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. Fulcher has broadly received the support of the victims' families. Detective Chief Inspector Sean Memory said there could be an "innocent explanation" but pointed out: "Someone has made some effort to hide it. He lost his police pension worth 500,000, had to sell his house and now works training police in war-torn Somalia. So on a lonely windswept hill in Wiltshire he tore. How was the killer Christopher Halliwell caught? The Sherlock actor said he 'couldn't believe' Fulcher's story when he heard it. Murphy explained in the documentary: 'A police officer had the idea of looking at all the police dashboard cameras that were patrolling central Swindon at the time. CCTV of Sians last-known moments led him to 47-year-old father-of-three Christopher Halliwell. This is the central thrust of the ITV drama, starring Martin Freeman, Imelda Staunton and. 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. The worst part, Fulcher says, is none of its surprising. 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.. Do you want another one?. In essence, Fulcher was using his experience to make a judgment call a call that took him on another car journey with Halliwell to rural Gloucestershire. Steve explains what happened next: 'He said, "You and I should have a chat". 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. Wiltshire Police told the BBC: The IPCC investigation concluded that a misconduct hearing should take place to consider potential gross misconduct. Place him under arrest and take him back into custody? 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. Another potential victim is prostitute Sally Ann John, 24, who vanished from Swindon in 1995. Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class. I met Sians parents and promised them I wouldnt rest until I found her, he recalls. Later investigators discovered soil on a spade which placed Halliwell in the field where Becky was found, leading to his conviction by jury in 2016. In May 2012 Christopher Halliwell pleaded not guilty to the charge of murdering Sian O'Callaghan, but when he appeared in Bristol Crown Court in October 2012 he pleaded guilty to her murder. On the day of his arrest, Halliwell spoke to Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher, and admitted to murdering two women and dumping their bodies in shallow graves. Having guided them to the remote spot where he had dumped her body, Halliwell had suddenly confessed: Im a sick f***er. 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. Her husband Glyn has spent 13 years in jail for her murder but maintains his innocence, with his lawyer saying he would be 'very surprised' if he had committed the crime. Halliwell admitted he had murdered Sian, and directed Det Supt Fulcher and his team to her body near Uffington, Oxfordshire. It turned out to be the remains of Becky. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Well the ramifications are clear. At Wiltshire he had solved several murders while simultaneously gaining a Masters Degree in Criminology from the University of Cambridge. He had killed her two minutes after she got in his cab. You might think that witness statement would be taken, but it never has been to my knowledge. 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. 12:23 GMT 20 Sep 2018. 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. Sian's mother Elaine Pickford says what he did was understandable to her family. The lives of Sian OCallaghan, 22, and Becky Godden, 20, had been callously cut short by taxi driver Halliwell, who guided Fulcher to their bodies. Haliwell was jailed for life in 2012 for beating and stabbing Sian O'Callaghan - who he believed resembled his mother - to death, before pushing her body into a 12ft ravine. If she had traveled 12 miles in just half an hour, that meant the journey from Swindon Old Town could only have been made in a vehicle. Trying to find Ireland's best burger or best pizza? STEVE Fulcher was a detective who uncovered the crimes of a twisted double murderer before resigning from the force. This almost derailed the court case against Halliwell and called into question one of the most important principles of the criminal justice system. 12:20 GMT 20 Sep 2018 But Halliwell was eventually found guilty of the murder of Godden-Edwards and was given another life sentence. The CPS should have appealed. If I had followed procedure, then Sian and Beckys bodies may never have been found yet it seems thats what senior authorities wouldve preferred. That is always in your mind, he says. It also meant Halliwell was able to evade justice for Becky's murder when he was found guilty of Sian's killing in 2012. There is an obsession with procedure at the expense of the bigger picture. In it, he argues that his actions were to preserve the life of a hostage, as he was working on the assumption OCallaghan could still be alive and that Halliwell could lead him to her. Rebecca Godden-Edwards, aged 18, also known as Becky, whose remains were found by police investigating the murder of missing nightclubber Sian O'Callaghan. All I could do was try to keep him talking.. March 26, 2011 - Halliwell is charged with Miss O'Callaghan's murder. 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. In the meantime he was suspended, left pacing the floor at home with worry. At 9.45am he called the police to report that his girlfriend had gone missing. 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. One of the cases to which Halliwell has been linked is that of mother-of-four Linda Razzell, 41, who disappeared from Highworth, near Swindon, on March 19, 2002. September 5, 2016 - Halliwell goes on trial at Bristol Crown Court for Miss Godden's murder. Fulcher is more than qualified to reflect on how British policing has changed. 'He had done what I considered to be the right thing. 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. "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. 11:00 GMT 03 Sep 2019. All the while, Fulcher delayed making an arrest, hoping Halliwell might lead them to Sian, whom he fervently hoped might still be alive. It was a fitting tribute for a man who prided himself on putting victims and their families first. Christopher Halliwell, 54, is serving two whole life terms after killing 20-year-old Becky Godden and Sian O'Callaghan, 22. "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 viewers have been shocked by the twists and turns in the TV version of the horrific true story of serial killer Christopher Halliwell. Fulcher played by Sherlocks Martin Freeman ended up in a difficult ethical position that led him to find the killer, but in an unorthadox manner that ultimately ended his career in the police force. He has written a memoir 'Catching A Serial Killer' upon which "A Confession' is partly based. 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. 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. Det Supt Fulcher had risen through the ranks at Sussex Police before moving to Wiltshire. During the investigation, Detective Steve Fulcher broke police protocol and extracted not one, but two confessions from the killer. 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.. We walked away and he said Do you want another one? He then told me he had killed a girl in 2003, 4 or 5, and he could take me to that body the exact spot.. As a result of being found guilty of gross misconduct in January 2014, Steve Fulcher was given a final written warning, which could have led to his dismissal if he'd fallen foul of any more. 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. There's a distinct possibility there could be further offences.'. DS Steve Fulcher resigned from the police force in May 2014, He was played by Martin Freeman in the ITV series, DS Fulcher was found guilty of gross misconduct. 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. ', He considered his actions: 'Should I stop him confessing? And despite Karen Edwards best efforts, there have been no changes to arrest guidelines. The last sighting of her was in the Manchester Road area, in the towns red-light district, at 10.45pm on September 8, 1995. Why would this not be the biggest, most protracted, most vigorous investigation in the history of British policing?. By effectively acting to ensure Halliwells life was preserved, I was potentially going to cause the death of his victim, he recalls. Common sense did not win the day. 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. Then he turned to the officer in charge, DS Steve Fulcher, and said: Do you want another one? He then told them where he had buried BeckyGodden many years earlier. Its an almost insoluble problem. And where had they gone next? Around the pond were not six other items of womens clothing. In January 2014, Fulcher was found guilty of gross misconduct and given a final written warning by a disciplinary tribunal. TWISTED Christopher Halliwell could be one of Britains worst serial killers, says the detective who put him behind bars. Her boyfriend raised the alarm and soon Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher was leading the inquiry into her disappearance. Finally, Halliwell confessed to Sian's murder and offered to take him to Sian's body, leading the police to her burial spot. In his book, Steve says: At the bottom of a pond that was 8ft deep they found Sian OCallaghans distinctive boot. I made that clear back in 2011.. I did these things because they were the right things to do in these circumstances. Two and a half years on, Becky Goddens mother has, at least, seen justice served in no small part thanks to her own vigorous campaigning to ensure her daughters murder wasnt forgotten. Beckys mother, Karen Edwards, began a petition calling for a change to arrest guidelines. Fulcher made the decision. 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. Oscar-nominated scriptwriter Jeff Pope based the drama on Det Supt Fulchers memoirs and independent research. Freeman, 47, plays Detective Superintendent Stephen Fulcher in the ITV show A Confession. With his name so closely associated with the story he has found it hard to branch out, though in 2017 he was working for a private company in Mogadishu, Somalia. 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. It's just not going to happen. Sian wasnt murdered until 2011. Meanwhile, Halliwell's father lived a few streets from the home of chef Claudia Lawrence, who has been missing since March 19, 2009 - the same day as Halliwell killed Ms 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.'. ITV's The Confession, tells the story of how Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher breached protocols to catch a killer. The senior echelons arent police officers at all. There had been years of endless worry as they investigated me. She says: 'Steve did what I think any family member would want an officer to do for them. What is right and what is wrong? You then tried to manipulate the police and court process to try to avoid getting what you deserved., They are words Fulcher has waited many years for. Jeff Pope's new ITV drama A Confession stars Martin Freeman as Detective Steve Fulcher, whose hunt for missing 22-year-old Sian O'Callaghan led him into an extraordinary situation in 2011. It took four more years of campaigning for it to be allowed, and last September Halliwell was convicted of killing Becky and burying her body in a field at Eastleach, Gloucs. Once Halliwell was in custody, Fulcher was hailed by his superiors. But the story is no work of fiction. I need help. 'I can't rule out that there are other victims. It should have been less than a 15-minute walk home to the house she shared with her boyfriend Kevin Reape (played by Charlie Cooper). And if were not protecting the victim then were all sunk., The comments below have not been moderated, By Episode six of the six-part series will air tonight Monday . This is a charge that usually applies to corrupt officials, not someone dealing with a serial killer.. The 2022 loss represents about 12% of the total portfolio. Halliwell was convicted of Beckys murder in September 2016. "But we certainly don't get into any of the specifics of those other cases that have been attached there are other murders up and down the country that are now attached to Halliwell, and we absolutely scrupulously did not get into any of that. Deborah Peach from the inquiry team recalls in the programme: 'Steve takes the decision that he will conduct an urgent interview of Halliwell himself and just says "Right, let's go".'. 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. But whats the true story behind Steve Fulcher? As Steve Fulcher tells of his battle with pen-pushers and myopic box-tickers within the police service, one thing is clear: the treatment received by this senior officer is enough to drive anyone to despair at the insanity of our legal system, one in which an obsession with process has taken precedence over the rights of victims and their families. Anticipating Halliwells suicide risk, Fulcher arranged an interview team to conduct a Safety Interview, under caution, at the scene of his arrest. Monster is currently serving life for killing Sian OCallaghan, 22, and Becky Godden, 20. Its when these forces collide. Sians mother Elaine Pickford, who is played by Sobhan Finneran, was grateful to DS Fulcher. Justice Cox got her judgment badly wrong. So while Halliwell was charged and convicted of the murder of Sian O'Callaghan (the case was strong enough without that confession), at this point he could not be tried for the murder of Becky Godden-Edwards. 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. This was roughly 12 miles away. Halliwell might have been far more prolific than even I had feared.. Only two of the items have ever been identified a cardigan worn by Becky, who disappeared in Swindon in 2003. Senior investigating officer Steve Fulcher was found not to have followed procedures on the treatment of suspects, meaning Halliwell's confession was inadmissible in court. 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. Joe Absolom plays the killer Christopher Halliwell. Steve is convinced Halliwell murdered others after he revealed he had buried Becky Godden in a 5ft hole. Since then, the Christopher Halliwell case has remained at the centre of his life. Lara Keay For Mailonline He [was] kind of crawling up the walls. But forensic evidence that has been used to convict [Halliwell] was available back in 2011. He learned the CPS were considering bringing charges against him for malfeasance in public office. Officers observed Halliwell depositing a perfume bottle, car seat covers and bloodied tissues in bins in assorted rural locations. First he dumped her body near his sick stash at Ramsbury. It isnt and it hasnt been. Steve said: One witness came forward to say they were sure they had seen Halliwell and Claudia together. 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. POLICE unearthed the stash of trophies just 15 miles from where serial killer Christopher Halliwell had led them to Sian OCallaghans body. He lost his police pension worth 500,000, had to sell his house and now works training police in war-torn Somalia. Effectively unemployable by British police, he now works as a consultant on policing in Somalia, taking him away from home for long periods. '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.'. 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You are talking about co-ordinating hundreds of officers. And then, out of the blue, the taxi driver said: "Do you want another one?". However in a new one-off ITV documentary, To Catch a Serial Killer, DS Fulcher insists he did the right thing, saying: 'My view is that I have brought two daughters back to their mothers and I've prevented other victims resulting from Halliwell's continued pursuit of his career as a serial killer. Enjoy this party classic with an updated RT twist - fun for all the family! He still believes he made the right decisions on that day. A decorated police detective whose career was left in tatters after he decided to pursue a confession from a suspected killer without following strict policing guidelines, has said he has no regrets. 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. The trace on her phone was tracked to the nearby Savernake Forest by Steve's team. British Summer Time begins in March but do you wind your watch forward or Vile moment baby is given a vape to inhale by her laughing mum - who lashes out on Facebook slamming anyone who Police will quiz missing aristocrat and her boyfriend for another 36 hours to try and get answers on missing King Charles hosts von der Leyen at Windsor Castle, AFA president gives passionate rant speaking about student debt, Gabor Mat: No Jewish state without oppressing local population, Amplified jet stream could lead to 'disruptive snow in places', Dashcam captures moment two cars collide on a roundabout, Putin orders intelligence service to find 'scum' who oppose him, Putin spy plane before being 'destroyed by pro-Ukraine Belarus group', Police search allotment sheds for Constance Marten's missing baby, Huge urgent police search for missing baby of Constance Marten, Moment police swooped to arrest Constance Marten's boyfriend, Police: Constance and lover arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, Moment supermarket cashier is attacked at work in New York.