But a judge ruled his confession about Becky Godden inadmissible because DS Fulcher had repeatedly failed to correctly caution the killer and questioned him without a lawyer. Why on earth had this killer been given every conceivable privilege, while a brave, upstanding detective was hung out to dry? Episode six of the six-part series will air tonight Monday . There is another comfort, too. And a high-heeled boot Sian was wearing before she was abducted on her way home from a nightclub in 2011. He quit in 2014 after a disciplinary hearing, but the Hobbit star has defended Fulcher's actions, telling the Series Linked TV podcast:'There aren't enough police on the ground. His career was in tatters. But back then it seems the Wiltshire Force was more preoccupied with a crusade against an officer for failing to follow procedure even when obeying that procedure could have prevented two grieving families gaining a terrible, final closure. A police telephone trace threw up a clue - he had texted her half an hour after she left the nightclub saying, 'Worried'. Simone Lee was held captive in her home in Limerick by her former friend Christopher Stokes, who mercilessly beat her, placed bin liner over her head, and also poured boiling water over her before setting the apartment on fire on May 11, 2021. Martin Freeman plays DS Stephen Fulcher in new ITV drama A Confession. It turned out to be the remains of Becky. A new team found witnesses and analysis showed a spade seized from Halliwells shed in 2011 had the same unique soil DNA as the field in which Becky was found. If she had traveled 12 miles in just half an hour, that meant the journey from Swindon Old Town could only have been made in a vehicle. Halliwell was charged with two life terms for the murders of both women and is likely to die in prison. Published: Monday, 30th September 2019 at 7:00 am. Monday 7 October 2019, 5:22pm. Fulcher, now 49, was then suspended from the Force before being disciplined for gross misconduct and ultimately hounded out of his job. 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But then Halliwell had a second horrific confession. August 30, 2016 - Retired High Court judge Sir John Griffith Williams rules that the jury can be told of Halliwell's conviction for Miss O'Callaghan's murder and his confession to Miss Godden's murder. Under the PACE code of practice (relating to The Police And Criminal Evidence Act of 1984), DS Fulcher should have taken Halliwell straight back to the police station as soon as he confessed to Beckys murder. The fallout for Steve Fulcher was huge. It doesnt even sound true. As he points out, however, his focus was on one thing: finding Sian. You dont sleep, you dont eat, its a 24/7 commitment, says Fulcher. In May 2014, Fulcher resigned from Wiltshire Police. Halliwell might have been far more prolific than even I had feared.. Met Eireann has pinpointed a two-week period where 'weather warnings or impactful weather are possible'. Fulcher was disciplined for misconduct and later resigned, losing his 500,000 police pension and selling his house. You might think that witness statement would be taken, but it never has been to my knowledge. Later that year, he resigned, his police career over. Quite rightly it gives protection to the innocent. Four days later, Fulcher said significant lines of inquiry were being developed and he revealed that they were looking for information and witnesses of a green Toyota Avensis with taxi markings that had been seen in the area after her disappearance. Got Christopher Halliwell to confess to 2nd murder . ', A killer locked up and the end of a police career. Theres no question in my mind Halliwell murdered other girls, Fulcher says. May 23, 2011 - Halliwell is charged with Miss Godden's murder. The manner in which Steve gained Halliwells confession to killing second victim Becky Godden-Edwards breached police procedure by failing to caution him and denying access to a solicitor. Her name would not be discovered for some days, after her DNA was checked. A re-investigation began and evidence re-analysed. It has been devastating for everyone, he says quietly. Five days after her disappearance and desperate to find Sian alive, police had closed in on suspect Halliwell. He tells Tim Lewis why he'd do it again Tim. Moreover, as forensic officers set to work, Fulcher was unprepared for what came next. There had been years of endless worry as they investigated me. He lost his police pension worth 500,000, had to sell his house and now works training police in war-torn Somalia. One of the cases to which Halliwell has been linked is that of mother-of-four Linda Razzell, 41, who disappeared from Highworth, near Swindon, on March 19, 2002. Fulcher is more than qualified to reflect on how British policing has changed. Later investigators discovered soil on a spade which placed Halliwell in the field where Becky was found, leading to his conviction by jury in 2016. Fulcher himself spent hours questioning Halliwell at Barbury Castle, breaking down his defences and sharing his cigarettes and forming a connection. Haliwell was jailed for life in 2012 for beating and stabbing Sian O'Callaghan - who he believed resembled his mother - to death, before pushing her body into a 12ft ravine. Martin Freeman has defended the police detective he plays in a new drama whose career was ruined after using 'questionable' methods to catch a killer. The following month, he learned he had been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission. Christopher Halliwells lawyers argued successfully that the confession should not be put before a jury. [Wiltshire police] chose not to pursue it. Steve Fulcher placed Halliwell under surveillance and he was seen cleaning his car, disposing of materials in litter bins, and burning objects at night. He wanted to use what he believed were emergency powers, to be used only when there is an imminent threat to life. I heard nothing for 10 months, he recalls. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Sick cabbie Christopher Halliwell is serving life for murdering two women, Steve Fulcher, the detective who put him behind bars, says there could be dozens more victims, Police unearthed a 'stash of trophies' 15 miles from Sian O'Callaghan's body, The fiend also revealed where cops could find the body of Becky Godden, Potential victim Claudia Lawrence has been missing since March 19, 2009, The disappearance of Thi Hai Nguyen, 20, has been linked to the killer, Along with mother-of-three Tina Pryer, 39, who was last seen in 2001, Last September Halliwell was convicted of killing Becky and burying her body in a field at Eastleach, Gloucs, The killer, defending himself in court, gloated about how he had ruined the detective's career, A spade recovered from Halliwell's shed after he was found guilty of murdering Becky Godden, Twisted Christopher Halliwell could have raped and killed dozens more women as cops look into trophy store, Frogmore eviction shows King Charles has drawn a line with Harry - now he must do two more things with the spoilt brat, Harry's vicious attacks on Camilla could not be forgiven by King Charles - he had to hit back, Constance Marten: Baby's body found after massive police search, as cops question runaway aristocrat & Mark Gordon, Rishi Sunak to finally unveil delayed small boats law next week after Brexit win, Ministers vow to never use draconian spy law to jail journalists, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). This was roughly 12 miles away. 'I can't rule out that there are other victims. If the media outside the nick had found out, they would have had the headline of the year., News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. 10:45 GMT 24 Sep 2016, By the way, it was a pleasure ruining your career, you corrupt b*****d.. He has written a memoir 'Catching A Serial Killer' upon which "A Confession' is partly based. Murphy explained in the documentary: 'A police officer had the idea of looking at all the police dashboard cameras that were patrolling central Swindon at the time. The next important clue came from a text message sent by Kevin at 3.24am, which was received on Sian's phone; analysis showed that her mobile phone had been in the Savernake Forest area at the time the message arrived. In an explosive new book, Catching A Serial Killer, Steve tells the inside story of the case and how his quest for justice cost him his job. Senior investigating officer Steve Fulcher was found not to have followed procedures on the treatment of suspects, meaning Halliwell's confession was inadmissible in court. Sian's mother Elaine Pickford says what he did was understandable to her family. For nine long minutes Halliwell said nothing. The CPS and senior police figures panicked, Fulcher says. Just five days later her body was found in Oxfordshire. However, DS Fulcher, played by Martin Freeman in the ITV drama series, was found guilty of gross misconduct and given a final disciplinary warning. That decision cost DS Fulcher his career. The killer was finally brought to justice by Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher, who discovered he had murdered a second victim while investigating the disappearance of Sian O'Callaghan. All the while, Fulcher delayed making an arrest, hoping Halliwell might lead them to Sian, whom he fervently hoped might still be alive. His story is a true story, and one which . In 2014, the police found "up to 60" items of women's clothing buried in woodland, close to where a pair of Sian's boots had been found. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Halliwell had been busy. As he sentenced him, the judge dismissed Halliwells defence as a cock and bull story and deemed him to be calculating and devious. CCTV taken near the Suju nightclub in Swindon showed her getting into a Toyota taxi owned by Christopher Halliwell, a 47-year-old father of two teenage daughters. Since then, the Christopher Halliwell case has remained at the centre of his life. A Confession is based on the true story of Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher and the disappearance of Sian O'Callaghan. "But for my course of action Becky would still be in that field, Sian would never be found and Christopher Halliwell would be walking the streets.". "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. I did these things because they were the right things to do in these circumstances. A Confession airs on Monday nights on ITV and is available on ITV Hub. It should have been less than a 15-minute walk home to the house she shared with her boyfriend Kevin Reape (played by Charlie Cooper). There is an obsession with procedure at the expense of the bigger picture. I met Sians parents and promised them I wouldnt rest until I found her, he recalls. Halliwell described another victim, a prostitute he said he had killed much earlier, says Steve, and he could take him to the spot where he had buried her as well. Fulcher has lost his career, he works as a security consultant in Africa. September 5, 2016 - Halliwell goes on trial at Bristol Crown Court for Miss Godden's murder. Look no further! Lara Keay For Mailonline, 'These dinosaurs are meant to be EXTINCT! But he also made another confession offering to lead Fulcher to a second body. I gave [Halliwell] a cigarette and he asked to talk to me. Yet no one was interested.. He's not forensically linked to outstanding cases. You can criticise me, but I felt I had no option - there was simply no other way I could have acted that was within the letter of the law. The delay in Halliwells trial with all the resulting trauma was entirely down to an obsession with procedure, rather than the pursuit of justice. OPERS serves 1.2 million workers and retirees. But his decision to break police guidelines and drive Halliwell to where he thought Sian might be found alive, instead of taking him to the police station for a formal interview, was to cost him his job. Her boyfriend raised the alarm and soon Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher was leading the inquiry into her disappearance. "You have to look at the wider picture and say, Alright, do we need to have a way of ensuring that police powers are not abused, that people arent bullied into making confessions?,'" said Gardiner. But there is only no evidence because they havent spoken to the witness.. The last sighting of her was in the Manchester Road area, in the towns red-light district, at 10.45pm on September 8, 1995. There is a fundamental flaw in the law when a detective has to refuse a voluntary confession from a suspect., There remains the question of other possible victims. He drove a car similar to one spotted on CCTV at the time of Sians disappearance. Something went wrong, please try again later. No trace of her has ever been found. Freeman met Fulcher during the filming of A Confession, and Fulcher has now watched the dramatisation. October 19, 2012 - Halliwell admits Miss O'Callaghan's murder at Bristol Crown Court and is jailed for life with a minimum term of 25 years. Her boyfriend, Kevin Reape, raised the alarm at 9.45am the following morning when Sian hadn't turned up at . Fulchers once distinguished career, meanwhile, lies in ruins. There wasnt an alternative that wouldnt involve ruining my chances of Halliwell opening up.. "But we certainly don't get into any of the specifics of those other cases that have been attached there are other murders up and down the country that are now attached to Halliwell, and we absolutely scrupulously did not get into any of that. The lives of Sian OCallaghan, 22, and Becky Godden, 20, had been callously cut short by taxi driver Halliwell, who guided Fulcher to their bodies. Thankfully, circumstantial and forensic evidence ensured Halliwell, 52, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2012 for killing Miss OCallaghan. It is possible that there were other victims before or after Becky but he has never been charged or convicted of any other murders. A High Court judge ruled that this breach of police guidelines made Halliwells confessions of killing both women inadmissible, which nearly derailed the cases. POLICE unearthed the stash of trophies just 15 miles from where serial killer Christopher Halliwell had led them to Sian OCallaghans body. Fulcher's career was left in tatters when he was found guilty of misconduct after prompting a second murder confession from Sian O'Callaghan's killer Christopher Halliwell. He then offered to take the detective to the spot where he'd buried another victim, and procedure dictated that Fulcher should have charged Halliwell and returned him to a police stationwhere he had access to a solicitor - he decided not to. But Beckys family was having to wait for justice. Pope said: Watching the series with him afterwards, it was almost unbearable. This, despite the fact he had caught Halliwell, a murderer and possible serial killer. In January 2012, at a preliminary hearing, Mrs Justice Cox ruled the confession obtained by Fulcher was inadmissible at trial. Wiltshire Police told the BBC: The IPCC investigation concluded that a misconduct hearing should take place to consider potential gross misconduct. A murder trial began, and in 2016, after two hours of deliberation, a jury found Christopher Halliwell guilty of the murder of Becky Godden-Edwards. Steve explained that Halliwell told him to drive them to a local beauty spot, a chalk white horse at Uffington - which turned out to be where he had dumped Sian O'Callaghan's body. 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Realising something was seriously wrong when Sian failed to come home or answer his texts, Kevin raised the alarm. In 2014, he was found guilty of misconduct at a disciplinary hearing. What are the ramifications of that? Fulcher opened up on the case last year on ITV documentary To Catch A Serial Killer - With Trevor McDonald. How was the killer Christopher Halliwell caught? Im terrified for that poor baby. With equity release you could access a lump-sum of tax-free cash which can be used to enhance your retirement income, make home improvements, or even enjoy a memorable holiday. Catching a double killer led to Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher being hailed a hero by the families and twice nominated for a Queens Police Medal. It seemed astonishing to me they were not pursing lines of enquiry. 2021 Associated Newspapers Limited. February 18, 2015 - Halliwell is arrested on suspicion of murdering Miss Godden. "Generally, we echo Fulcher's belief that there are other victims," Pope said, explaining the drama's approach to the question. At this point, with the focus shifting from kidnap to murder, Fulcher should, according to guidelines drawn up in The Police and Criminal Evidence Act of 1984 (PACE), have cautioned Halliwell again. After joining the Wiltshire force in 2003, Fulcher was promoted to Detective Superintendent. In the aftermath of Halliwells arrest, Fulcher was nominated for a Queens Police Medal the highest honour in policing for his work in extracting the brutal killers confession. , updated Five days after her kidnap, they spotted Halliwell buying enough pills to kill himself so they swooped on his car and carried out an urgent interview. Beckys mother, Karen Edwards, began a petition calling for a change to arrest guidelines. As a result of this procedural failure, Halliwells confession regarding both murders was ruled inadmissible in court. TWISTED Christopher Halliwell could be one of Britains worst serial killers, says the detective who put him behind bars. But the story is no work of fiction. As he rose through the ranks, he enhanced his professional accomplishments with a postgraduate diploma and subsequent masters in Criminology. He took the team to a field in Gloucestershire where the remains of a second woman were later found. ', He considered his actions: 'Should I stop him confessing? It took a jury just two hours to find him guilty. The public needs to know what the police wont do if their own daughter went missing.