0:00:00 > 0:00:00DNA samples and nail scrapings were also taken.
0:00:02 > 0:00:06This was a chilling murder in a quiet part of Scotland.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09Probably never seen that type of crime before.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12NEWS REPORTER: It was at this point on Arbroath Seagate Beach
0:00:12 > 0:00:14that the grim discovery was made this morning.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16When we got there, we knew it was no joke.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19These men thought they had committed the perfect murder.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21It was a real surprise when we found out
0:00:21 > 0:00:23there was this woman living in a shed.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26We found a dead body underneath the floorboards of the living room.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29We were never able to establish the cause of death.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41I believe in Scotland we've been able to deliver a unique service.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45To identify suspects is one thing,
0:00:45 > 0:00:46and then to prove people are guilty of a crime
0:00:46 > 0:00:49is something completely different.
0:00:52 > 0:00:53Although you see a lot of dead people,
0:00:53 > 0:00:58you treat everyone as an individual and with respect and with humanity.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03Forensic scientists - they are silent witnesses
0:01:03 > 0:01:06and they are the eyes and ears of law enforcement.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30This time, the forensic team reveal the perfect murders.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37So carefully planned, the killers thought they'd escape justice.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47On the 1st of April 2008,
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Graham McMillan had just been promoted to Chief Inspector
0:01:50 > 0:01:52and Head of CID for Angus,
0:01:52 > 0:01:57one of the most widespread rural regions in the United Kingdom.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06Once I had completed unpacking,
0:02:06 > 0:02:09I had a look on our Command Control system,
0:02:09 > 0:02:10which logs all the incidents
0:02:10 > 0:02:13that the police within Tayside are dealing with at that time.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15There was one jumped out at me,
0:02:15 > 0:02:19which was "head found on beach in Arbroath."
0:02:19 > 0:02:23Two young children while walking along the beach
0:02:23 > 0:02:26had come across a black plastic bin liner.
0:02:27 > 0:02:32In that bin liner, the children had seen the dismembered head
0:02:32 > 0:02:34of a human being.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38I'm sure it was a very gruesome discovery for those young kids.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43The children were understandably shocked by such a gruesome find.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48Officers trained in counselling were quickly brought in to help them cope
0:02:48 > 0:02:51and take their statements without further trauma.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54They were aged about eight and 11 at the time.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56Quite a horrific find for them.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02Dr Victoria Morton is head of Scene Examination,
0:03:02 > 0:03:06responsible for overseeing every murder site in Scotland.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10Outdoor murders are extra challenging.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12It was such a windy day that it was very difficult
0:03:12 > 0:03:15to actually put up any type of tenting.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18There was actually a police officer standing with tarpaulin
0:03:18 > 0:03:21to try and shield the scene examination staff, the biologists
0:03:21 > 0:03:23and the police activity
0:03:23 > 0:03:26so that the press didn't get any gruesome pictures.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30We were very, very keen to engage early on
0:03:30 > 0:03:33with the Senior Investigating Officer to make sure
0:03:33 > 0:03:35that we would be securing the evidence
0:03:35 > 0:03:40before either the wind, the rain or the tide had an impact on it.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43There'd been quite a storm the night before
0:03:43 > 0:03:47and there was a lot of items washed up on the shore.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50A few hundred yards down from where the head was lying
0:03:50 > 0:03:52we found a pair of hands.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Body parts were found over there beside those white buildings.
0:03:56 > 0:03:57Where did they come from?
0:03:57 > 0:03:59Well, local fishermen have been mulling that over.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01They say pretty much anywhere.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03Perhaps from the south, from Dundee or Edinburgh,
0:04:03 > 0:04:05perhaps down from the north, and Aberdeen.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07One thing they are sure about,
0:04:07 > 0:04:09this is the first time in living memory
0:04:09 > 0:04:11a body has been found in Arbroath beach.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17The dismembered hands which were found in a separate bag
0:04:17 > 0:04:21to the head on the beach had been cut in a specific way.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23The person or persons involved
0:04:23 > 0:04:27maybe had some connection with the butchery or meat industry.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31Essential that we identified who this person was,
0:04:31 > 0:04:34because at this time all we had was some body parts.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36We didn't know what the circumstances were,
0:04:36 > 0:04:38who this person was.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40This kind of murder was a rarity.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44And the head had deteriorated by being in the sea for a long time.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48So Graham decided he needed highly specialist advice.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54The Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification at Dundee University
0:04:54 > 0:04:58could help by creating a postmortem depiction of the head.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Now, a postmortem depiction is a type of forensic art
0:05:02 > 0:05:04that gives a professional judgment
0:05:04 > 0:05:07on what this person would have looked like in life.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12While waiting for the facial reconstruction of the victim,
0:05:12 > 0:05:14the mark enhancement technicians at the Dundee labs
0:05:14 > 0:05:17examine the bags for any evidence.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21Crucially, they recovered a few hairs.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25DNA samples and nail scrapings were also taken.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27but they struggled to develop any fingerprints
0:05:27 > 0:05:30that might have been left on the bags.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32Day two focused on the postmortem,
0:05:32 > 0:05:37where the three individual body parts, the head and the two hands,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40were treated almost as if they were from different individuals.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44You couldn't assume at that point that they were from one person.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47As we were looking closely at the teeth,
0:05:47 > 0:05:51they recognised that some of the dental work
0:05:51 > 0:05:55probably wasn't up to the standard that they would have expected
0:05:55 > 0:05:57in the UK.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01When the reconstructed head came back from Dundee University,
0:06:01 > 0:06:03it was photographed to go to the media.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06She's believed to have been white.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08Aged in her mid-20s to mid-30s.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13She has brown eyes, brown eyebrows and shoulder-length brown hair.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15She had a pale complexion
0:06:15 > 0:06:19with light freckling across the nose and cheekbones.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23There is a distinctive scar, circular shaped scar,
0:06:23 > 0:06:26in the middle of her forehead just below her hairline.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30Now that we have a description of the woman,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33what's the procedure in trying to identify her?
0:06:33 > 0:06:35This is an area where you do have a high degree, high number
0:06:35 > 0:06:38of migrant workers, usually from Eastern Europe.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40So, it could well be that in the coming days and weeks,
0:06:40 > 0:06:43this investigation spreads far beyond these shores.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46But Graham got a swift and unexpected break.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49The victim was immediately recognised
0:06:49 > 0:06:51by one of his own officers.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55The girl in the picture was a young female migrant worker,
0:06:55 > 0:06:56Jolante Bledaite.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01We sent officers up to her home, which was a flat in Brechin,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03to just check the place out.
0:07:03 > 0:07:04When they entered the flat,
0:07:04 > 0:07:08they could see that her room was absolutely emptied.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10There was nothing. Not an item in it.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14They also spotted a bloodstain on a door frame.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17On seeing that, they immediately withdrew
0:07:17 > 0:07:20and we called up for forensic assistance.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Really fortunate that they had actually found
0:07:22 > 0:07:24this small area of bloodstaining.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27We took a sample from that area
0:07:27 > 0:07:33and that later did turn out to be a sample which yielded some DNA.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37The blood on the door frame matched. It was Jolante Bledaite.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42The police investigation quickly gathered speed.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45Graham McMillan began interviewing potential witnesses,
0:07:45 > 0:07:48like work colleagues and residents of the block.
0:07:49 > 0:07:54Graham's professional intuition focused on two men.
0:07:54 > 0:07:55One of them was her flatmate
0:07:55 > 0:08:00and the other one was a friend, but had worked in the past with her.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Something just didn't square up with these guys.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Both suspects, like Jolante, were migrant workers.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10Vitas Plytnykas was 41 years old,
0:08:10 > 0:08:13and Aleksandras Skirda was 20.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21A thorough examination of the flat in Brechin
0:08:21 > 0:08:24where Jolante Bledaite had lived was conducted.
0:08:24 > 0:08:25This was a very thorough search.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29In the bathroom, dilute bloodstains were found.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Blood mixed with water.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34We also examined carpet.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39Although the room didn't show too much blood on the outer surface,
0:08:39 > 0:08:43as we lifted the carpet up there was a significant amount of blood
0:08:43 > 0:08:45on the underside of the carpet.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49Was this the site where the body was maybe cut up?
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Was this the site where someone had been killed and then moved on?
0:08:52 > 0:08:56And we then began to look in the flat in a more detailed way,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00trying to understand what horrific event
0:09:00 > 0:09:02had actually happened in this flat.
0:09:02 > 0:09:09There was blood found within the bath and some blood spatters,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12and the pattern of those were very useful
0:09:12 > 0:09:16in finding out whether she was alive or dead when she was decapitated.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19The inside of the flat was revealing its grisly secrets,
0:09:19 > 0:09:23but there was more to come outside.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26There was a small cellar area in this block of flats
0:09:26 > 0:09:29and in there was a wheelie bin.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32When scene examiners looked inside this wheelie bin,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36they found some bags of clothing and personal belongings.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38Her clothing had bloodstaining
0:09:38 > 0:09:41and, again, through forensic examination and analysis
0:09:41 > 0:09:45back in the laboratory, we were able to identify
0:09:45 > 0:09:47that it actually came from the deceased.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49There was some gaffer tape found there
0:09:49 > 0:09:52which had lots of long human head hairs on them,
0:09:52 > 0:09:56which looked to have been forcibly removed.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58As it was wrapped around the head
0:09:58 > 0:10:02and then pulled off subsequently, it would pull hair out from her head
0:10:02 > 0:10:04and we were able to obtain DNA profile
0:10:04 > 0:10:06from the roots of that head hair.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09In addition to the hair,
0:10:09 > 0:10:12there were faint bloodstains on the gaffer tape.
0:10:12 > 0:10:17Again, DNA profiles matched Jolante Bledaite.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19But there were further revelations and a breakthrough
0:10:19 > 0:10:23when mark enhancement specialists examined the tape.
0:10:24 > 0:10:29We recovered some DNA and some fingerprints
0:10:29 > 0:10:33and the DNA and the fingerprints
0:10:33 > 0:10:38matched back to one of the suspects in this particular case.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42During Skirda's interrogation, he was impassive,
0:10:42 > 0:10:46but soon cracks began to show in his story.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50He'd known Jolante for... a good two years.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52They had lived together within the flat
0:10:52 > 0:10:56and they'd also co-habited in previous accommodation.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00At first, he didn't really show any emotion during the interviews.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04It clearly was affecting him, and he was wanting to get it off his chest.
0:11:04 > 0:11:05Skirda started talking
0:11:05 > 0:11:09and very quickly implicated the older suspect.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Plytnykas' background hinted at a violent past.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15He said Vitas Plytnykas very much led the crime
0:11:15 > 0:11:16and the planning of it.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19He'd served in the military in the past in Afghanistan
0:11:19 > 0:11:23in the Russian army, we believe, and he was quite a violent man
0:11:23 > 0:11:26who I think a lot of the community were in fear of.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29We had good evidence to put her murder at that location
0:11:29 > 0:11:35in Brechin, and we also had evidence linking Skirda to the deceased.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39Skirda had blurted out a stark confession.
0:11:39 > 0:11:44Graham McMillan and his team had to focus on corroborating it.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48Forensic teams were redirected to many deposition sites.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51It was a huge area that it covered.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55Stuff dumped in bins, in rivers, in parks, right throughout Angus.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Scene examiners were called out to study burnt items
0:12:00 > 0:12:02found by a river bank.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06These proved to be vital.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10We received a phone call from the police to ask us
0:12:10 > 0:12:14to send a team of scene examiners down to the river,
0:12:14 > 0:12:16and on close examination of the burnt area
0:12:16 > 0:12:20the team recognised documents, personal documents,
0:12:20 > 0:12:23that were written in a foreign language, not in English.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25In further and closer examination
0:12:25 > 0:12:29it turned out it was actually the burnt remains of a passport.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33That passport did indeed belong to the deceased.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36I had teams working on gathering CCTV
0:12:36 > 0:12:40to corroborate that the movements that he said they made.
0:12:40 > 0:12:45More incriminating footage emerged from CCTV on a bus.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48The suspects carried the head and hands in bin bags
0:12:48 > 0:12:50for disposal in Arbroath.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52That left Jolante's torso.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56They arranged for someone to give them a lift down to Arbroath
0:12:56 > 0:12:58with a large suitcase,
0:12:58 > 0:13:02using the excuse that one of the accused was moving to a new flat.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04Once they had been dropped off,
0:13:04 > 0:13:07CCTV revealed even more shocking evidence.
0:13:08 > 0:13:13The two men wheeled Jolante's torso inside a suitcase on a trolley
0:13:13 > 0:13:17in broad daylight through Arbroath town centre.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23Quite nonchalantly strolling down to the harbour
0:13:23 > 0:13:24and then returning empty-handed.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37MORTON: The police investigation
0:13:37 > 0:13:40also led to another examination on day five.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43One of our scene examination teams
0:13:43 > 0:13:47were dispatched to a garage to look at a car of interest.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51This car was actually owned by a friend of one of the suspects.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54They initially noticed that the car was extremely clean,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57both on the inside and outside of the car, almost to the point
0:13:57 > 0:14:00where it looked as if it had been valeted in some way.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04The crime scene examiners found it unusual that no fingerprints
0:14:04 > 0:14:08or fibres whatsoever were present inside or on a car.
0:14:10 > 0:14:11I called upon the services
0:14:11 > 0:14:14of the Grampian police underwater search team.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18These guys came down that day and started their searches for us.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20They conducted searches of the harbour
0:14:20 > 0:14:25in the most difficult situation and environment that you can imagine.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27The water was freezing cold.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31The currents are extremely strong just by the harbour wall.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35It's quite a silt-based sea bed there, so visibility was next to nil,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38so, you know, the stamina that they had,
0:14:38 > 0:14:41the cold and the currents were sapping their strength,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44and to cap it all they were conducting a fingertip search
0:14:44 > 0:14:47of the sea bed looking for Jolante.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49They recovered the case.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Once we had that and secured it,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54we again called upon forensic teams and scene managers
0:14:54 > 0:14:58to manage the actual removal of the case and Jolante's body
0:14:58 > 0:15:01from the sea up onto the harbour wall.
0:15:01 > 0:15:02Whenever we opened the suitcase,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05the suitcase was covered in a lot of silt
0:15:05 > 0:15:08because it had obviously been in the water for some time now.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11There were a large number of stones in the suitcase.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14Obviously someone had the intention of making sure
0:15:14 > 0:15:17that that suitcase did not come up to the surface again.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21And also in the suitcase we found a torso
0:15:21 > 0:15:26with the arms and the legs in situ, of a human being.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30We didn't know that the hands and the head and the body
0:15:30 > 0:15:34were all from the same individual, so we obtained DNA profiles
0:15:34 > 0:15:37from all of those components and they obviously had the same profile.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40We also checked the vaginal swabs
0:15:40 > 0:15:42to see if there was any evidence of semen.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44That was a long shot, but we did it nonetheless.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47Also looked at tapings or swabs taken of the body
0:15:47 > 0:15:49to see if we could find any foreign DNA
0:15:49 > 0:15:53from people that may have dragged the body around.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56The handle had been ripped from the case,
0:15:56 > 0:15:58and forensic scientists worked on it.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01It was a success.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05It matched the handle found at the house with holes in the suitcase.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07Then, another breakthrough.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12The material used to bind Jolante's feet
0:16:12 > 0:16:15matched material from the murder site.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23On day six, the Grampian Police dive team were deployed
0:16:23 > 0:16:27to recover any potential evidence from the River Esk near Brechin.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32The underwater search team also assisted us
0:16:32 > 0:16:34in the recovery of knives that we believe were used
0:16:34 > 0:16:37in removing her head and hands from her body.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39There were three knives found in the river Esk,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42which runs near to the flat that Jolante lived in.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49There was a lot of forensic evidence against Skirda.
0:16:49 > 0:16:50There was clothing,
0:16:50 > 0:16:54which we found DNA that indicated he was the wearer of that clothing
0:16:54 > 0:16:57and also blood that matched that of the deceased.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03After Skirda blamed Plytnykas,
0:17:03 > 0:17:07his flat became the focus of intensive forensic examination.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11But nothing incriminating was discovered.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16The absence of forensic evidence does not mean someone has not
0:17:16 > 0:17:19been involved in a crime.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22The absence of evidence could suggest that the individual
0:17:22 > 0:17:25who hasn't left material at the crime scene
0:17:25 > 0:17:30maybe took precautions to ensure that material was not left.
0:17:30 > 0:17:35With no hard evidence, the investigation ground to a halt.
0:17:35 > 0:17:40It was DI Gary Ogilvie's job to interview Plytnykas.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43I interviewed Vitas Plytnykas on four occasions
0:17:43 > 0:17:47during the course of his time spent within police custody.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49I found him to be a very, very cold, very callous,
0:17:49 > 0:17:51very strange individual.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53He certainly wouldn't commit to anything.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56The first three interviews had been fairly bland
0:17:56 > 0:17:59in that he basically refused to contribute to anything
0:17:59 > 0:18:02that I had put to him.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04The interviews went nowhere.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09But Gary continued to probe Plytnykas for weaknesses.
0:18:09 > 0:18:10He got his breakthrough
0:18:10 > 0:18:14with conversations on the suspect's Russian Army experiences -
0:18:14 > 0:18:18particularly the wounds he had sustained as a serving soldier.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24He opened up and began to speak to me and began to interact with me
0:18:24 > 0:18:27and he seemed to be a completely different person
0:18:27 > 0:18:30in that he was relaxed and willing to commit to certain things.
0:18:35 > 0:18:40Plytnykas suggested that during his service in the army
0:18:40 > 0:18:43that he had conducted similar decapitations
0:18:43 > 0:18:45during the occupation of Afghanistan.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49And likewise he also had, as part of living in rural Lithuania,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51some basic butchery skills.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54But nothing about Plytnykas's army career
0:18:54 > 0:18:58or witnessing decapitations was used in court.
0:19:01 > 0:19:06What actually happened at Jolante's flat that night finally emerged,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09and it was a gruesome story.
0:19:09 > 0:19:15After years of hard work, Jolante had saved ?12,000.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17It was a lot of money to her.
0:19:17 > 0:19:18And the conspirators.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22They knew about her savings,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25her plans to buy her own home in Lithuania
0:19:25 > 0:19:27and that she would leave soon.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31When Jolante said she was renting a spare room
0:19:31 > 0:19:33to another migrant worker,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36the men realised they had to act before the lodger arrived.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42Callously, they pounced on the helpless woman while she slept.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47They'd bound her and were threatening her with violence
0:19:47 > 0:19:49so they could extract her PIN number from her.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51They were using the knife
0:19:51 > 0:19:53and there were some puncture wounds on her body
0:19:53 > 0:19:55which we discovered during the postmortem
0:19:55 > 0:19:59and later were matched with the knives recovered from the river.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02Once she gave them the PIN number, it was Plytnykas who went
0:20:02 > 0:20:05to test if he could withdraw money from the account,
0:20:05 > 0:20:10leaving Skirda standing guard over Jolante during that period.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12I can only imagine what was going through her mind
0:20:12 > 0:20:14while she was waiting for his return,
0:20:14 > 0:20:17knowing that she'd given him the wrong number.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20On his return, it would appear that further violence
0:20:20 > 0:20:23was evinced against her to make her give the true PIN number.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Once the true number was given by Jolante,
0:20:26 > 0:20:29Plytnykas left the flat to check at the bank
0:20:29 > 0:20:32to see if he could successfully withdraw money,
0:20:32 > 0:20:34which he was able to do on that occasion.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36And that sealed Jolante's fate.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39They brutally murdered her,
0:20:39 > 0:20:41then disposed of her body and belongings
0:20:41 > 0:20:45to make it look like she had returned to Lithuania.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48Jolante was smothered in her bed, taken into the bath,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51where she was decapitated and her hands removed.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54They cleared the flat as best they could,
0:20:54 > 0:20:56hid her body in a small cellar.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Over the next couple of days,
0:20:58 > 0:21:03they disposed of various items of her property.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Her ID cards were burnt.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08The weapons that they'd used during the crime
0:21:08 > 0:21:12were disposed of in a river and other clothing, cosmetics...
0:21:12 > 0:21:14all her personal belongings
0:21:14 > 0:21:17were basically scattered to the four winds over Angus.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28I think these men thought they had committed the perfect murder.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31They thought that, you know, as long as they disposed of her body
0:21:31 > 0:21:34and all her belongings in a thorough manner
0:21:34 > 0:21:38then they would have all the time in the world to withdraw the money
0:21:38 > 0:21:44from her account at their own leisure and never, ever be found for it.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50The killers knew her head and hands would identify her,
0:21:50 > 0:21:52so dumped them in different places.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56Then they chose the aptly named Danger Point
0:21:56 > 0:21:58to throw her torso in the sea.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03Plytnykas and Skirda must have thought they'd got away with it.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10But they hadn't planned on a huge storm or the North Sea tides.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12The head and hands washed up on the beach.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16Two men are due to appear in court today
0:22:16 > 0:22:19in connection with the death of a Lithuanian woman
0:22:19 > 0:22:22whose severed head and hands were found on a beach in Arbroath.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24These are the two men found guilty
0:22:24 > 0:22:27of the horrific murder of Jolante Bledaite.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30Vitas Plytnykas and Aleksandras Skirda
0:22:30 > 0:22:33dismembered and disposed of her body.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35Sentencing the men, the Judge Lord Pentland said...
0:22:45 > 0:22:48We made contact with the authorities in Europe
0:22:48 > 0:22:50to establish if they had previous convictions.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53It's a routine matter that we would do.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Skirda wasn't known to the police, however, Plytnykas was.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02Plytnykas had been previously convicted of manslaughter
0:23:02 > 0:23:04by a German court.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07Coincidentally, his conviction for murdering Jolante Bledaite
0:23:07 > 0:23:09came within months of another high profile case
0:23:09 > 0:23:14involving a foreign national, featured in a previous episode.
0:23:14 > 0:23:15Slovakian Marek Harcar
0:23:15 > 0:23:18was jailed for killing Moira Jones -
0:23:18 > 0:23:20a Glasgow businesswoman.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23Both murders provoked outrage in the media
0:23:23 > 0:23:25and calls were made for tighter border controls
0:23:25 > 0:23:28for foreign nationals with criminal records.
0:23:29 > 0:23:34One of the leading campaigners was Moira's mother, Beatrice Jones.
0:23:35 > 0:23:40I don't believe there's anyone in this country
0:23:40 > 0:23:44who would say, "Yes, let violent criminals in."
0:23:45 > 0:23:47It's as simple as that.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51I can't think of anyone, whatever political persuasion,
0:23:51 > 0:23:53who'd say, "But we're for this,
0:23:53 > 0:23:56"we want these people to be allowed to come in."
0:23:56 > 0:23:58Come on.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00We've got enough baddies of our own.
0:24:02 > 0:24:03It's as simple as that.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13In the future, new, improved profiling equipment
0:24:13 > 0:24:14will access overseas databases
0:24:14 > 0:24:17to identify international criminals faster.
0:24:17 > 0:24:22Carol Weston, the Senior Forensic Scientist on the Moira Jones case,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24is studying this now.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30Another development that will be rolled out very soon
0:24:30 > 0:24:33is the kits that we use to create DNA profiles.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36At the moment, we look at ten different areas
0:24:36 > 0:24:38that vary between individuals.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41The new kits, however, will look at 17 areas,
0:24:41 > 0:24:45or in some cases 24 areas, that differ between individuals.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49This gives us the power to search databases across the world
0:24:49 > 0:24:51as opposed to just our own databases
0:24:51 > 0:24:53because they'll all be more compatible with each other.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57But, more importantly, it means that our DNA technology
0:24:57 > 0:24:59will be much more sensitive.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03So we'll be able to get DNA profiles from very small stains
0:25:03 > 0:25:04or very old stains -
0:25:04 > 0:25:08things that our kits are not quite sensitive enough for at the moment -
0:25:08 > 0:25:10and this could be fantastic,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13especially in cold cases where we might need to go back
0:25:13 > 0:25:15and look at some very small and very old samples.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19Rapid advances in forensics technology
0:25:19 > 0:25:21make murder even harder to get away with.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26Yet some people still believe they can commit the perfect crime.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Occasionally a case comes up
0:25:33 > 0:25:36where the truth is truly more bizarre than fiction.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41A woman had been reported missing by her children
0:25:41 > 0:25:42and they were concerned
0:25:42 > 0:25:46about the information they were given at the time by the father.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53The missing mother was 47-year-old Carol Jarvis.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56When police knocked the door at the family home in Bathgate,
0:25:56 > 0:25:58her husband Harry answered.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02He told the officers his wife was there and called her.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06A woman crawled out from under the bed.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08But it wasn't his wife.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13The identity of the woman was later revealed
0:26:13 > 0:26:18as former millionairess 57-year-old Rita Heyster.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20Police were immediately suspicious
0:26:20 > 0:26:24and got a warrant to search the house.
0:26:24 > 0:26:25He had since left the house,
0:26:25 > 0:26:28we believe, with this other woman, Carol.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30She hadn't been found. We didn't know where she was.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33And that obviously led to a search of the house.
0:26:33 > 0:26:34And they discovered a dead body
0:26:34 > 0:26:37underneath the floorboards of the living room.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39At that point, the police are keen to ascertain
0:26:39 > 0:26:41exactly who that person is.
0:26:41 > 0:26:42One, is it a female?
0:26:42 > 0:26:44Is it the missing person, Carol Jarvis?
0:26:44 > 0:26:47And be able to recover that body as quickly as possible
0:26:47 > 0:26:49to be able to confirm that.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55The immediate task was to recover any forensic material
0:26:55 > 0:26:59without compromising other evidence at the scene.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02This also meant sifting through piles of junk.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06It was a painstaking process in such a tight space.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09If you can imagine how some people might keep lots of junk
0:27:09 > 0:27:10in their attic,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13this space underneath the floor basically resembled that.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17There was loads of junk, bits of furniture, lamps, books,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20paperwork, magazines, suitcases.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23That sort of stuff was underneath that floor along with the body.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26The body was concealed underneath a lot of that.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31So we had to do a very staged approach to the examination
0:27:31 > 0:27:36of removing every layer step by step and documenting that stage by stage
0:27:36 > 0:27:39for the police and, obviously, future at court,
0:27:39 > 0:27:40before we could even get to the body.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42In itself that took some time.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45She was only wearing a red dressing gown at the time
0:27:45 > 0:27:48and no underwear and the dress was slightly rucked up,
0:27:48 > 0:27:51exposing the lower half of her body.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55We then go on to examine and take samples of the body in situ,
0:27:55 > 0:27:58because sometimes that can be really important
0:27:58 > 0:28:00because when you start to move a body,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03especially when it's in the process of decomposition,
0:28:03 > 0:28:05you start to get further spillage of bodily fluids
0:28:05 > 0:28:07through the natural process of decomposition.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10I suspect the body's been there for about four to five days.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12It was a long September Weekend.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14It was very warm, as well.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16There was an element of deterioration there
0:28:16 > 0:28:18which made it more difficult for the scientists
0:28:18 > 0:28:20to obtain material to work with.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23It's not a very pleasant situation where you've got a dead body
0:28:23 > 0:28:25that you're in a confined space with.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29Amanda's forensic examination took over four hours
0:28:29 > 0:28:32before the body was removed from under the floorboards,
0:28:32 > 0:28:34then placed in a body bag.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41But she had not found any obvious external injuries on the body.
0:28:48 > 0:28:49A postmortem was carried out
0:28:49 > 0:28:51and we were never able to establish the cause of death.
0:28:51 > 0:28:55So we don't really know exactly what went on in that house,
0:28:55 > 0:28:58who was responsible for physically killing Carol.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01The only people that know that are Harry and Rita.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04For whatever reason, the pathologists, the scientists,
0:29:04 > 0:29:07toxicologists couldn't tell us how she died.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10We suspected that she may have been drugged,
0:29:10 > 0:29:12poisoned and that's ultimately what caused her death.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16Perhaps it's being suffocated, even strangled, as part of that process,
0:29:16 > 0:29:20but we were never, ever able to find out exactly how she died.
0:29:20 > 0:29:21As you can imagine, in a case like this,
0:29:21 > 0:29:23where the police have no information
0:29:23 > 0:29:26how that body's come to be under the floorboards,
0:29:26 > 0:29:28there's pressure for us to, as quickly as possible,
0:29:28 > 0:29:30examine these items to help them with their enquiries
0:29:30 > 0:29:32and provide that crucial DNA evidence
0:29:32 > 0:29:35to either charge somebody with the crime
0:29:35 > 0:29:38or, for the family, to find out what's happened.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40Police trawled CCTV footage
0:29:40 > 0:29:44and discovered Harry and Rita at St Andrew's bus station in Edinburgh.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50Holding hands, they wandered over to the bus stances,
0:29:50 > 0:29:53oblivious of the police search of their home.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56They boarded a bus to Dundee.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05Meantime, Harry's eldest daughter
0:30:05 > 0:30:06Susan had contacted her father
0:30:06 > 0:30:08on his mobile phone.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11Harry told her he was with Carol
0:30:11 > 0:30:13and that he was coming back to Edinburgh.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17When Phil Gachagan heard the news, he now knew Harry was lying,
0:30:17 > 0:30:19and lay in wait for him.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22When Harry pitched up back in Edinburgh with Rita
0:30:22 > 0:30:25the two of them were detained.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28Both of them gave conflicting stories about what happened
0:30:28 > 0:30:29during their interviews.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32Harry Jarvis, he maintained that he loved his wife
0:30:32 > 0:30:34and that he wouldn't have done her any harm.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37He claimed that she'd died of natural causes
0:30:37 > 0:30:38and he put her body under the floorboards
0:30:38 > 0:30:40because he couldn't bear to be without her.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43Rita claimed that she and Harry were together as a couple
0:30:43 > 0:30:46and that they wanted to leave the area to start a new life together
0:30:46 > 0:30:48and that he needed to leave Carol,
0:30:48 > 0:30:50and she knew nothing about what happened to Carol.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52She said that she didn't know that Carol was dead.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55Harry claimed not to be in a relationship with Rita.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57That she was just a friend that he was looking after
0:30:57 > 0:30:59and he'd given her some accommodation
0:30:59 > 0:31:02for a short period of time.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06Phil Gachagan knew there would be huge media interest in the case
0:31:06 > 0:31:10and it was his very first murder in charge.
0:31:12 > 0:31:18I think the pressure that I felt more was the pressure not to fail.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20There were four children there
0:31:20 > 0:31:22who were desperate to know what happened to their mum
0:31:22 > 0:31:24and who clearly wanted justice for their mother.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27Amanda recovered evidence from under the floorboards
0:31:27 > 0:31:29that would prove vital.
0:31:30 > 0:31:36A large piece of parcel tape that had been wrapped around something.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38When we examined that back here in the laboratory,
0:31:38 > 0:31:43we found not only blood but skin flakes from multiple sources
0:31:43 > 0:31:45on the tape with DNA profiles matching that of Carol,
0:31:45 > 0:31:48of Harry Jarvis and Rita Heyster,
0:31:48 > 0:31:51as well as other fragments like fibres and skin as well.
0:31:51 > 0:31:56So, it was a great source of forensic evidence and biological evidence.
0:31:56 > 0:32:00Next, Amanda conducted a thorough search of every single room
0:32:00 > 0:32:03in the house and made another important discovery.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11We found a roll of tape that was in one of the bedrooms,
0:32:11 > 0:32:14and this was similar to the parcel tape
0:32:14 > 0:32:16that we found underneath the floorboards with the deceased,
0:32:16 > 0:32:18and when we recovered that and examined that
0:32:18 > 0:32:22back at the laboratory, we were able to find some sources of DNA
0:32:22 > 0:32:28from Harry Jarvis and Carol Jarvis and Rita as well.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30We also examined that piece of tape.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32It had a cut end but also a pulled end,
0:32:32 > 0:32:36and then when we opened that up and compared it with the piece of tape
0:32:36 > 0:32:39that was found on the body, we found that it was a physical fit
0:32:39 > 0:32:43and a direct match from the piece of tape that we found with the body.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46It's one of the most eagerly-awaited telephone calls, in fact, as an SIO,
0:32:46 > 0:32:48when the scientist calls you
0:32:48 > 0:32:50to give you the results of some of the tests.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53It's good to know that we have evidence and we've got a DNA profile,
0:32:53 > 0:32:56but also to have matches, to say who that DNA may have come from
0:32:56 > 0:32:58is something of a feat in itself.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01There's a whole load of circumstances there
0:33:01 > 0:33:05which allow us to charge the two of them with the murder.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07Then we continue with the investigation thereafter
0:33:07 > 0:33:09to build up more of a case.
0:33:09 > 0:33:13We conducted further examination work on medical samples
0:33:13 > 0:33:16that were taken from Harry Jarvis and Rita Heyster
0:33:16 > 0:33:19including nail scrapings that were taken from them at the time
0:33:19 > 0:33:21when they were detained.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24When we examined the nail scrapes from Rita Heyster,
0:33:24 > 0:33:26we found DNA from at least three sources
0:33:26 > 0:33:29and we were able to resolve those DNA profiles
0:33:29 > 0:33:32to matches not only of Rita Heyster, which is not unusual,
0:33:32 > 0:33:35you would expect to find DNA from the swabs the person's been taken,
0:33:35 > 0:33:37as well as from Harry Jarvis.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40And what was remaining was a strong profile
0:33:40 > 0:33:42that matched that of Carol Jarvis.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46Couldn't say, scientifically, exactly what the source of that DNA was,
0:33:46 > 0:33:49but our opinion was that it wasn't through social contact
0:33:49 > 0:33:52or for other means of secondary contact.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55Slowly but surely the whole story emerged.
0:33:56 > 0:34:01Harry was 30 and Carol only 16 when they first met in London.
0:34:03 > 0:34:05Four children later, they moved to Scotland.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10Carol was a very slight woman. She relied on Harry a lot.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12She loved him dearly. That was quite clear.
0:34:12 > 0:34:13The children told me that.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16And she was very devoted to him.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21Mum, you know, was really in love with Dad
0:34:21 > 0:34:25and so she would always look for the best in him,
0:34:25 > 0:34:28and, even, you could tell Mum that he was the worst person in the world
0:34:28 > 0:34:30and she wouldn't believe that, you know?
0:34:30 > 0:34:32Harry was...
0:34:32 > 0:34:34He was a bit of a fantasist, to be fair,
0:34:34 > 0:34:36he got involved in all sorts of dodgy dealing.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39He was arrested by the police a few times for minor frauds
0:34:39 > 0:34:40and stuff like that.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43He had some affairs over the years and met other women -
0:34:43 > 0:34:44vulnerable women.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47He fleeced them for whatever he could.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50But Carol would always find Harry and they would get together again.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54He would come back. A sort of cycle would start all over again.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56Over a period of time, Carol became reliant on drugs,
0:34:56 > 0:34:59prescription drugs, prescribed drugs,
0:34:59 > 0:35:02and Harry became her main carer.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05By that time, Harry had met Rita Heyster via an online dating site.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10By then the relationship had flourished
0:35:10 > 0:35:12and Rita moved to Bathgate to be with him.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16Rita had been adopted as a child by Tom Forsyth,
0:35:16 > 0:35:19who owned the Jus-Rol bakery company.
0:35:19 > 0:35:26So, when he died in his early 50s, Rita inherited nearly ?2.5 million.
0:35:26 > 0:35:27She was in her early 20s,
0:35:27 > 0:35:30but over the years that money was frittered away
0:35:30 > 0:35:33on failed relationships and bad investments.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38At the time of this murder, she was virtually penniless.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41Unfortunately she didn't have anywhere to live at that time,
0:35:41 > 0:35:42didn't have any money
0:35:42 > 0:35:45and Harry, bizarrely, accommodated her in the garden shed.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48Nobody knew at that time that Rita was staying in the shed.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50There were rumours in the local community
0:35:50 > 0:35:51but nobody reported it to the police.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53So it was a real surprise
0:35:53 > 0:35:56when we found out that there was this woman living in a shed.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58I was told there was a summer house,
0:35:58 > 0:36:01and I went round to the rear garden and I discovered that it was a shed,
0:36:01 > 0:36:03and not a great shed, at that.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05So, not only have you somebody living above the locus
0:36:05 > 0:36:08but there's also people living in an address adjacent
0:36:08 > 0:36:13and this shed is directly next to next door's patio
0:36:13 > 0:36:15where they would maybe sit of a nice evening
0:36:15 > 0:36:19and enjoy the sunshine while this woman is living in a shed next door.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22Also, in addition to that, Harry had a CCTV camera hooked up
0:36:22 > 0:36:24looking down on the shed, as well.
0:36:24 > 0:36:26And the shed itself wasn't the most robust.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28There was a window, and it was broken,
0:36:28 > 0:36:30and it wouldn't have made for pleasant living conditions.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35Harry would look after her,
0:36:35 > 0:36:36bring her her tea, bring her her food.
0:36:36 > 0:36:40He would allow her into the house every now and then to use the toilet
0:36:40 > 0:36:43and then he would put her back into the shed.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45All this time his wife was lying in bed
0:36:45 > 0:36:48and unable to, sort of, do anything for herself.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51There was a basic futon-style mattress on the floor of the shed.
0:36:51 > 0:36:52There was no bed covers.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55The only thing that we found was that there was a pillow
0:36:55 > 0:36:56with a pillow slip,
0:36:56 > 0:36:59and the pillow slip pattern matched that of the design and pattern
0:36:59 > 0:37:03of the duvet cover that Carol Jarvis was found in, and wrapped in.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09So, bizarrely, what we have here now is Rita living in the garden shed
0:37:09 > 0:37:12and Carol in bed.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16Harry and Rita, by this time,
0:37:16 > 0:37:18have decided that they want to be together.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22He has to come up with a way of leaving Carol
0:37:22 > 0:37:27and this was when, I think, the plot was hatched to kill Carol.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31I don't know why Harry decided that the only way to be with Rita
0:37:31 > 0:37:33was to kill Carol.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36Yes, he could have left Carol and been with Rita
0:37:36 > 0:37:37if that is what he wanted.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40I think, though, over time, over the years,
0:37:40 > 0:37:44Harry had left Carol on a number of occasions to be with other women.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47But Carol doted on him and sought him out,
0:37:47 > 0:37:50found him and talked him into going back to be with her.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53I can only assume that he felt that the only way
0:37:53 > 0:37:57that he was never going to found by Carol again was to kill her.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01However, there were still a lot of obstacles to overcome
0:38:01 > 0:38:03before the case was ready for court.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06It took over a year, as well, for it to go to court
0:38:06 > 0:38:10because at one point the Crown weren't sure if they could proceed
0:38:10 > 0:38:12with the case because of the complexity of it -
0:38:12 > 0:38:14the fact that we didn't have a cause of death,
0:38:14 > 0:38:16and we didn't really know what happened in that house.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19I didn't know if this case was even going to see the court.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23Then a serious complication emerged.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27A successful appeal in another case,
0:38:27 > 0:38:31relating to solicitor access, impacted on the Carol Jarvis case.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36The interviews that we carried out with Harry and Rita
0:38:36 > 0:38:38were deemed inadmissible.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41I thought what had been a fairly straightforward case
0:38:41 > 0:38:43turned out to be a very complex case.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46Unusually, in this case, both the accused were tried separately
0:38:46 > 0:38:50for legal reasons and therefore I not only gave evidence once,
0:38:50 > 0:38:52I had to give evidence twice.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54Harry Jarvis was the first of the two lovers
0:38:54 > 0:38:56to stand trial in March 2011.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59The evidence that we had became more important
0:38:59 > 0:39:01because we didn't have a cause of death.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03But to be able to explain that to a jury
0:39:03 > 0:39:07who maybe have no scientific background in very simple words,
0:39:07 > 0:39:09to me, as a forensic scientist, my biggest challenge.
0:39:09 > 0:39:13Because if I can't produce and present my evidence in court well,
0:39:13 > 0:39:16then the whole case could basically fall apart.
0:39:18 > 0:39:22Amanda faced five hours under cross-examination over two days.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26The police also offered compelling evidence.
0:39:27 > 0:39:31We found a number of letters on both Harry and Rita's possession
0:39:31 > 0:39:32when we detained them.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34It was quite clear from these letters
0:39:34 > 0:39:38that Harry was sending to Rita that he was trying to kill his wife.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40There's one mention of the drugs not working.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42It was taking longer than he thought,
0:39:42 > 0:39:44but soon they would be together.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47So there was a clear intent there, in my opinion, to kill Carol
0:39:47 > 0:39:49and Rita knew about it.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52I sat at the back of the court, and the foreman delivered the verdict,
0:39:52 > 0:39:54and you could cut the atmosphere with a knife.
0:39:54 > 0:39:55We didn't have a cause of death.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58We don't actually know what happened in there.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00We weren't able to use the statements of the two accused.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03So that was something that will live with me as well.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05Sitting there, at the back of that court,
0:40:05 > 0:40:07not knowing whether the jury were going to deliver
0:40:07 > 0:40:09a guilty or a not guilty verdict.
0:40:09 > 0:40:11When they came back with a guilty verdict,
0:40:11 > 0:40:13that was a huge relief for me.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15A huge relief. I felt that I'd done my job
0:40:15 > 0:40:18and that I'd delivered that justice for the family.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20A very difficult time, obviously, over the last few years
0:40:20 > 0:40:25and obviously, although delighted, it's a sad day as well.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29It's difficult to say you're pleased because, like Graham says,
0:40:29 > 0:40:31obviously you've still lost your two parents, in a sense.
0:40:31 > 0:40:33So, no matter what the outcome was going to be,
0:40:33 > 0:40:35that was always going to be difficult to comprehend.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38But, I think, as relieved or as pleased as you could be
0:40:38 > 0:40:39in the circumstances, yeah.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45I don't really want to ever speak to him,
0:40:45 > 0:40:49and I won't forgive him for it, or anything, so I'm just kind of...
0:40:49 > 0:40:53To me, right now, he's my dad in biology and genes only.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56He's not, like, my father.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59But there was still a second trial to be heard.
0:40:59 > 0:41:03In July 2011, it was Rita Heyster's turn.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06The second trial was even more punishing for Amanda.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09I actually gave evidence over a period of three days
0:41:09 > 0:41:12which, for me, is the longest time that I've ever given evidence
0:41:12 > 0:41:15in court for a case like this.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18It was quite clear that Rita wasn't particularly streetwise.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20I think she liked companionship
0:41:20 > 0:41:22and I think that's what she sought in Harry.
0:41:22 > 0:41:26I don't know if she suspected that Harry had intended to kill his wife,
0:41:26 > 0:41:30but she was certainly there at the time that his wife was killed
0:41:30 > 0:41:33and clearly she was involved in disposing of the body,
0:41:33 > 0:41:34if not involved in the murder itself.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37There was no case to answer at court in terms of the murder
0:41:37 > 0:41:40but she was certainly convicted of trying to hide the body.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43Rita Heyster got four years and six months
0:41:43 > 0:41:46for attempting to defeat the course of justice.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48I don't think any of us actually believe
0:41:48 > 0:41:51that Rita couldn't make her own mind up, at the end of the day.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54She still formulated her own opinions.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56So, she kind of just went with the flow, and so -
0:41:56 > 0:41:58is she a victim? No.
0:41:58 > 0:42:02I think the thing that I remember most about this was the fact
0:42:02 > 0:42:06that here we had two women who appeared to be devoted to this man.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09One who ultimately paid the price and died
0:42:09 > 0:42:12and the other ended up in prison because of it, because of him.
0:42:12 > 0:42:13That was the thing for me.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15The other thing was the four children.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18I mean, they've lost their mum in horrendous circumstances,
0:42:18 > 0:42:19but they've also lost their dad.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22He's been sentenced to life in prison.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24Their lives are never going to be the same again.
0:42:33 > 0:42:37Today, forensic scientists catch more killers than ever.
0:42:38 > 0:42:42The future's very exciting for forensic science at the moment
0:42:42 > 0:42:46with lots of interesting developments in the pipeline.
0:42:46 > 0:42:52DNA miniaturisation is effectively miniaturising the DNA laboratory,
0:42:52 > 0:42:57and it allows us to have a piece of equipment in police custody suites,
0:42:57 > 0:43:00and what we'll be able to do is take a sample from someone
0:43:00 > 0:43:02who's in police custody, who's been arrested,
0:43:02 > 0:43:06and their DNA sample can be run through this piece of kit
0:43:06 > 0:43:10and within 90 minutes we'll have a full DNA profile from this person
0:43:10 > 0:43:14which can then be searched against any DNA database
0:43:14 > 0:43:17and can be seen if there's a match with any outstanding crimes
0:43:17 > 0:43:18held on the database.
0:43:18 > 0:43:22It's going to take away quite a bit of time with the DNA analysis
0:43:22 > 0:43:24and give you more instant results,
0:43:24 > 0:43:28and I think it's especially crucial with linking unsolved crimes,
0:43:28 > 0:43:30for example, sexual crimes.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33If you had someone in who was suspected of a sexual crime,
0:43:33 > 0:43:37possibly you could link several crimes on the database to this person
0:43:37 > 0:43:39in a matter of a couple of hours,
0:43:39 > 0:43:41which in the past, may have taken days.
0:43:44 > 0:43:47Even so, cases arise where forensic science
0:43:47 > 0:43:50directly influences a police investigation.
0:43:52 > 0:43:56On Sunday the 30th April 2012,
0:43:56 > 0:43:57a neighbour alerted Tayside police
0:43:57 > 0:44:00after disturbing a hooded male intruder
0:44:00 > 0:44:04at 63-year-old John Kennedy's home in Mossgiel Crescent, Dundee.
0:44:07 > 0:44:11When forensic biologist Barry Mitchell was called in by police,
0:44:11 > 0:44:13he discovered a grisly scene.
0:44:17 > 0:44:19As we were standing in the vestibule,
0:44:19 > 0:44:23looking into the living room, we could see the body of a deceased male
0:44:23 > 0:44:27lying on the floor, face down, along the front of a sofa.
0:44:27 > 0:44:30The upper part of his body was lying in a pool of blood.
0:44:37 > 0:44:40I recall being advised from the postmortem
0:44:40 > 0:44:45that there were in excess of 70 stab wounds on the deceased's body,
0:44:45 > 0:44:48and, in fact, when I subsequently examined the deceased's fleece top
0:44:48 > 0:44:52in the laboratory, we counted more than 90 stab cuts
0:44:52 > 0:44:53within that fleece top.
0:44:55 > 0:44:57There was no known motive.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00There was nothing to suggest that there was any enemies involved.
0:45:00 > 0:45:02There was nothing to suggest that there would be anybody
0:45:02 > 0:45:05that wanted to do this or had anything against John Kennedy.
0:45:05 > 0:45:09So we were absolutely reliant on the skills and the abilities
0:45:09 > 0:45:11of our forensic counterparts.
0:45:11 > 0:45:13Scene examiners had identified the presence of a glove
0:45:13 > 0:45:17within the locus as they went about their recording of the scene,
0:45:17 > 0:45:20and it was identified that this glove could well be alien to the locus.
0:45:20 > 0:45:24So it was targeted as a priority item for examination.
0:45:26 > 0:45:30DNA analysis revealed several wearers.
0:45:30 > 0:45:34But in the lab, Barry Mitchell narrowed the suspects down
0:45:34 > 0:45:37and even had a name - Michael Nolan.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40He hadn't even come into the police investigation.
0:45:40 > 0:45:42Such was the significance of this
0:45:42 > 0:45:46that it immediately did change the focus of the enquiry.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49At that stage, our enquiries were not focused on Michael Nolan at all.
0:45:49 > 0:45:52Generally speaking, we'll have an idea as to who is responsible,
0:45:52 > 0:45:54but there's absolutely no question
0:45:54 > 0:45:58that without the contribution of biologists in particular
0:45:58 > 0:46:00this would have proved to have been
0:46:00 > 0:46:03a very, very testing and difficult enquiry.
0:46:03 > 0:46:06Aware of the forensic evidence stacked against him,
0:46:06 > 0:46:09Michael Nolan entered a guilty plea and was sentenced
0:46:09 > 0:46:11at Edinburgh High Court
0:46:11 > 0:46:13to 17 years imprisonment.
0:46:15 > 0:46:19The Nolan case is forensic science at its very best -
0:46:19 > 0:46:21naming a suspect before the police.
0:46:22 > 0:46:26But what will advances like custody suite technology mean?
0:46:27 > 0:46:30The difference between the custody suite technology
0:46:30 > 0:46:33and the technology that will be developed at crime scenes
0:46:33 > 0:46:35is simply the type of sample.
0:46:35 > 0:46:39For a custody suite, you're working with a mouth swab
0:46:39 > 0:46:41taken from a person. It's a nice fresh sample.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43It's got a lot of DNA in it.
0:46:43 > 0:46:47So it's very easy to get a nice single source profile.
0:46:47 > 0:46:48However, when you're out at a crime scene,
0:46:48 > 0:46:51your DNA sample might not be of such good quality,
0:46:51 > 0:46:54and it might contain a mixture of DNA from more than one person.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57And that takes a lot more technology
0:46:57 > 0:46:59to be able to create a quick 90-minute profile,
0:46:59 > 0:47:01and that's where we're heading now,
0:47:01 > 0:47:03and that's what we're currently working on.
0:47:03 > 0:47:07As we move on, as science develops,
0:47:07 > 0:47:12miniaturisation comes in and we're now able to do DNA profiling
0:47:12 > 0:47:14with even smaller and smaller machines.
0:47:26 > 0:47:30A more exciting development will be the crime scene rapid technology,
0:47:30 > 0:47:33because that way you could actually get intelligence
0:47:33 > 0:47:37to identify a suspect very quickly, perhaps even at the crime scene,
0:47:37 > 0:47:39and at that point the person's still out on the street
0:47:39 > 0:47:42and still free, and not in police custody.
0:47:42 > 0:47:45So, to me, that's the one that will make the huge difference.
0:47:45 > 0:47:47The research and development in forensic science
0:47:47 > 0:47:50allows us to develop technologies
0:47:50 > 0:47:52that make forensic science a very powerful tool,
0:47:52 > 0:47:56and it means it's very hard to get away with murder.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58This includes unsolved historic murders
0:47:58 > 0:48:00that go back for several decades.
0:48:02 > 0:48:06So, a suspect could be identified instantly.
0:48:07 > 0:48:11It's becoming almost impossible to get away with murder.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd