0:00:00 > 0:00:00- Subtitles
0:00:00 > 0:00:02- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:00:07 > 0:00:10- Lies...
0:00:10 > 0:00:12- ..secrets...
0:00:12 > 0:00:14- ..deceit...
0:00:15 > 0:00:17- ..violence.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21- Every criminal case is a distinct - challenge for the detective.
0:00:24 > 0:00:29- To discover the truth, - they need patience and curiosity.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43- Tonight, I hear about the body found - in a back garden in South Wales.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48- It had been encased in plastic - for eighteen years.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52- The body was mummified. - It had been wrapped up so well.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57- For the first time, detectives are - opening the case files...
0:00:57 > 0:01:00- ..to show how the murderer - had hidden the body.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04- I assure you, I never ever thought - of this as a possibility.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09- This was an unique case. - An incredible case to work on.
0:01:35 > 0:01:36- Beddau.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44- An old mining village - in the South Wales valleys.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47- It's now a cluster - of commuter homes.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55- In November 2015, the eyes of - the world turned to this village...
0:01:55 > 0:01:58- ..when an astounding discovery - was made.
0:02:10 > 0:02:15- Near the high street in Beddau, are - a block of flats called Trem-Y-Cwm.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19- It was here that two tenants - found a suspicious package...
0:02:19 > 0:02:22- ..in the back garden - and phoned the police.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28- The neighbours thought they'd found - a medical skeleton in the bag.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32- When they opened it up, - there was a strong smell...
0:02:32 > 0:02:34- ..and they thought - it was something more.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38- A police forensic team was sent - to the scene.
0:02:38 > 0:02:43- When they opened the package, they - realized it wasn't a skeleton...
0:02:43 > 0:02:45- ..but a human body.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55- The police sealed off the area.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58- They erected a tent - above the package...
0:02:58 > 0:03:01- ..to secure the forensic evidence.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06- It was obvious that the body - had been there a long time.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09- It had been covered in plastic.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15- It had been wrapped - in grey plastic...
0:03:15 > 0:03:19- ..about six feet in length.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22- The body was in this area - up against the wall.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26- It's changed quite a bit since then.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29- There were a lot of bags and rubbish - on top of the body.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38- The pathologist arrived to make - an initial examination.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41- Before carrying out a post-mortem.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45- The pathologist said that the person - had suffered a trauma to the head.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48- We knew that - it was a suspicious death.
0:03:48 > 0:03:54- So we had to find out who was - responsible for the death.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14- That night, the police questioned - people door to door.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20- But the news had already spread - around the village.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29- I went to meet someone who lives - 200 metres from the flats...
0:04:29 > 0:04:33- ..and who remembers the police - racing through the village.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37- Naturally, it sent chills - down our spines.
0:04:37 > 0:04:43- The rumour was that the police - had found body parts...
0:04:43 > 0:04:45- ..or parts of bodies.
0:04:45 > 0:04:50- Then word got around that - there was more than one body.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53- Fears grew and grew.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57- People were worried...
0:04:57 > 0:05:02- ..that there was a dangerous killer - walking among us.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19- At Bridgend Police Station...
0:05:19 > 0:05:22- ..detectives were gathering - evidence...
0:05:22 > 0:05:25- ..to confirm the identity - of the body.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30- They knew now that it was a man.
0:05:30 > 0:05:36- The body wore a gold ring and a hip - joint was found in the remains.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43- But, although it bore - an unique serial number...
0:05:43 > 0:05:47- ..they were told that the medical - records had been disposed of...
0:05:47 > 0:05:51- ..when the old hospital in - Llantrisant closed.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55- They got no results from the - National DNA Database either...
0:05:55 > 0:05:57- ..nor from any dental records.
0:05:59 > 0:06:00- They needed more evidence.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05- Forensic experts began to search - for clues from the packaging...
0:06:05 > 0:06:09- ..that could give them an idea - how long the body had been there.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14- We didn't have a clue at that time - who the person was...
0:06:15 > 0:06:19- ..let alone who was responsible - and who had deposited the body.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22- The forensic work was vital - at the start.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25- There was conflicting evidence - in dating the body.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30- It looked recent, but it had been - preserved because of the wrapping.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34- There were several layers of - wrapping. It was like a mummy.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38- Fourteen pieces of grey plastic - were wrapped around the body...
0:06:38 > 0:06:40- ..to create 41 layers.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43- The body was secured with tape - and rope.
0:06:46 > 0:06:51- These pictures show how many times - the body had been wrapped...
0:06:51 > 0:06:53- ..in these huge plastic sheets.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59- This is one of the sheets - from the body...
0:06:59 > 0:07:03- ..that was sent - to the forensic team.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05- It shows in detail...
0:07:06 > 0:07:10- ..how much work there was - for the forensic team.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16- They searched for fingerprints - and DNA on all the layers.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24- There were clues that the body - had been there for far longer...
0:07:24 > 0:07:26- ..than its condition suggested.
0:07:29 > 0:07:34- We had evidence, such as a plastic - bag which was made in 1992.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40- Also, some St Michael - or Marks and Spencer pyjamas...
0:07:40 > 0:07:42- ..that had been made in the 1990s.
0:07:42 > 0:07:47- At the time, it was difficult to - prove when the killing took place.
0:07:53 > 0:07:58- Detectives were confident that the - answer lay within the community.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02- After questioning the tenants - who discovered the package...
0:08:02 > 0:08:06- ..one of them was arrested - and interviewed by the police.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11- She denied having anything to do - with the body in the package.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14- According to her, - her former neighbour had said...
0:08:15 > 0:08:18- ..that the package contained - a medical skeleton.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21- The neighbour's name - was Leigh Sabine.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29- She used to live in Flat 57, - Trem-Y-Cwm.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31- She was a very colourful character.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36- She and her husband had moved - to Britain from New Zealand.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39- She'd lived in Beddau - for eighteen years.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45- But the 74-year-old woman had died - a month earlier from cancer.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52- But, as detectives asked - around locally...
0:08:52 > 0:08:57- ..it became clear that no-one had - seen her husband, John Sabine...
0:08:57 > 0:08:59- ..for many years.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02- We had no CCTV - or modern technology...
0:09:02 > 0:09:06- ..so we had to do - some old-fashioned policing.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12- Knocking doors, speaking to people, - gathering information...
0:09:12 > 0:09:15- ..meticulous review of records.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19- They discovered that John Sabine - had been in the army...
0:09:19 > 0:09:23- ..and had worked as an accountant - in England.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27- The couple had signed a joint - tenancy agreement in February 1997.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33- Records show that John Sabine - had registered with a local GP.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37- In April 1997, - two months after moving here...
0:09:37 > 0:09:42- ..he ordered a prescription from - the chemist, but never collected it.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48- No-one remembers seeing John Sabine - after April 1997...
0:09:48 > 0:09:51- ..and there was no record - of his death.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55- Over the years, his wife gave - a variety of explanations.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59- She either said that he was ill - or that he'd left her.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03- She was still receiving - his army pension...
0:10:03 > 0:10:05- ..and he was still on - the voters' register.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08- In 2005, - when he would have turned 75...
0:10:08 > 0:10:12- ..she wrote to TV Licensing - in order to get the discount.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16- In some ways she was purporting that - he was alive and living there...
0:10:16 > 0:10:20- ..but in other ways, she was giving - a story that he'd gone and left her.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25- Further investigation revealed...
0:10:25 > 0:10:29- ..that the couple had five children - in New Zealand.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33- There was light at the end of the - tunnel for the team closer to home.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38- We found out that John Sabine had - children from a previous marriage...
0:10:38 > 0:10:41- ..who lived in Britain - - a son and daughter.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48- After taking a DNA sample - from the son...
0:10:48 > 0:10:52- ..it was confirmed that the body - was that of John Sabine.
0:10:55 > 0:11:00- The team now suspected the his wife - was responsible for his death.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03- You can't just label someone - a murderer.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07- You've still got to prove the facts - of the case.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10- You've got to prove it beyond doubt.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14- The inquiry was still a full-on - homicide investigation.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17- Leigh Sabine was the prime suspect - in this murder.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21- But she was dead.
0:11:21 > 0:11:26- Proving the case seemed impossible - for the detectives.
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0:11:30 > 0:11:30- Subtitles
0:11:30 > 0:11:32- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:11:39 > 0:11:44- After finding the body of a man - wrapped in plastic packaging...
0:11:44 > 0:11:48- ..in the village of Beddau, South - Wales Police now knew who he was.
0:11:50 > 0:11:55- They suspected that John Sabine - had been murdered by his wife.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00- But the big question was, - who exactly was Leigh Sabine?
0:12:03 > 0:12:09- In October 2015, Leigh Sabine died - after suffering from brain cancer.
0:12:09 > 0:12:14- A group of her friends paid tribute - to her here at Glyntaff Crematorium.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17- But Leigh Sabine's history - and background...
0:12:17 > 0:12:20- ..had always been a mystery - to her friends.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34- Witnesses described Leigh as an - eccentric and colourful character.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40- She'd been a cabaret singer - in her younger days...
0:12:40 > 0:12:43- ..using the stage name Leigh Martin.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49- The difficulty with Leigh Sabine - was her name.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51- Was it Leigh Sabine? - How did she spell it?
0:12:52 > 0:12:55- We found aliases, - such as Leigh Martin.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00- But the truth was her name was Ann - Evans who'd grown up in the Rhondda.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08- Originally from the valleys...
0:13:08 > 0:13:12- ..Leigh Sabine probably met her - husband in London in the 1950s...
0:13:13 > 0:13:15- ..where she was working as a nurse.
0:13:15 > 0:13:20- After getting married in Pontypridd, - the couple emigrated to New Zealand.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23- They had five children there.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25- But, one day in 1969...
0:13:26 > 0:13:30- ..they left the children with - childminders in Auckland...
0:13:30 > 0:13:32- ..and disappeared.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38- The children were between - the ages of 2 and 11 years old.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43- They fled to Perth, Australia...
0:13:43 > 0:13:47- ..and changed their names - to Leigh and John Martin.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51- They moved back to New Zealand - some years later.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59- In 1984, with the family still - separated...
0:13:59 > 0:14:04- ..a TV crew turned up on their - doorstep with two of the girls.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12- The girls wanted to know why - their parents had abandoned them.
0:14:13 > 0:14:14- The police are on the way.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18- You owe us an explanation. - Can't you understand?
0:14:18 > 0:14:20- Get out of the house!
0:14:20 > 0:14:24- Will you please get out of the - house! I'll tell the police.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27- Why did you say...?
0:14:27 > 0:14:29- Mr Sabine, - we're only trying to get...
0:14:30 > 0:14:34- Following all the attention, - the couple fled once again.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36- This time, to England.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40- The family's history - in New Zealand is sad.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44- In 2000, Martin, one of their sons, - killed himself.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47- When Jane, one of the daughters - wrote to her mother...
0:14:47 > 0:14:52- ..a year before she died, this is - part of the answer she received.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58- "I have served my life sentence - of shame and blame."
0:14:59 > 0:15:03- "Now it is your turn - to suffer the same."
0:15:03 > 0:15:06- "Your nemesis, Ann Lee Sabine."
0:15:17 > 0:15:21- When the discovery in Beddau - hit the headlines...
0:15:21 > 0:15:24- ..police received a call - from another witness...
0:15:25 > 0:15:27- ..offering key information.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32- In the 1990s, Valerie Chalkley - lived in Reading...
0:15:33 > 0:15:37- ..and worked in a clothes shop - with a woman she knew as Ann Sabine.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42- Then, in 1997, after the Sabines - moved to Beddau...
0:15:42 > 0:15:45- ..she remembers receiving - a phone call from her.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48- It was a very strange call.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51- She said, "I've killed him."
0:15:51 > 0:15:54- I said, "What?" - She said, "Yes, I've killed him."
0:15:54 > 0:15:57- "I've battered him - with a stone frog."
0:15:57 > 0:16:00- "Because he was getting - on my nerves."
0:16:02 > 0:16:05- Then she goes on to talk about - other things.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08- She changed the subject completely.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11- I thought she was having me on.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14- You know when you feel - a bit of a fool...
0:16:14 > 0:16:17- ..and you think you'd feel a fool, - if you said, "Is that true?"
0:16:18 > 0:16:20- Because she'd say, - "Of course, it isn't!"
0:16:20 > 0:16:22- So I never asked her about it.
0:16:24 > 0:16:29- The next time they spoke, she told - Valerie that her husband was fine.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34- Although Valerie knew that the - couple had a stormy relationship...
0:16:34 > 0:16:38- ..she never believed - her friend's tall tales.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44- She could come out with statements - that were totally ridiculous.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47- You'd find out they were.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52- She was a strange, strange person. - She really was.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01- In Bridgend, the witness's call...
0:17:02 > 0:17:05- ..was another turning point - in the investigation.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10- It was incredible to get the call - from Valerie Chalkley...
0:17:10 > 0:17:16- ..telling us that Leigh Sabine - had murdered her husband.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18- But also, telling us about - the frog.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24- It was an amazing phone call.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28- We thought, "Would this have - happened? Is this real?"
0:17:28 > 0:17:32- "Has she given another story - to someone which is false?"
0:17:32 > 0:17:36- But the investigation team went back - to the scene to visit...
0:17:36 > 0:17:38- ..some of the friends - and associates..
0:17:39 > 0:17:42- ..who had received property - from Leigh Sabine's flat.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45- And in an amazing twist, - we recovered a stone frog.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50- It appeared that the stone - in the shape of a frog...
0:17:51 > 0:17:54- ..had sat by the Sabines' bed - for many years.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58- One of the neighbours kept it - after the flat was cleared.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01- It's quite a heavy frog.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05- On the frog in the picture...
0:18:05 > 0:18:09- ..you can see an eye - on the back leg.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17- They sent the new evidence - to the pathologist.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21- He placed the shape of the frog - on top of pictures...
0:18:21 > 0:18:23- ..of the injuries to the skull.
0:18:25 > 0:18:31- It was a perfect match - to John Sabine's head trauma.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36- Now, they had a theory - about how he died.
0:18:39 > 0:18:44- It's likely that Leigh Sabine - picked up the frog...
0:18:45 > 0:18:47- ..from the side of the bed...
0:18:47 > 0:18:52- ..and hit John Sabine as he was - lying in bed in his pyjamas...
0:18:52 > 0:18:56- ..killing him instantly.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12- Although it was too late - to bring a case of murder...
0:19:12 > 0:19:16- ..they had to prepare the evidence - to put before the coroner.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25- At the inquest in May, the police - presented their conclusions.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28- According to the coroner, - Andrew Barkley...
0:19:28 > 0:19:33- ..it was clear that John Sabine had - died after a severe head trauma.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37- After hearing all the evidence, - he came to the decision...
0:19:37 > 0:19:40- ..that this was an unlawful killing.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45- It was very important to get - a result in this case.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49- For the sake of the family - and the investigation team.
0:19:49 > 0:19:55- They didn't want an open verdict - on the murder.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00- We knew who was responsible - and it was up to us to prove it.
0:20:03 > 0:20:04- It's certainly unique for me.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08- Twenty years in the police service - and I had never come across...
0:20:09 > 0:20:10- ..anything like this.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14- If you find a body disposed of - in a garden all wrapped up...
0:20:14 > 0:20:18- ..you're thinking all sorts - of hypotheses in your mind.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21- I never ever thought of this - as a possibility.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25- The coroner's verdict was - a shock for the family...
0:20:25 > 0:20:27- ..and for the community in Beddau.
0:20:28 > 0:20:34- I think people feel that her actions - were very strange...
0:20:34 > 0:20:40- ..and cannot understand - or relate to what she did.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47- It's hard for people - to come to terms with it.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51- Some of the people who live - in the same building...
0:20:51 > 0:20:54- ..have either moved out - or intend to move out...
0:20:55 > 0:21:00- ..because of the effect the - traumatic events have had on them.
0:21:02 > 0:21:07- Friends of Leigh or Ann Sabine - are still looking for answers.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11- Why and how did she keep - the whole thing a secret?
0:21:14 > 0:21:17- She was a show-woman, - she really was.
0:21:17 > 0:21:22- If she could have written - her life story...
0:21:22 > 0:21:24- ..this is what she would have done.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27- This is how she would have - wanted it.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30- People talking about her. - Leaving an impression.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33- That was the way - she would have wanted it.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58- In January 2016...
0:21:58 > 0:22:02- ..John Sabine's funeral took place - at Llantrisant cemetery.
0:22:03 > 0:22:08- The last time he was seen, - he was 67 years old.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14- This is where John Sabine is buried.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17- In this area here.
0:22:18 > 0:22:19- There's no headstone.
0:22:20 > 0:22:21- No. There's no headstone.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29- It was only me and two - others from the investigation...
0:22:30 > 0:22:34- ..his son, Chris Sabine and his wife - and the minister at the graveside.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38- The ceremony was over - in a couple of minutes.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42- What was the feeling here, - on the day?
0:22:42 > 0:22:48- It was quite sad, because - it was such a simple ceremony.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51- It was over in a couple of minutes.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55- But it marked the conclusion - for the investigation team.
0:22:56 > 0:23:01- The body that we'd found - had been named and buried.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04- That was it.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11- It was a fascinating case.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14- To think that Leigh Ann Sabine...
0:23:14 > 0:23:17- ..had kept the whole thing - a secret for so long.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19- It's hard to believe.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22- Although she avoided being caught - and punished...
0:23:22 > 0:23:26- ..at least there were finally - some answers for John's family...
0:23:26 > 0:23:29- ..regarding his death.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58- S4C Subtitles by Testun Cyf.
0:23:58 > 0:23:59- .