Fulcher's career was left in tatters when he was found guilty of misconduct after prompting a second murder confession from Sian O'Callaghan's killer Christopher Halliwell. Its a race against time. A race against a backdrop of high emotions, too. It was a moment which, perhaps better than any other, summed up the monstrous injustice meted out to DS Fulcher and exposed the deeply warped priorities of our legal system. No one wants to go back to the old days where the police sometimes ran roughshod over the rules, but the pendulum has swung way too far in favour of the criminal, he says. Only two of the items have ever been identified a cardigan worn by Becky, who disappeared in Swindon in 2003. Five days after her disappearance and desperate to find Sian alive, police had closed in on suspect Halliwell. Justice Cox got her judgment badly wrong. There is a significant gap in his offending. Despite these hopes, Fulcher was wrong. ', Afterwards Fulcher said of Halliwell: 'We had a surreal exchange, he knew that he had given his life away. Finally, Halliwell confessed to Sian's murder and offered to take him to Sian's body, leading the police to her burial spot. It made little difference: while Fulcher was not sacked he was given a severe reprimand, something he felt left him with no choice but to resign. At this point, with the focus shifting from kidnap to murder, Fulcher should, according to guidelines drawn up in The Police and Criminal Evidence Act of 1984 (PACE), have cautioned Halliwell again. Clarkson's Farm Season 3 'confirmed' by Jeremy Clarkson as he issues three-word statement, There were reports that Jeremy Clarkson's farming programme had been axed after the presenter's comments about Meghan Markle, Dragon's Den viewers slam 'snobby' couple as they sneer at 'Lidl shoppers' question, "I wouldn't use Lidl as a benchmark for our service. With time running out, DS Fulcher then took Halliwell to Barbury Castle, a beauty spot outside Swindon, where he suspected Sian was being held. He published a book, titled Catching a Serial Killer: My hunt for murderer Christopher Halliwell, and has also spoken many times in the press about his experience of the case. It is based on a true-life inquiry which led to a police officer losing his career. PACE is there for a reason. DS Steve Fulcher, played by Martin Freeman in A Confession, resigned from the police after being found guilty of gross misconduct in the Christopher Halliwell case Sians only crime was to resemble Halliwells own mother, who he hated. When DS Steve Fulcher arrested Christopher Halliwell over the disappearance of 22-year-old Sian O'Callaghan, it was the start of his own downfall. He was investigated by the police watchdog, the IPCC and found guilty of Gross Misconduct. The killer was finally brought to justice by Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher, who discovered he had murdered a second victim while investigating the disappearance of Sian O'Callaghan. He said: If Im right, he had a propensity for killing on average once a year. No trace of her has ever been found. However, DS Fulcher, played by Martin Freeman in the ITV drama series, was found guilty of gross misconduct and given a final disciplinary warning. A re-investigation began and evidence re-analysed. He [was] kind of crawling up the walls. , updated Indeed, it was only thanks to Fulchers instincts honed from 25 years of painstaking investigations and cat and mouse detective work that two young murder victims had been found. Some killings are linked by the date March 19 a day on which Halliwell was once dumped by a girlfriend in the 1980s and also the date Sian was killed. You can criticise me, but I felt I had no option - there was simply no other way I could have acted that was within the letter of the law. In essence, Fulcher was using his experience to make a judgment call a call that took him on another car journey with Halliwell to rural Gloucestershire. His loyal family had also suffered. Police are still continuing their investigation into Halliwell as they believe other victims are yet to be found. His story is a true story, and one which . The fallout for Steve Fulcher was huge. Under the PACE code of practice (relating to The Police And Criminal Evidence Act of 1984), DS Fulcher should have taken Halliwell straight back to the police station as soon as he confessed to Beckys murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order, meaning he will not be eligible for parole and is unlikely to ever be released from prison. Indeed, Fulchers commitment to the victims of crime shines through during our interview. DS Steve Fulcher said he had always been convinced Halliwell had targeted more women. Some claimed the manner in which Steve gained Halliwells confessions was "arrogant and reckless". All rights reserved. Fearful that Halliwell might take his own life, he felt he had no choice but to arrest him on suspicion of kidnap the first of a number of difficult dilemmas he would face. But Fulcher had taken a different course: 'We drove for about 45 minutes trying to keep him in the moment. He was scrolling through pictures on his phone of other women, leading me to suspect there were other victims. Speaking on To Catch A Serial Killer - With Trevor McDonald, Elaine said: Steve did what I think any family member would want an officer to do for them.. Steve is convinced Halliwell murdered others after he revealed he had buried Becky Godden in a 5ft hole. Linda Razzell, 41, disappeared in Swindon on March 19, 2002. A career copper, he joined what was then Sussex police in 1986 aged 21. The decision Steve made to follow Halliwell's taunt almost derailed the case against the killer in court, and ultimately cost the officer his job. He had murdered before. In September 2013, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) found that Fulcher had a case to answer for "gross misconduct" for breaches of PACE and for ignoring force orders. There's a distinct possibility there could be further offences.'. In 2014, the police found "up to 60" items of women's clothing buried in woodland, close to where a pair of Sian's boots had been found. Quite rightly it gives protection to the innocent. A decorated police detective whose career was left in tatters after he decided to pursue a confession from a suspected killer without following strict policing guidelines, has said he has no regrets. Jeff Pope's new ITV drama A Confession stars Martin Freeman as Detective Steve Fulcher, whose hunt for missing 22-year-old Sian O'Callaghan led him into an extraordinary situation in 2011. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Can you have a police force that simply ignores a serial killer?, Karen Edwards, the mother of Becky Godden-Edwards, commented: Had he have followed the guidelines, then Becky would never have been found, she would have never have come into the equation.. Det Supt Fulcher had risen through the ranks at Sussex Police before moving to Wiltshire. Well the ramifications are clear. At this point, Fulcher still hoped to find Sian alive. Youre seriously telling me theres nothing in between or either side? Yesterday, the sentencing judge, Sir John Griffiths Williams, told Halliwell: But for your confession, I have no doubt Beckys remains would never have been found. Joe Absolom, which has been gripping audiences for the past six weeks. ", Why? June 9, 2015 - Halliwell appears at Bristol Crown Court and denies Miss Godden's murder. I acted in good faith to save a life, and to recover a body we did not previously know about.. Natalie Corner For Mailonline, Trophy hunter mother, 41, who has travelled the world to kill more than ONE HUNDRED animals claims her hobby HELPS preserve wild species, Bodyguard creator Jed Mercurio teases that Julia Montague is ALIVE - as he reveals how he manages to keep the show's plot a secret, TIMELINE OF A DOUBLE KILLING: HOW CHRISTOPHER HALLIWELL MURDERED TWO WOMEN THEN THWARTED JUSTICE FOR VICTIM'S FAMILY. The lives of Sian OCallaghan, 22, and Becky Godden, 20, had been callously cut short by taxi driver Halliwell, who guided Fulcher to their bodies. January 30, 2012 - Mrs Justice Cox rules the evidence of Halliwell's confessions to the murders of both women is inadmissible. Steve says Halliwell then asked him, "Do you want another one?"'. According to the PACE rules, he should have cautioned the killer and given him access to a solicitor after discovering that Sian was dead. Freeman met Fulcher during the filming of A Confession, and Fulcher has now watched the dramatisation. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. For nine long minutes Halliwell said nothing. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Published: Monday, 30th September 2019 at 7:00 am. In 2018 he appeared on the ITV show To Catch a Serial Killer with Trevor McDonald.My view is that I have brought two daughters back to their mothers and Ive prevented other victims resulting from Halliwells continued pursuit of his career as a serial killer," Fulcher told McDonald. ", A Confession will air on ITV in September 2019, Try 12 issues for 1 today - never miss an issue. DS Steve Fulcher resigned from the police force in May 2014, He was played by Martin Freeman in the ITV series, DS Fulcher was found guilty of gross misconduct. It didnt end there. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. 11:00 GMT 03 Sep 2019. Moreover, as forensic officers set to work, Fulcher was unprepared for what came next. In his book, Steve says: At the bottom of a pond that was 8ft deep they found Sian OCallaghans distinctive boot. However, criminal defence barrister Sebastian Gardiner said their must be a way to ensure "police powers are not abused". "The panel considered independently whether or not the actions of Steve Fulcher had breached the standards of professional behaviour that apply to all police officers in England and Wales. Got Christopher Halliwell to confess to 2nd murder . Former cop Steve Fulcher says: Are you seriously telling me that on two occasions he brutally murdered two women and then theres nothing before or since?. I felt my position was untenable.. After his arrest, Halliwell revealed the location of Sian's body. Steve said: One witness came forward to say they were sure they had seen Halliwell and Claudia together. Halliwell was not charged with Becky's murder in his 2012 trial, as a judge had ruled his confession to the crime was inadmissible in court. He was only convicted of Becky's murder in 2016 after a new detective took over the investigation. Steve Fulcher confronted by killer Christopher Halliwell in A Confession finale teaser. Halliwell is serving life for killing Sian OCallaghan, 22, and Becky Godden, 20. Halliwell had been busy. Fulcher made the decision to resign from Wiltshire Police force in May, 2014. The force arranged for an independent misconduct panel to convene. 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Officers observed Halliwell. With compelling circumstantial evidence, Fulcher authorised covert surveillance. The senior echelons arent police officers at all. He was found guilty in January 2014 and given a final written warning by a disciplinary tribunal. [Wiltshire police] chose not to pursue it. He wanted to use what he believed were emergency powers, to be used only when there is an imminent threat to life. Sian OCallaghans family certainly think so, as does Becky Goddens mother Karen. Spoken from the dock at Bristol Crown Court this month, these were the words of convicted murderer Christopher Halliwell as he finished cross-examining former detective superintendent Steve Fulcher, the man who had sacrificed everything his career, health and happiness to bring him to justice. This investigation damaged Fulcher's career as a senior police officer, and despite keeping his job with a final written warning in January 2014, he resigned from the force in May of that year. The CPS should have appealed. The protracted investigations into his conduct, meanwhile, have affected not only his health but that of Yvonne, his 48-year-old wife of 28 years, and their two 20-something daughters investigations which, as Fulcher emphasises in this blistering interview, could have been better used to secure Halliwells conviction for Becky Goddards death years earlier. The panel considered independently whether or not the actions of Steve Fulcher had breached the standards of professional behaviour that apply to all police officers in England and Wales. But forensic evidence that has been used to convict [Halliwell] was available back in 2011. But then Halliwell had a second horrific confession. Halliwell described another victim, a prostitute he said he had killed much earlier, says Steve, and he could take him to the spot where he had buried her as well. It was a fitting tribute for a man who prided himself on putting victims and their families first. Instead of bringing Halliwell back to Gablecross police station in Swindon where he would have had access to a solicitor, Fulcher ordered his officers to take Halliwell to a nearby Iron Age hill fort called Barbury Castle. Away from the press, Fulcher and his team had also identified the taxi driver 47-year-old father-of-three Christopher Halliwell (played by Joe Absolom) and were keeping him under surveillance, hoping he would lead them to Sian. In May 2014, Fulcher resigned from Wiltshire Police. "But for my course of action Becky would still be in that field, Sian would never be found and Christopher Halliwell would be walking the streets.". He lost his police pension worth 500,000, had to sell his house and now works training police in war-torn Somalia. But Fulcher had taken a different course: 'We had a surreal exchange, he joined was. Written warning by a disciplinary tribunal Halliwell is serving life for killing OCallaghan! 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