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(cars driving)
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00:00:18,672 --> 00:00:22,792
I racked my brains to try and think
the last time I saw....
3
00:00:24,072 --> 00:00:25,232
Nic alive.
4
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Erm, I’d just nipped up to the local shop,
up the road
5
00:00:30,192 --> 00:00:31,912
(camera shutter clicks)
and Nic walked round the corner
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and the next thing is
she’s gone missing.
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(dramatic music)
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I think you could pretty much
go up to anybody in Coventry and say,
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“Nicola Payne” and they’ll tell you
what happened that day.
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00:00:53,152 --> 00:00:57,032
MAN: It’s one of the greatest
unsolved crimes in this country.
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REPORTER: Nicola Payne had left her
boyfriend and baby son
12
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to go to her parents.
13
00:01:03,952 --> 00:01:06,072
She simply vanished into the mist.
14
00:01:06,112 --> 00:01:08,672
GARRY PAYNE: It’s just hitting home
that summut serious
15
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has happened to my sister.
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REPORTER: A team of police officers
today began a yard by yard search
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of the waste ground where Nicola
was last seen.
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MALCOLM ROSS:
It was the biggest search
19
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that West Midlands Police
had ever encountered.
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Every effort it seems is being made
to find Nicola Payne.
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If anybody is holding Nicola
just take her somewhere,
22
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or to just phone anybody.
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I kept thinking,
where’s my Nicola gone?
24
00:01:34,312 --> 00:01:35,712
Like, where’s me Nicola?
25
00:01:37,632 --> 00:01:41,272
MAN: What happened to Nicola
could happen to any woman.
26
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How can an 18 year old disappear
and just never be seen again?
27
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It’s just a never ending
real life horror story.
28
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NIGEL PAYNE: The truth.
That’s all we want is the truth.
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If it was your sister,
when would you give up?
30
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(theme music)
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PHOTOGRAPHER:
Let’s do one just by the sign, there.
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This sign? Oh, that sign.
33
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INTERVIEWER: It’s, er,
Detective Superintendent Malcolm Ross.
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-R O double S?
-Double S, yes.
35
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INTERVIEWER: I’m just gonna ask
you a couple of questions,
36
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obviously about the reconstruction here.
37
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What’s happened -
over the last six days,
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00:02:33,712 --> 00:02:37,232
erm, and the most important thing is
39
00:02:38,832 --> 00:02:41,672
what chance of finding Nicola Payne?
40
00:02:41,712 --> 00:02:43,992
We hope that this reconstruction
will jog somebody’s memory.
41
00:02:44,152 --> 00:02:45,792
That they will come forward and tell us
42
00:02:45,832 --> 00:02:47,552
if they’ve seen anything of Nicola
43
00:02:47,592 --> 00:02:51,192
either last Saturday
or in the time in between.
44
00:02:51,232 --> 00:02:54,712
We want these people to come forward
and help us with our enquiry.
45
00:02:55,192 --> 00:02:57,432
I’m ever hopeful of finding her,
obviously,
46
00:02:57,472 --> 00:02:59,472
and I’m ever hopeful of finding her alive.
47
00:02:59,552 --> 00:03:02,512
But as time goes on, of course,
the concern grows.
48
00:03:06,072 --> 00:03:07,592
(clock ticking)
49
00:03:12,872 --> 00:03:15,192
Nicky had been missing nearly a week
50
00:03:15,232 --> 00:03:17,232
and the search, of course,
was still going on.
51
00:03:18,712 --> 00:03:20,232
Yesterday there were
over a hundred officers
52
00:03:20,272 --> 00:03:24,312
searching waste ground and river
and doing house to house enquiries.
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00:03:24,792 --> 00:03:27,152
Today, the search has moved
to other locations
54
00:03:27,192 --> 00:03:29,472
and I’m extending
the search in a constructive way
55
00:03:30,472 --> 00:03:33,992
to make sure that Nicola
is not lying somewhere.
56
00:03:35,072 --> 00:03:39,112
I just can’t even imagine
how the Payne family
57
00:03:39,232 --> 00:03:43,272
were trying to cope with
that situation.
58
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Everybody was just,
what’s happening, what’s happened?
59
00:03:46,432 --> 00:03:47,872
Like, you know.
60
00:03:48,592 --> 00:03:49,592
I just couldn’t believe it.
61
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I thought, no, gotta be
gotta be somewhere.
62
00:03:52,352 --> 00:03:53,832
Something’s gotta happen.
63
00:03:56,032 --> 00:03:58,792
Every time there’s a search and nothing,
a search and nothing,
64
00:03:59,032 --> 00:04:01,592
you just get less and less hopeful.
65
00:04:01,672 --> 00:04:03,752
They say there’s another search
and you just say to yourself,
66
00:04:03,792 --> 00:04:05,232
yeah, just another search.
67
00:04:05,872 --> 00:04:07,992
And they didn’t seem to be getting any...
68
00:04:08,752 --> 00:04:11,272
far forward very quickly with anything.
69
00:04:14,712 --> 00:04:17,512
It was still very early days
and you’re just thinking,
70
00:04:17,552 --> 00:04:21,152
no, this can’t be happening
or if she’s been abducted.
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00:04:21,272 --> 00:04:24,392
You’re sort of like expecting her
to turn up the next day,
72
00:04:24,912 --> 00:04:29,192
and have this miraculous excuse
73
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as for why she had to go somewhere
or do something.
74
00:04:33,992 --> 00:04:38,112
It’s dawning on you that summut
serious has happened,
75
00:04:38,632 --> 00:04:42,392
and then, when you hear about evidence
76
00:04:42,432 --> 00:04:45,272
like the car and Barwell and O’Reilly,
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the dread comes in going,
oh no, no, this can’t be.
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We had the situation where
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Barwell and O’Reilly had been arrested,
they’d been released, bailed,
80
00:05:00,152 --> 00:05:03,192
and enquiries into their movements
were still continuing
81
00:05:03,352 --> 00:05:05,512
as best as we could
with the little information
82
00:05:05,552 --> 00:05:07,112
that we knew of, about them.
83
00:05:08,592 --> 00:05:11,152
And the arrangement was that
they would return to the police station
84
00:05:11,192 --> 00:05:13,592
the following week
and stand on an identification parade.
85
00:05:14,072 --> 00:05:16,912
So, we had to get the witnesses together.
86
00:05:19,152 --> 00:05:23,232
We knew Mr Carter’s information then,
who had heard a scream,
87
00:05:23,272 --> 00:05:26,872
saw a Ford Capri,
gone to the police station
88
00:05:26,912 --> 00:05:30,072
and identified the Ford Capri
that was Barwell’s.
89
00:05:30,632 --> 00:05:34,632
But during the rest of the investigation
more witnesses had come forward.
90
00:05:40,472 --> 00:05:43,872
Barwell lived the other side of the estate
from Nicky Payne,
91
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near to the River Sowe.
92
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(dramatic music)
93
00:05:54,392 --> 00:05:56,432
There was a witness that came forward.
94
00:05:59,512 --> 00:06:02,352
Her house overlooks like a parking space.
95
00:06:02,392 --> 00:06:04,312
It’s not far from Barwell’s house.
96
00:06:07,552 --> 00:06:12,312
On the Saturday afternoon,
she saw Barwell and O’Reilly
97
00:06:12,352 --> 00:06:14,912
at Barwell’s car
overlooking the path
98
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that led down to the river.
99
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And the boot of the car was open,
100
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and she saw Barwell and O’Reilly
101
00:06:20,512 --> 00:06:24,352
taking out of the boot what she described
as some sort of bin bag.
102
00:06:25,592 --> 00:06:26,472
(car boot shuts)
103
00:06:27,192 --> 00:06:29,152
She knew both Barwell and O’Reilly,
104
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‘cause they’d been to her house
on the Friday night.
105
00:06:31,392 --> 00:06:33,632
And on the Saturday,
when she saw them here,
106
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it appears that they saw her
looking at them from her window.
107
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She ducked down,
108
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and when she looked again
they’d gone and so had the car.
109
00:06:48,072 --> 00:06:50,752
Well, the officers came back
to take another statement
110
00:06:51,032 --> 00:06:53,192
and she said she’d got the story wrong.
111
00:06:53,352 --> 00:06:56,992
That it was the Tuesday that she saw them,
not the Saturday.
112
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But she also said that Barwell
113
00:07:02,272 --> 00:07:04,192
had been round to see her
in the meantime.
114
00:07:04,752 --> 00:07:07,312
I think quite possibly
she could have been scared of Barwell.
115
00:07:08,032 --> 00:07:09,752
And it made her change her story.
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(high tempo music)
117
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There was another witness
that said that on the Sunday afternoon,
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00:07:21,832 --> 00:07:27,232
Barwell was outside his house,
cleaning the Ford Capri in the rain,
119
00:07:27,632 --> 00:07:29,512
which of course raised suspicions.
120
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Where his car was parked,
there’s a fence
121
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and then there was the river.
122
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That’s what caused the search
of the river bank.
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REPORTER: Officers were brought in today
to search the River Stowe
124
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and nearby scrubland.
125
00:07:45,312 --> 00:07:48,432
A thermal imaging camera
mounted on the police helicopter
126
00:07:48,512 --> 00:07:51,072
was also used to try to find Nicola.
127
00:07:51,112 --> 00:07:54,872
And mounted police and dog handlers
were involved in the search.
128
00:08:00,392 --> 00:08:03,592
MALCOLM ROSS: When the police helicopter
was used to search,
129
00:08:04,312 --> 00:08:05,192
the crew reported
130
00:08:05,232 --> 00:08:07,912
that they could see something
on the banks of the river,
131
00:08:07,952 --> 00:08:10,712
not far from the back of
Barwell’s house.
132
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Well, we’re on a bridge
over the River Sowe,
133
00:08:17,192 --> 00:08:20,832
which runs very close to
where Nigel Barwell lived.
134
00:08:21,752 --> 00:08:24,272
That’s where he was seen
washing his car that Sunday afternoon,
135
00:08:24,312 --> 00:08:25,312
in the rain.
136
00:08:25,352 --> 00:08:28,112
And the helicopter crew reported
that they could see something
137
00:08:28,152 --> 00:08:29,712
on the riverbank.
138
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And I sent a search team down
and that’s where we found the tent.
139
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It was an outer tent of one make,
and an inner tent of another make.
140
00:08:38,792 --> 00:08:41,312
It was wet, so it was parcelled up
141
00:08:41,352 --> 00:08:43,912
and taken back to
Little Park Police Station
142
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where it was dried out.
143
00:08:45,432 --> 00:08:48,272
And it was wrapped up
and sent off as an exhibit
144
00:08:48,312 --> 00:08:50,352
to the Forensic Science Service
145
00:08:50,472 --> 00:08:54,192
to see what they could find
in the tent or on the tent.
146
00:08:57,672 --> 00:08:59,272
(clock ticking)
147
00:09:04,752 --> 00:09:07,752
We asked Barwell and O’Reilly
to go on an ID parade.
148
00:09:07,952 --> 00:09:10,792
We’d made the arrangements
for all the other witnesses
149
00:09:10,832 --> 00:09:14,192
that assist on the identification parade
to be at the police station,
150
00:09:14,272 --> 00:09:15,752
and they didn’t turn up.
151
00:09:15,792 --> 00:09:16,672
(dramatic music)
152
00:09:18,392 --> 00:09:21,632
Nigel Barwell and Thomas O’Reilly
just disappeared.
153
00:09:22,592 --> 00:09:25,392
So, you know, nobody knew
where they were or where they’d gone.
154
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We spoke to their solicitors and
they’d got no idea where they were.
155
00:09:31,512 --> 00:09:34,112
If you’ve got nothing to hide,
156
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you’ve got no issues,
you’ve got nothing to do with it,
157
00:09:36,912 --> 00:09:40,792
and surely you’d wanna help
try and find somebody.
158
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It was hard.
We wanted answers.
159
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We couldn’t take it any further
at that stage,
160
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but there were other lines of enquiry
that we were getting on with.
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My name’s Hazel Johnson,
162
00:10:15,032 --> 00:10:18,032
and I was formerly employed
as a forensic scientist.
163
00:10:18,072 --> 00:10:22,472
The Forensic Science Service
was a section of the Home Office.
164
00:10:22,712 --> 00:10:25,952
It had a number of laboratories
throughout the UK
165
00:10:26,152 --> 00:10:28,992
and the police would submit
any item that they wanted
166
00:10:29,032 --> 00:10:31,672
examined for forensic examination
167
00:10:31,752 --> 00:10:34,272
to their local forensic science
laboratory.
168
00:10:35,192 --> 00:10:37,832
It was quite early days in Nicola’s
investigation
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when a request came into the laboratory
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to have a car examined.
171
00:10:42,312 --> 00:10:44,952
Investigations involving missing people
172
00:10:44,992 --> 00:10:48,312
are the most difficult investigation
that you can get involved with,
173
00:10:48,792 --> 00:10:52,312
because you’re not dealing with
standard evidence
174
00:10:52,352 --> 00:10:56,072
that you would get from
knowing what happened to the victim,
175
00:10:56,112 --> 00:10:57,832
knowing what happened at the scene.
176
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You’re dealing very much
with circumstantial evidence.
177
00:11:01,072 --> 00:11:03,512
So it’s like trying to do a jigsaw puzzle
178
00:11:03,792 --> 00:11:05,552
when there’s no picture on the box.
179
00:11:08,712 --> 00:11:10,952
We started the examination of the car
180
00:11:10,992 --> 00:11:13,432
as soon as it was submitted to
the laboratory.
181
00:11:13,552 --> 00:11:15,752
It was in quite an untidy condition.
182
00:11:15,792 --> 00:11:18,392
There were a number of items
in the footwells.
183
00:11:18,592 --> 00:11:22,632
We recovered soil and debris
from the footwells
184
00:11:22,712 --> 00:11:27,192
and hairs and fibres using tapings
from the seats.
185
00:11:29,072 --> 00:11:32,192
And we searched the vehicle
for the presence of blood,
186
00:11:32,232 --> 00:11:33,592
but didn’t find any.
187
00:11:35,232 --> 00:11:39,472
We knew that it had been cleaned
out on that Sunday, in the rain,
188
00:11:39,552 --> 00:11:42,232
which was not gonna do
my investigation much good.
189
00:11:42,272 --> 00:11:47,232
But there was an instruction leaflet
found in the glovebox of the Capri.
190
00:11:47,832 --> 00:11:52,112
And that related to the inner tent
found on the banks of the River Sowe.
191
00:11:54,552 --> 00:11:58,112
As far as I was concerned,
that linked the inner tent
192
00:11:58,312 --> 00:12:02,552
to the instruction leaflet
in Barwell’s car, therefore to Barwell.
193
00:12:06,472 --> 00:12:09,392
The tent was brought
to the submissions desk.
194
00:12:09,432 --> 00:12:11,592
It was in a large brown paper sack.
195
00:12:11,752 --> 00:12:15,112
I do remember that it
wasn’t properly packaged,
196
00:12:15,192 --> 00:12:18,192
so there was some discussion
at the submissions desk
197
00:12:18,232 --> 00:12:21,152
about whether we should
actually accept it or not.
198
00:12:22,632 --> 00:12:25,752
Any item submitted
for forensic examination
199
00:12:26,032 --> 00:12:29,272
has to be sealed,
because if it’s not sealed,
200
00:12:29,312 --> 00:12:31,952
there’s potential for forensic
evidence to be lost,
201
00:12:32,272 --> 00:12:36,672
and equally potential for evidence
to actually be introduced to that item.
202
00:12:37,632 --> 00:12:41,392
After discussion
with the senior investigating officer,
203
00:12:41,432 --> 00:12:43,312
we agreed to accept the tent,
204
00:12:43,432 --> 00:12:45,872
but only to examine it
for the presence of blood.
205
00:12:46,432 --> 00:12:48,672
We felt that the evidence
could be compromised
206
00:12:48,712 --> 00:12:50,752
in relation to hairs and fibres.
207
00:12:52,192 --> 00:12:54,072
But again, we didn’t find any.
208
00:12:54,152 --> 00:12:55,712
That was a great disappointment,
209
00:12:55,752 --> 00:12:58,392
because I knew
if you haven’t found any blood,
210
00:12:58,512 --> 00:13:00,552
you’re really no further forward.
211
00:13:02,032 --> 00:13:02,912
(high tempo music)
212
00:13:10,112 --> 00:13:11,272
(phone rings)
213
00:13:23,272 --> 00:13:26,472
MALCOLM ROSS: Calls started
week two or three of the investigation.
214
00:13:27,552 --> 00:13:29,672
They were made
to the Payne family,
215
00:13:29,872 --> 00:13:32,592
they were made to
Coventry and Warwick Radio
216
00:13:32,952 --> 00:13:34,752
and also to the police.
217
00:13:34,792 --> 00:13:37,872
Numerous of these calls
came in from the same man.
218
00:13:37,952 --> 00:13:40,712
Whenever they came in,
of course officers were deployed.
219
00:13:41,312 --> 00:13:44,192
The phone calls were coming directly
to the home phone number.
220
00:13:44,912 --> 00:13:46,272
MARILYN PAYNE:
He didn’t even say hello.
221
00:13:46,312 --> 00:13:47,472
It was a man’s voice
222
00:13:47,512 --> 00:13:50,112
and all I heard him say was,
‘Dead or alive.'
223
00:13:50,152 --> 00:13:52,472
And straight away I panicked
224
00:13:53,272 --> 00:13:56,632
and just gave the phone quickly
to my husband,
225
00:13:56,672 --> 00:14:00,232
who took over from there,
because I couldn’t handle it, you know.
226
00:14:00,272 --> 00:14:02,312
And you’re prepared to
talk to this man again?
227
00:14:02,512 --> 00:14:06,672
I’m prepared to talk to anybody if it’d
give us some light on where Nicola is.
228
00:14:07,472 --> 00:14:08,792
(phone rings)
229
00:14:13,872 --> 00:14:17,072
The police at the time
took this very seriously.
230
00:14:17,112 --> 00:14:19,872
They thought that
the information was credible.
231
00:14:20,072 --> 00:14:24,112
As a result of what he has told both us
and Mr and Mrs Payne,
232
00:14:24,152 --> 00:14:27,152
I’m convinced that he knows something
of Nicola’s disappearance.
233
00:14:27,512 --> 00:14:30,152
Is this the best clue so far
in the hunt for Nicola Payne?
234
00:14:30,192 --> 00:14:33,272
Well, it’s certainly one of the positive
leads that we’ve got to follow up,
235
00:14:33,312 --> 00:14:35,192
and we need to follow this up urgently.
236
00:14:35,232 --> 00:14:37,512
Well, it was important
that I traced the caller
237
00:14:37,552 --> 00:14:40,272
to see, A, if he was genuine,
or B, if it was a hoax.
238
00:14:40,312 --> 00:14:42,072
My suspicion was it was a hoax,
239
00:14:42,112 --> 00:14:45,992
but I went on the basis of
we need to know.
240
00:14:46,072 --> 00:14:46,952
(dramatic music)
241
00:14:51,352 --> 00:14:53,312
There’s two radio stations in Coventry.
242
00:14:53,552 --> 00:14:57,352
I went and knocked on the door of both
of these radio stations in the evening,
243
00:14:57,392 --> 00:14:59,112
and to be fair they were really helpful,
244
00:14:59,152 --> 00:15:00,832
and they gave me airtime there and then.
245
00:15:01,352 --> 00:15:05,352
It was a plea to the caller to say,
if what you’re saying is right,
246
00:15:05,392 --> 00:15:07,712
you must tell us
because we can find Nicky.
247
00:15:08,192 --> 00:15:11,152
And the hope, of course,
that he would ring again.
248
00:15:11,672 --> 00:15:12,672
And it worked.
249
00:15:13,032 --> 00:15:14,832
Me mum and dad
stopped answering the phone,
250
00:15:14,872 --> 00:15:17,872
and it came down to one of us lads
would answer it,
251
00:15:18,072 --> 00:15:19,392
and the police had informed us,
252
00:15:19,432 --> 00:15:22,072
“If you think it’s him,
just keep talking and talking.
253
00:15:22,112 --> 00:15:24,352
Try and keep him on the phone
as long as you can.
254
00:15:24,672 --> 00:15:27,712
And we were just trying to
ask him questions and everything.
255
00:15:29,472 --> 00:15:30,952
MALCOLM ROSS:
With the help of the telephone exchange,
256
00:15:30,992 --> 00:15:34,152
we were able to trace the call
to a hotel in Stratford.
257
00:15:36,232 --> 00:15:39,152
A member of the staff at the hotel
has been using the phone.
258
00:15:39,192 --> 00:15:40,472
It was Christopher Parker.
259
00:15:41,392 --> 00:15:44,072
PETER WILSON: That this man should stop
playing games with your feelings.
260
00:15:44,112 --> 00:15:45,672
-If he knows nothing...
-Oh yeah. Yeah.
261
00:15:45,712 --> 00:15:47,632
...just stop it, please.
Just stop it.
262
00:15:47,672 --> 00:15:49,352
MALCOLM ROSS:
Parker was traced and arrested.
263
00:15:49,432 --> 00:15:53,832
He was interviewed
and he admitted 18 false calls.
264
00:15:54,232 --> 00:15:58,072
He was charged
and he eventually was imprisoned.
265
00:15:58,112 --> 00:16:00,672
There was no substance at all
to any of his calls.
266
00:16:00,792 --> 00:16:04,512
Christopher Parker had pleaded guilty
to wasting police time
267
00:16:04,672 --> 00:16:06,712
and to making nuisance calls.
268
00:16:07,232 --> 00:16:10,752
After studying medical reports,
the magistrates decided to commit him
269
00:16:10,832 --> 00:16:13,232
to a psychiatric hospital near Warwick.
270
00:16:15,512 --> 00:16:22,472
They wasted a lot of police time,
man hours, investigating these claims
271
00:16:22,512 --> 00:16:26,792
But he caused untold damage
to that police investigation
272
00:16:26,832 --> 00:16:28,512
and to the family themselves.
273
00:16:31,112 --> 00:16:33,392
He was saying, yeah,
he’d got my sister
274
00:16:33,432 --> 00:16:36,312
and he was gonna do this,
he was gonna do that.
275
00:16:36,352 --> 00:16:42,032
And you know, it’s things
I put out my mind
276
00:16:42,112 --> 00:16:47,072
and my one was just watching your mum
having to listen to that.
277
00:16:48,192 --> 00:16:50,432
Had enough now, my mum’s
going through so much,
278
00:16:50,472 --> 00:16:52,952
and you’re just making it
double worse.
279
00:16:54,112 --> 00:16:58,912
So that to me was as bad as
taking my sister away.
280
00:16:59,232 --> 00:17:00,352
(dramatic music)
281
00:17:13,592 --> 00:17:15,952
PETER WILSON: Nicola Payne
had everything to live for.
282
00:17:16,392 --> 00:17:19,512
A loving family, a boyfriend
whom she was setting up home with,
283
00:17:19,632 --> 00:17:21,072
and a baby son.
284
00:17:21,432 --> 00:17:23,832
A full incident room
was now being set up.
285
00:17:24,232 --> 00:17:27,792
The same staff had been involved
in the search for Barbara Finn,
286
00:17:27,832 --> 00:17:30,072
who went missing
nearly two months ago.
287
00:17:30,392 --> 00:17:33,032
Barbara Finn was also
the devoted mother
288
00:17:33,072 --> 00:17:34,552
of a six year old daughter.
289
00:17:34,592 --> 00:17:37,032
PAULINE FINN: I’d just like to say,
Barbara, please come home.
290
00:17:37,592 --> 00:17:39,992
Roxanne’s missing you so much.
291
00:17:40,032 --> 00:17:41,792
She just wants you home.
292
00:17:42,192 --> 00:17:44,672
We love you
and we want you to come back.
293
00:17:45,152 --> 00:17:48,712
But if anybody knows something,
please phone the police.
294
00:17:52,192 --> 00:17:55,072
MALCOLM ROSS: Barbara Finn went missing
in October 1991.
295
00:17:56,192 --> 00:17:58,832
She was last seen in the early hours of
the morning,
296
00:17:58,872 --> 00:18:02,272
banging on the out door
of a public house.
297
00:18:03,392 --> 00:18:06,192
And when the licensee
opened the out door,
298
00:18:06,232 --> 00:18:10,272
he knew Barbara Finn,
and she’d asked for some cigarettes.
299
00:18:11,352 --> 00:18:15,912
When he brought the cigarettes to her,
he noticed a man standing next to her.
300
00:18:16,152 --> 00:18:17,672
He couldn’t describe the man.
301
00:18:18,432 --> 00:18:20,352
And that was the last time she was seen.
302
00:18:20,872 --> 00:18:25,392
And that investigation was ongoing,
of course, when Nicky went missing.
303
00:18:25,712 --> 00:18:28,192
It’s the not knowing that’s the worst.
304
00:18:28,232 --> 00:18:30,552
We don’t know whether
she’s dead or alive.
305
00:18:30,592 --> 00:18:31,912
We just don’t know.
306
00:18:33,232 --> 00:18:37,672
Naturally, I considered the two together
to see if there was a link at all.
307
00:18:39,432 --> 00:18:44,232
Barbara Finn, she was older than Nicola,
she was 32.
308
00:18:44,272 --> 00:18:49,512
But there were also some strange
coincidences to the Nicola Payne case.
309
00:18:49,952 --> 00:18:54,592
Like Nicola, she had
shoulder length brown hair,
310
00:18:54,792 --> 00:18:58,112
she also disappeared on a Saturday.
311
00:18:58,192 --> 00:19:02,352
She too had a child,
who she was devoted to,
312
00:19:02,392 --> 00:19:05,312
that she wouldn’t have abandoned.
313
00:19:05,352 --> 00:19:07,272
Even down to a weird detail
314
00:19:07,312 --> 00:19:11,872
that Barbara Finn was wearing
a bomber jacket,
315
00:19:12,032 --> 00:19:15,912
very similar to the jacket
that Nicola Payne was wearing
316
00:19:16,152 --> 00:19:18,072
on the day that she’d disappeared.
317
00:19:18,552 --> 00:19:25,232
But there appeared to be no direct link
between the two young women.
318
00:19:25,352 --> 00:19:30,792
At the same time, of course,
we had the Stephanie Slater
319
00:19:31,192 --> 00:19:33,792
enquiry in Birmingham,
which was linked.
320
00:19:33,832 --> 00:19:35,112
(people chattering)
321
00:19:35,152 --> 00:19:36,632
MAN: Now calm it down!
322
00:19:36,832 --> 00:19:37,992
Calm it down!
323
00:19:38,032 --> 00:19:40,232
Now be gentle, all of you.
324
00:19:41,072 --> 00:19:43,712
REPORTER: Stephanie and her parents
appeared at a news conference,
325
00:19:44,032 --> 00:19:46,232
one of the biggest ever seen in
Birmingham.
326
00:19:50,472 --> 00:19:51,712
Following her kidnap,
327
00:19:51,752 --> 00:19:54,992
police described Stephanie Slater
as calm and collected.
328
00:19:55,072 --> 00:19:57,352
Her abductor possessed the same qualities.
329
00:19:57,392 --> 00:19:59,552
He planned the kidnap with cool precision.
330
00:19:59,792 --> 00:20:02,192
MALCOLM ROSS: Stephanie Slater
was an estate agent in Birmingham,
331
00:20:02,232 --> 00:20:05,472
and she made arrangements
to see a client at a house.
332
00:20:05,712 --> 00:20:08,952
She was kidnapped in the house and held.
333
00:20:09,112 --> 00:20:12,312
That was a huge story.
334
00:20:12,432 --> 00:20:15,832
And that drew on
almost all of the resources
335
00:20:15,872 --> 00:20:18,272
of West Midlands Police.
336
00:20:20,072 --> 00:20:22,232
MALCOLM ROSS:
We had Stephanie Slater in Birmingham,
337
00:20:22,272 --> 00:20:25,312
which was linked
to the Julie Dart in West Yorkshire.
338
00:20:25,872 --> 00:20:27,152
Similar case.
339
00:20:27,792 --> 00:20:31,992
REPORTER: Julie Dart was last seen alive
on the 9th of July last year,
340
00:20:32,112 --> 00:20:34,592
leaving her boyfriend’s home in Leeds.
341
00:20:34,832 --> 00:20:37,832
Ten days later, a farmer
discovered her body
342
00:20:37,872 --> 00:20:40,192
in a field near Grantham in Lincolnshire.
343
00:20:40,272 --> 00:20:43,872
She’d suffered blows to the head
and had been strangled.
344
00:20:43,912 --> 00:20:49,992
A ransom note to do with the Julie Dart
case came up from here in Coventry.
345
00:20:50,032 --> 00:20:52,352
Another link to the city.
346
00:20:52,392 --> 00:20:55,352
REPORTER: There’s the Moseley Avenue link,
with Julie Dart.
347
00:20:55,472 --> 00:20:58,192
Barbara Finn was last seen
in Yardley Street,
348
00:20:58,552 --> 00:21:02,472
and 19 year old Nicola Payne
disappeared near Winston Avenue.
349
00:21:02,552 --> 00:21:04,552
MALCOLM ROSS:
Throughout Nicky Payne’s enquiry,
350
00:21:04,712 --> 00:21:07,792
I had Barbara Finn’s consideration
all the time.
351
00:21:07,992 --> 00:21:10,672
And I was in touch
with the incident room in Birmingham
352
00:21:10,712 --> 00:21:11,832
for Stephanie Slater,
353
00:21:11,872 --> 00:21:14,792
and also West Yorkshire
for Julie Dart.
354
00:21:14,832 --> 00:21:18,032
All the time seeing if there was any
comparable facts.
355
00:21:18,752 --> 00:21:21,832
But there was no evidence
to suggest a link at all.
356
00:21:22,512 --> 00:21:26,312
I must stress that there is
no connection whatsoever
357
00:21:26,512 --> 00:21:30,032
at this time between
Nicola Payne’s disappearance,
358
00:21:30,272 --> 00:21:31,872
Barbara Finn’s disappearance
359
00:21:32,032 --> 00:21:33,552
and Julie Dart’s disappearance.
360
00:21:33,752 --> 00:21:37,912
It was one of the biggest investigations
that I’ve seen,
361
00:21:37,952 --> 00:21:41,392
certainly in the West Midlands.
362
00:21:41,432 --> 00:21:46,472
The resources that it was given,
you couldn’t doubt
363
00:21:46,512 --> 00:21:48,752
the commitment to the investigation.
364
00:21:48,832 --> 00:21:55,192
They were also working closely
with the BBC Crimewatch programme.
365
00:21:58,272 --> 00:21:59,152
(clock ticking)
366
00:22:05,552 --> 00:22:08,832
JACQUI HAMES: Just before Christmas
Nicola Payne vanished into thick fog
367
00:22:08,872 --> 00:22:10,352
as she walked home.
368
00:22:10,632 --> 00:22:14,192
Nicola lived with her parents
and baby son in Woodend, Coventry.
369
00:22:14,352 --> 00:22:17,592
Just after midday
on Saturday the 14th of December,
370
00:22:17,792 --> 00:22:21,472
Nicola left her boyfriend’s house
and hasn’t been seen since.
371
00:22:21,712 --> 00:22:26,752
So I went to Crimewatch to appeal
for information for Nicky.
372
00:22:27,152 --> 00:22:28,672
At the time of her disappearance,
373
00:22:28,712 --> 00:22:31,232
Nicola was wearing
this tan leather jacket,
374
00:22:31,392 --> 00:22:34,672
T-shirt, bottle green trousers,
and pixie boots.
375
00:22:34,712 --> 00:22:36,112
They were really good.
376
00:22:36,152 --> 00:22:38,872
Everybody in Coventry knew about Nicola.
377
00:22:39,432 --> 00:22:41,512
It was massive in Coventry.
378
00:22:41,992 --> 00:22:44,432
But now the whole country knew.
379
00:22:44,472 --> 00:22:47,912
JACQUI HAMES: If you can help solve
the mystery of Nicola’s disappearance,
380
00:22:48,072 --> 00:22:49,752
please call now.
381
00:22:50,272 --> 00:22:51,992
MALCOLM ROSS:
We got not many calls.
382
00:22:52,032 --> 00:22:54,752
One or two of them were for people
who’d got a theory about it,
383
00:22:54,792 --> 00:22:58,472
but nothing significant.
Nothing of note.
384
00:22:58,592 --> 00:23:02,432
There are very vague sightings
and we’re really not very optimistic.
385
00:23:02,472 --> 00:23:04,912
But if you think you know
where Nicola is,
386
00:23:04,952 --> 00:23:07,832
or can add anything to that,
then please do still call us,
387
00:23:07,872 --> 00:23:09,072
or call the incident room.
388
00:23:09,312 --> 00:23:11,912
The Crimewatch appeal, yeah,
I remember that pretty well.
389
00:23:11,952 --> 00:23:13,712
It becomes like public knowledge.
390
00:23:13,752 --> 00:23:18,592
Up until then people
hadn’t really related me to Nicola.
391
00:23:18,632 --> 00:23:21,112
Only people that really,
really knew us.
392
00:23:21,952 --> 00:23:24,032
But then all of a sudden,
people are walking down the street saying,
393
00:23:24,072 --> 00:23:25,392
“Oh, you’re Nicola’s brother.
394
00:23:25,432 --> 00:23:27,392
All the best interest in the world.
395
00:23:27,432 --> 00:23:29,232
You know, they really, really wanna help.
396
00:23:29,912 --> 00:23:31,872
But it does get to you after a while.
397
00:23:32,112 --> 00:23:33,272
(gentle music)
398
00:23:41,312 --> 00:23:42,952
(clock ticking)
399
00:23:48,832 --> 00:23:51,712
We had a call from Barwell
and O’Reilly’s solicitor
400
00:23:51,792 --> 00:23:56,312
to say they’re willing to stand
in an ID parade immediately.
401
00:23:57,432 --> 00:24:03,072
So, we had to get the witnesses
straight away, and form the ID parade.
402
00:24:06,152 --> 00:24:08,912
We got told they’d gone to France.
403
00:24:09,272 --> 00:24:12,192
No explanation why they’re in France.
404
00:24:12,432 --> 00:24:14,952
And they’d disappeared for,
I think it was three months.
405
00:24:16,272 --> 00:24:19,192
MALCOLM ROSS: When they eventually come
back, they turned up to the police station
406
00:24:19,232 --> 00:24:21,072
and they stood on an ID parade.
407
00:24:22,192 --> 00:24:24,832
Barwell in particular
had changed his appearance.
408
00:24:24,912 --> 00:24:27,112
Grown his hair,
and grown a moustache.
409
00:24:27,312 --> 00:24:29,432
His hair was a slightly different colour.
410
00:24:32,072 --> 00:24:35,912
They looked very different
and so they wasn’t identified.
411
00:24:36,472 --> 00:24:40,512
But why wasn’t they asked
to change back?
412
00:24:40,952 --> 00:24:44,952
You know, would they be prepared
to look more like they did,
413
00:24:45,192 --> 00:24:48,352
and then see if they would go,
but they didn’t have to.
414
00:24:49,072 --> 00:24:50,912
In 1991, the rules were different.
415
00:24:51,232 --> 00:24:54,232
We couldn’t then make him shave.
416
00:24:54,832 --> 00:24:56,112
The rules are different now.
417
00:24:58,072 --> 00:25:01,352
So again, we were obliged
to release them.
418
00:25:02,392 --> 00:25:06,472
When these things happen
the more despondent you get.
419
00:25:07,152 --> 00:25:08,952
You can’t cater for
420
00:25:08,992 --> 00:25:13,632
what something like this
has an effect on the families concerned.
421
00:25:13,672 --> 00:25:15,472
Aggression or frustration.
422
00:25:15,512 --> 00:25:16,792
It’s a natural emotion.
423
00:25:20,392 --> 00:25:23,072
The last people that Nicky was with
were the Cooke family,
424
00:25:23,512 --> 00:25:27,872
so it’s understandable
that the Paynes, they’d all be upset.
425
00:25:30,272 --> 00:25:34,512
NIGEL PAYNE:
My dad saw Nicola on Friday evening.
426
00:25:34,552 --> 00:25:36,952
17 hours later she’s gone missing.
427
00:25:37,512 --> 00:25:41,752
She was supposed to be with Jason
and his family
428
00:25:41,792 --> 00:25:44,952
having a meal in on that night.
429
00:25:45,272 --> 00:25:50,032
So, I would love to know
what happened within them 17 hours.
430
00:25:56,672 --> 00:25:59,072
We just kept on asking ourselves
questions.
431
00:25:59,592 --> 00:26:03,392
What about this and what about that,
and why this and why that?
432
00:26:03,592 --> 00:26:07,752
We just wanted answers,
and the police weren’t getting them.
433
00:26:09,232 --> 00:26:11,712
I had discussions with the Cooke family.
434
00:26:11,752 --> 00:26:17,392
They got heated to a degree
and, yeah, they called the police.
435
00:26:17,832 --> 00:26:22,072
I was locked up for 24 hours
and told under no circumstances
436
00:26:22,112 --> 00:26:24,112
was I to go near the Cooke family.
437
00:26:24,632 --> 00:26:26,912
The police were called in
just to calm things down.
438
00:26:26,952 --> 00:26:29,512
It's not unusual in those circumstances
439
00:26:29,552 --> 00:26:32,312
for emotions to run high, you know.
440
00:26:34,952 --> 00:26:39,032
Every time the police were
trying a different avenue or someone else,
441
00:26:39,072 --> 00:26:42,112
they just kept saying to us,
“Believe in us, trust in us.
442
00:26:42,312 --> 00:26:44,192
We’ll find it.
We will sort it.”
443
00:26:44,232 --> 00:26:46,112
So you did,
you just gave every faith
444
00:26:46,152 --> 00:26:48,632
that the police will find out
what’s gone on.
445
00:26:52,872 --> 00:26:55,872
But your trust
slowly dwindles away.
446
00:26:58,032 --> 00:27:02,072
At the time, the Cookes,
they had an uncle in the police force.
447
00:27:02,952 --> 00:27:07,752
He would know what
the process the police would go through
448
00:27:07,832 --> 00:27:10,272
and the questions that were probably
gonna be coming towards them.
449
00:27:13,792 --> 00:27:15,992
MALCOLM ROSS:
I remember speaking to PC Neill about it.
450
00:27:16,712 --> 00:27:21,472
And, to be fair, he was a good avenue
into the Cooke family.
451
00:27:21,712 --> 00:27:25,992
I asked him to use his skills
to try and keep a lid on the tension
452
00:27:26,032 --> 00:27:27,152
between the two families,
453
00:27:27,192 --> 00:27:28,712
because people are gonna be upset.
454
00:27:28,752 --> 00:27:31,352
But he had nothing to do
with the investigation as such.
455
00:27:32,632 --> 00:27:35,352
There was a lot of distrust of police
456
00:27:35,432 --> 00:27:37,792
in the Coventry
and the West Midlands and...
457
00:27:37,872 --> 00:27:42,352
They had quite a bad reputation,
and you can call up no end of cases.
458
00:27:42,912 --> 00:27:48,792
PETER WILSON: West Midlands Serious Crime
Squad was disbanded in August 1989.
459
00:27:48,912 --> 00:27:51,792
Reputation at the time was very poor.
460
00:27:53,192 --> 00:27:55,392
REPORTER: There have been nine cases
in the past two years
461
00:27:55,432 --> 00:27:57,192
in which officers are alleged
to have tampered...
462
00:27:57,232 --> 00:27:58,272
REPORTER: The day of the Birmingham Six
appeal,
463
00:27:58,312 --> 00:28:01,392
and attention turned to the much
criticised police evidence
464
00:28:01,432 --> 00:28:02,912
that helped convict
the men.
465
00:28:02,992 --> 00:28:06,152
There had been substantial alterations
to other documents
466
00:28:06,232 --> 00:28:07,552
by West Midlands officers.
467
00:28:07,592 --> 00:28:09,472
REPORTER: Thousands of police officers
and the public
468
00:28:09,512 --> 00:28:11,672
would be shocked and saddened
by what had happened.
469
00:28:11,712 --> 00:28:15,272
A number of officers were reprimanded,
fined or reduced in rank.
470
00:28:18,192 --> 00:28:19,312
PETER WILSON: There was lots of cases
471
00:28:19,352 --> 00:28:21,952
where West Midlands Police
had been involved,
472
00:28:21,992 --> 00:28:27,672
and their conduct or pressure
that they’d put on witnesses had come out.
473
00:28:27,752 --> 00:28:31,752
And just speaking to ordinary police
officers at the time,
474
00:28:31,992 --> 00:28:35,512
they felt that the force was besieged,
475
00:28:36,072 --> 00:28:39,952
and at times seen almost
as a laughing stock.
476
00:28:42,152 --> 00:28:45,512
The reassurance that you should
have from the police,
477
00:28:45,912 --> 00:28:47,872
you lose that, you lose the trust.
478
00:28:47,912 --> 00:28:50,632
But when anything like this happens,
they’re the first people,
479
00:28:50,672 --> 00:28:52,512
they’re the only people you can turn to.
480
00:28:54,312 --> 00:28:58,152
(dramatic music)
(clock ticking)
481
00:29:04,392 --> 00:29:06,552
REPORTER: The home video
shows a first birthday party
482
00:29:06,592 --> 00:29:08,952
much the same as countless
thousand others.
483
00:29:09,152 --> 00:29:12,152
The only difference
that one important guest is missing.
484
00:29:12,272 --> 00:29:13,952
Owen Payne’s mother, Nicola.
485
00:29:17,832 --> 00:29:19,672
The incident room,
which buzzed with activity
486
00:29:19,712 --> 00:29:22,792
when Miss Payne first disappeared
is now quiet.
487
00:29:23,192 --> 00:29:26,072
Detectives have followed two thousand
lines of enquiry,
488
00:29:26,152 --> 00:29:29,952
taken six hundred statements
and made 700 house calls.
489
00:29:30,592 --> 00:29:32,752
We’d spent many months
on this investigation,
490
00:29:32,992 --> 00:29:34,952
but I was required elsewhere.
491
00:29:35,112 --> 00:29:39,312
Before I moved, it was reviewed
by a senior officer from Birmingham,
492
00:29:39,432 --> 00:29:43,392
and was quite content that everything
that could have been done had been done.
493
00:29:43,632 --> 00:29:46,752
When I left it was still
an active enquiry.
494
00:29:47,352 --> 00:29:51,632
NIGEL PAYNE: Malcolm, you know,
I think he was honest to us.
495
00:29:51,912 --> 00:29:53,272
I had faith in him.
496
00:29:53,912 --> 00:29:57,232
There are other murders,
there are other disappearances.
497
00:29:57,272 --> 00:30:00,072
We haven’t got millions of policemen,
498
00:30:01,152 --> 00:30:04,072
millions of detectives
to have individual cases.
499
00:30:04,512 --> 00:30:08,632
Yeah, you’ve gotta be realistic
and think, yeah okay,
500
00:30:08,672 --> 00:30:10,952
they’re gonna move on
to something else.
501
00:30:10,992 --> 00:30:15,192
But you would hope somebody else
would be stepping into his shoes
502
00:30:15,272 --> 00:30:17,512
and push it on again, keep it going.
503
00:30:20,792 --> 00:30:21,872
(clock ticking)
504
00:30:26,672 --> 00:30:29,272
REPORTER: 10 months
after their teenage daughter disappeared,
505
00:30:29,312 --> 00:30:31,312
Nicola Payne’s parents and friends
506
00:30:31,552 --> 00:30:33,992
organised a poster campaign
at the weekend,
507
00:30:34,152 --> 00:30:37,752
after a clairvoyant told them
that Nicola was alive and well
508
00:30:37,792 --> 00:30:38,952
in Stoke on Trent.
509
00:30:38,992 --> 00:30:42,152
She actually feels that Nicola
is somewhere in this area,
510
00:30:42,712 --> 00:30:46,392
but that she’s suffering with amnesia,
and has lost her mind,
511
00:30:46,432 --> 00:30:49,432
and is trying to find herself
and desperately needs help.
512
00:30:49,472 --> 00:30:53,472
It’s the first person in 10 months
who’s saying they’ve seen Nicky.
513
00:30:53,552 --> 00:30:56,712
So we’ve got to follow it through
for our own peace of mind.
514
00:30:56,752 --> 00:30:59,712
I’ve known Nicky for a long time
and to support the family
515
00:30:59,752 --> 00:31:02,192
and give them help, you know,
to look for her.
516
00:31:02,312 --> 00:31:05,352
RACHEL MOFFITT:
We had all pictures on posters put out
517
00:31:05,392 --> 00:31:07,512
and we all went up in like a convoy.
518
00:31:07,592 --> 00:31:11,232
We were sort of like chasing around
trying to look, but nothing.
519
00:31:12,672 --> 00:31:16,312
AMANDA EALES: All they ever wanted
was to just find out where she is.
520
00:31:16,352 --> 00:31:19,992
My auntie especially
has a coping mechanism, I guess,
521
00:31:20,032 --> 00:31:21,672
that she has to keep going.
522
00:31:21,712 --> 00:31:23,192
Because if you stop,
523
00:31:23,472 --> 00:31:25,712
that’s when you start
to think about things.
524
00:31:27,472 --> 00:31:28,352
(dramatic music)
525
00:31:31,432 --> 00:31:32,312
(clock ticking)
526
00:31:37,912 --> 00:31:40,152
We’ve always tried our best
to keep the story alive,
527
00:31:40,192 --> 00:31:41,072
get things moving,
528
00:31:41,112 --> 00:31:43,272
and we did have a good
relationship with the press,
529
00:31:43,312 --> 00:31:45,152
like, you know, a lot of the media.
530
00:31:45,432 --> 00:31:47,712
REPORTER: Nicola vanished one year ago.
531
00:31:48,432 --> 00:31:51,312
Family had organised
a news conference today,
532
00:31:51,352 --> 00:31:54,632
believing that this was their last chance
to appeal for help.
533
00:31:54,952 --> 00:31:57,312
It’s the anniversary now of her going.
534
00:31:57,432 --> 00:32:01,912
I feel it’s the final thing
and it will fade a lot in the media.
535
00:32:02,672 --> 00:32:07,712
So, I feel today’s really important
and I really am banking a lot on it.
536
00:32:08,192 --> 00:32:10,632
REPORTER: Her family believe
that someone in Coventry
537
00:32:10,832 --> 00:32:12,712
must know the answer to this mystery.
538
00:32:12,872 --> 00:32:16,352
I have a conscience,
but perhaps there are people that don’t.
539
00:32:16,712 --> 00:32:21,792
I find it hard to believe that somebody
can live with this or cover for somebody
540
00:32:22,192 --> 00:32:25,192
and not have a conscience at all,
and sleep easy.
541
00:32:25,712 --> 00:32:30,272
I really liked John and Marilyn Payne.
542
00:32:30,312 --> 00:32:33,232
They were just lovely people.
543
00:32:33,872 --> 00:32:37,192
They were going through absolute hell,
544
00:32:37,792 --> 00:32:41,752
but they had a quiet dignity about them.
545
00:32:42,272 --> 00:32:44,632
They were the types of people
that you just felt
546
00:32:44,672 --> 00:32:47,032
this shouldn’t be happening to them.
547
00:32:47,232 --> 00:32:50,672
Yet, they were facing what
every parent dreads,
548
00:32:50,712 --> 00:32:53,352
the disappearance of a child.
549
00:32:54,312 --> 00:32:56,192
On the face of it, on the surface,
550
00:32:56,232 --> 00:33:00,712
the Payne family seemed to be coping,
551
00:33:00,872 --> 00:33:03,712
but as I found out over the years,
552
00:33:03,752 --> 00:33:08,752
really they were suffering from
post-traumatic stress.
553
00:33:11,752 --> 00:33:14,392
Marilyn would talk about her feelings.
554
00:33:14,432 --> 00:33:18,352
She would share things,
even with somebody like myself.
555
00:33:18,512 --> 00:33:21,992
REPORTER: The portrait over the fireplace
is a constant reminder of a mystery
556
00:33:22,032 --> 00:33:25,952
that dominates their lives,
and they fear the worst.
557
00:33:26,072 --> 00:33:30,272
I still firmly believe that
she was murdered. I really do.
558
00:33:31,512 --> 00:33:32,992
REPORTER: Why are you so convinced?
559
00:33:33,792 --> 00:33:35,592
It’s so out of character for Nicky.
560
00:33:35,672 --> 00:33:37,992
Nicky wouldn’t just go off like that.
561
00:33:38,472 --> 00:33:39,952
It just not her.
562
00:33:40,072 --> 00:33:41,992
Marilyn thought it straight away.
563
00:33:43,232 --> 00:33:45,192
She said, “That’s it,
something’s happened to her,”
564
00:33:46,392 --> 00:33:48,232
and she just had that feeling.
565
00:33:48,752 --> 00:33:51,072
Oh, I couldn’t accept it at first.
566
00:33:51,672 --> 00:33:55,072
And it took me a long time
to really come to...
567
00:33:57,032 --> 00:33:59,512
realise that I’m not gonna see her again.
568
00:34:03,152 --> 00:34:08,312
John was a traditional working class guy.
569
00:34:08,592 --> 00:34:11,272
Nicola was his only daughter.
570
00:34:16,272 --> 00:34:20,432
I think he always felt a sense of guilt
571
00:34:20,472 --> 00:34:25,552
that she was walking
to take some keys to him.
572
00:34:25,712 --> 00:34:29,952
I think he felt that perhaps
he could have driven round.
573
00:34:32,912 --> 00:34:38,232
Year after year he ran
those things through his mind,
574
00:34:38,272 --> 00:34:40,592
and I think for John particularly,
575
00:34:40,632 --> 00:34:45,432
it was something that he never really
managed to cope with.
576
00:34:55,392 --> 00:34:56,272
(clock ticking)
577
00:35:01,672 --> 00:35:05,312
REPORTER: Detectives have never found
any trace of Nicola or her belongings.
578
00:35:05,392 --> 00:35:08,352
A month after she disappeared,
Michael Sams kidnapped
579
00:35:08,392 --> 00:35:10,632
Birmingham estate agent Stephanie Slater.
580
00:35:10,912 --> 00:35:12,512
He was convicted of this crime
581
00:35:12,552 --> 00:35:15,392
and the kidnap and murder
of Julie Dart last week.
582
00:35:15,432 --> 00:35:18,232
Now, Nicola’s mother
plans to write to Sams in prison
583
00:35:18,272 --> 00:35:21,432
in the hope that he can unravel
the mystery of Nicola’s disappearance.
584
00:35:21,632 --> 00:35:24,632
She has no idea whether Sams
is linked to her daughter’s case,
585
00:35:24,712 --> 00:35:27,632
but feels she has to follow any lead,
however small.
586
00:35:27,672 --> 00:35:30,032
I think it doesn’t matter
how bad anybody is,
587
00:35:32,272 --> 00:35:36,392
I will just sit and find the right words
and just write a letter,
588
00:35:36,592 --> 00:35:39,112
hoping that he would just
give me an answer,
589
00:35:39,232 --> 00:35:40,712
an honest answer.
590
00:35:40,832 --> 00:35:42,112
Yes or no.
591
00:35:42,552 --> 00:35:43,432
(dramatic music)
592
00:35:56,152 --> 00:36:00,032
This was a letter my mum
sent to Michael Sams.
593
00:36:00,432 --> 00:36:03,832
He’d been found guilty of abduction
of a young girl.
594
00:36:05,032 --> 00:36:06,832
About the time she wrote the letter,
595
00:36:06,872 --> 00:36:10,312
it was getting near to
like desperation stakes.
596
00:36:10,352 --> 00:36:12,592
There was no leads,
there was nothing.
597
00:36:12,672 --> 00:36:13,992
Could he help us?
598
00:36:14,192 --> 00:36:16,312
What me mum said in the letter,
599
00:36:16,392 --> 00:36:18,752
“It’s been several weeks now
since your trial.
600
00:36:18,872 --> 00:36:22,712
Your nightmare began a few weeks ago,
mine started 19 months ago.
601
00:36:22,832 --> 00:36:24,552
We’re still struggling,
602
00:36:24,592 --> 00:36:28,632
clutching at straws at the moment
about what do we do next.
603
00:36:28,792 --> 00:36:30,472
I feel it is someone local.
604
00:36:31,272 --> 00:36:33,112
But your knowledge
may help us find out
605
00:36:33,152 --> 00:36:35,272
what sort of person would take Nicky,
606
00:36:35,512 --> 00:36:36,752
and why would they take her.
607
00:36:36,792 --> 00:36:38,952
And most importantly,
where could she be?”
608
00:36:40,792 --> 00:36:45,672
Trying to appeal to any sort of
good inside him.
609
00:36:46,112 --> 00:36:46,992
(dramatic music)
610
00:36:48,712 --> 00:36:50,872
This is Michael Sams' reply.
611
00:36:51,032 --> 00:36:53,552
It was sent from his prison cell.
612
00:36:53,792 --> 00:36:54,912
“Many thanks for the letter.”
613
00:36:54,952 --> 00:36:59,032
He was unsure, really, of what
me mum was asking him.
614
00:36:59,272 --> 00:37:03,472
He’d never been involved with
anyone else in the Coventry area.
615
00:37:04,512 --> 00:37:05,632
“If I could help you,
616
00:37:05,672 --> 00:37:08,952
I would only be too pleased
to help you in any way I can.”
617
00:37:09,472 --> 00:37:14,792
But no, he’s not been involved with
anybody else in any criminal activities.
618
00:37:17,712 --> 00:37:19,232
It was just a dead end.
619
00:37:19,272 --> 00:37:24,352
It’s horrible to watch your mum and dad
get hope and then be dashed.
620
00:37:24,472 --> 00:37:25,552
They were lost.
621
00:37:25,592 --> 00:37:27,272
They didn’t know what else to do.
622
00:37:33,712 --> 00:37:34,592
(clock ticking)
623
00:37:43,152 --> 00:37:46,392
Obviously we fear the worst,
given that it’s two years now
624
00:37:46,432 --> 00:37:49,752
and nobody’s heard not a thing
from Nicola.
625
00:37:50,232 --> 00:37:54,232
REPORTER: Hence her parents’
increased reward, £10,000.
626
00:37:54,272 --> 00:37:57,552
Well, we’re hoping that somebody
out there knows something,
627
00:37:57,752 --> 00:38:01,992
or somebody’s shielding somebody
who knows what’s happened to Nicola.
628
00:38:02,712 --> 00:38:05,392
And we’re hoping the money
will loosen somebody’s tongue.
629
00:38:06,432 --> 00:38:09,232
REPORTER: His grandparents
enjoy sharing in the upbringing
630
00:38:09,272 --> 00:38:10,992
of Nicola’s son, Owen.
631
00:38:11,032 --> 00:38:14,072
But now relations
with his father’s family have soured.
632
00:38:16,152 --> 00:38:18,152
GARRY PAYNE:
The Cookes didn’t get involved at all.
633
00:38:18,312 --> 00:38:20,792
They was asked for interviews every year.
634
00:38:21,872 --> 00:38:24,512
Just give their versions,
their stories.
635
00:38:24,552 --> 00:38:26,152
Never spoke to anybody.
636
00:38:26,872 --> 00:38:28,552
Very strange behaviour.
637
00:38:28,952 --> 00:38:30,712
REPORTER:
Owen’s now two and a half.
638
00:38:30,752 --> 00:38:35,072
They took him on holiday this summer,
but access is limited by a court order.
639
00:38:35,552 --> 00:38:37,072
GARRY PAYNE:
My mum and dad
640
00:38:37,192 --> 00:38:39,552
still had a bit of a relationship
with Jason,
641
00:38:39,592 --> 00:38:42,392
because they had Owen to sort out.
642
00:38:42,432 --> 00:38:45,312
They were sharing the custody of Owen.
643
00:38:45,432 --> 00:38:47,752
I didn’t have a relationship
with the Cookes.
644
00:38:47,912 --> 00:38:49,512
Never have, never will.
645
00:38:50,312 --> 00:38:52,032
When my sister went missing,
646
00:38:52,832 --> 00:38:55,352
I put myself in Jason’s shoes.
647
00:38:55,632 --> 00:38:59,112
If that happened to my girlfriend,
the mother of my child,
648
00:38:59,432 --> 00:39:00,552
how would I act?
649
00:39:00,592 --> 00:39:04,392
It would bring me closer
to her mum and dad and her family.
650
00:39:04,752 --> 00:39:06,152
It would bring me closer.
651
00:39:07,032 --> 00:39:08,752
But he wouldn’t even come in the house.
652
00:39:08,792 --> 00:39:10,152
He wouldn’t come near.
653
00:39:10,432 --> 00:39:12,552
His brothers certainly wouldn’t come near.
654
00:39:14,112 --> 00:39:14,992
(high tempo music)
655
00:39:21,472 --> 00:39:22,392
REPORTER: Last year,
656
00:39:22,432 --> 00:39:26,152
more than four thousand women
went missing in the West Midlands alone.
657
00:39:26,352 --> 00:39:29,272
But the majority do get in touch
with their relatives.
658
00:39:29,872 --> 00:39:32,912
Barbara Finn and Nicola Payne
are the rare cases.
659
00:39:33,152 --> 00:39:36,552
Their families admit
that they’ve been left with no alternative
660
00:39:36,592 --> 00:39:39,112
but to clutch at any straw offering hope.
661
00:39:41,872 --> 00:39:45,432
REPORTER: Nella Jones,
the twelfth medium to offer her services
662
00:39:45,472 --> 00:39:49,352
in the hunt for Coventry teenage mother,
Nicola Payne.
663
00:39:49,592 --> 00:39:50,832
-Hello, Mrs Payne.
-Hello.
664
00:39:50,872 --> 00:39:53,392
As the years went on,
to try and keep it going,
665
00:39:53,432 --> 00:39:54,552
me mum and dad,
666
00:39:54,672 --> 00:39:57,552
they would just speak to anybody
and everybody.
667
00:40:03,632 --> 00:40:05,872
This is more the main road, okay?
668
00:40:05,952 --> 00:40:06,992
Mm-hmm.
669
00:40:07,192 --> 00:40:09,912
And I’ve got the feeling that Nicky
would have walked up here,
670
00:40:09,952 --> 00:40:11,592
and that’s as far as I can trace her.
671
00:40:12,032 --> 00:40:14,432
Marilyn was almost a spiritual person,
672
00:40:14,472 --> 00:40:18,792
so psychics, clairvoyants
were getting in touch with her,
673
00:40:18,832 --> 00:40:23,352
giving her information
about where Nicola might be.
674
00:40:23,632 --> 00:40:24,992
A very serious question.
675
00:40:25,032 --> 00:40:26,112
MARILYN PAYNE: Yeah.
676
00:40:27,112 --> 00:40:28,752
Where do you think Nicola is?
677
00:40:30,312 --> 00:40:31,712
I believe she’s been murdered,
678
00:40:31,752 --> 00:40:35,272
but I just can’t get her to
come back to me from the other side.
679
00:40:35,792 --> 00:40:40,032
She wasn’t a fervent believer
in clairvoyants or psychics,
680
00:40:40,072 --> 00:40:43,792
but she was prepared to listen
to somebody who believed in
681
00:40:43,952 --> 00:40:47,192
some non-logical explanation for things.
682
00:40:47,512 --> 00:40:53,352
If somebody said, this is the year
that you’re gonna find Nicola,
683
00:40:53,392 --> 00:40:55,672
she would have faith.
684
00:40:55,792 --> 00:40:59,272
She had real belief that she would
find the answers,
685
00:40:59,312 --> 00:41:06,032
but with age and time,
that belief seemed to naturally crumble.
686
00:41:10,112 --> 00:41:11,912
DALE PAYNE:
Over the next few years,
687
00:41:11,952 --> 00:41:14,552
there wasn’t really anything major
that stood out.
688
00:41:14,672 --> 00:41:17,072
We would try and give as much publicity
as we can
689
00:41:17,112 --> 00:41:19,072
to keep the case going.
690
00:41:22,072 --> 00:41:24,832
REPORTER: They searched
acres of wasteland in Coventry.
691
00:41:24,952 --> 00:41:29,592
Volunteers looking for anything that might
help them solve a two year old mystery:
692
00:41:29,792 --> 00:41:31,352
the whereabouts of Nicola...
693
00:41:31,392 --> 00:41:32,312
REPORTER 2: The search for Nicola Payne
694
00:41:32,352 --> 00:41:35,272
began just before Christmas
four years ago.
695
00:41:35,312 --> 00:41:37,632
At 18 she had everything to live for.
696
00:41:37,672 --> 00:41:40,552
REPORTER 3: Police and forensic experts
moved in at dawn yesterday
697
00:41:40,592 --> 00:41:41,992
acting on a tip off.
698
00:41:42,312 --> 00:41:43,872
They found nothing.
699
00:41:45,912 --> 00:41:46,832
REPORTER 4: 10 years on,
700
00:41:46,872 --> 00:41:49,552
and Nicola’s parents have all
but given up hope.
701
00:41:53,072 --> 00:41:56,752
MARILYN PAYNE: The last 10 years
have not been easy at all.
702
00:41:57,352 --> 00:42:01,752
People say time heals,
but I’m sorry, I feel that...
703
00:42:02,232 --> 00:42:04,432
in fact, I feel worse now
704
00:42:04,912 --> 00:42:09,592
than what I did on the first Christmas
that she went.
705
00:42:12,152 --> 00:42:14,272
REPORTER: What’s happened to their
daughter, Nicola,
706
00:42:14,352 --> 00:42:18,312
has haunted John and Marilyn Payne
for the last 12 years.
707
00:42:20,672 --> 00:42:22,232
REPORTER: The case on Nicola Payne
708
00:42:22,272 --> 00:42:26,232
would remain open until the mystery
over her disappearance was solved.
709
00:42:26,632 --> 00:42:30,352
They said that they would always
investigate new lines of enquiry.
710
00:42:30,392 --> 00:42:33,312
REPORTER: An image of the teenager
will feature on the side of lorries
711
00:42:33,352 --> 00:42:35,072
travelling across the UK.
712
00:42:35,112 --> 00:42:41,192
MARILYN PAYNE: I wonder what Nicola’s
last hours of life was like.
713
00:42:41,552 --> 00:42:43,752
At least thinking that she’s dead,
714
00:42:45,112 --> 00:42:47,592
I know nobody else can hurt her anymore.
715
00:42:54,192 --> 00:42:55,672
(clock ticking)
716
00:43:01,672 --> 00:43:02,912
-CAMERAMAN: Stand by.
-REPORTER: Okay.
717
00:43:03,112 --> 00:43:04,152
CAMERAMAN: Recording...
718
00:43:04,232 --> 00:43:06,432
In the 22 years that Nicola
has been missing,
719
00:43:06,472 --> 00:43:11,832
clearly any biological or forensic
evidence will have degraded significantly.
720
00:43:11,872 --> 00:43:14,152
Although the officers
in charge of this investigation
721
00:43:14,192 --> 00:43:16,832
are confident that the improvements
over that time,
722
00:43:16,872 --> 00:43:18,992
in search techniques and technology
723
00:43:19,112 --> 00:43:22,432
mean that they will still be able
to find a body,
724
00:43:22,512 --> 00:43:25,152
if, of course,
they’re looking in the right place.
725
00:43:25,192 --> 00:43:27,632
REPORTER: Okay, camera’s rolling now.
So just introduce yourself for us, Sir.
726
00:43:27,672 --> 00:43:29,672
Yeah, I’m Detective Inspector
Martin Slevin
727
00:43:29,712 --> 00:43:31,152
of West Midlands Police.
728
00:43:31,192 --> 00:43:33,472
REPORTER: So just talk us through
initially what’s happening here,
729
00:43:33,512 --> 00:43:34,512
behind us at the moment.
730
00:43:34,552 --> 00:43:37,592
Yeah, we’re here today in relation
to the Nicola Payne investigation.
731
00:43:41,112 --> 00:43:43,872
Once Martin Slevin took over,
732
00:43:43,912 --> 00:43:47,832
it was a completely fresh set of eyes.
733
00:43:47,872 --> 00:43:49,792
I can’t comment on the source
of the information,
734
00:43:49,832 --> 00:43:54,512
but it’s significant enough
for us to have mounted the search
735
00:43:54,552 --> 00:43:56,672
and the level of search
that we’re doing today.
736
00:43:58,752 --> 00:44:02,352
There was nobody from the police
actively on that case
737
00:44:02,912 --> 00:44:05,712
until Martin Slevin come along.
738
00:44:07,152 --> 00:44:10,232
And Martin Slevin and his team,
739
00:44:11,592 --> 00:44:14,712
you felt as if they really,
really wanted to solve it.
740
00:44:19,512 --> 00:44:20,792
MARTIN SLEVIN: He had told the police
741
00:44:20,832 --> 00:44:24,392
that Nicola was buried in an area
called Purcell Fields.
742
00:44:24,952 --> 00:44:27,272
REPORTER: After years of seeming inertia,
743
00:44:27,312 --> 00:44:29,912
momentum in the search for Nicola Payne.
744
00:44:30,912 --> 00:44:33,832
REPORTER: Police activity
switched to this address.
745
00:44:34,272 --> 00:44:36,312
The intelligence
began to grow and grow.
746
00:44:36,512 --> 00:44:40,232
MAN: And I think they nailed
the whole case on that DNA.
747
00:44:40,272 --> 00:44:41,872
That was the make or break.
748
00:44:41,952 --> 00:44:44,592
There was no plan B.
This was everything.
61237
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