In 2014, the police found "up to 60" items of women's clothing buried in woodland, close to where a pair of Sian's boots had been found. Steve said: I am certain that in some remote corner of the world there is a 5ft hole with a dead woman at the bottom of it. It's just not going to happen. Why would this not be the biggest, most protracted, most vigorous investigation in the history of British policing?. All I could do was try to keep him talking.. There had been years of endless worry as they investigated me. But forensic evidence that has been used to convict [Halliwell] was available back in 2011. Fulcher opened up on the case last year on ITV documentary To Catch A Serial Killer - With Trevor McDonald. He was allowed to keep his job, but later resigned. Its when these forces collide. Linda Razzell, 41, disappeared in Swindon on March 19, 2002. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order, meaning he will not be eligible for parole and is unlikely to ever be released from prison. It doesnt even sound true. Asked about the difference between roles Fulcher and 'Tim' from The Office, he added:'I'm very, very pleased that I've been able to do other things that have resonated with people.'. It's a very dodgy road to go down, I think, for us as a society.'. 10:35 GMT 03 Sep 2019 He was investigated by the police watchdog, the IPCC and found guilty of Gross Misconduct. Judge Mrs Justice Cox ruled both of Halliwell's confessions were inadmissable as evidence because Fulcher had breached Police and Criminal Evidence Act guidelines. On that day, the police made an urgent appeal for witnesses who had spotted a green Toyota Avensis with taxi markings. If we mention one of those names a family might think, 'oh, I wonder if' So we very carefully say, 'We believe there are other victims,' and leave it at that. His actions compromised the court case against Halliwell and called into question one of the most important principles of the criminal justice system, the PACE guidelines. Five days after her kidnap, they spotted Halliwell buying enough pills to kill himself so they swooped on his car and carried out an urgent interview. June 9, 2015 - Halliwell appears at Bristol Crown Court and denies Miss Godden's murder. Catching a double killer led to Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher being hailed a hero by the families and twice nominated for a Queens Police Medal. It also meant Halliwell was able to evade justice for Becky's murder when he was found guilty of Sian's killing in 2012. The following month, he learned he had been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission. You are talking about co-ordinating hundreds of officers. Two months later, dismayed at Wiltshires Forces disinterest in both reinforcing the charges related to Becky Goddens murder and other potential victims, Fulcher asked to be reassigned to the National Homicide Team. He had killed her two minutes after she got in his cab. At this point, with the focus shifting from kidnap to murder, Fulcher should, according to guidelines drawn up in The Police and Criminal Evidence Act of 1984 (PACE), have cautioned Halliwell again. Det Supt Fulcher had risen through the ranks at Sussex Police before moving to Wiltshire. March 26, 2011 - Halliwell is charged with Miss O'Callaghan's murder. Fulcher has lost his career, he works as a security consultant in Africa. For two days undercover police in 12 vehicles kept him under constant surveillance in the hope he would lead them to Sian. 'Just in the minutes before Sian vanished, one of the police cars had filmed a Toyota Avensis driving the other way, and it had the number plate.'. Halliwells father lived a few streets from the home of chef Claudia Lawrence, who has been missing since March 19, 2009. "He killed Becky in 2003, he killed Sian in 2011, so that's eight years. In 2018 he appeared on the ITV show To Catch a Serial Killer with Trevor McDonald.My view is that I have brought two daughters back to their mothers and Ive prevented other victims resulting from Halliwells continued pursuit of his career as a serial killer," Fulcher told McDonald. Speaking on To Catch A Serial Killer - With Trevor McDonald, Elaine said: Steve did what I think any family member would want an officer to do for them.. "Because you don't want to mention a name and then give a family false hope. Halliwell admitted he had murdered Sian, and directed Det Supt Fulcher and his team to her body near Uffington, Oxfordshire. First he dumped her body near his sick stash at Ramsbury. Which was quite odd, actually I felt the sense of gratitude. 11:00 GMT 03 Sep 2019. Simone Lee was held captive in her home in Limerick by her former friend Christopher Stokes, who mercilessly beat her, placed bin liner over her head, and also poured boiling water over her before setting the apartment on fire on May 11, 2021. Fulcher was disciplined for misconduct and later resigned, losing his 500,000 police pension and selling his house. There is an obsession with procedure at the expense of the bigger picture. However, DS Fulcher, played by Martin Freeman in the ITV drama series, was found guilty of gross misconduct and given a final disciplinary warning. ", Why? He later decided of his own volition to resign from Wiltshire Police.. This was roughly 12 miles away. He drove a car similar to one spotted on CCTV at the time of Sians disappearance. Officers arrested Halliwell, but rather than read him his rights, provide him with a lawyer and bring him to a police station, Det Supt Fulcher said he wanted to speak with Halliwell man-to-man.. But there is only no evidence because they havent spoken to the witness.. You dont sleep, you dont eat, its a 24/7 commitment, says Fulcher. Freeman plays Det Supt Steve Fulcher in ITV's six-part drama By Emma Saunders Entertainment reporter It was a tragic real-life story that gripped the public due to flawed heroics, a long search. Former detective superintendent Steve Fulcher has now told his side of the story With compelling circumstantial evidence, Fulcher authorised covert surveillance. January 30, 2012 - Mrs Justice Cox rules the evidence of Halliwell's confessions to the murders of both women is inadmissible. Pope said: Watching the series with him afterwards, it was almost unbearable. He still believes he made the right decisions on that day. Its a race against time. A race against a backdrop of high emotions, too. If I had followed procedure, then Sian and Beckys bodies may never have been found yet it seems thats what senior authorities wouldve preferred. The case attracted widespread attention and press coverage, and on Tuesday 22nd March around 400 members of the public were allowed to help the police search the forest. However, criminal defence barrister Sebastian Gardiner said their must be a way to ensure "police powers are not abused". Halliwell described another victim, a prostitute he said he had killed much earlier, says Steve, and he could take him to the spot where he had buried her as well. Steve Fulcher, the detective who put him behind bars, . Fulcher made the decision to resign from Wiltshire Police force in May, 2014. Beckys mother, Karen Edwards, began a petition calling for a change to arrest guidelines. The decision almost derailed the case against the killer in court, and ultimately cost the detective his job. Steve had been found guilty of gross misconduct by the Independent Police Complaints Commission for not reading Halliwell his rights and taking him back to the police station. It is based on a true-life inquiry which led to a police officer losing his career. Rebecca Godden-Edwards, aged 18, also known as Becky, whose remains were found by police investigating the murder of missing nightclubber Sian O'Callaghan. He also told The Guardian in 2017 that he believed Halliwell was responsible for more murders, as more than 60 items of womens clothing were found buried in woodland near Marlborough, including OCallaghans brown boots and Godden-Edwardss cardigan. Halliwell might have been far more prolific than even I had feared.. For Fulcher had gone from being Wiltshire Polices man of the hour flavour of the month as he puts it to having his reputation destroyed. It was horribly tense. Yesterday, the sentencing judge, Sir John Griffiths Williams, told Halliwell: But for your confession, I have no doubt Beckys remains would never have been found. And if were not protecting the victim then were all sunk., The comments below have not been moderated, By Here was a man who indicated he might have more victims. It made little difference: while Fulcher was not sacked he was given a severe reprimand, something he felt left him with no choice but to resign. Further to the hearing, Steve Fulcher was found guilty of two counts of gross misconduct (the execution of his duty and inappropriate contact with the media) and received two final written warnings, but remained a member of Wiltshire Police. This is the central thrust of the ITV drama, starring Martin Freeman, Imelda Staunton and. Instead, everyone turned on me.. As he rose through the ranks, he enhanced his professional accomplishments with a postgraduate diploma and subsequent masters in Criminology. At 9.45am he called the police to report that his girlfriend had gone missing. But when Halliwell kept answering no comment, Fulcher took another crucial decision, authorising officers to bring Halliwell to the hilltop site alone for what is known as an urgent interview something entirely permissible under the manuals code in a last ditch chance to find Sian. , updated Fulcher is more than qualified to reflect on how British policing has changed. Halliwell had been busy. And a high-heeled boot Sian was wearing before she was abducted on her way home from a nightclub in 2011. A search of the forest proved fruitless, but the detective got a breakthrough several days into the investigation after his team spotted an unidentified taxi on CCTV in the area where she disappeared, explains ITV reporter Robert Murphy, who covered the case. "Generally, we echo Fulcher's belief that there are other victims," Pope said, explaining the drama's approach to the question. The force arranged for an independent misconduct panel to convene. [Wiltshire police] chose not to pursue it. Wiltshire Police told the BBC: The IPCC investigation concluded that a misconduct hearing should take place to consider potential gross misconduct. Fulcher's career was left in tatters when he was found guilty of misconduct after prompting a second murder confession from Sian O'Callaghan's killer Christopher Halliwell. For other inquiries, Contact Us. "But for my course of action Becky would still be in that field, Sian would never be found and Christopher Halliwell would be walking the streets.". Joe Absolom, which has been gripping audiences for the past six weeks. He argued that the original judge (Mrs Justice Cox) had been correct in her ruling, but that since Halliwell had "unequivocally" pleaded guilty to Sian's murder, the concerns over PACE were "no longer relevant.". That girl, we now know, was poor Becky Godden, a much loved daughter who had fallen into drug addiction, prostitution and, ultimately, Halliwells evil hands. 'He had done what I considered to be the right thing. Her boyfriend raised the alarm and soon Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher was leading the inquiry into her disappearance. Fulcher went on to write a book about his experiences, called Catching a Serial Killer. With equity release you could access a lump-sum of tax-free cash which can be used to enhance your retirement income, make home improvements, or even enjoy a memorable holiday. Yesterday he was sentenced to a full life sentence, a tariff reserved for those, like Moors Murderer Ian Brady, who are considered to be societys most dangerous. Its taken all this time for Beckys case to come to court, he says. In the mid 1980s, while serving time in prison, Halliwell reportedly asked another inmate how many women it's necessary to kill before you're considered a serial murderer. He [was] kind of crawling up the walls. During the investigation, Detective Steve Fulcher broke police protocol and extracted not one, but two confessions from the killer. Christopher Halliwells lawyers argued successfully that the confession should not be put before a jury. The disappearances of Tina Pryer, 39, Thi Hai Nguyen, 20, and Sandra Brewin, 21, have also been linked to the killer. He has written a memoir 'Catching A Serial Killer' upon which "A Confession' is partly based. Some claimed the manner in which Steve gained Halliwells confessions was "arrogant and reckless". Steve is convinced Halliwell murdered others after he revealed he had buried Becky Godden in a 5ft hole. ', Afterwards Fulcher said of Halliwell: 'We had a surreal exchange, he knew that he had given his life away. The cop's life imploded when he caught depraved killer Christopher Halliwell. Steve Fulcher (played by Martin Freeman) violated PACE Code C by interviewing Christopher Halliwell (Joe Absolom) without the presence of a solicitor. Human remains were uncovered at a field in Gloucestershire, and they turned out to belong to Becky. A new team found witnesses and analysis showed a spade seized from Halliwells shed in 2011 had the same unique soil DNA as the field in which Becky was found. I did these things because they were the right things to do in these circumstances. DS Steve Fulcher, played by Martin Freeman in A Confession, resigned from the police after being found guilty of gross misconduct in the Christopher Halliwell case, Get daily headlines and breaking news alerts for FREE by signing up to our newsletter. January 2003 - Becky Godden, then aged 20, is last seen alive after getting into a taxi outside Destiny & Desire nightclub in Swindon. Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class. Lara Keay For Mailonline, 'These dinosaurs are meant to be EXTINCT! Natalie Corner For Mailonline, Trophy hunter mother, 41, who has travelled the world to kill more than ONE HUNDRED animals claims her hobby HELPS preserve wild species, Bodyguard creator Jed Mercurio teases that Julia Montague is ALIVE - as he reveals how he manages to keep the show's plot a secret, TIMELINE OF A DOUBLE KILLING: HOW CHRISTOPHER HALLIWELL MURDERED TWO WOMEN THEN THWARTED JUSTICE FOR VICTIM'S FAMILY. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Met Eireann has pinpointed a two-week period where 'weather warnings or impactful weather are possible'. Kathryn Knight for the Daily Mail After joining the Wiltshire force in 2003, Fulcher was promoted to Detective Superintendent. A young woman called Becky Godden-Edwards had gone missing a number of years before, last seen in 2002 or 2003. Common sense did not win the day. She was a drug addict and sex worker, and after she disappeared her mother Karen Edwards (played by Imelda Staunton) had spent years hoping she would return. A suspect soon popped up in the shape of taxi driver Christopher Halliwell, whose green Toyota Avensis had been seen near the nightclub and close to Savernake Forest, where Sians mobile had last given off a signal. March 24, 2011 - Halliwell leads Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher, of Wiltshire Police, to the locations of Miss O'Callaghan and Miss Godden's bodies. In March 2011, Sian OCallaghan vanished on a night out in Swindon. STEVE Fulcher was a detective who uncovered the crimes of a twisted double murderer before resigning from the force. October 19, 2012 - Halliwell admits Miss O'Callaghan's murder at Bristol Crown Court and is jailed for life with a minimum term of 25 years. The next important clue came from a text message sent by Kevin at 3.24am, which was received on Sian's phone; analysis showed that her mobile phone had been in the Savernake Forest area at the time the message arrived. He published a book, titled Catching a Serial Killer: My hunt for murderer Christopher Halliwell, and has also spoken many times in the press about his experience of the case. Natalie Corner For Mailonline But his decision to break police guidelines and drive Halliwell to where he thought Sian might be found alive, instead of taking him to the police station for a formal interview, was to cost him his job. When DS Steve Fulcher arrested Christopher Halliwell over the disappearance of 22-year-old Sian O'Callaghan, it was the start of his own downfall. 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