Ribbleton murder: Police refer themselves to watchdog over 'contact between Rosie and the Constabulary' shortly before her death

Lancashire police has referred itself to the Independent Office of Police Conduct following the death of Ribbleton mum-of-one Rosie Darbyshire.

The 27-year-old was found dead in Pope Lane, Ribbleton, on Thursday morning.

Rosie Darbyshire was found dead on the pavement in Pope Lane, Ribbleton. Her boyfriend Ben Topping has been charged with her murderplaceholder image
Rosie Darbyshire was found dead on the pavement in Pope Lane, Ribbleton. Her boyfriend Ben Topping has been charged with her murder

Ben Topping, believed to be Rosie's boyfriend, was today (Friday) charged with her murder.

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Boyfriend charged with murder of Preston mum-of-one Rosie Darbyshire
Rosie Darbyshire was found dead on the pavement in Pope Lane, Ribbleton. Her boyfriend Ben Topping has been charged with her murderplaceholder image
Rosie Darbyshire was found dead on the pavement in Pope Lane, Ribbleton. Her boyfriend Ben Topping has been charged with her murder

"This is standard practice in such circumstances. It would be inappropriate to go into further detail at this stage.

"We are continuing our investigation and ask anyone with information about the incident to call 101 quoting log 433 of February 7th. Alternatively, you can report information to us online here https://mipp.police.uk/ by clicking on 'Operation Bond' and filling in a short form.

"We would like to thank the local community for their on-going support."

Police at the scene in Ribbletonplaceholder image
Police at the scene in Ribbleton

Police were called to the Pope Lane area of Moor Nook at around 2am on Thursday, February 7.

Emergency services attended and found Rosie's body on a pavement close to the junction with Village Drive.

Police say she had been the subject of a "brutal and sustained assault". A post-mortem concluded she had died as a result of serious head injuries.

Mr Topping had been remanded in custody and will appear at Preston Magistrates' Court tomorrow morning (Saturday).

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