Latest news with #BBCCrimewatch
The Independent
21-03-2025
- The Independent
Police renew appeal for information to find Lisa Dorrian on BBC Crimewatch
Police have made a renewed appeal for information around the murder and disappearance of Co Down woman Lisa Dorrian on BBC Crimewatch. The 25-year-old from Bangor vanished on February 27 2005 after attending a party at Ballyhalbert Caravan Park. Despite extensive searches in multiple locations and campaigning by her family, Ms Dorrian's body has never been found. Detective Chief Inspector Kerrie Foreman said police believe there are people out there who know what happened to Ms Dorrian. 'We are appealing again today, for people to come forward and tell us anything they remember about the weekend Lisa went missing, no matter how insignificant,' she said. 'We believe there are people watching today who know how Lisa's life ended and we believe those answers are out there, within the community.' Ms Dorrian's sister Joanne also appeared on the Crimewatch episode. She urged anyone with information come forward. 'We really looked up to Lisa, she was my idol. She was just a really beautiful person to be around and we have so many great memories,' she said. 'We've campaigned now for 20 years and this has been all-consuming for our family. 'There are people out there who could come forward and tell us what happened. This is not impossible to solve and Lisa is not impossible to find. 'Just think about Lisa, come forward and tell us where she is.' The independent charity Crimestoppers has offered a reward of up to £20,000 for information given directly to them which leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the murder, or for information that results in the recovery of her body. They can be contacted anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or online at Information can also be given to police by contacting 101.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Yahoo
Police renew appeal for information to find Lisa Dorrian on BBC Crimewatch
Police have made a renewed appeal for information around the murder and disappearance of Co Down woman Lisa Dorrian on BBC Crimewatch. The 25-year-old from Bangor vanished on February 27 2005 after attending a party at Ballyhalbert Caravan Park. Despite extensive searches in multiple locations and campaigning by her family, Ms Dorrian's body has never been found. Detective Chief Inspector Kerrie Foreman said police believe there are people out there who know what happened to Ms Dorrian. 'We are appealing again today, for people to come forward and tell us anything they remember about the weekend Lisa went missing, no matter how insignificant,' she said. 'We believe there are people watching today who know how Lisa's life ended and we believe those answers are out there, within the community.' Ms Dorrian's sister Joanne also appeared on the Crimewatch episode. She urged anyone with information come forward. 'We really looked up to Lisa, she was my idol. She was just a really beautiful person to be around and we have so many great memories,' she said. A Detective investigating the murder of Lisa Dorrian has today, 21 March, made a renewed appeal for information on BBC Crimewatch. This comes 20 years after the 25 year old's disappearance on Sunday 27 February 2005. Full details: — Police Service NI (@PoliceServiceNI) March 21, 2025 'We've campaigned now for 20 years and this has been all-consuming for our family. 'There are people out there who could come forward and tell us what happened. This is not impossible to solve and Lisa is not impossible to find. 'Just think about Lisa, come forward and tell us where she is.' The independent charity Crimestoppers has offered a reward of up to £20,000 for information given directly to them which leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the murder, or for information that results in the recovery of her body. They can be contacted anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or online at Information can also be given to police by contacting 101.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Yahoo
Burglar hit pensioner on head with gun in Sevenoaks linked to five other raids
A burglar beat a pensioner on the head with a gun in her garden before tying her up and ransacking her home in Sevenoaks. Around 50 items were stolen on June 21, 2024, from the home near Wildernesse Golf Club according to an "extensive investigation". Kent Police linked the suspect to five other burglaries in Kent since 2016, with a renewed appeal being issued on BBC Crimewatch yesterday (March 18). During the burglary at around 3.55pm, the suspect approached the victim in her garden and struck her head with the gun. The woman was then restrained whilst at least 50 items were stolen, including rings, pendants and watches from her home. (Image: Kent Police) Kent Police published several appeals following the burglary after officers identified CCTV images of a suspect on a bike. He was established to have also used the train network and had accessed stations including Staplehurst, Marden and Hildenborough. The man was wearing a face mask, cream coloured baseball cap and had trainers with distinctive red soles. He sometimes wore a high-visibility top when cycling. An extensive investigation remains ongoing, and the suspect is now also being formally linked to burglaries in Tonbridge, Maidstone, Marden and Ide Hill near Westerham since 2016. Detective Inspector Maxine Harris spoke about the investigation on Crimewatch Live to urge viewers to listen to an audio clip which includes demands made by the offender to his victim. The show also aired some of the latest images linked to the case, including that of a bag carried by the suspect - possibly a Timbuk2 brand. (Image: Kent Police) Enhanced photos were also published of the suspect's appearance and clothing, as well as his partially disguised face. Detective Inspector Maxine Harris said: 'We are continuing to make significant and extensive enquiries to track down the man responsible for this cowardly assault and burglary. 'It is possible he has strong connections to the Staplehurst area, although we are not discounting that he may live outside of Kent. He should not be approached.' DI Harris added: 'Our officers have been making further house-to-house enquiries throughout the Staplehurst area and we are now also urging residents to listen to the audio recording of the suspect's voice, which includes demands made to his terrified victim. 'If you think this voice sounds even vaguely familiar to someone you may know it is vital that you contact us.' Anyone with information can provide this through the online Public Portal. You can also call Kent Police on 01622 652006 quoting reference 46/102682/24. If you prefer to be anonymous contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111, or by using the online form.
The Independent
18-03-2025
- The Independent
How AI and a mole helped capture paedophile ex-Scout leader after being on the run in Thailand for 27 years
On Monday, a former Scout leader and school housemaster was found guilty of 54 child sex offences, having already pleaded guilty to 43 crimes at an earlier hearing. Chester Crown Court heard how, between 1968 and 1995, Richard Burrows had systematically abused 24 young boys across the Cheshire, West Midlands and West Mercia areas. But that reckoning came some 27 years after Burrows – now aged 80 – had initially been due in court following his arrest in April 1997. Rather than attend his hearing that December, Burrows – who had been bailed – fled abroad under the stolen identity of a terminally ill acquaintance named Peter Smith. For decades, Burrows lived as 'Peter Smith' – equipped with successive British passports using the stolen name – on the Thai island of Phuket, not only evading justice, but reportedly rubbing shoulders with community leaders and officials in his new identity as a successful salesman, with one acquaintance describing the notorious paedophile as having been 'treated like a VIP' by unsuspecting ex-pats. He did so despite numerous police reviews of his case and four BBC Crimewatch appeals aired on national television, which included photographs of him being digitally altered to show how he could look as an old man. But these extensive efforts to trace Burrows would ultimately prove fruitless – that is, until a fresh effort in April 2023 involving AI technology and an insider tip-off finally led to his arrest some 11 months later. The breakthrough finally came when detectives from Cheshire Police used 'specialist software to search for any possible images of Burrows online', a police statement said. After searching through billions of images, the system came back with a match for a man using the name of Peter Smith in Phuket, who 'had an active interest in sailing' and previously worked at an advertising firm on the Thai island, where he had even featured in a local news report upon retiring in 2019, according to Cheshire Police. Once his identity was confirmed, officers began the process to extradite him to the UK. But before that process had formally commenced, detectives became aware that Burrows was intending to return to the UK under his stolen identity. According to police, the National Crime Agency then informed Thai authorities and monitored his travel back to the UK, and he was arrested as soon as he landed at Heathrow on 28 March 2024. A report in the Daily Mail now claims that detectives were tipped off as to Burrows' intention to return to the UK by one of his relatives. Upon his arrest, detectives are reported to have found a print-out of an email exchange between Burrows and his relative, which made clear the paedophile had watched Crimewatch appeals to find him on YouTube while in Thailand. The email reportedly concluded with Burrows – who is believed to have had developed cancer and a heart condition – telling his relative: 'Again, thank you so much for coming to my aid to get back to UK after almost 30 years in paradise.' The Mail also reports that the 'specialist software' used by detectives to hunt down Burrows was the mass facial recognition search engine PimEyes, through which they ran the mugshot digitally altered to show how Burrows may look as an older man. The Independent has approached the force for confirmation. PimEyes has been subject to controversy in its usage among police forces, given that as an online platform it is not subject to the same controls as official facial recognition tools, whose usage is limited to watchlists of wanted people and subject to approval by senior officers. The online software was reported in April 2024 to have been banned by the Met Police, after a freedom of information request by rights group Liberty found that the force accessed PimEyes some 2,337 times from its computers in the space of just 90 days. More widely, Home Office data obtained by Liberty in January 2024 revealed that police forces conducted more than 300 facial recognition searches using the UK's 46 million-strong database of British passport holders in the first nine months of 2023 alone. In recent years, police forces have also been encouraged to routinely use facial recognition technology to search the Police National Database, which according to Liberty holds around 16 million images of people who have been arrested – including hundreds of thousands who were either never charged or were cleared of an offence. Police leaders argue that using facial recognition software expedites investigations and frees up officer time, and point to YouGov polling from 2023 in which 57 per cent of respondents said they either somewhat or strongly supported police use of the technology in public spaces, while 28 per cent were opposed. In the case of Burrows, Detective Inspector Eleanor Atkinson said in the wake of Monday's verdict that she hoped his case 'acts as a warning to any other wanted suspects – demonstrating that no matter how long you hide, we will find you and you will be held accountable'. His offending in Cheshire occurred between 1969 and 1971 while he was employed as a housemaster looking after vulnerable children at Danesford Children's Home in Congleton. His victims in the West Midlands and West Mercia areas were also all young boys who were abused between 1968 and 1995, the majority through local Scout groups where Burrows worked as a leader. In each case, police said Burrows befriended the victims by using his position of trust over them and their personal interests, such as radio communications or boating. After gaining their trust, and in many cases the trust of their families, Burrows then went on to sexually abuse the boys. It was not until the 1990s, following revelations in relation to offences at other children's homes and institutions, that many of the victims had the confidence to come forward, and Cheshire Police launched a large-scale investigation in 1994. Ms Atkinson said: 'Following his initial charges in 1997, Burrows knew he was guilty but rather than face the consequences of his actions, he acted like a coward and fled the country using a stolen identity taken from an unwell man. 'In emails that we have found since his arrest, Burrows described how he has spent the past three decades 'living in paradise', while his victims have all been left to suffer as they struggled to try and rebuild their lives. 'Thankfully, following our determination, he has finally been held accountable for his actions and is now behind bars where he belongs.'
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Yahoo
'Haunting' murder of Wigan teenager Lisa Hession to appear on Crimewatch 40 years after tragic discovery
The haunting murder of a Leigh teenager will feature in a BBC Crimewatch documentary more than four decades after her death. On December 8, 1984, Lisa Jane Hession's body was found just minutes' walk from her home, where her mum had been waiting for her to return. She had been out to see her friends at a party. Her mum Christine had relented on the condition that she be back home by 10.30pm. In 2016, heartbroken, she died without ever seeing justice. READ MORE: LIVE M62 traffic updates after man dies in horror crash with motorway shut 'all day' READ MORE: LIVE: Multiple cordons in place after shooting - updates In the 40 years since her death, Lisa's killer has never been found. Despite kissing her boyfriend goodnight and leaving with plenty of time to make her curfew, Lisa never made it home. Her anxious mother went out to search for her three times, inadvertently walking past the alleyway where her daughter was lying each time she went out. Eventually, the 14-year-old was found by a passer-by lying on her back in a recess by garage doors. She had bruises on her neck, and police would later confirm that she had been the victim of a sex attack. Among those appearing on Crimewatch, which will air at 10.45am on Tuesday (March 4) is Manchester Evening News chief reporter Neal Keeling, who covered the case when he worked for the Bolton Evening News. He recalled: "This case has remained with me for 40 years.. There's just a handful that you never forget, and this is one of those." He added: "People still are searching for answers." Lisa's body was just 200 yards from where her mum had been anxiously waiting for her. Christine would later recall: "I stood on a corner watching for her white boots to come along the pavement. I felt if only I could see them everything would be all right. But she never came." Despite a major police investigation, Lisa's killer was never found. Christine would die in 2016, having never seen justice for the killer of her only child. Just three days after Lisa's murder police revealed that over the preceding four months three young women had been victims of sex attacks. During each of the assaults, the attacker had threatened to kill the women. Martin Bottomley, the head of Greater Manchester Police's Cold Case Unit, said that there is some correlation with the circumstances of the other attacks. He said: "We can't link Lisa's murder to the other attacks definitively because we have no forensic evidence (from them). But the circumstances of the various attacks or near misses tends to suggest that there is a sexual predator out there at the time who has escalated his behaviour resulting in Lisa's death." Crimewatch Live is broadcast on BBC One at 10.45am every weekday from 3rd to the 21st March. The programme is also available on iPlayer for 30 days.
