In an 'ideal world' police would have arrested arsonist over threats before he murdered mother and four children, officer tells inquest

A police officer told an inquest that 'in an ideal world' it would have been better to arrest an arsonist who had threatened a mother before he went on to murder her and her four children. Zak Bolland, 26, smashed the windows of the home of Michelle Pearson, 37, where she lived with her young family on Jackson Street, Walkden, Greater Manchester, as part of an escalating feud, Bolton Coroner's Court heard.Bolland would later threaten to firebomb Ms Pearson's house and would eventually set it alight, killing all four children inside. Ms Pearson died aged 37 in August 2019, more than a year-and-a-half after her children did. The mother passed away in hospital, while holding a photo of her murdered children, after suffering 68 per cent burns to her body. The inquest into the death of Ms Pearson and her youngsters was told today that when Bolland initially smashed the windows of their home, police attended. A statement was then taken from her naming Bolland as the culprit for the attack on the morning of November 26, 2017. Later that day, he sent her text messages demanding £500 and threatening to petrol bomb her home. Michelle Pearson (pictured) died aged 37 - clutching a photo of her children - more than a year and a half after four of them were killed in a devastating house fire (Left to right) Eight-year-old Brandon, Lacie, seven, and Lia, three, died in the blaze Police were then called to the house a second time. Pc Robert Webster, now a detective constable but at the time a probationary officer who had only been with Greater Manchester Police for six months, said Ms Pearson was 'fed up and frustrated'. He said she told him she was an anxious person and unwilling to go to court to prosecute Bolland over the smashed windows or the threats.The officer said he told her if Bolland denied smashing her windows, it was his word against hers and if she was not prepared to go to court, a conviction was unlikely.Mr Webster said he did not at that time attempt to find and arrest Bolland, who lived a few hundred yards away in Walkden.He said: 'We were extremely busy, we were short-staffed.'It was the busiest shift I had attended up to that point. We attended one emergency call after another.'He agreed with Anna Morris KC, representing the Pearson family, that after taking a statement from Ms Pearson, when they left her home on November 26, there were grounds to arrest Bolland. Demi Pearson (pictured) also passed away in the inferno Zak Bolland (left) and David Worrall (right), then 26 and 28 respectively, were jailed for life over the attackMs Morris said four children lived at the address and threats had been made, suggesting taking action should have been a priority.'Was the best safeguarding to arrest him?' she asked the witness.The officer replied: 'In an ideal world, yes. There were other priority incidents we had to attend to.'Two days later, another officer 'closed' the case into the smashed window after Bolland refused to give a single answer in a 12-minute interview. He was released and told he was NFA'd – meaning 'no further action' would be taken. Four days later, Bolland returned to Ms Pearson's home, gloating, shouting he had been 'NFA'd' and calling her a 'grass' and a 'rat'.She again called the police and Mr Webster was one of the attending officers.He told the inquest: 'We had to explain to her what 'NFA' meant.'She was upset by it, she just appeared quite puzzled why that had happened.'She wanted Zak to be prosecuted for what he had done to her and her home. She seemed at that point willing and wanting to take the matter further.' A statement released by the family when Ms Pearson passed away read: 'We know she's back with her children and out of pain'But the court heard that the investigation had been 'closed' on the police computer system. Mr Webster told the court the system did not appear to have recorded the identity of the person who closed the crime.She also reported having her windows smashed, her bin set on fire and graffiti painted on the walls of her house as part of an escalating feud. Less than a week later, in the dead of night on December 11, 2017, Bolland and an accomplice, David Worrall, 28, smashed Ms Pearson's windows at the back of the house.They tossed in petrol bombs which 'exploded' near the stairs, blocking the only exit to the ground floor and trapping the sleeping family upstairs as the flames spread.Demi Pearson, 15, her brother Brandon, eight, and sisters Lacie, seven, and Lia, three, all died in the blaze.In 2018, Bolland and Worrall were both given four life sentences and told they would serve a minimum of 40 and 37 years respectively for the petrol bombing.Bolland’s girlfriend, Courtney Brierley, 20, was jailed for 21 years for four counts of manslaughter.Their trial heard that attacks on Ms Pearson’s home arose out of an escalating feud between Bolland and one of her sons.She had called police on at least five occasions in the two weeks before the firebombing and had begged to be re-housed, the murder trial at Manchester Crown Court heard.Demi was described as a 'happy, smiley child' who was 'best friends' with her mother.Brandon had an infectious smile and was a 'mummy's boy' while his sister Lacie was a little 'diva' and Lia a little chatterbox with a cheeky laugh.'All of the children had such bright futures ahead of them,' the family statement said, adding: 'We cherish the short time we shared with them.'The eight-week inquest, which is investigating if there were any missed opportunities by the police or other agencies to protect the family, continues on Thursday.