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Episode 3

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-In a murder case...

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-..it's a race against time

-to discover what happened.

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-Where, why and who's responsible?

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-I'm Mali Harries

-and I want to learn more...

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-..about a detective's work.

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-The scrutiny and analysis.

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-The interrogation and psychology.

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-Tonight I meet the detectives...

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-..who spent decades

-trying to catch John Cooper...

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-..a man who committed

-two double murders in Pembrokeshire.

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-I am not a murderer!

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-I discover what it was like

-coming face to face with the killer.

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-I am not a murderer. I don't care

-whether you believe it or not.

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-I am not a murderer.

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-Pembrokeshire is renowned for its

-rugged and picturesque coastline.

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-The county came to the world's

-attention for two double murders...

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-..that remained unsolved

-for decades.

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-Sunday night, December 1985.

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-Three days before Christmas...

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-..Scoveston Park mansion

-near Milford Haven was ablaze.

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-The fire brigade

-raced to control the flames.

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-It became obvious early on

-that this blaze wasn't an accident.

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-I received a phone call

-on Monday morning...

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-..to go to Milford Haven.

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-A body had been discovered

-in a fire at Scoveston Park.

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-The body of a man...

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-..by the name of Richard Thomas

-was discovered on the landing.

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-Firefighters

-dragged him out of the house.

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-He had been shot in the stomach.

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-Richard Thomas

-was a 58-year-old local farmer.

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-After being shot in the stomach

-near the farm's outhouses...

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-..he was dragged into the house.

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-There was no sign

-of his sister, Helen.

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-The house was burnt to the ground.

-Only rubble was left.

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-Firefighters,

-police and forensics...

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-..trawled through the rubble

-and found Helen Thomas' body.

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-She had been burnt to a cinder

-and was buried beneath the rubble.

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-Helen Thomas was 54 years old.

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-During the blaze, her body had

-fallen from her upstairs bedroom...

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-..to the ground floor.

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-She'd been tied with a rope...

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-..before being shot in the head.

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-150 police officers

-joined the investigation.

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-They suspected Richard Thomas

-had interrupted a burglary...

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-..at Scoveston Park, but there were

-no witnesses and no fingerprints.

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-Nobody knew why anyone would want to

-murder Richard and Helen Thomas...

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-..at Scoveston.

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-The police

-had no idea who was responsible.

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-The summer of 1989 in Pembrokeshire

-was warm and dry.

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-Among the tourists

-camping at Little Haven...

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-..were Peter and Gwenda Dixon.

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-The pair, from Witney near Oxford...

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-..came to Pembrokeshire every year

-to walk the Coastal Path.

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-In June...

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-..on the final day

-of their holiday...

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-..the pair had gone for

-one last walk before returning home.

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-Three days later,

-their car was still on the campsite.

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-The married couple had vanished.

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-Their son was expecting them back on

-the Monday but they never returned.

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-He didn't know where they'd gone

-or what had happened to them.

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-After combing the area...

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-..police found their bodies in

-undergrowth near the Coastal Path.

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-Gwenda Dixon

-had been shot in the back.

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-Peter Dixon's hands had been tied

-behind his back before being shot.

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-The murderer

-had stolen Peter Dixon's bank card.

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-It had been used in Pembroke,

-Carmarthen and Haverfordwest.

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-The person using the card became

-the focus of the investigation.

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-Several witnesses

-in Pembroke and Haverfordwest...

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-..had seen a man

-they described as a wild man...

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-..with an old bike.

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-They came up with an artist's

-impression of the suspect...

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-..based on a witness's description

-of the man in Haverfordwest.

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-This was the person

-who used Peter Dixon's bank card...

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-..and this, in our eyes,

-was the murderer.

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-But with more than

-4,000 statements...

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-..the police

-were drowning in paperwork.

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-Detectives pursued various theories

-and a possible IRA connection.

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-At the end of November,

-next to a public path in Newgale...

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-..they came across

-a cache of weapons and explosives.

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-Two members of the IRA retrieved

-them and they were arrested.

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-People thought...

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-..that Peter and Gwenda Dixon

-had been murdered by the IRA.

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-With two double murders unsolved...

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-..Dyfed-Powys Police

-was under pressure.

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-A spate of burglaries in the east

-of Milford Haven were also unsolved.

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-Operation Huntsman was launched to

-try and get answers to those cases.

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-What we did in the end was look at

-where the burglaries were happening.

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-We tried to work out

-where each of them had taken place.

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-There were

-close to 250 burglaries in all.

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-This map clearly shows the pattern.

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-This is a two-mile radius.

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-This is the area

-where houses were being burgled.

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-This is where police dogs...

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-..were tracking the footprints

-of the burglar back over the fields.

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-These are coming from

-different directions.

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-The burglar was throwing

-police dogs off the scent...

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-..by scattering curry powder...

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-..and wearing gloves

-to avoid leaving fingerprints.

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-At night, he was also watching

-the police's efforts to catch him.

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-He was an accomplished planner

-because he did everything on land.

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-All these barbed wire fences

-had been cut.

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-These blue dots

-are where he'd cut the fences?

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-Yes, he cut the fences for

-one purpose - for a quick getaway.

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-If he was rumbled in the house...

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-..he could scarper,

-knowing he had a clear getaway...

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-..with no fence to stop him.

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-Police questioned locals...

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-..and collected fingerprints and

-blood from men in St Mary's Park.

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-Of all the locals, only two men

-refused to give blood samples...

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-..one of whom was afraid of needles.

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-The other was John Cooper.

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-John Cooper was a farm labourer

-who liked playing darts.

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-In the 1970s, he won 90,000

-in a spot-the-ball competition...

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-..before spending it

-and gambling it all away.

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-He had a reputation

-for being violent.

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-It's no wonder witnesses didn't come

-forward with John Cooper's name.

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-His family

-and the locals were afraid of him.

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-He attacked his landlord,

-who was so afraid...

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-..that he didn't ask John Cooper

-for rent ever again.

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-Jim Morris

-visited Cooper at his home.

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-He noticed videos that'd been stolen

-in the burglaries on his shelf.

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-I had a conversation with him.

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-I knew straightaway he was the man.

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-The police

-found a glove, a balaclava...

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-..and a gun in Sardis

-following an armed robbery there.

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-After arresting John Cooper...

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-..and searching his house...

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-..they found further evidence...

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-..including keys he'd kept

-from the houses he'd burgled.

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-500 keys were found

-in the sceptic tank.

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-They were recovering items

-well into September...

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-..almost nine months

-after he was arrested.

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-They're using me to clear old

-crimes. They shouldn't be allowed.

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-Shouldn't be allowed.

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-In December 1998...

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-..after being found guilty of 30

-burglaries and one armed robbery...

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-..John Cooper

-was jailed for 16 years.

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-He was also under suspicion

-for the two double murders.

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-There was also a possible connection

-to a sexual assault in the area.

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-In March 1996...

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-..a man in a black balaclava

-threatened five teenagers...

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-..in Steynton near Milford Haven.

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-He was armed with a shotgun.

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-He ordered them to lie on the floor.

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-He raped one girl...

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-..and sexually assaulted another.

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-As he left, he fired his gun...

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-..into the air.

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-We used Cooper's voice...

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-..among other voices

-as voice identification.

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-Four of the youths

-picked out Cooper's voice.

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-But this evidence alone wasn't

-enough to bring a case against him.

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-We kept in mind the possibility...

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-..that the double murders

-of the Dixons and the Thomases...

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-..were related to this case.

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-But we had to find concrete

-evidence, forensic evidence...

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-..which we didn't have.

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-They needed more evidence,

-and urgently too...

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-..otherwise John Cooper

-would once again be free.

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-Subtitles

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-Subtitles

-

-Subtitles

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-At the turn of the Millennium...

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-..thief John Cooper was in prison.

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-With the mystery of Pembrokeshire's

-two double murders still unsolved...

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-..police were keen

-to interview Cooper again.

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-It's Bullseye.

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-And here's your host, Jim Bowen.

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-In May 1989, John Cooper appeared

-on the Bullseye programme on ITV.

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-You've got an unusual hobby, John.

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-You've got an unusual hobby, John.

-

-Yes, the scuba diving.

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-It's the place to do it down there.

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-It's the place to do it down there.

-

-We've got the coastline, yes.

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-It was filmed a month before Peter

-and Gwenda Dixon were killed...

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-..near Pembrokeshire's Coastal Path.

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-What are you going to do?

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-What are you going to do?

-

-We'd like to gamble.

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-In 2009,

-after launching Operation Ottawa...

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-..to reopen the murders...

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-..detectives

-got hold of this footage.

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-After watching the footage,

-there was a similarity...

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-..between Cooper's appearance

-and the artist's impression.

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-The similarity was astounding. John

-Cooper was now their main focus.

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-Evidence found at Cooper's house...

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-..was sent for forensic tests

-to see if developments in DNA...

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-..could provide detectives

-with answers.

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-In 2008, Cooper was

-about to be released from prison.

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-The team decided

-to question him about the murders.

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-This is the detective who came

-face to face with John Cooper.

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-I was just going through things

-and keeping him talking...

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-..because we were told

-not to make him angry.

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-Didn't part of you want him to

-lose his temper in the interviews?

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-Yes, but the advice

-we were given was...

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-.."It's a long journey,

-there are many subjects...

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-"..and we have to go through things

-thoroughly, so don't rile him."

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-It's hard because when you're aware

-of the details of the murders...

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-..it does affect you,

-but you have to hold back...

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-..desensitise yourself and

-process things professionally.

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-They had a detailed strategy...

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-..and many pieces of evidence

-to flag up.

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-I remember the first time I saw him,

-he looked straight at me...

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-..and he said,

-"Have I met you before?"

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-I said, "I don't think so."

-He said, "I'm glad about that."

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-He was a cold, clinical man.

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-He was devoid of emotion.

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-One item of interest

-was Peter Dixon's wedding ring...

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-..that had been stolen.

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-Can you confirm whether or not

-that's your signature on the bottom?

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-Yes, that looks like my signature.

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-They found

-a receipt signed by JW Cooper...

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-..for the sale

-of a 22-carat wedding band...

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-..in the week

-the Dixons were killed.

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-But according to Cooper,

-he'd sold his own wedding ring...

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-..though he didn't recall

-what it looked like.

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-He was trying

-to dupe the police yet again.

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-I said I found it hard to believe

-he couldn't recall his own ring.

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-Only one person

-recorded in Pembrokeshire...

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-..as selling

-a wedding ring during that period.

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-Was that Peter Dixon's ring

-you sold on that day?

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-Definitely not, no.

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-Another item was the gun used

-in the armed robbery in Sardis.

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-John Cooper was making notes

-during the interviews.

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-I could read the odd word

-as the interview was progressing.

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-I remember

-looking at what he'd written...

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-..in relation to the gun

-he'd used in Sardis...

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-..he scribbled a lot

-about the Sardis gun...

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-..and destruction order.

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-Why was he bothered about this gun?

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-Why did he

-give this gun so much thought?

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-They sent off the gun for tests

-and removed the paintwork.

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-Beneath the paint

-they found the blood DNA...

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-..of Peter Dixon.

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-In December 2008...

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-..while police were waiting

-for further forensic tests...

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-..Cooper

-was released early on licence.

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-Soon, there would be

-damning evidence against him.

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-A fibre from Richard Thomas' sock...

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-..matched the fibres found in the

-pocket of a pair of Cooper's shorts.

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-Fibres from his glove were found

-on Peter and Gwenda Dixon's bodies.

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-And fibres from Cooper's glove...

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-..also matched those from

-the sexual assault in Milford Haven.

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-In May 2009...

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-..detectives decided

-to arrest him again.

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-In his car was a rope and gloves.

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-But Cooper

-continued to deny everything.

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-Gareth Rees interviewed him again.

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-This time,

-armed with forensic evidence...

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-..such as his shorts that had traces

-of Peter Dixon's blood on them.

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-During the interview...

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-..I was trying to get Cooper

-to confess they were his shorts.

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-Have you ever seen the shorts

-in this photograph before?

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-I believe those are my bathers.

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-We believe Cooper took the shorts

-from the murders at Little Haven...

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-..and had them shortened

-in the years afterwards...

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-..sealing the DNA

-under the hem of the shorts.

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-Those have come back...

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-..with DNA profiles...

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-..which match

-to within one in a billion...

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-..the profile of the DNA

-of Peter Dixon, the murder victim.

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-Will you tell me...

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-..what happened on 29 June 1989...

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-..at that location in Little Haven?

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-I am not a murderer.

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-I don't care whether you believe it

-or not. I am not a murderer.

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-You're making things fit to John

-Cooper and it's bloody annoying.

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-The facts are,

-throughout this enquiry...

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-..the only person

-we haven't been able to eliminate...

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-..and whose name

-constantly crops up is you.

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-I've no further questions.

-I'm turning the tape recorder off.

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-In March 2011...

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-..Cooper stood trial

-at Swansea Crown Court.

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-After two months in the dock...

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-..the jury found John Cooper

-guilty of both double murders...

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-..and the sexual assault.

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-At Swansea Crown Court...

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-..John Cooper

-was given four life sentences.

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-The judge, John Griffith Williams,

-said he was a dangerous man...

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-..and if it hadn't been

-for advances in DNA techniques...

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-..he may well

-have continued to evade capture.

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-I felt a sense of pride.

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-He was a very devious man.

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-He was clued up

-on forensic matters...

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-..but he hadn't foreseen

-future methods.

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-In the end...

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-..it was advances in forensics

-that led to his downfall.

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-When he was sentenced in court,

-I thought, thank God for that.

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-I have to admit,

-I left the court quietly.

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-I didn't go and have a pint.

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-I shed a few tears.

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-Thank God he'll never be freed.

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-Peter and Gwenda Dixon's family...

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-..return to Pembrokeshire every year

-to lay flowers in memory.

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-I can't help but think

-that they themselves...

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-..have had to serve a 20-year

-sentence to find the truth.

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-It's thanks to the perseverance

-of detectives and scientists...

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-..that they eventually managed to

-put John Cooper back behind bars...

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-..where he'll spend

-the rest of his days.

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-S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.

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