He drove a car similar to one spotted on CCTV at the time of Sians disappearance. It doesnt even sound true. CCTV of Sians last-known moments led him to 47-year-old father-of-three Christopher Halliwell. But only this week, five-and-a-half years after he led Fulcher to her remains, was he convicted of the murder of Becky Godden, at last bringing closure to her anguished family. It took a jury just two hours to find him guilty. But a judge ruled his confession about Becky Godden inadmissible because DS Fulcher had repeatedly failed to correctly caution the killer and questioned him without a lawyer. Halliwell had been busy. 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. The cop's life imploded when he caught depraved killer Christopher Halliwell. And despite Karen Edwards best efforts, there have been no changes to arrest guidelines. In January 2003Becky Godden, then aged 20, is last seen alive after getting into a taxi outside Destiny & Desire nightclub in Swindon. February 18, 2015 - Halliwell is arrested on suspicion of murdering Miss Godden. His loyal family had also suffered. 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. You might think that witness statement would be taken, but it never has been to my knowledge. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. March 18, 2011 - Sian O'Callaghan, 22, is murdered by Halliwell after getting into his taxi while walking home after leaving Suju nightclub in Swindon. In the aftermath of Halliwells arrest, Fulcher was nominated for a Queens Police Medal the highest honour in policing for his work in extracting the brutal killers confession. This, despite the fact he had caught Halliwell, a murderer and possible serial killer. 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They have been fulsome in their support of a man they believe acted solely in their best interest. Indeed, it was only thanks to Fulchers instincts honed from 25 years of painstaking investigations and cat and mouse detective work that two young murder victims had been found. But to get those confessions, Fulcher was accused of breaching the guidelines of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) by failing to caution Halliwell and denying him access to a solicitor at the time the confessions were obtained. Halliwell was convicted of Beckys murder in September 2016. Four months later, he resigned from the Wiltshire Police force. Under the PACE code of practice (relating to The Police And Criminal Evidence Act of 1984), DS Fulcher should have taken Halliwell straight back to the police station as soon as he confessed to Beckys murder. A wealth of experience which was brought to bear when, on March 19th 2011, office administrator Sian OCallaghan was reported missing by her boyfriend after being last seen outside a nightclub in Swindon town centre in the small hours. However, that's not to say he hasn't committed other offences. In fact, they were the only things to do.. On 24 March, OCallaghans body was found in a shallow grave near Uffington, Oxfordshire, and Christopher Halliwell, a 47-year-old taxi driver from Swindon was arrested, charged and later sentenced to a life sentence for the murder. With the deaths of Becky and Sian some eight years apart, Fulcher is convinced there may be more undiscovered bodies a sentiment now echoed by other senior officers involved in Halliwells conviction this week. "I deliberately and very carefully didn't get into specifics of other victims," writer Jeff Pope said. 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. Can you have a police force that simply ignores a serial killer?, Karen Edwards, the mother of Becky Godden-Edwards, commented: Had he have followed the guidelines, then Becky would never have been found, she would have never have come into the equation.. Naturally, trying to ensure this places huge pressure on senior officers. He still believes he made the right decisions on that day. 2021 Associated Newspapers Limited. Instead resources went into investigating me for years.. Drivers warned over incoming hike in petrol and diesel prices amid two key changes, "Its really important that we dont have any particular day where fuel goes up very dramatically", Limerick woman 'lucky to be alive' after being held captive, beaten and doused with acid in horror attack. ', He considered his actions: 'Should I stop him confessing? It's a very dodgy road to go down, I think, for us as a society.'. But CCTV showed him driving around the town for another 90 minutes. ', Afterwards Fulcher said of Halliwell: 'We had a surreal exchange, he knew that he had given his life away. The investigation into her murder was headed up by DS Fulcher who charged cab driver Chris Halliwell with the abduction of the office worker. In January 2014, Fulcher was found guilty of gross misconduct and given a final written warning by a disciplinary tribunal. Oscar-nominated scriptwriter Jeff Pope based the drama on Det Supt Fulchers memoirs and independent research. 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. Martin Freeman plays DS Stephen Fulcher in new ITV drama A Confession. September 5, 2016 - Halliwell goes on trial at Bristol Crown Court for Miss Godden's murder. 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And if were not protecting the victim then were all sunk., The comments below have not been moderated, By Its an almost insoluble problem. Met Eireann has pinpointed a two-week period where 'weather warnings or impactful weather are possible'. Sians mother Elaine Pickford, who is played by Sobhan Finneran, was grateful to DS Fulcher. Martin Freeman - plays Supt Det Steve Fulcher. , updated 'He had done what I considered to be the right thing. 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. By The protracted investigations into his conduct, meanwhile, have affected not only his health but that of Yvonne, his 48-year-old wife of 28 years, and their two 20-something daughters investigations which, as Fulcher emphasises in this blistering interview, could have been better used to secure Halliwells conviction for Becky Goddards death years earlier. The fiend then revealed where cops could find the body of Becky Godden who police did not even know was missing at the time. But Halliwell was eventually found guilty of the murder of Godden-Edwards and was given another life sentence. An investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission in 2013 found the police officer had a case to answer for gross misconduct for ignoring force orders. 'I can't rule out that there are other victims. "You have to look at the wider picture and say, Alright, do we need to have a way of ensuring that police powers are not abused, that people arent bullied into making confessions?,'" said Gardiner. Yet no one was interested.. At 9.45am he called the police to report that his girlfriend had gone missing. Once in the remote woodland, Halliwell stood on the exact spot where he claimed hed buried a girl years earlier. Joe Absolom plays the Swindon taxi driver Christopher Halliwell who had taken the lives of two you women. Instead, everyone turned on me.. But the story is no work of fiction. There wasnt an alternative that wouldnt involve ruining my chances of Halliwell opening up.. 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 charge of murdering Miss Godden is formally withdrawn. 'I would appeal to Christopher Halliwell if he wants to speak I'm willing to speak with him. 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. Det Supt Sean Memory, the senior investigating officer in the Godden case, said after he was convicted in 2016 that Halliwell may have killed others. Fulchers once distinguished career, meanwhile, lies in ruins. Was there ever a more woeful example of flawed justice? He wanted to use what he believed were emergency powers, to be used only when there is an imminent threat to life. 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. I cannot believe that was his first offence from being a burglar in the 1980s to a murderer in 2003. August 30, 2016 - Retired High Court judge Sir John Griffith Williams rules that the jury can be told of Halliwell's conviction for Miss O'Callaghan's murder and his confession to Miss Godden's murder. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. So on a lonely windswept hill in Wiltshire he tore. Freeman, 47, plays Detective Superintendent Stephen Fulcher in the ITV show A Confession. The detective and suspect met at Barbury Castle, an Iron Age hill fort near Swindon, where Fulcher believed Halliwell may be keeping Sian alive. Fulcher went on to write a book about his experiences, called Catching a Serial Killer. Which was quite odd, actually I felt the sense of gratitude. Her husband Glyn has spent 13 years in jail for her murder but maintains his innocence. As the criminal proceedings were thrown into jeopardy, Det Supt Fulcher faced gross misconduct hearings. Halliwell was not charged with Becky's murder in his 2012 trial, as a judge had ruled his confession to the crime was inadmissible in court. It later transpired that Fulcher, when arresting Halliwell, acted on the instinct that Halliwell may have been responsible for the disappearance of Becky Godden-Edwards, who had been reported missing in 2007 and pressed him for details. Steve Fulcher confronted by killer Christopher Halliwell in A Confession finale teaser. Det Insp Steve Fulcher of Wiltshire Police faced a misconduct inquiry over his methods and later resigned from the force Meanwhile, Det Supt Fulcher's actions led to an inquiry by the. 23:33 GMT 23 Sep 2016 It also meant Halliwell was able to evade justice for Becky's murder when he was found guilty of Sian's killing in 2012. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. The disappearances of Tina Pryer, 39, Thi Hai Nguyen, 20, and Sandra Brewin, 21, have also been linked to the killer. He said: If I had taken Halliwell into custody we would never have found Sian and obviously we would never have heard of his other victim Becky Godden. Beckys mother, Karen Edwards, began a petition calling for a change to arrest guidelines. It was a moment which, perhaps better than any other, summed up the monstrous injustice meted out to DS Fulcher and exposed the deeply warped priorities of our legal system. His career was in tatters. All rights reserved. He was crying in the car, saying he was a sick f*cker, recalls Fulcher. Enjoy this party classic with an updated RT twist - fun for all the family! If the evidence in the trophy store suggests a truth that still lies hidden, then Halliwell had a prolific propensity to murder perhaps as often as once or twice a year so lives were saved after his arrest.. What are the ramifications of that? However, Fulcher was eager not to lose the opportunity to elicit another confession, so he went with Halliwell to the site where the remains of Becky Godden, 20, were discovered. POLICE unearthed the stash of trophies just 15 miles from where serial killer Christopher Halliwell had led them to Sian OCallaghans body. But there is only no evidence because they havent spoken to the witness.. Fulcher has lost his career, he works as a security consultant in Africa. However, four years later judge Sir John Griffith Williams decided that Fulcher's evidence could and should be heard in court as part of the case. Why on earth had this killer been given every conceivable privilege, while a brave, upstanding detective was hung out to dry? He said: "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 is more than qualified to reflect on how British policing has changed. 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. June 9, 2015 - Halliwell appears at Bristol Crown Court and denies Miss Godden's murder. 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. 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"I am satisfied also that the defendant's confession to the murder of Becky Godden and his taking the police to where he had buried her was not the consequence of oppression.". A Confession is based on the true story of Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher and the disappearance of Sian O'Callaghan. ', But criminal defence barrister Sebastian Gardiner says: 'It wasn't ignorance on his part, it was a conscious decision by him to drive a coach and horses through recognised police procedure.'. But. You can unsubscribe at any time. The force arranged for an independent misconduct panel to convene. March 24, 2011 - Halliwell leads Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher, of Wiltshire Police, to the locations of Miss O'Callaghan and Miss Godden's bodies. Thankfully, circumstantial and forensic evidence ensured Halliwell, 52, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2012 for killing Miss OCallaghan. Her boyfriend raised the alarm and soon Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher was leading the inquiry into her disappearance. PACE is there for a reason. There was no sign of a baby when they came by". Ainsworth, who had just been suspended over allegations he had sexually harassed female colleagues, was found hanged at home. A Confession airs on Monday nights on ITV and is available on ITV Hub. I did these things because they were the right things to do in these circumstances. He later decided of his own volition to resign from Wiltshire Police.. Fulcher, also a father with two daughters, says: If I didnt take this step, I feared Sian would die alone and abandoned.. 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 was a terrible Catch 22. 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