A woman strangled and beaten by her husband called police NINE times before her death, a report has revealed.

Anne-Marie Birch, 47, was murdered in a field near her home in Ramsgate by her jealous and obsessive husband Lee in November 2013.

But police failed to properly handle or log reports from frightened Mrs Birch in the lead up - including a call on the morning she died reporting her estranged husband was in her garden.

Birch, who ran the Why Not? micropub in Westgate with Anne-Marie, initially admitted her manslaughter.

But the 55-year-old changed his plea to guilty of murder in April 2014, and was jailed for life.

Now, the Independent Police Complaints Commission has concluded Kent Police failed to properly handle or investigate her concerns in the months before she died.

This included a call to police at 8.32am on the day she was killed - November 7 - to report her husband had been hiding in her back garden.

The IPCC found the call had been answered by a trainee call handler and had not been properly logged.

In a report released today, the watchdog says it also uncovered problems including the incorrect logging of calls and a lack of awareness among call centre staff about non-molestation orders banning Birch from contacting his estranged wife.

During his trial at Maidstone Crown Court, it emerged Birch had stalked his wife for months at the former marital home in Nethercourt Gardens - flouting the court orders - before launching the fatal attack.

The report found some officers who spoke with Mrs Birch in person before the orders were imposed may have failed to identify or investigate potential offences committed by Lee Birch, including harassment and making threats to kill.

Officers told her they could not take action against her husband until the order appeared on their police systems.

This was despite the fact officers had been shown a threatening note Birch had written on the order itself, which he had posted through her door.

The report concluded these failings by officers may have warranted the bringing of "unsatisfactory performance procedures" against them.

"Kent Police could have performed better when Anne-Marie called them for help" - IPCC Commissioner Mary Cunneen

IPCC Commissioner Mary Cunneen said: "Ultimately it is Lee Birch who takes full responsibility for the campaign of harassment against Anne-Marie which culminated in her tragic death.

"Our investigation found that Kent Police could have performed better when Anne-Marie called them for help and we have made 12 recommendations to the force highlighting important areas where its practices can be improved.

"We have also agreed with Kent Police that eight individual officers and three call centre workers should receive specific learning points so the mistakes made in this case are not repeated in the future."

The IPCC investigation looked into the contact between Mrs Birch and Kent Police in the lead up to her death, including six separate occasions in September 2013 when she called police to raise concerns about her husband's behaviour.

During the investigation, four members of Kent Police staff - a control room team leader, a supervisor and two call handlers - were interviewed under notice.

Kent Police has accepted all 12 learning recommendations made by the IPCC investigators.

These include improving call centre staff awareness of non-molestation orders, improving the way systems log multiple calls from the same person or address, and improving how calls and operational information are recorded.

The force is also required to ensure front line staff are familiar with policies on dealing with harassment and threats to kill.

Kent Police says the necessary improvements have since been made.

A spokesman said: "The IPCC report into how Kent Police handled certain aspects of Anne-Marie Birch’s contact with us prior to her murder makes for disappointing reading.

"We aim to put victims at the heart of everything we do and clearly there were steps we could have taken to improve the service Anne-Marie received when she had concerns about her estranged husband’s behaviour.

"As soon as it became clear there were areas needing improvement, those improvements were made and they have been in place for a significant period of time.

"We have agreed with the IPCC that eight officers and three Force Control Room workers should receive some bespoke training to ensure we continue to provide a first class service to the people of Kent.

"While Kent Police recognises it could have offered a better service to Anne-Marie, it became clear in our investigation that her estranged husband had a very determined and clear intention to do her serious harm.

"Our sympathies remain with her family and those who were close to her."