The worst part, Fulcher says, is none of its surprising. All I could do was try to keep him talking.. I wondered, did they belong to the six other victims I suspected Halliwell of killing? Natalie Corner For Mailonline, Trophy hunter mother, 41, who has travelled the world to kill more than ONE HUNDRED animals claims her hobby HELPS preserve wild species, Bodyguard creator Jed Mercurio teases that Julia Montague is ALIVE - as he reveals how he manages to keep the show's plot a secret, TIMELINE OF A DOUBLE KILLING: HOW CHRISTOPHER HALLIWELL MURDERED TWO WOMEN THEN THWARTED JUSTICE FOR VICTIM'S FAMILY. Fulcher was disciplined for misconduct and later resigned, losing his 500,000 police pension and selling his house. , updated TWISTED Christopher Halliwell could be one of Britains worst serial killers, says the detective who put him behind bars. Fulcher played by Sherlocks Martin Freeman ended up in a difficult ethical position that led him to find the killer, but in an unorthadox manner that ultimately ended his career in the police force. That is always in your mind, he says. Steve says Halliwell then asked him, "Do you want another one?"'. I cannot believe that was his first offence from being a burglar in the 1980s to a murderer in 2003. "He later decided of his own volition to resign from Wiltshire Police.". 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. By effectively acting to ensure Halliwells life was preserved, I was potentially going to cause the death of his victim, he recalls. A Confession is a six-part ITV drama. Sians only crime was to resemble Halliwells own mother, who he hated. For two days undercover police in 12 vehicles kept him under constant surveillance in the hope he would lead them to Sian. But who was driving the vehicle? The judge said I acted in good faith, he says. Martin Freeman - plays Supt Det Steve Fulcher. Det Supt Fulcher had risen through the ranks at Sussex Police before moving to Wiltshire. AN early suspect in Sians murder was one of Steves bosses Deputy Chief Constable of Wiltshire Dave Ainsworth. Sian's mother Elaine Pickford says what he did was understandable to. A Confession is based on the true story of Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher and the disappearance of Sian O'Callaghan. You might think that witness statement would be taken, but it never has been to my knowledge. He later decided of his own volition to resign from Wiltshire Police.. Realising something was seriously wrong when Sian failed to come home or answer his texts, Kevin raised the alarm. If we mention one of those names a family might think, 'oh, I wonder if' So we very carefully say, 'We believe there are other victims,' and leave it at that. Her boyfriend raised the alarm and soon Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher was leading the inquiry into her disappearance. But he later moved her to Uffington, where he pushed her body into the 12ft deep overgrown ravine. She was a drug addict and sex worker, and after she disappeared her mother Karen Edwards (played by Imelda Staunton) had spent years hoping she would return. I pleaded with him for Sians life, he recalls. The force arranged for an independent misconduct panel to convene. I did these things because they were the right things to do in these circumstances. After Halliwell's arrest, Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher made an unusual decision with huge ramifications. It also meant Halliwell was able to evade justice for Becky's murder when he was found guilty of Sian's killing in 2012. The CPS should have appealed. Human remains were uncovered at a field in Gloucestershire, and they turned out to belong to Becky. When OCallaghan was reported missing on 19 March 2011, DS Steve Fulcher of Wiltshire Police was brought in to lead the case. Fulcher has lost his career, he works as a security consultant in Africa. But forensic evidence that has been used to convict [Halliwell] was available back in 2011. Its taken all this time for Beckys case to come to court, he says. The investigation into her murder was headed up by DS Fulcher who charged cab driver Chris Halliwell with the abduction of the office worker. In his book, Steve says: At the bottom of a pond that was 8ft deep they found Sian OCallaghans distinctive boot. The panel considered independently whether or not the actions of Steve Fulcher had breached the standards of professional behaviour that apply to all police officers in England and Wales. A Confession airs on Monday nights on ITV and is available on ITV Hub. Thankfully, circumstantial and forensic evidence ensured Halliwell, 52, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2012 for killing Miss OCallaghan. "Generally, we echo Fulcher's belief that there are other victims," Pope said, explaining the drama's approach to the question. In it, he argues that his actions were to preserve the life of a hostage, as he was working on the assumption OCallaghan could still be alive and that Halliwell could lead him to her. He wanted to use what he believed were emergency powers, to be used only when there is an imminent threat to life. He just found it so difficult because youve managed to take him straight back into the most awful events of his life.. But on that same afternoon, Halliwell was observed buying a large quantity of pills. A police telephone trace threw up a clue - he had texted her half an hour after she left the nightclub saying, 'Worried'. On 24 March, OCallaghans body was found in a shallow grave near Uffington, Oxfordshire, and Christopher Halliwell, a 47-year-old taxi driver from Swindon was arrested, charged and later sentenced to a life sentence for the murder. Once Halliwell was in custody, Fulcher was hailed by his superiors. 11:00 GMT 03 Sep 2019. He maintains that he would not have persuaded Halliwell to confess had he not taken this gamble. Another potential victim is prostitute Sally Ann John, 24, who vanished from Swindon in 1995. ", GMB's Susanna Reid forced to change outfit after fears it was too 'racy' for morning TV, Good Morning Britain presenter Susanna Reid has revealed she had to make last minute alterations to her dress after bosses and herself feared it was too racy for morning television, Who is Lisa Hogan? He also told The Guardian in 2017 that he believed Halliwell was responsible for more murders, as more than 60 items of womens clothing were found buried in woodland near Marlborough, including OCallaghans brown boots and Godden-Edwardss cardigan. I was prepared for this his case wasnt defendable so it was the only thing they could do but I thought reason would prevail. Having guided them to the remote spot where he had dumped her body, Halliwell had suddenly confessed: Im a sick f***er. 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.. 'He had done what I considered to be the right thing. Fulcher made the decision. "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.". Just five days later her body was found in Oxfordshire. 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. Joe Absolom plays the Swindon taxi driver Christopher Halliwell who had taken the lives of two you women. Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher, 52, from Wiltshire, was one of the most respected officers in the UK when he caught taxi driver Christopher Halliwell in 2011, who went on to confess to the murder ofSian O'Callaghan, 22. A suspect soon popped up in the shape of taxi driver Christopher Halliwell, whose green Toyota Avensis had been seen near the nightclub and close to Savernake Forest, where Sians mobile had last given off a signal. An investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission in 2013 found the police officer had a case to answer for gross misconduct for ignoring force orders. We walked away and he said Do you want another one? He then told me he had killed a girl in 2003, 4 or 5, and he could take me to that body the exact spot.. Something went wrong, please try again later. A wealth of experience which was brought to bear when, on March 19th 2011, office administrator Sian OCallaghan was reported missing by her boyfriend after being last seen outside a nightclub in Swindon town centre in the small hours. 'He showed me a list of girls' names that he kept in his phone of those that trusted him as a taxi driver. 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. She too had been strangled. The decision Steve made to follow Halliwell's taunt almost derailed the case against the killer in court, and ultimately cost the officer his job. But Fulcher had taken a different course: 'We drove for about 45 minutes trying to keep him in the moment. For his emotion, when it comes, isnt for his own plight, but that of Becky, Sian, and their families. 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. As a result of being found guilty of gross misconduct in January 2014, Steve Fulcher was given a final written warning, which could have led to his dismissal if he'd fallen foul of any more. Buried around the pond were more items of womens clothing. Worse was to come: as the year unfolded, Fulcher learned that Halliwells legal team would attempt to get the charges thrown out on the basis that Fulcher had not adequately followed PACE guidelines. Five days after her disappearance and desperate to find Sian alive, police had closed in on suspect Halliwell. It need never have been so. Ultimately, Halliwell confessed to two murders to Fulcher and led the police to the bodies of both Sian and Becky. How Christopher Halliwell was brought to justice. He took the team to a field in Gloucestershire where the remains of a second woman were later found. Fulchers once distinguished career, meanwhile, lies in ruins. Her husband Glyn has spent 13 years in jail for her murder but maintains his innocence. He was found guilty in January 2014 and given a final written warning by a disciplinary tribunal. The 2022 loss represents about 12% of the total portfolio. Latest weather models confirm that a bitter cold snap is on the way for Ireland. The last sighting of her was in the Manchester Road area, in the towns red-light district, at 10.45pm on September 8, 1995. Detective Chief Inspector Sean Memory said there could be an "innocent explanation" but pointed out: "Someone has made some effort to hide it. Youre seriously telling me theres nothing in between or either side? Instead of bringing Halliwell back to Gablecross police station in Swindon where he would have had access to a solicitor, Fulcher ordered his officers to take Halliwell to a nearby Iron Age hill fort called Barbury Castle. Another potential victim is prostitute Sally Ann John, 24, who vanished from Swindon in 1995. 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. I can understand what happened to Fulcher happened to Fulcher. 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However, four years later judge Sir John Griffith Williams decided that Fulcher's evidence could and should be heard in court as part of the case. For nine long minutes Halliwell said nothing. Finally, Halliwell confessed to Sian's murder and offered to take him to Sian's body, leading the police to her burial spot. Fearful that Halliwell might take his own life, he felt he had no choice but to arrest him on suspicion of kidnap the first of a number of difficult dilemmas he would face. Do you want another one?. Look no further! By then he had amassed an impressive CV, presiding over dozens of large investigations. "Because you don't want to mention a name and then give a family false hope. You can unsubscribe at any time. Only two of the items have ever been identified a cardigan worn by Becky, who disappeared in Swindon in 2003. 10:45 GMT 24 Sep 2016, By the way, it was a pleasure ruining your career, you corrupt b*****d.. Halliwell was convicted of Beckys murder in September 2016. At 9.45am he called the police to report that his girlfriend had gone missing. Despite these hopes, Fulcher was wrong. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Det Supt Sean Memory, the senior investigating officer in the Godden case, said after he was convicted in 2016 that Halliwell may have killed others. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. In January 2012, at a preliminary hearing, Mrs Justice Cox ruled the confession obtained by Fulcher was inadmissible at trial. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. It has been devastating for everyone, he says quietly. He was given a whole-life jail tariff. Yet no one was interested.. The nadir came in January 2014, when he was found guilty of gross misconduct after a hearing at which, notably, Karen Godden, Beckys mother insisted on accompanying him to show her support. Thats the question a new true-crime dramatisation asks, as it tells the story of a detective in a 2011 murder case who was found guilty of gross misconduct, but resulted in the conviction of a murderer guilty of two brutal killings. 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. They are puppets blowing with the prevailing political wind. A decorated police detective whose career was left in tatters after he decided to pursue a confession from a suspected killer without following strict policing guidelines, has said he has no regrets. What happened in the interim eight years?". All rights reserved. However, DS Fulcher, played by Martin Freeman in the ITV drama series, was found guilty of gross misconduct and given a final disciplinary warning. Monday 7 October 2019, 5:22pm. But a secret trophy store of 60 items of womens clothing suggests dozens more victims may have been raped or killed by him. 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. View our online Press Pack. When do the clocks change in 2023? It is possible that there were other victims before or after Becky but he has never been charged or convicted of any other murders. It is a colossal effort. As a result of this procedural failure, Halliwells confession regarding both murders was ruled inadmissible in court. Steve had been found guilty of gross misconduct by the Independent Police Complaints Commission for not reading Halliwell his rights and taking him back to the police station. 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 another comfort, too. Instead, seeing a window of opportunity, hed driven him to the field where Halliwell claimed another body would be found. In January 2003Becky Godden, then aged 20, is last seen alive after getting into a taxi outside Destiny & Desire nightclub in Swindon. Natalie Corner For Mailonline But without common sense it gives too much protection to the guilty and not the victim, he says. However, that's not to say he hasn't committed other offences. 10:35 GMT 03 Sep 2019 It's just not going to happen. He was only convicted of Becky's murder in 2016 after a new detective took over the investigation. If Im right, well I take comfort from the fact that he hasnt been able to do that since 2011. Fulcher, now 49, was then suspended from the Force before being disciplined for gross misconduct and ultimately hounded out of his job. There is a significant gap in his offending. 12:20 GMT 20 Sep 2018 It was a terrible Catch 22. , updated Then he said Have you got a car, lets go. Joe Absolom, which has been gripping audiences for the past six weeks. "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. It is based on a true-life inquiry which led to a police officer losing his career. This almost derailed the court case against Halliwell and called into question one of the most important principles of the criminal justice system. On the day of his arrest, Halliwell spoke to Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher, and admitted to murdering two women and dumping their bodies in shallow graves. The car had been seen on CCTV pulling up next to Sian on her way home. He drove a car similar to one spotted on CCTV at the time of Sians disappearance. When cornered by detectives, Halliwell admitted that he had killed Sian and led them to her body. And then, out of the blue, the taxi driver said: "Do you want another one?". It turned out to be the remains of Becky. In September 2013, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) found that Fulcher had a case to answer for "gross misconduct" for breaches of PACE and for ignoring force orders. A TIMELINE: How Christopher Halliwell was brought to justice. But to get those confessions, Fulcher was accused of breaching the guidelines of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) by failing to caution Halliwell and denying him access to a solicitor at the time the confessions were obtained. Threat to life to use what he did was understandable to 's not to he... Another one? `` ' principles of the office worker, which has been did steve fulcher lose his pension my knowledge but a trophy! False hope had gone missing did steve fulcher lose his pension taken, but it never has been devastating everyone... Field where Halliwell claimed another body would be found given a final written by! At trial try to keep him talking just not going to happen?... 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