Episode 12 Crimewatch Roadshow

We're on the road once again with police, as they bring

The cruel attacks that left two cats fighting for their lives.

He was wobbly on his feet, he kept coughing and sneezing blood.

There was obviously something very wrong with him.

And this may look like an ordinary terraced street, but behind those

doors are the secrets to solving crimes.

Hello and welcome to Crimewatch Roadshow.

As always, we need your help to solve the crimes.

The unsolved murder of an unknown man.

46 years after his discovery, we reveal the victim's likely name.

Every effort was put into identifying the body. It was a

mystery at the time and a baffling case.

Today we're at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston.

Michelle, what's going on down there?

Rav, I'm here with members of the university's forensic science

department, who are hard at work behind me.

They're partnering up with the police to train the crime

And this might look like an ordinary street of ordinary houses.

First today, cat owners in Lancashire have been

left too scared to let their pets out of the house, after two

animals were found with serious injuries in April.

Beautiful, agile and fiercely independent, felines are the free

spirits of the pet world. Cat owners in a small area of Lancashire have

been left too scared to let their pets out of the house after two

horrific attacks within just a few days. People in the area are

worried. Someone who would do that is beyond my comprehension. Lifelong

cat lover Andy Richards runs a cat rescue charity in Accrington. I

started Friends Of The Cats six years ago and we concentrate on

stray and feral cats, the ones nobody else has any interest in,

take them off the street, get them treatment they need and get them

home to. In the past two years, Andy has rescued over 300 cats. There are

many strays on the streets and a lot of them get into difficulty. In

April, he was shocked to discover a stray ginger Tom with a serious

injury and, worst of all, it had been caused deliberately. He was

wobbly on his feet, he kept coughing and sneezing blood. He had laboured

breathing. There was obviously something very wrong with him. The

straight Rufus needed urgent treatment and Andy took him to his

local vet. As part of the investigations, we did an x-ray of

Rufus' egg which showed an airgun pellet lodged in his sinuses. --

head. I was stunned beyond words to hear he had been shot. What harm is

a stray cats doing to someone? It is beyond belief someone would do that.

The vet carried out a difficult operation to remove the pellet. The

pellet had been in his head sometime. When we retrieved it, it

was rusty. He had had a long-standing nasal infection.

Shockingly, it turned out Rufus was not the first cat in the area to be

shot by an air rifle. Jasper, a black cat, came home with serious

injuries ten days earlier. He also had been shot. The case was reported

to the RSPCA officer Kat Newman. He came in one day and collapsed, in

front of his owners. They rushed him to a vet. On further examination, it

was discovered he was shocked with six airgun type pellets. For Jasper,

the injuries inflicted on him took a serious toll. His condition was

critical. It seems Jasper has not used up all of his nine lives just

yet. Although he is down to three legs. Thankfully he is home again

and doing well. After a rocky spell for Rufus, he pulled through and

since has been put with a new family. I am delighted for him. He

has had a horrible experience. To get him into a new home, this is

what it is all about. Worryingly, for Accrington cat owners, those

responsible have still not been caught. It is vital we catch the

person and stop them from doing this again. They need to be brought to

book. I would like to see justice for Rufus and Jasper. Just how

serious were these attacks? The RSPCA takes the attacks seriously

with both shot at point-blank range and we do not believe it was an

accident. It is an offence and anybody found guilty would face up

to six months in prison or a ?20,000 fine. Both cats were found within a

three mile distance ten days apart and were both shocked with 0.2 to

air rifle pellets. These are the pellets that were removed from

Jasper. How common are attacks like this on animals? The RSPCA receives

around 1000 calls a year relating to air weapon attacks. We are calling

for tighter controls on air weapons and better education surrounding

laws governing their use. How are Rufus and Jasper doing? I'm pleased

to say they are doing well and Jasper has been returned to his

family and Rufus has found a new loving home and is making a

recovery. Back to you. Next, it's time for a round-up

of criminals caught on CCTV. It is a busy evening and someone is

about to get up to no good. Keep your eyes on the person in the top

half of the screen and watch what he does when he is approached. The man

in the green shirt believes the guy in the cab is dealing drugs and --

in the cap is dealing drugs and tells him to stop. He goes into the

grocer and eventually comes outside taking a glass bottle as he leaves.

The discussion continues but the man in the green shirt is not prepared

for what happens next. The guy in a cap looks around before slamming the

bottle over his head and walking off, leaving the victim bleeding

heavily. He needed stitches, but thankfully has made a full recovery.

Police need to know who this dangerous man is. If you recognise

him, call now. This woman has just arrived home.

She is not alone. She is being followed by a stranger. What you do

not see is what happens next, when the door was closed. Police say he

threatened her with a knife and demanded her jewellery. He makes a

swift exit with her wedding and engagement rings, worth ?100,000. Be

a diamond, tell us who he is. What you are about to see is utterly

shocking. August last year, this fella is leisurely walking his dogs.

He stops outside a cafe to wait to speak to a friend, but he has no

idea what will happen next. He is minding his own business when

suddenly, this gang to launch a vicious assault, punching him to the

ground. In images too disturbing to show, a man uses a hammer, while

another smashes a glass bottle over him. The victim suffered life

changing injuries that still affect him today, a year after the attack.

Detectives say it was a completely unprovoked attack and although these

images are not clear, police reckon someone will know who they are.

If you know the name of anyone you've just seen,

But if lines are busy text us on 63399.

Text CW, space and then your message.

Texts will be charged at your standard message rate.

I'm here at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston

From the outside these houses do not look unusual. On the inside, it is a

different story. Dr Catherine Tennick,

one of the lecturers here at the forensic science

department. Talk me through the exercise. We

have a domestic burglary scene and it is typical of a first year

practical. We would like to have a look at recovering evidence as we

would in a practical. Will you help me? What I am going to do is take

this film and pop it down where we think there might be a footwear

mark. I would like you to take this device and put half of it on the

plate and half on the film. Wonderful. Now turn it on all the

way round. What that is doing is creating static across the paper,

which should lift any footwear mark left in dust from the page. We

should get the footwear mark in dust on the paper underneath. Amazing,

especially if you cannot see the prints. This will make it clear. We

also have scenes upstairs. We start on domestic burglary but they can go

on to do a post office scene, pub scene, and we have a serial killer

room upstairs. I am not sure about that! We can do all sorts here. If

you would like to turn that off, what we will do is, hopefully, have

a print. We will leave it a minute for the static to disappear. We do

not want to give you a shock. Lift that off. I will turn on the porch

and we will see if we have anything on here. It is really clear, that is

fantastic. We should be able to see the pattern on the shoot. An

incredibly good teaching tool. Students will also train in a

brand-new facility. Rob Flanagan, tell me about this. What we are

doing with Lancashire Police, we are bringing together operational

forensics scientists with the University and we have created the

Lancashire forensic science academy and we will have students working

alongside operational forensic scientists and CSIs on real-life

crime scenes and investigations. Also looking at how we advance

research and technology. Real first-hand experience. Rav.

Back in 2003, 14-year-old Charlene Downes from Blackpool vanished.

Detectives believe she was a victim of child sexual exploitation

Do you have the information which could finally help bring

Not knowing, that is the hardest part, that will always haunt us. She

has missed out on everything. All of her life ahead of her. Such a waste.

It has left a big hole in everybody's hearts and minds.

Charlene was ten when she moved with her family to Blackpool. She loved

music, animals, and she loved her family. She just loved life, really.

She was very cheeky. Very cheeky, indeed. A typical teenager. She got

on well with her siblings but the closest to her was Rebecca, they

were like twins, lovely together. She was my best friend. In November

2003, Charlene disappeared. It was a Saturday. We had our pocket money

and went for a bit of a gamble, as we used to call it. We had a laugh

and giggle down in the arcades on the seafront. Just doing what

teenagers do. I used to work for an Indian

restaurant giving out leaflets. It was about 6. 45 that night, it was a

dark, November miserable night, it was horrible. I saw Rebecca with

Charlene coming up church Street. They both came over to me. Hi

girls... How's it going... Rebecca said, I'm going home now, are you

coming and Charlene said, no, I want to meet my friends. Buy bye...

Charlene called her friends from a nearby phone box and waited with her

mum until they arrived. Don't be too late...

She said love you mum and I said love you too and she walked off in

the direction of the gardens. And I've never seen her since. Never.

Charlene spent around 20 minutes with that group before heading off

on her own. It's not known exactly what Charlene did for the next hour,

but she did meet up with another friend later that evening and at 9.

30, the pair headed to the carousel bar on the North Pier.

They didn't stay long and at around 10 o'clock, Charlene and her friend

walked back into the town centre. An hour or so later, they said their

goodbyes and parted company. This was the last confirmed sighting

of Charlene before she disappeared. Although her body has never been

found, police are convinced she was murdered. 14 years on, what happened

to Charlene remains a mystery. There isn't a day that don't go by

that we don't think about her, miss her. She's gone but never forgotten.

Just come forward, it's never too late. Anything's better than

nothing. We are just a family and we need answers. I urge you to come

forward with any information, anything at all, no matter how

small. Please give us some closure and some peace. And above all,

please give Charlene some justice. And detectives here in Lancashire

haven't stopped investigating Here to tell me more is Detective

Superintendent Andrew Webster. Andrew, tell us about the

developments? We are trying to trace her last movements. We have

reexamined the CCTV and broadened the parameters in terms of time and

location and identified her at 3. 25 am

-- 3. 25 pm on Bank Hay Street. She was last seen off p Abingdon Street.

We also know that Charlene was a victim of child sexual exploitation.

How does this feed into the investigation? I think it's a

significant factor. We have established that she was sexually

exploited. What I'm keen to do is to speak to other people who may have

been victims of sexual exploitation around that time and ask them to

speak to us because they may hold information that allows us to take

this case forward. There is a reward on offer for this case isn't there?

There's ?100,000 reward payable on information which leads to the

recovery of Charlene's body or the conviction of her killer and I would

urge anybody with any bit of information which may relate to

Charlene in 2003 to come forward and contact us. Andrew, thank you very

much. Back to Rav. Remember, we're standing

by for your calls and texts so please do get in touch

if you can help. You can also speak to Crimestoppers

anonymously on 0800 555 111. And it's worth knowing that

victims of any crime can Nearly half a century

after he was discovered, we reveal the likely identity

of a murder victim found Somebody somewhere knows how he got

to be in that position And a year after it was made

illegal, we see the effects that spice is having

on the streets of Britain. They can potentially be up

to 700 times more potent than normal cannabis,

and some of the effects of withdrawal can be worse in terms

of their addictiveness Your jewellery can

say a lot about you. So much in fact,

that it could be used I'm joined by Maria Maclennan,

who is studying for a PhD described as the world's

first forensic jeweller. Good morning. What is forensic

jewellery? Jewellery has the potential to tell us a lot about the

person to who it previously belonged. It can supplement our

primary methods of finger bring, DNA and dental records. OK. It can prove

crucial in investigations, we can see some evidence of one of those

now. What is this and the significance? This is an example of

a serial number on a wrist watch. A lot of higher end or expensive items

such as Rolex watches tend to have an engraving yew theek to the watch

around about the 6 o'clock mark. This was the case many the 1997

investigation, homicide investigation where the unidentified

body of a male was recovered from the English Channel and the watch

recovered around his wrist led to his identification and also the

identification of his murderer due to the collaboration between Rolex

and the authorities able to trace the watch. So the police worked with

the manufacturer to find out a lot of information. Yes. Also the watch

itself, the time and date led to some clues as well? Yes, that is

right. Within a small margin of error they were able to determine

the date and almost the time of test because of the mechanism of the

watch. It's not just watches is it, there are other things we can see

like this brooch, this is a significant one? Yes, this is an

example of a brooch recovered in the aftermath of 9/11 from a safety

deposit box and the diamonds in the brooch were in perfect condition

despite the fact of the rest of the safety deposit box being reduced to

ash. Is that because the diamonds themselveses are so tough and

resilient? Absolutely. Die moondz in particular have a great ability to

Wiltshire stand a lot of impact and trauma -- diamonds. They can be

etched with laser markings? Yes, diamonds can sometimes have a

personal message. We have examples here. Again that makes it completely

identifiable with details like that. The diamond itself helps for DNA,

tell me about that? Yes. Diamonds have a great ability to harbour DNA

such as skin cells, that can solidify andicalsify so we can get a

sample. A physical sample? Yes. You mentioned this item here, for

example, we have got a close-up of that that we can show you. If

someone brought that to you, where would you start with getting

information from that? We have a few items with different hallmarks which

are a great place to start. They can tell us where the item was

manufacturered. We can see those now. This is what they would look

like? This is an example of what we might get, markings telling us who

it was made by, the designer, the manufacturers, it tells us where,

either in the UK or globally, it was made, we have some examples from

Turkey and all over the world. It tells us potentially the age of the

item too. You are already working with the police on this aren't you,

educating them and the response has been very positive so far? Yes.

Thank you, fascinating stuff. Thanks for joining us. Michelle.

Just this weekend, police in Greater Manchester issued

a warning after seven people became seriously ill having taken

a dangerously potent type of MDMA known as Magic, or Pink

Yesterday, a 26-year-old man from Rochdale died and four others

Tackling drug crime is a constant challenge for the police

and we've been looking at how they are fighting back

against another drug causing major concern

Drug abuse is not a new phenomenon on the streets of the UK's towns and

cities, but recent months have seen a spike in problems linked to one of

the newest street drugs, spice. Spice is a blanket term used on the

street to describe products which are mimics of cannabis. It's a

UK-wide problem, but the drug's terrifying effects, including

tremors, seizures and psychotic episodes, are putting a real strain

on the emergency services in spice hotspots.

The effects are very pronounced and vizable, cat tonic state, almost

intoxication and unconscious looking behaviour. Spice is made from dried

and chopped up plants which have been sprayed with the drug. So

although it looks like a herb, it's far from a natural product. These

are significantly addictive, up to 700 times more pole pent than normal

cannabis and some of the effects of withdrawal can be worse in

addictiveness compared to say heroin. It used to be a legal high

sold online and in shops. The substances act in 2016 made it

illegal to produce, supply or import. It is now a Class B drug.

Some experts believe the change in the law has made spice addiction a

much more visible problem. Dr Rob Ralphs is a criminologist at

Manchester Metropolitan University. The biggest foot fall areas. That is

where people are going to do begging because there's more people to give

them money, then the dealers will target the areas. His colleague, Dr

Oliver Sutcliffe, is working closely with Greater Manchester Police,

testing the samples seized in their crackdown on the drug. In April,

city centre officers attended 58 spice related incidents across a

single weekend. That spike was associated with a strain of spice

which was actually ten times more potent than normal dosages. So our

work is really about analysing substances and then providing that

information back to Greater Manchester Police, public health

Manchester, the City Council, so that we can be effective in terms of

how we respond to compounds that are having a harmful effect on users.

But the first challenge is detecting this new drug. Spice for us is no

different to any other target scent on which we train doings. The doings

are trained over a 12-week period to detect synthetic elements of spice.

Using their incredible sense of smell, they are able to search a

room in a fraction of the time it would take ten people to do the

same. The narcotic doings at present are deployed in a lot of events

around the country, pop concerts, social gatherings et cetera where

narcotics and spice could be an issue. We do and have previously

deployed alongside police forces around the country working with

their officers. One thing most experts agree on is that detection

and enforcement are only part of the solution. We can arrest and charge

and prosecute all day long. That really has its limitations. Some

times the criminal justice system is not the answer to all the problems.

Police in Wrexham North Wales have joined forces with medical and

charity workers to take a more hands-on approach. They're bringing

these groups together with spice users to learn more about the

problems and to offer the addicts practical help. One of those on the

front line helping users get access to these services is Paul Thorpe who

hands out food and drink to rough sleepers. The real education comes

from the people who actually use it and what it makes them feel like,

why they use it, why it's so readily available so I learn off them and

then try an put that into the context of the people themselves.

Can I have a drink, please, pal. Help yourself... . I'm trying to

find a way to get them to take the help that's there for them. That is

part of what I do. There is clearly no quick fix for the fast evolving

problems caused by spice, but getting to grips with the underlying

issues seems to be an important first step. It's really about

finding a new solution to a new emerging issue. The tried and tested

and traditional methods of problem-solving need to change with

the problems that we face. Now, we need your help to find

a young man, missing Alex Sloley, from Islington,

north London, was last He disappeared just a few weeks

before his 17th birthday. I'm joined in the studio

by Detective Inspector Kam Sodhi from the Metropolitan Police,

who's leading the investigation. Good morning. What do we know about

his movements around the time of his disappearance? At the time he was

staying in Enfield with friends, he was not living at his mother's

address in Islington, and we believe he got in with the wrong crowd. Can

you give a description? Alex is a light-skinned, blackmail, five foot

five, striking blue eyes. A little bit more about Alex. He was very

close with his family. Very close to his family, both friends and family

find no contact is unusual. He did not call his family, contact them on

his 17th birthday. His dad passed away after his disappearance and he

did not attend the funeral. He did not leave with a large amount of

clothes, anything to suggest he would be going? Very little money,

no extra clothing to indicate he was running away. It is very sad. And

very out of character. His family are concerned. His mother has been

speaking to us. He loved his family, he liked making jokes. He loved

playing football. I have a daughter who does not accept Alex has just

gone. I think it gets worse, it does not get any better. Alex would not

just not come home. He had everything here, his money he was

saving, his room, clothes. As time has gone on the fear of the worst

comes to mind. Somebody out there knows something. It is important to

us as a family, and if it sets your conscience clear, then please come

forward, yes. Clearly she is desperate for

answers. How is the investigation progressing? We are treating the

investigation as a missing persons inquiry and any new information may

change the nature of the investigation. It is terrible for

the family and we are working closely with Marisa. You want to

find out about the period from when he was last seen two when he was

reported missing, the three, four week period. I am interested in the

time he disappeared, 11th of July, two eighths of August 2000 eight.

Anybody who knew him. Where he was staying, where he was. Any

information. If you have information, please get in touch.

Next, to a murder case which has baffled police in Staffordshire

46 years ago, in Burton on Trent, an off duty police officer made the

chilling discovery of a makeshift grave.

The mysterious remains it contained were dumped Fred de Head by the

press and for decades the identity of the man has baffled Staffordshire

Police. A retired officer was put in charge of the investigation. I think

it was a first for me. I personally have not come across anything like

it. Because of the local attention he received, the town was abuzz,

still people ask about it. Peter excavated the site himself and from

the outset it was clear the case would be a challenge. It is

estimated that he had been in that grave about 12-18 months. Facial

features had gone, but hair was still in place. It did not make a

pleasant sight. The man was found completely naked apart from a pair

of pink socks and a wedding ring. His hands and feet were tied with

twine. Investigators believe he had been the victim of murder.

Whoever did it was at pains to make sure that it was not ever to be seen

again. Peter and his team checked fingerprint, dental and missing

person records, but with no success. Every effort was put in to

identifying that body. To this day nobody knows the real identity of

the man, or how he died. It was a mystery at the time and a baffling

case. Failure to identify. 46 years later, the murder case remains open.

I would be surprised if there is any natural explanation on how the body

arrived at this site. Somebody knows how he got to that position and came

to end his life. A good place to start would be identifying the

victim which would open up a new avenue. In a final bid to identify

him, detectives have brought the case to Liverpool University.

Combining the latest medical and digital imaging techniques,

Professor Caroline Wilkinson has created a depiction of what she

believes Fred looks like. We have this 3D surface scan of the

individual skull. We can use tissue depth pegs appropriate to his white

European ancestry and muscle structure based on what we know

about muscle attachments and predict facial features based on assessment

of the bone material. Creating a fully rendered face, Caroline has

identified some of his key features. One side of the neck is stronger

than the other which probably meant he had a tilt to the neck. He has

short, reddish brown hair, and an under bite. Tests using living

people have proved the accuracy of her technique. It means 70% of the

reconstructed face should be accurate to less than two

millimetres. Based on everything we have in terms of evidence this is as

accurate as we can get in terms of depiction. Equipped with the latest

images, Peter believes they could be the closest they have been to

identifying this man. It has never been out of my mind after all these

years, but I'm still optimistic. I think if he is ever identified, that

image would fit, it really is impressive. But time will tell.

Here to shed some light is Detective Inspector Dan Ison.

People might think what hope there is in solving the case 46 years old

but in the last week you have had a breakthrough. We believe so. As you

have seen we had a facial reconstruction completed and have an

image depicted which is the most recent and if anybody recognises the

image, I would encourage you to call in today as soon as possible. We had

a dental expert review missing persons records at the time. That

has brought a name forward that we are interested, John Jones. He went

missing in 1970. If you know John Jones, or if you recognise the man

in the image, get in touch today. What do we know about John Henry

Jones? John Henry Jones was 27 and went missing in 1970 and lived in a

town called Trefor in Llangollen in North Wales. We believe that he

could be the deceased. If you are related to John Henry Jones, if you

are a friend or family member, contact us. I would like to reaffirm

if you recognise the man in the image as somebody you know, please

call in despite this lead on John Henry Jones. Back to you.

him in connection to the supply of large quantities of class

A drugs, throughout the north west of England.

Parkin was 35 last Monday and is from the Walton area

of Liverpool, but may now be in Blackpool or abroad.

He has a number of scars, including a four-inch scar

on his chest, and a one-inch scar between his eyebrows.

This is Afeez Kolapo, although he also uses

Detectives would like to speak to him in connection with a fraud

Kolapo is 35, has a vertical scar under his right eye and links

Next is Robert Hellens, although he also uses

He was charged in connection with an attack on an elderly

man at a bus stop, in which the pensioner was hit over

Hellens failed to appear in court and a warrant has been

The 60-year-old has a Newcastle accent and links to the North East

He has tattoos on both arms, including his name Rob,

Finally, we have Anthony Patrick Murphy, or Paul Rankin

Detectives would like to question him about an attack in which a man

was slashed across the face with a craft knife,

Two others were also injured when they went to help the victim.

Murphy is 35 and has numerous scars on his face and arms.

He's described as dangerous, so if you know where

If you know where any of these faces are make sure you get in touch

And it looks like we've retired to the bar early,

we're actually inside one of the crime scene houses used

And today Dr Catherine Tennick is showing me the ropes.

We are going to look at fingerprint evidence. We have a want, not quite

Harry Potter! There is a magnet at the end. If you would like to take

it and put it into the fingerprint powder. We will see if there are any

prints on the beer mat. Wipe it over the top. What should happen is

although the prints were invisible, this powder will stick to any of the

water and sacked inside your sweat. We should start to see the details

-- fat. If the prints have been there a feud days this would not

work and we would use a chemical that would develop the prints and

that is a chemical that can work on prints up to 80 years old. 80 years

old, fascinating! Fingerprints themselves, although identical twins

have the same DNA, their fingerprints are different. No way.

And we use this torch to look at these? If you turn on the UV torch.

They really show up. What this allows us to see is more of the

detail within the print. There are fine lines recall ridges and they

form different patterns on fingers. We have them from birth. Fingerprint

experts can look closely at these patterns and the way they form on

the fingers. They are unique to everybody. Everybody has different

fingerprints. Really fascinating. To highlight how important these

techniques are, Danyela Kellett, who heads up the forensic department in

Lancashire and there has been a conviction that use this. In August

last year, Katrina Walsh and Sarah Williams were convicted of the

murder of Sadie Hartley, a 60-year-old businesswoman found

murdered in her home. Sarah Williams tried to forensically clean her home

but we managed to find a blood stain that matched Sadie Hartley. It shows

the importance of these techniques. Thanks.

Yesterday we asked your help to find the person responsible for the

vicious assault of Eileen Blane. Sadly she died afterwards. Police

say they are following up information you sent in urgently.

And also the attempted rape of a woman. Police wanted help to

identify this man and you have given detectives what they call important

information. Michelle, where will

you be tomorrow? I'll be in Bury at Greater

Manchester Fire and Rescue's police horses can be used

to help officers suffering with post traumatic

stress disorder. The animals are incredible. Make

sure you join us. For more details about the crimes

on today's programme, Before we go, here's another look

at this morning's wanted faces. If any of them look familiar,

pick up the phone and tell We'll be back tomorrow

morning, after Breakfast.