Catching Britain's Killers: The Crimes That Changed Us

This episode begins in Leicestershire in the heart of England, in the 1980s. In 1983 and then only three years later, in 1986, the villages of Narborough and Enderby were shaken by the murders of two local teenage girls who were attacked and killed in very similar circumstances. Weaving together archive footage and interviews with police officers, local journalists and forensic scientists, as well as friends and close relatives of the victims, this programme tells the story of the investigation, and how the struggle to find the killer would lead to the very first use of a brand new forensic science – DNA fingerprinting. Following the course of this incredible scientific breakthrough and its use in the Leicestershire murders investigation, the episode explores the creation of Britain’s DNA database, a world first, as well as the development and evolution of this investigative tool which would lead to convictions for crimes that had, until then, been impossible to solve. Exploring the ripples of one single investigation and the coincidences, twists and turns that led to this historic breakthrough, the programme paints a portrait of the 1980s as well as revealing the unforeseen, unfolding consequences of this pivotal investigation that has changed crime detection around the world.

Beginning in 1989, this episode tells the story of a murder in Billingham in Teesside that would lead to one mother challenging an 800-year-old law. In November 1989, Julie Hogg, a young single mother, disappeared without word, leaving her parents and young son distraught. Three months later her body was found and a suspect arrested. Weaving together interviews with Julie’s mother Ann and Julie’s son Kevin, as well as friends, journalists, police officers and leading politicians, the programme tells the story of how the failure to convict her daughter’s killer led Ann Ming to overturn the law on double jeopardy. After a jury failed to convict her daughter’s murderer, Billy Dunlop, Ann fearlessly took on the political and legal establishments in a campaign to overturn the ancient law of double jeopardy. Ann knew that unless the law was reformed, Dunlop could never face a re-trial. After years of tireless campaigning, Ann finally succeeded and in 2006 Dunlop was tried again and became the first person to be convicted under the newly reformed double jeopardy law. As this episode traces the twists and turns of Ann’s campaign, the story of other cases that benefited from the legal changes are also explored, from Gary Dobson and Clifford Norris, the killers of Stephen Lawrence, who were convicted in 2012, to the killer of Surjit Chokkar, finally convicted 18 years after his murder. Exploring the ripples of one single case, the programme explores how one mother’s determination to get justice for her daughter would lead to an historic change in the law that has benefited other families who had also seen the killers of their loved ones walk free.

Beginning in 1972, this episode tells the story of a miscarriage of justice that would lead to major changes in police powers. In 1972, the body of Maxwell Confait was found in a house in Catford, south London. After a short investigation, three local boys confessed to arson and murder. At the Old Bailey, all three were convicted, despite retracting their statements and protesting their innocence. Following the unfolding story, the programme explores how, after taking up their case, their local MP made sure it received maximum publicity, which finally led to an appeal where all three of the convictions were quashed. The fact that three teenage boys could have confessed to something they hadn’t done would shine a light on dangerous police practices and lead to a royal commission and an overhaul of the law. Weaving together archive and interviews with police officers, lawyers, politicians and relatives of the accused boys and of the late MP Christopher Price, this episode tells the story of the new rights for suspects that were brought in following the boys’ wrongful convictions. One miscarriage of justice would lead to a change in the law which brought in the right to a lawyer, a responsible adult and the tape recording of all police interviews. As the programme moves forward, the consequences of the case go further still, as tape recording reveals police practices have not yet universally caught up with the changes in the law. Further reforms have led to the search for evidence, rather than pressing for confessions, as the goal for UK police investigations. As the episode shows, one single murder investigation in 1972, led to major reforms in British policing, transforming the rights of us all.