The teenager's naked body was found on the promenade by the River Thames . "Claire went out to meet some friends and never came home. 0000007903 00000 n You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. These cookies do not store any personal information. His defence centred around his condition as an epileptic. A convicted killer has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 24 years after being found guilty of murdering a 17-year-old girl more than 30 years ago. Why Alex Murdaugh was spared the death penalty, Why Trudeau is facing calls for a public inquiry, The shocking legacy of the Dutch 'Hunger Winter'. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. But, the reopening of a police "cold" case 30 years later would eventually see him brought to justice. [5] However, the forensic scientists said that the type and location of the evidence meant that this was not a possibility, since the DNA found could not have come from the minimal contact Campbell described. Mark John Phillips Jason Redshaw Stephen Wood. By 2011, he had been downgraded to a Category D prisoner status and was being allowed out into the public on licence for five days every month, before he was arrested over Miss Woolterton's death. Interactive map reveals when you may see SNOW. Advances in DNA analysis helped convict Campbell, 66, of Miss Woolterton's murder 32 years after her death. This is the story of the investigation into Claire Woolterton's brutal murder. London SE26 5NQ Mr Wright said Campbell, who pleaded guilty to hitchhiker Ms Sainsburys manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, killed the 29-year-old in December 1984. When will the Beast from the East be at YOUR door? During his trial at Reading Crown Court, the jury heard Campbell did not feature in the original investigation. "There was a void between those two events.". Claire Woolterton's naked body was found by the River Thames in Windsor. See, for example: List of miscarriage of justice cases in the United Kingdom, Murders of Jacqueline Ansell-Lamb and Barbara Mayo, "The Queen v Colin Frederick Campbell: Sentencing remarks", "Claire Woolterton murder: DNA caught Colin Campbell", "Colin Campbell sentenced to life for Claire Woolterton 1981 murder", "Claire Woolterton 1981 murder: DNA led to Colin Campbell arrest", Sub-postmasters operating the Post Office Horizon computer system, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Colin_Campbell_(murderer)&oldid=1131359214, December 1984 events in the United Kingdom, Court of Appeal (England and Wales) cases, People convicted of murder by England and Wales, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, In 2015, Campbell and the Woolterton case were the subject of an episode of the, In 2021, Campbell and the Woolterton case were the subject of an episode of the, In 2022 Campbell was the subject of episode 9, season 7 of Britains Most Evil Killers, This page was last edited on 3 January 2023, at 20:22. But her killer had left his mark on her body. When the case was reopened in 2011, Campbell was a convicted killer serving a life sentence for the manslaughter of Deirdre Sainsbury, from Greenham, in December 1984. The WORST care homes in England: Interactive map reveals the lowest-rated 2,530 residences - so is there one DR ELLIE CANNON: My breast has not got lumps but it's itchy, should I be concerned about cancer at age 72? acr covid 19 vaccine clinical guidance task force. Thirty years later, small strips of adhesive tapings, about two-inches thick, daubed on the body of Claire by scene of crime officers to remove potential fibres, became key to the reinvestigation. 0 "We asked for certain exhibits seized in the original investigation (into Claire Woolterton's death) and now stored on file to be re-examined," Mr Beirne said. Mr Wright said Campbell, who pleaded guilty to hitch-hiker Ms Sainsbury's manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, killed the 29-year-old in December 1984. After Campbell picked her up as she walked home alone, the 17-year-old was sexually assaulted and had her throat cut. In an open prison and about to be released in the early 2010s, Campbell was finally apprehended for Woolterton's murder, which had led to one of the UK's biggest manhunts at the time and a large amount of press coverage due to it being a murder of a child. But, the reopening of a police "cold" case 30 years later would eventually see him brought to justice. She had. However, his conviction was downgraded to manslaughter on appeal in 1999 after he successfully argued his epilepsy had led him to carry out the frenzied attack. Prosecution counsel Peter Wright QC told the jury the 29-year-old's killing bore strong similarities to that of Claire's. 0000003486 00000 n Can Nigeria's election result be overturned? [5][1] By this time, Campbell had been downgraded to a Category D prison while serving his sentence for Sainsbury's killing, and was being openly allowed out into the public on licence for five days every month in preparation for a possible release. 02:35AM, Friday 22 November 2013. My aim is just to educate and spread awareness about these topics. Miss Woolterton's stepfather Terry Pearce described her as a "lovely girl", who was "very precious" to the family. "After the initial grieving, which was traumatic and immense, you spend your life searching, not trusting, trying to cope with not only your life but your family's life, watching them in their grief and struggling," said Carol Woolterton. Had it not been for his arrest for that offence, Campbell may never have been brought to justice for Claire's murder. "Her head and face had significant injuries but the motive for the killing was - and still is - unclear," said Ch . The 17-year-old girl had been so savagely attacked that it was impossible for doctors to determine whether she had been raped. [5] Tapings were taken from Woolterton's body in the hope that fibres might be found to help identify a suspect, although as DNA profiling was not yet invented as a form of evidence in the early 1980s, the significance of these tapings for DNA evidence was not known at the time. She had initially been attacked at another, unknown location and her body showed physical signs consistent with having been partially asphyxiated and rendered unconscious. Miss Hoeoek was last seen waiting at a bus stop in Georgetown in St Saviour at about 20:00 GMT on 30 December 1966. Miss Sainsbury had also been picked up in Campbell's car while hitchhiking on the South Circular Road in Roehampton, within miles of the last sighting of Miss Woolterton. Killer: Colin Campbell pictured by police in 1981 is already serving a life sentence for the manslaughter of Deirdre Sainsbury but denies murdering Claire, Victims: Deirdre Sainsbury, left, was murdered in December 1984 and her body dumped on a golf course in Buckinghamshire, it is believed that Campbell may also have killed Claire Woolterton, right three years earlier. Miss Sainsbury's family said: "We all still think of Deirdre every day and this trial has brought a lot of the emotions back for us, which were felt when Campbell was tried for his crime all those years ago. 'Cautious' Duke 'was careful not to attack members of the Royal family' says Royal watcher amid fears he 'He's completely beige drained of all his feisty ginger life-blood': JULIE BURCHILL'S verdict on Prince 'I felt different to the rest of my family - and my mum felt the same': Prince Harry opens up on his 'broken 'Hallucinogens have helped me to clean the windscreen of my troubled mind': Prince Harry extols the use of A 14-year-old autistic boy's naive prank. She was picked up in Campbell's car while hitchhiking on the South Circular Road in Roehampton. This will haunt us forever. A "heavy implement" had been used to kill the Finnish au pair. It was then stored by police for 30 years until the case was reviewed in 2011. It was a journey, sadly, that she did not complete.. He added: 'Youre going to hear evidence of two terrible crimes in which two young women met an untimely and dreadful death. Our website accepts all major credit/debit cards via Secure Trading and PayPal. It came at a time another Berkshire "cold case" was yielding similar results. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Alex Murdaugh unanimously found GUILTY of murder of wife and son, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Two Russian tanks annihilated with bombs by Ukrainian armed forces, Isabel Oakeshott clashes with Nick Robinson over Hancock texts. Claire Woolterton's body was found on Barry Avenue, Windsor, on 28 August 1981 "We asked for certain exhibits seized in the original investigation (into Claire Woolterton's death) and now stored . When asked why his DNA had been found on Miss Woolterton's body, Campbell could not explain how it might have happened. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. "I was relieved [when he was convicted], I was happy for Claire's family, they had been through an awful lot." Colin Campbell, 66, centre, who is already serving a life sentence for the manslaughter of Deirdre Sainsbury, left, denies murdering Claire Woolterton, right in August 1981. 17K views 1 year ago A DNA match led to the arrest of a convicted killer in connection with the murder and mutilation of a teenage girl in 1981, a court has heard. So all investigators had was a body dumped in Windsor with the last confirmed sighting the night before in Hanwell. She had been sexually assaulted, and her throat cut. Test yourself with this Cockney Rhyming Slang quiz. [1], In 2013, it materialised that Campbell had in fact already murdered by the time he killed Sainsbury, when he was convicted of the 1981 murder of teenager Claire Woolterton, revealing he was a double killer and indicating that epilepsy was not the reason why he had murdered Sainsbury. "We're talking pre-DNA in terms of what was available to the senior investigating officer in 1981," he said. Airdate: Wed 26 Aug 2020 at 9.00pm on Sky Crime Season 3 Episode 7 . But evidence taken at the time and stored in police archives would eventually build a DNA profile against him. All rights reserved |. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. What's the least amount of exercise we can get away with? These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. A convicted killer who allegedly murdered and mutilated a teenage girl was arrested 30 years later after his 'terrible secret' was discovered following a DNA match, a court has heard. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. During his trial at Reading Crown Court, the jury heard Campbell did not feature in the original investigation. [7] In that year he wrote a letter to national prisoners newspaper Inside Time complaining that he was not allowed to buy his bedding from Argos because the prison authorities told him it was a fire risk. "Knowing that the family still has not had closure on this tragedy for nearly 50 years provides further motivation for seeking answers they've painfully awaited for so many years.". [5], Police opened a murder investigation immediately at the time, saying that they believed that she had been murdered elsewhere and dumped at the location by the murderer. Do not sell or share my personal information. Despite about 50 people coming forward with fresh information, her murder remains unsolved. Burgess' trial, 46 years after the murder, contained evidence obtained through advances in DNA analysis. Read about our approach to external linking. But evidence taken at the time and stored in police archives would eventually build a DNA profile against him. Play it now! In 2013, 32 years after the event, Campbell was convicted of the high-profile unsolved murder of 17-year-old Claire Woolterton after a DNA match was found to him. Read about our approach to external linking. He argued he was not in control of his faculties and could not recall the events of August 1981. There were many similarities between the two killings: both women had been mutilated with sharp instruments, both had their clothes removed by their attacker and both bodies had been left in public places where they could easily be found. However, his conviction was downgraded to manslaughter on appeal in 1999 after he successfully argued his epilepsy had led him to carry out the frenzied attack. IT executive blackmailed terrified female colleague and Defence lawyer tells rape victim she should have 'closed her Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Dozens stuck in car park as staff refuses to open gate for woman, Incredible footage of Ukrainian soldiers fighting Russians in Bakhmut, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' In October 1998 on Cornwall's remote Roseland Peninsula, Linda Bryant was stabbed to death as she walked the family dog along country lanes near her home. was convicted of the murder of teenage nanny Yolande Waddington, Snow warnings for Scotland and north of England, Scottish bakery Morton's Rolls 'ceases trading', Kuenssberg: Sunak can't escape past Tory horrors, Messages show Hancock reaction after kiss photo, Johnson faces 'punishment' and his 'stitch-up', Walkie Talkie architect Rafael Violy dies aged 78. 2023 BBC. Campbell, formerly from West London, was arrested in November last year and found guilty of Claires murder by a majority verdict today, Thames Valley Police said. But she added: "Although it is all over, it doesn't bring Claire back. At conservative gathering, Trump is still the favourite. "It has brought back sad memories of Claire instead of the happy ones that I had learnt to live with.". Claire Woolterton's naked body was found by the River Thames in Windsor. When Campbell was arrested, she said the police were "very kind" and "broke the news very gently and gave my family a lot of support". 'One of which the defendant has already admitted his responsibility for, namely Deirdre Sainsbury. Video, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims, Harry: I always felt different to rest of family, US-made cheese can be called 'gruyere' - court, The children left behind in Cuba's exodus, AOC under investigation for Met Gala dress, Alex Murdaugh's legal troubles are far from over, Walkie Talkie architect Rafael Violy dies aged 78, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dies at 61. When the case was reopened in 2011, Campbell was a convicted killer serving a life sentence for the manslaughter of Deirdre Sainsbury, from Greenham, in December 1984. She had been sexually assaulted and her throat had been cut. [1] However, at trial the jury did not believe his claims that an epileptic fit could explain such a brutal and sexually-motivated murder, and found him guilty of murder and not manslaughter. Claire Woolterton's naked body was found by the River Thames in Windsor. He was already in prison for the 1984 killing of Deirdre Sainsbury, but had wrongly had his murder conviction in this case downgraded to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility in 1999 after he claimed that he had only killed her due to having an eplieptic fit. Colin Campbell, 66, who is already serving a life sentence for the manslaughter of Deirdre Sainsbury, killed Claire Woolterton three years earlier, in August 1981.
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