THE family of a murdered North-East teenager have claimed police failed to act over earlier complaints against one of his killers.

Relatives allege that calls to Norfolk Police by Simon Everitt in the months before his murder were not taken seriously.

The 17-year-old, originally from Escomb, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, was tied to a tree, doused in petrol and burnt alive in woodland near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, in June last year.

Maria Chandler, 40, Jonathan Clarke, 19, and Jimi-Lee Stewart, 25, were all found guilty of the engineering student’s murder at Norwich Crown Court on May 29.

The jury heard how Clarke, Stewart and their victim were all romantically involved with Fiona Statham, now 20.

The trio are thought to have plotted the brutal killing– an apparent re-enactment of a spoof horror film – out of jealousy.

Susan Lewis, partner of Simon’s father Vince Everitt, remains angry that action was not taken earlier against Clarke – who had harassed and assaulted Mr Everitt.

“The fact is that Simon had been harassed by Jonathan Clarke for the best part of nine months prior to his murder, and there were various calls to the police about this.

“One policeman said the assault three weeks before Simon’s murder was an isolated incident. It wasn’t. It had happened on a number of occasions and was ongoing.

“We can’t say for definite it would have made a difference. But maybe if Simon had been listened to when he asked for help, things may have been different.”

Norfolk Police said it would refer the family’s complaint to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which will rule whether it warrants further investigation, or can be dealt with locally.

Detective Chief Superintendent Julian Blazeby, of Norfolk Police, said: “Simon’s family have made serious allegations about police.

“We feel that the interests of the public are now best served by voluntarily referring the case to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.”

Mr Everitt lived with his younger brother and grandmother in Escomb before moving to the Norfolk resort area when he was 14.