The thug who stabbed a landlord to death outside a pub had a troubled background and long criminal record.
Widnes man Lee Abbott stabbed Christian Thornton,49, 11 times outside the Hammer and Pincers public house.
Mr Thornton, a father-of-three, had reported Abbott to police eight days earlier after he threatened to burn down his pub.
READ MORE: Killer was reported to police days before stabbing dad to death
Yesterday the ECHO reported how Cheshire Police failed to visit Abbott after Mr Thornton had reported him to officers.
A recommendation by the Independent Office for Police Complaints (IOPC) also revealed that officers had not read an internal report about Abbott.
Yesterday (Thursday) Cheshire Police said that the force had now accepted the IOPC's recommendations.
Abbott is now serving out a life sentence for murder.
Earlier this week a local man who knew of Abbott spoke to the ECHO anonymously.
He said: "Lee was a one man nightmare. Drugs, violence you name it. I know its a cliché but most people hope prison bosses really do throw away the key to his cell."
Last year Liverpool Crown Court heard how Abbott was well know to police in the area.
David McLachlan, QC, prosecuting told how Abbott's offending began when he was just 14. He accumulated a succession of convictions as a teenager, which led up to a major incident when he was 17.
On November 21, 2001 Abbott attacked a man with a claw hammer, hitting him over the head with it several times.
The victim, who is thought to have been involved in a confrontation with Abbott's brother, underwent life saving surgery.
Abbott was found guilty of attempted murder after a trial and handed an eight year detention order.
He was released after four years and then picked up several convictions for driving offences.
Abbott murdered Mr Thornton at 3.18pm on August 11 2019, stabbing the dad repeatedly with a large kitchen knife.
Mr Thornton had bravely managed to fight back but died from his injuries at the scene.
There were distressing scenes at the pub as paramedics fought to revive Mr Thornton as his family looked on.
Abbott fled to a friend's house where he stripped and tried to wash the blood from his clothes.
Armed police arrived at the address around an hour later, surrounding Abbott.
Bodycam footage from the scene recorded Abbott appearing to admit to the crime.
Abbott said to officers: "I know exactly what you're saying, I've done it - I'll admit everything.
"I attacked that Chris, yeah. It's all me, it's all my fault right, yeah.
"I'll admit everything, I'm not going to deny nothing - that’s the way it is."
Although Abbott later admitted manslaughter he denied murder and portrayed himself as a troubled soul with mental health issues.
But Mr McLachlan, said he was "a master manipulator" who was "simply trying his best to get away with murder."
Abbott told jurors he was a paranoid "madman" who "lost the plot" after being sexually abused by a "gangster" as a teenager.
He said he used to believe he was Jesus and stabbing Mr Thornton was "a cry for help" and the culmination of "20 years of hell".
Kerri Abbott, the defendant's former partner, told the court that she was aware of the abuse claims.
She said that her former partner claimed to have been abused by an "influential" character from his past when he was a teenager. Ms Abbott said she was too scared to name the man suspected of abusing her former partner.
She said she was forced to seek a separation due to his '"strange behaviour." She told the court that Lee "thought that he was Jesus" due to his parents' names, Mary and Joseph, and his middle name, Christian.
Ms Abbott said she tried to contact him on the day of the murder as Abbott travelled to the Hammer and Pincers in a taxi.
She said: "He was just incoherent, he sounded really, really in a terrible state. He sounded crazier than ever. He wasn't making any sense, he was just rambling."
Judge Brian Cummings, QC, sentenced Abbott to life in prison with a minimum term of 28 years after a jury found him guilty of murder.
Judge Cummings told Abbott he might never be released.
After the case concluded, Mr Thornton's wife Pam said that Abbott had "destroyed her life and the lives of her children".
Speaking yesterday Detective Superintendent Christopher Warren, head of Cheshire Constabulary Professional Standards Department, said: "Following the death of Christian Thornton in August 2019 a mandatory referral was made to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) as a matter of due course.
"A full independent investigation was undertaken and while no matters of misconduct were identified, a number of recommendations were made regarding areas of learning.
"We fully accept these recommendations and actions have already been taken to address the issues raised.
"Christian was a much loved member of the Widnes community and our thoughts remain with his family and friends."
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