpse with a duvet and going to visit a friend.

Ms Griffin, of Old Street, Clacton, had taken in Hilling after his release from custody over a separate offence.

Just two months later, in December 2015, she was tortured with a scalpel and stabbed 14 times by the troubled lodger, who used lighter fluid to attempt to burn the body.

After admitting manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, Hilling, 25, was caged for 16 years.

A report by Tendring Community Safety Partnership found Hilling had been released from custody prior to the killing without medication or mental health treatment.

It said: “His history was not researched, was not taken into account in agency risk assessments and actions taken when they should have been.”

It added: “Crucially, there was no home visit to the flat to check the appropriateness of him living there, and no connection was made that she was a victim of a previous assault by him.

“There was a significant lack of professional curiosity and investigative practice.”

The report found Hilling’s homelessness had contributed to her death.

He was released after a court appearance without any preparation of accommodation, benefits, or mental health service referral.

Outlining the offender’s past, the report said Hillard had told of his experiences suffering sexual abuse and witnessing domestic abuse throughout his upbringing.He had a total of 24 convictions for 46 offences and has never been gainfully employed.

He was diagnosed with a personality disorder and had been referred to mental health services for schizophrenia. A warrant was out for his arrest at the time of the killing.

The report concluded: “A series of small omissions in systems and procedures, which in themselves appear insignificant, had a devastating outcome.”