Fulcher is more than qualified to reflect on how British policing has changed. Two months later, dismayed at Wiltshires Forces disinterest in both reinforcing the charges related to Becky Goddens murder and other potential victims, Fulcher asked to be reassigned to the National Homicide Team. There is an obsession with procedure at the expense of the bigger picture. He was scrolling through pictures on his phone of other women, leading me to suspect there were other victims. Fulcher has lost his career, he works as a security consultant in Africa. Ultimately, Halliwell confessed to two murders to Fulcher and led the police to the bodies of both Sian and Becky. Fulcher has lost his career, he works as a security consultant in Africa. Four months later, he resigned from the Wiltshire Police force. Officers observed Halliwell. Martin Freeman plays Det Supt Steve Fulcher, the officer who took the monumental gamble which secured the admission but which also led to his own downfall. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Do you want another one?. That changed when officers reported Halliwell had visited a chemist and bought what Fulcher calls an overdose quantity of pills. How far should the police go in securing a confession and bringing a killer to justice? The senior investigating officer on the case was Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher (played in A Confession by Martin Freeman) and the events of 24th March would be the defining moment of his career. ', Afterwards Fulcher said of Halliwell: 'We had a surreal exchange, he knew that he had given his life away. He also told The Guardian in 2017 that he believed Halliwell was responsible for more murders, as more than 60 items of womens clothing were found buried in woodland near Marlborough, including OCallaghans brown boots and Godden-Edwardss cardigan. A Confession is based on the true story of Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher and the disappearance of Sian O'Callaghan. When you suspect someone has been abducted or kidnapped their life remains under threat, and there are very clear procedural rules about that.. Worse was to come: as the year unfolded, Fulcher learned that Halliwells legal team would attempt to get the charges thrown out on the basis that Fulcher had not adequately followed PACE guidelines. Then he said Have you got a car, lets go. There is a significant gap in his offending. 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A police telephone trace threw up a clue - he had texted her half an hour after she left the nightclub saying, 'Worried'. The nadir came in January 2014, when he was found guilty of gross misconduct after a hearing at which, notably, Karen Godden, Beckys mother insisted on accompanying him to show her support. 10:45 GMT 24 Sep 2016, By the way, it was a pleasure ruining your career, you corrupt b*****d.. A search of the forest proved fruitless, but the detective got a breakthrough several days into the investigation after his team spotted an unidentified taxi on CCTV in the area where she disappeared, explains ITV reporter Robert Murphy, who covered the case. All the while, Fulcher delayed making an arrest, hoping Halliwell might lead them to Sian, whom he fervently hoped might still be alive. Haliwell was jailed for life in 2012 for Sians murder but it was ruled that the confession he gave Steve about where Becky was buried could not be used in court because police arrest guidelines were broken. He was allowed to keep his job, but later resigned. ITV's The Confession, tells the story of how Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher breached protocols to catch a killer. Sian's mother Elaine Pickford says what he did was understandable to her family. The detective and suspect met at Barbury Castle, an Iron Age hill fort near Swindon, where Fulcher believed Halliwell may be keeping Sian alive. Four months later, he resigned from the Wiltshire Police force. We walked away and he said Do you want another one? He then told me he had killed a girl in 2003, 4 or 5, and he could take me to that body the exact spot.. Martin Freeman plays Det Supt Fulcher, Imelda Staunton is Karen Edwards, Beckys mother, Siobhan Finneran features as Elaine Pickford, Sians mother. 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. The trace on her phone was tracked to the nearby Savernake Forest by Steve's team. Halliwell, 55, had already admitted murdering Sian in Swindon in 2011, but DS Fulcher's intervention saw him confess to killing Becky Godden 20 years earlier as well. It took a jury just two hours to find him guilty. Five days after her disappearance and desperate to find Sian alive, police had closed in on suspect Halliwell. DS Steve Fulcher said he had always been convinced Halliwell had targeted more women. Fulcher, meanwhile, was being heartily congratulated by senior officers. He said: "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. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. 'I would appeal to Christopher Halliwell if he wants to speak I'm willing to speak with him. The fallout for Steve Fulcher was huge. Martin Freeman - plays Supt Det Steve Fulcher. The senior echelons arent police officers at all. What are the ramifications of that? Latest weather models confirm that a bitter cold snap is on the way for Ireland. The worm, however, quickly turned. Yet that wasnt all. It took four more years of campaigning for it to be allowed, and last September Halliwell was convicted of killing Becky and burying her body in a field at Eastleach, Gloucs. But there is only no evidence because they havent spoken to the witness.. With time running out, DS Fulcher then took Halliwell to Barbury Castle, a beauty spot outside Swindon, where he suspected Sian was being held. Steve is no longer working for Wiltshire police, having left the force back in 2014, but his decision to hand in his notice wasn't one he made lightly. It isnt and it hasnt been. Yet no one was interested.. Its taken all this time for Beckys case to come to court, he says. Steve explains what happened next: 'He said, "You and I should have a chat". The following January Det Supt Fulcher was found guilty of gross misconduct and given a final disciplinary warning. Fulcher made the decision to resign from Wiltshire Police force in May, 2014. When cornered by detectives, Halliwell admitted that he had killed Sian and led them to her body. The Sherlock actor said he 'couldn't believe' Fulcher's story when he heard it. Senior investigating officer Steve Fulcher was found not to have followed procedures on the treatment of suspects, meaning Halliwell's confession was inadmissible in court. He drove a car similar to one spotted on CCTV at the time of Sians disappearance. However in a new one-off ITV documentary, To Catch a Serial Killer, DS Fulcher insists he did the right thing, saying: 'My view is that I have brought two daughters back to their mothers and I've prevented other victims resulting from Halliwell's continued pursuit of his career as a serial killer. But Halliwell was eventually found guilty of the murder of Godden-Edwards and was given another life sentence. As he points out, however, his focus was on one thing: finding Sian. In 2014, he was found guilty of misconduct at a disciplinary hearing. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. Monster is currently serving life for killing Sian OCallaghan, 22, and Becky Godden, 20. Which was quite odd, actually I felt the sense of gratitude. So he definitely killed Sian in March 2011, he definitely killed Becky early 2003. In March 2011, Sian OCallaghan vanished on a night out in Swindon. 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. It is a colossal effort. Instead, seeing a window of opportunity, hed driven him to the field where Halliwell claimed another body would be found. Another potential victim is prostitute Sally Ann John, 24, who vanished from Swindon in 1995. I did these things because they were the right things to do in these circumstances. Then he turned to the officer in charge, DS Steve Fulcher, and said: Do you want another one? He then told them where he had buried BeckyGodden many years earlier. I heard nothing for 10 months, he recalls. His career was in tatters. ", And speaking after Halliwell's sentencing in 2016, Memory said: Im very very clear that there must be other victims out there whether they are sexual offences or other women that he has taken. DS Fulcher was found guilty of gross misconduct The following January Det Supt Fulcher was found guilty of gross misconduct and given a final disciplinary warning. But Beckys family was having to wait for justice. Her husband Glyn has spent 13 years in jail for her murder but maintains his innocence, with his lawyer saying he would be 'very surprised' if he had committed the crime. Sian's mother Elaine Pickford says what he did was understandable to. CCTV taken near the Suju nightclub in Swindon showed her getting into a Toyota taxi owned by Christopher Halliwell, a 47-year-old father of two teenage daughters. She was a drug addict and sex worker, and after she disappeared her mother Karen Edwards (played by Imelda Staunton) had spent years hoping she would return. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. "Because you don't want to mention a name and then give a family false hope. It was a fitting tribute for a man who prided himself on putting victims and their families first. Steve Fulcher, the detective who put him behind bars, . Fulcher had not cautioned Halliwell as he should have under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE). 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. You then tried to manipulate the police and court process to try to avoid getting what you deserved., They are words Fulcher has waited many years for. September 19, 2016 - Halliwell is convicted of Miss Godden's murder. A career copper, he joined what was then Sussex police in 1986 aged 21. Steve Fulcher placed Halliwell under surveillance and he was seen cleaning his car, disposing of materials in litter bins, and burning objects at night. 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. And where had they gone next? That girl, we now know, was poor Becky Godden, a much loved daughter who had fallen into drug addiction, prostitution and, ultimately, Halliwells evil hands. Fulchers once distinguished career, meanwhile, lies in ruins. The cop's life imploded when he caught depraved killer Christopher Halliwell. The investigation into her murder was headed up by DS Fulcher who charged cab driver Chris Halliwell with the abduction of the office worker. "I am satisfied also that the defendant's confession to the murder of Becky Godden and his taking the police to where he had buried her was not the consequence of oppression.". He maintains that he would not have persuaded Halliwell to confess had he not taken this gamble. Two and a half years on, Becky Goddens mother has, at least, seen justice served in no small part thanks to her own vigorous campaigning to ensure her daughters murder wasnt forgotten. 'Just in the minutes before Sian vanished, one of the police cars had filmed a Toyota Avensis driving the other way, and it had the number plate.'. "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. He had murdered before. These are usually reserved for terrorist cases. Realising something was seriously wrong when Sian failed to come home or answer his texts, Kevin raised the alarm. 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. Police are still continuing their investigation into Halliwell as they believe other victims are yet to be found. Why would this not be the biggest, most protracted, most vigorous investigation in the history of British policing?. Steve said: One witness came forward to say they were sure they had seen Halliwell and Claudia together. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. After his arrest, Halliwell revealed the location of Sian's body. That decision cost DS Fulcher his career. The fiend then revealed where cops could find the body of Becky Godden who police did not even know was missing at the time. Murphy explained in the documentary: 'A police officer had the idea of looking at all the police dashboard cameras that were patrolling central Swindon at the time. Halliwell admitted he had murdered Sian, and directed Det Supt Fulcher and his team to her body near Uffington, Oxfordshire. And if were not protecting the victim then were all sunk., The comments below have not been moderated, By DC Fulcher quit after being accused of gross misconduct over murder case. Catching a double killer led to Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher being hailed a hero by the families and twice nominated for a Queens Police Medal. All I could do was try to keep him talking.. By then, Halliwell had been charged with Sian OCallaghans murder he had stabbed her to death before dumping her body and placed on technical bail (where bail is granted as the accused is already in custody) for the murder of the as-yet-unidentified woman. Steve Fulcher confronted by killer Christopher Halliwell in A Confession finale teaser. Sian OCallaghans family certainly think so, as does Becky Goddens mother Karen. Halliwell is thought to have killed Becky in 2003, while Sian was killed in 2011. At 9.45am he called the police to report that his girlfriend had gone missing. But not before Halliwell, defending himself in court, gloated about how he had ruined Steves career. Buried around the pond were more items of womens clothing. 'I can't rule out that there are other victims. 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. At this point, Fulcher still hoped to find Sian alive. Kathryn Knight for the Daily Mail, Vindicated: the hero policeman who lost his job bringing Becky Goddens smirking killer to justice, Police are 'very, very clear' double murderer Christopher Halliwell has killed other women as they announce they are probing new leads after he is told he will die in jail, King Charles hosts von der Leyen at Windsor Castle, AFA president gives passionate rant speaking about student debt, Gabor Mat: No Jewish state without oppressing local population, Amplified jet stream could lead to 'disruptive snow in places', Dashcam captures moment two cars collide on a roundabout, Putin orders intelligence service to find 'scum' who oppose him, Putin spy plane before being 'destroyed by pro-Ukraine Belarus group', Police search allotment sheds for Constance Marten's missing baby, Huge urgent police search for missing baby of Constance Marten, Moment police swooped to arrest Constance Marten's boyfriend, Police: Constance and lover arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, Moment supermarket cashier is attacked at work in New York. 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