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When a murder
is left unsolved...

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No weapons, no eyewitnesses,

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no forensic evidence at all.

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There was nothing.

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..And a killer is
on the loose...

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These people
are still out there.

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Who's going to be next?

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..Britain's cold case
detectives will never give up.

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The best way to solve a
cold case is to keep it warm.

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No matter how long it takes...

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This case dominated my life.

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..They'll investigate
every angle

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and follow every hunch...

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Searching through
thousands of people.

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They think they got
away with it. They haven't.

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..Until justice is finally done.

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We all leave a trace.

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We'd finally identified
that golden nugget.

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Bingo. We've got 'em.

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It was the early hours of
the 25th of February 1994

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when 21-year-old Jason comerford

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was stabbed in the neck after a
night out in Manchester city centre.

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A very distressed female
called the emergency services

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she could see a man
lying down in the road.

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He was bleeding heavily and
she thought he was going to die.

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By the time the
ambulance arrived,

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he was dead.

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Detective chief
inspector Martin bottomley

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knew this was no
ordinary incident.

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In 1994, murder
was a rare occurrence

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and a stranger murder
was exceptionally rare.

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The types of crimes that
would've been committed

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on a lively evening
in Manchester in '94

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would have been
domestic assaults,

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the odd fight outside
a pub or a club,

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just angry young men or men who
had too much to drink at the time

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getting into trouble.

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Kevin Moore was a
detective constable

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on greater Manchester's
force at the time of the attack.

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Jason comerford was a
young man who was single.

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He lived alone in his own flats

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in the back end of ancoats,

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and on the night
of being killed,

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he'd gone out into
Manchester city centre

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to meet up with colleagues from
his works at discotheque royale.

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He worked for a textile firm.

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He was also an amateur artist.

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He was the fourth child of five,

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and he was... Ordinary
kid just out socialising.

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He asked his brother if
he wanted to go with him.

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His brother didn't really want to
go out that night, but Jason did.

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He was a very sociable man.

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So, he went to a
number of bars and clubs

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and ended up going to
the chip shop afterwards,

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buying some chips and walking
along great ancoats street.

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And at one point, he went into
the alleyway on George Leigh street,

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which is where the
fatal attack took place.

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When officers reached the scene,

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they made a gruesome discovery.

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We were left with a series
of spots and pools of blood,

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which showed where Jason had staggered
from the point where he was stabbed

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across a major road junction
to collapse in the road.

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Following the trail of blood,

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police pinpointed where
the attack had started.

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A search of the scene close to where
Jason had been stabbed was made

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and officers soon found a knife.

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It was bloodstained.

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A ten-inch knife was
recovered by detectives.

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It looked like police
had their murder weapon.

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That knife was very distinctive.

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It had the words
"the hunter" on it.

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It was locked knife that
had been folded back,

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so the blade had been
put back inside the handle,

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and it had just been
dropped on the ground.

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The knife was photographed

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and immediately sent
for forensic examination

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as investigators pieced
together Jason's final moments.

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The officers at the scene
immediately got the sense

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that this was a random, unmotivated
attack by a stranger on a stranger.

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There was no reason for
this attack to have taken place.

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It was senseless.

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Most acts of violence
of this severe nature

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take place between a
known offender and a victim,

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but random killings
of this type do occur.

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It may be that somebody
bumps into somebody else

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and has an altercation,

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and it escalates into very
serious violence as a result.

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The pathologists' report
did not suggest a fight

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that had got out of hand.

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It was much more chilling.

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The home office
registered pathologist

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conducted a
postmortem examination

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and established
that Jason had died

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from a single stab
wound to the neck.

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But there was a crucial witness.

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Before the fatal encounter,

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Jason had met someone
on his way home.

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The female witness
who'd dialled 999

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had been spotted
with the victim.

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She was very distressed,
she was shocked

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and she was in a confused state,

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and what she was telling
the police at that time

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probably made it a bit
more difficult to establish

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exactly what had happened.

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She spoke to the police
officers at the scene,

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where she gave the account that
she'd met him, the victim, Jason,

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so they treated her as
a vulnerable witness.

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Despite her muddled state,

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this female witness was able to
offer the police something valuable.

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What the witness did do, though,
was give us a description of the killer.

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The distinguishing
features of the killer

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was that he was a
white male, slim build.

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He was in his late
40s or early 50s,

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had long grey hair,

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he was carrying a bag.

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The other witnesses on great ancoats street
were a taxi driver and a lorry driver,

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and they were also able to
give a description of the killer,

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or the man they'd seen
running away from Jason,

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who was now lying
fatally wounded.

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They described him
as about five foot nine,

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and also, crucially, carrying a
black holdall over his shoulder.

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They said he was a scruffy appearance
and wearing a dark overcoat as well.

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Armed with
eyewitness descriptions,

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police immediately
scoured the area.

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Within hours, they
had a breakthrough.

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Police found a suspect,

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and he was sleeping
rough nearby,

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and his description matched
that given by the female witness

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and the two male witnesses who
had seen Jason dying in the road.

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That suspect was a man who had come
to Manchester from liverpool that night.

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He was seen around
the streets of Manchester

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in the same area as Jason,

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visiting some of the same
clubs and pubs as Jason,

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and had eventually got drunk
and fallen asleep in a doorway

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near piccadilly train station,

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where he was found about two
hours after Jason was actually stabbed

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and ultimately arrested.

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Had investigators caught a lucky
break and found Jason's killer?

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Manchester, February 1994.

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Witnesses to the fatal
stabbing of Jason comerford

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had quickly led
police to a suspect.

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He fitted the
description broadly

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of the offender that had
been seen running away,

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and he was thoroughly interviewed,
he was put on identification parade

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so that the people who had
seen the offender run away,

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to see if they could
identify him as that man.

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But none of the
witnesses could confirm

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that he was the man they'd
seen leaving the crime scene.

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He was later released without
charge when he was eliminated.

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The police's best lead
had come to nothing,

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and other potential suspects
proved equally frustrating.

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The suspects had alibis and
didn't match the description.

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They were quickly eliminated

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and the team came to a dead end.

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Now, back at square one,

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greater Manchester police comb
through Jason's last known movements,

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hoping for a clue.

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Investigators did a cctv trawl

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to try to establish
where Jason had been

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in the hours before his murder.

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Of course, in 1994,

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Manchester city centre didn't have
many cctv cameras as it does now.

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The images that were obtained
were low-quality and grainy

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and didn't exactly show as
much as we might have wanted.

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All we had was a view of Jason
entering the original nightclub

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he'd gone into that night.

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It showed what he was
wearing, what he looked like

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and how he walked in.

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And that was just as he
went past the doorman

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as part of a group of
people in a line going in.

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And images from the streets
outside were even less conclusive.

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The investigation team looked
at all possible cctv in the area,

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but came up with nothing that covered
where the offence actually occurred

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or the likely routes that the
offender had taken to the scene

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or away from the scene.

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Cctv proved another dead end
in the search for Jason's killer,

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so detectives
turned their attention

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to the only physical
evidence they had.

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The knife was
examined and processed

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using conventional
blood grouping tests

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and also slp, or
single locus probe,

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DNA profiling tests,

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which showed that the blood on
the blade matched Jason comerford.

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Everything that was
done with that knife

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confirmed it as
the murder weapon.

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But we got nowhere as regards
to trying to find fingerprints,

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dismantling the knife to see
if we could see fingerprints

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or other evidence within
the handle construction of it.

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Apart from the
blood on the knife,

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no other evidential material
was recovered at that time.

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They may have had
the murder weapon,

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but forensic scientists
could not find any trace

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of who had used the
knife to stab Jason,

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so it was forensically archived.

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The investigation
had hit a brick wall.

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Everybody involved in this case was
incredibly frustrated and disappointed,

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and of course, there was still the
threat of a stranger on the loose

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going around Manchester,
attacking people randomly,

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and that was the
greatest threat at that time.

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When Jason comerford
was killed in such a fashion,

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it shocked the city
centre and beyond, really,

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because of the nature of
the way in which he died.

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It was motiveless,
it was a stranger,

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it was just chilling, really.

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By may 1994,

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three months on
from Jason's murder,

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all leads had dried up,

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so greater Manchester police put out
an appeal on the BBC's crimewatch,

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hoping it would be the push
needed for a witness to come forward.

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Jason comerford was 21 when he
was killed this year in Manchester.

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He lived alone and worked
locally at a textile company.

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00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:39,919
At around 2.45am on
Friday the 25th of February,

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Jason was stabbed near the
corner of George Leigh street

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and great ancoats street.

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A short time earlier, he was seen talking
to a man near the daily express building.

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00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:51,959
If that was you,
please come forward.

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The knife used in the
attack is distinctive.

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It has a black
teflon coated blade

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with the words "the hunter"
printed on the handle.

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We'd like to talk to anyone in the
Manchester area who recognises it.

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Hopes were raised by
one caller who responded.

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The crimewatch appeal did
apparently trigger a phone call to police

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with a name of someone who was
regarded as either a prime suspect

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or their name was
given as the killer.

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But as the name given
was very common,

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investigators could not identify
who the caller was talking about.

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We tried to get back to
that caller and trace them,

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but we could never do it.

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Despite the media appeals,

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the lack of forensic evidence
turned the case stone cold.

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Unfortunately, at that time,

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there were no real suspects
who could be attributed

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to being Jason's murderer.

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00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:55,399
For nearly 16 years after
Jason was brutally killed,

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nothing moved on the case...

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..Until 2010, when
Martin bottomley,

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now head of greater
Manchester police's cold case unit,

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00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:08,720
decided to reopen the files.

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00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:12,119
We will always try our very best

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to bring justice to the
victim and the family.

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So, we wanted to
take a fresh look at it

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00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:19,840
and there were some new
forensic techniques available.

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Forensic techniques
had advanced since 1994,

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but re-examining
the archive materials

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00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:32,520
taken from Jason's murder
scene was not straightforward.

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00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:36,159
You've always got to be aware

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00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:39,959
that there may be something
more sensitive coming in the future,

248
00:13:39,960 --> 00:13:43,599
whether it be DNA techniques
or examination techniques,

249
00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:46,439
so you've not to use
all that retained material

250
00:13:46,440 --> 00:13:49,679
because, in a lot of cases,
once that material has been used,

251
00:13:49,680 --> 00:13:52,720
we can't then go
back and re-examine it.

252
00:13:54,680 --> 00:13:56,439
16 years on,

253
00:13:56,440 --> 00:13:59,919
the DNA forensic breakthrough
Martin was hoping for

254
00:13:59,920 --> 00:14:02,359
was still just out of reach.

255
00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:06,359
What sue said in 2010 was that,
"if you'd wait two or three years,

256
00:14:06,360 --> 00:14:09,079
"with the advances that I
can see are coming on stream,

257
00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:12,159
"we can probably get a good
result for you on that occasion."

258
00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:16,039
So, her advice was don't do
too much with these swabs now.

259
00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:19,639
"Let's leave it a bit. Let's try
again in a couple of years."

260
00:14:19,640 --> 00:14:22,599
The risk of destroying
crucial forensic evidence

261
00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:26,039
before science caught
up was too great.

262
00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:29,879
All Martin's team
could do was to sit tight.

263
00:14:29,880 --> 00:14:32,319
We had to put the
case on the back burner.

264
00:14:32,320 --> 00:14:36,919
Cold case work is very slow, very
methodical and takes a lot of time,

265
00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:38,479
and it's very detailed.

266
00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:40,040
But we just had to wait.

267
00:14:41,520 --> 00:14:45,119
Sadly, for some of
Jason comerford's family,

268
00:14:45,120 --> 00:14:47,080
it proved too long a wait.

269
00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:50,119
Many members of his family died.

270
00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:52,719
Jason's relatives, including
his mum, dad, brother,

271
00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:54,719
didn't get to see the outcome.

272
00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:56,959
Not learning why
Jason was killed

273
00:14:56,960 --> 00:14:58,319
or by whom

274
00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:01,679
compounded the suffering
for the comerford family.

275
00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:03,759
It may have prevented
them from going through

276
00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:05,919
the conventional stages of grief

277
00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:09,559
and it's likely to have significant
negative consequences

278
00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:11,439
for a long time.

279
00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:16,359
Martin was determined to get
Jason's remaining family some closure,

280
00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:20,639
but without anything substantial
enough to revive the case,

281
00:15:20,640 --> 00:15:24,480
the hunt for Jason's
killer hit another brick wall.

282
00:15:26,360 --> 00:15:30,000
Five more years passed
with the case still unsolved...

283
00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:34,919
..Until forensic scientist
sue cherry's earlier prediction

284
00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:36,760
finally came good.

285
00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:41,959
In 2015, a new DNA
technique became available

286
00:15:41,960 --> 00:15:44,519
which we refer to as DNA 17,

287
00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:47,119
which looks at
further areas of DNA,

288
00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:51,679
but also has the added
advantage that the technique itself

289
00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:55,320
is more sensitive than
previous DNA techniques.

290
00:15:56,600 --> 00:16:00,799
DNA 17 meant
accurate DNA profiling

291
00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:03,639
could be carried out
on microscopic samples

292
00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:07,679
collected from the crime
scene for the very first time,

293
00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:12,279
including the archived samples from
the most crucial piece of evidence -

294
00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:13,800
the murder weapon.

295
00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:17,959
Part of the forensics
team since 1994,

296
00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:21,519
sue cherry returned
to help crack the case.

297
00:16:21,520 --> 00:16:26,919
In 2016, the decision was
made to revisit the material

298
00:16:26,920 --> 00:16:29,759
that had been retained
at the forensic archive

299
00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:31,879
in relation to the knife.

300
00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:36,319
Small pieces of fabric
which had been used in 1994

301
00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:39,679
to sample blood staining
and cellular material

302
00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:44,199
from the knife blade and from
inside the handle of the knife,

303
00:16:44,200 --> 00:16:50,279
and to attempt DNA profiling
on some very small samples.

304
00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:53,359
The minute size of
these forensic samples

305
00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:56,240
was no longer an obstacle
for sue and her team.

306
00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:02,199
The techniques available
enabled us to yield DNA profiles

307
00:17:02,200 --> 00:17:04,959
from very small
amounts of material.

308
00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:08,679
So we could obtain DNA
still from blood, saliva,

309
00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:11,679
and also very small
amounts of cellular material

310
00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:13,719
that might have
been transferred,

311
00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:16,800
in this case we presume
from the handler of the knife.

312
00:17:18,240 --> 00:17:21,959
This fresh analysis of the
carefully preserved samples

313
00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:24,760
opened up a whole new
Avenue for the detectives.

314
00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:30,519
We obtained a mixture
of DNA of a major profile,

315
00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:32,040
which matched the deceased.

316
00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:37,319
I was also able to resolve
the profile of a second,

317
00:17:37,320 --> 00:17:40,399
lower level contributor of DNA.

318
00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:43,679
It wasn't a complete profile,
but what it did allow us

319
00:17:43,680 --> 00:17:48,839
to do under DNA 17 was to load
the profile onto the DNA database,

320
00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:52,559
and that came up with a
list of 19 potential persons

321
00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:55,920
who could be associated
to having handled the knife.

322
00:17:57,680 --> 00:18:01,839
Martin bottomley and the cold
case review team could then apply

323
00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:07,239
other search criteria,
such as location and age,

324
00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:12,039
to sift that information and
decide if any particular person

325
00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:14,200
of interest could be identified.

326
00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:20,999
19 potential matches was a
daunting starting point for Martin.

327
00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:24,079
But one name quickly
drew his attention.

328
00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:29,319
Only two people lived in the area
near where Jason was stabbed.

329
00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:33,199
And of those two, one
person in particular stood out

330
00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:36,279
like a sore thumb because of
the number of his convictions

331
00:18:36,280 --> 00:18:39,159
related to knife crime
and offensive weapons.

332
00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:43,959
So he was a prime candidate
for us to look at really closely.

333
00:18:43,960 --> 00:18:45,840
That person was Geoffrey strike.

334
00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:54,679
After more than 20 years
of disappointing dead ends,

335
00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:57,480
Martin finally had
a prime suspect.

336
00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:04,000
Investigators now did a full
background check on Geoffrey strike.

337
00:19:05,360 --> 00:19:09,239
Geoffrey strike fit the
description of the offender,

338
00:19:09,240 --> 00:19:12,719
so we had to look at his criminal
history, what we knew about him.

339
00:19:12,720 --> 00:19:19,239
Did he live near the area of the
offence? Did they know each other?

340
00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:21,399
The more police
looked into strike,

341
00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:24,479
the more disturbing
the picture became.

342
00:19:24,480 --> 00:19:27,959
Geoffrey strike had a long
history of criminal offences.

343
00:19:27,960 --> 00:19:33,119
He had 16 convictions for possession
of offensive weapons, mainly knives,

344
00:19:33,120 --> 00:19:36,399
but on one occasion he
had attacked police officers

345
00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:38,159
with a samurai sword.

346
00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:40,159
He didn't injure
them, fortunately,

347
00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:42,280
but he damaged the
police car they were in.

348
00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:45,919
Quite chillingly,
in October 1996,

349
00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:49,119
when he was arrested for one
of his offences of possession

350
00:19:49,120 --> 00:19:53,919
of a blade, he threatened
a police officer and said,

351
00:19:53,920 --> 00:19:58,560
"f you, you little b,
or I'll cut your throat."

352
00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:05,639
There were a large number of
convictions between 1994 and 1997.

353
00:20:05,640 --> 00:20:09,239
And in particular
five offences in 1994

354
00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:12,040
within half a mile radius
of the murder scene.

355
00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:17,119
Geoffrey strike's dangerous
convictions placed him

356
00:20:17,120 --> 00:20:19,839
in central
Manchester in the '90s.

357
00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:22,279
But police didn't stop there.

358
00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:27,239
We were able to establish that he
lived within approximately 400 yards

359
00:20:27,240 --> 00:20:29,359
to the scene of the murder.

360
00:20:29,360 --> 00:20:33,439
He lived in the direction that the
offender had walked away from

361
00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:36,879
after stabbing Jason
and dropped the knife.

362
00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:40,359
The address he kept on giving
the police was Victoria square

363
00:20:40,360 --> 00:20:42,639
in Manchester, one
of the flats there.

364
00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:46,920
And it was an acquaintance's flat.
So he was, in essence, sofa surfing.

365
00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:51,279
Detectives were desperate
to track down strike.

366
00:20:51,280 --> 00:20:56,199
They first tried the lady who'd
owned the flat back in 1994.

367
00:20:56,200 --> 00:20:58,359
Unfortunately, she
had passed away.

368
00:20:58,360 --> 00:21:00,039
So we couldn't go to her.

369
00:21:00,040 --> 00:21:03,159
We went on to do house to
house enquiries in that location

370
00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:07,239
to see if there was any residents
who went back that far in time

371
00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:09,639
and could remember him
or remember the people

372
00:21:09,640 --> 00:21:11,279
that lived there at that time.

373
00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:15,760
They had aged. So that
became unsuccessful, as such.

374
00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:19,719
Geoffrey strike seemed
to have vanished,

375
00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:22,799
and police were
running out of leads

376
00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:26,240
until cold case officers
made a startling discovery.

377
00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:33,839
Geoffrey strike was
in a psychiatric unit

378
00:21:33,840 --> 00:21:35,759
within a Manchester hospital

379
00:21:35,760 --> 00:21:37,920
and had been for two decades.

380
00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:51,399
24 years after the brutal
murder of young Jason comerford

381
00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:56,119
in central Manchester, huge
advancements in DNA profiling

382
00:21:56,120 --> 00:21:59,960
had finally given cold case
detectives a prime suspect.

383
00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:06,479
Now 73 years old, Geoffrey strike
was a man with an extensive history

384
00:22:06,480 --> 00:22:09,960
of mental health issues
and criminal convictions.

385
00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:15,039
After attacking a police
officer with a samurai sword

386
00:22:15,040 --> 00:22:19,199
and damaging the police vehicle,
he was sentenced for six months.

387
00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:21,199
While he was
serving that sentence,

388
00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:25,279
he was diagnosed with
paranoid schizophrenia

389
00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:28,960
and he was transferred to a mental
health unit in greater Manchester.

390
00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:33,359
There are various
forms of schizophrenia.

391
00:22:33,360 --> 00:22:37,999
So, those who suffer may
experience delusions, hallucinations,

392
00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:41,239
they may hear voices, they
may have paranoid beliefs,

393
00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:43,959
and they may suffer
from a general mismatch

394
00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:46,719
between their
mind-set and reality.

395
00:22:46,720 --> 00:22:51,799
In rare instances, this may
escalate into very serious violence.

396
00:22:51,800 --> 00:22:55,079
Strike's last known address
and history of knife crime

397
00:22:55,080 --> 00:22:57,879
made him a prime
suspect as Jason's killer.

398
00:22:57,880 --> 00:23:00,279
But the evidence
was circumstantial.

399
00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:02,639
Martin needed hard proof.

400
00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:06,239
Whilst Geoffrey strike was on
the list of 19 persons identified

401
00:23:06,240 --> 00:23:10,879
from the DNA database,
that in itself did not tell us

402
00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:16,319
precisely that his profile
matched the killer's profile.

403
00:23:16,320 --> 00:23:19,959
The only referenced profile
available from Geoffrey strike

404
00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:22,679
only examined six areas of DNA,

405
00:23:22,680 --> 00:23:28,359
whereas the DNA test that I had
performed looked at 17 areas of DNA.

406
00:23:28,360 --> 00:23:32,959
So I requested a further
reference sample from mr strike

407
00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:37,999
so that I could compare a complete
reference DNA profile from him

408
00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:41,240
to the DNA results that
i'd obtained previously.

409
00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:46,439
With permission from
strike's psychiatrist,

410
00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:49,760
Martin's team paid him a
visit at the mental health unit.

411
00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:14,960
Strike's new DNA sample
was submitted for analysis.

412
00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:19,359
It gave us the answer
we were looking for.

413
00:24:19,360 --> 00:24:20,480
It was a match.

414
00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:25,319
This forensic match showed
decisively strike had handled

415
00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:27,320
the knife used to murder Jason.

416
00:24:28,360 --> 00:24:31,160
Martin's cold case
had been revived.

417
00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:36,799
In June 2018, Martin's team
conducted an official interview

418
00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:40,960
with Geoffrey strike in the presence
of a lawyer and welfare support.

419
00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:23,879
He made no comment to most
questions put to him during his interview.

420
00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:26,119
Probing for any detail,

421
00:25:26,120 --> 00:25:29,280
detectives questioned
strike about the ten inch knife.

422
00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:57,399
Even when confronted
with the key evidence,

423
00:25:57,400 --> 00:25:59,800
strike's reaction
remained the same.

424
00:26:37,560 --> 00:26:41,279
He denied ever seeing or
possessing or touching the knife.

425
00:26:41,280 --> 00:26:44,359
Not simply saying he couldn't
remember, he denied it.

426
00:26:44,360 --> 00:26:47,519
Since a person diagnosed
with schizophrenia is likely to be

427
00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:50,359
suffering a mismatch
between their mind and reality,

428
00:26:50,360 --> 00:26:53,639
things that they say have to
be approached with caution

429
00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:55,240
and they may be unreliable.

430
00:26:56,440 --> 00:26:59,200
But the scientific
evidence was indisputable.

431
00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:41,439
He denied all knowledge
of the murder at that point.

432
00:27:41,440 --> 00:27:44,839
Strike also made his feelings
clear about the cold case

433
00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:47,200
investigation being
brought to his door.

434
00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:14,839
The evidence that strike had
handled the murder weapon was solid,

435
00:28:14,840 --> 00:28:17,480
but DNA data alone
would not be enough.

436
00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:22,159
Martin needed more to
build a watertight case

437
00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:24,919
if he wanted to
get strike convicted.

438
00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:28,239
We had the match, but there's
still a heck of a lot of work to do

439
00:28:28,240 --> 00:28:31,719
so that we'd eventually be
able to present a case file

440
00:28:31,720 --> 00:28:34,399
to the cps to allow them
to authorise a charge

441
00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:37,159
against Geoffrey strike
for Jason's murder.

442
00:28:37,160 --> 00:28:38,840
And we still had
a long way to go.

443
00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:44,079
Now an investigation officer
in the major incident unit,

444
00:28:44,080 --> 00:28:48,879
Kevin Moore assisted Martin's
team with preparing their case.

445
00:28:48,880 --> 00:28:52,439
We had to review the
initial murder investigation

446
00:28:52,440 --> 00:28:56,999
from then 24 years
earlier, put a case together,

447
00:28:57,000 --> 00:29:00,759
and also at the same time
investigate Geoffrey strike.

448
00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:04,279
You needed that type of
corroboration to support

449
00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:07,959
the contention that he was
the offender and take it forward.

450
00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:11,159
Detectives' first task was
to prove any other suspects

451
00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:16,239
who'd come up in 1994 had
been successfully discounted.

452
00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:21,999
I had to highlight and explain how
other suspects had been eliminated

453
00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:24,479
from that initial investigation.

454
00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:27,999
Some of that was people who were
on the run, who'd escaped from prison.

455
00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:29,639
They'd been in the area.

456
00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:32,639
Others were people giving
us the name of the offender

457
00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:35,239
who actually was in prison
at the time of the offence.

458
00:29:35,240 --> 00:29:37,919
That then showed the
investigation had been done properly

459
00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:42,759
and thoroughly, and it took
away any argument from a defence

460
00:29:42,760 --> 00:29:44,840
point of view that we'd
got the wrong man.

461
00:29:45,880 --> 00:29:50,719
This process meant detectives
had to revisit their very first suspect,

462
00:29:50,720 --> 00:29:53,959
the one they'd arrested on
the night of Jason's murder.

463
00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:58,999
We had to go back to interview
him and get evidence off him

464
00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:02,159
about what he'd
done on that night.

465
00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:05,959
To say, "I didn't do this and I
was looked at by the police wrongly.

466
00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:08,999
"I was just on a night out
and became the worse for wear

467
00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:12,239
"from alcohol and
ended up falling asleep

468
00:30:12,240 --> 00:30:14,439
"on the streets of Manchester."

469
00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:18,519
We went back to him and explained
that the man who had actually

470
00:30:18,520 --> 00:30:22,960
killed Jason had now been
identified and was being prosecuted.

471
00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:28,599
The sense of relief that this
man showed was incredible.

472
00:30:28,600 --> 00:30:32,439
He was just so relieved,
explaining he'd lived with this,

473
00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:37,559
this fear, for 24 years that
the police would still come back

474
00:30:37,560 --> 00:30:40,319
to him cos he knew how
strongly he was suspected

475
00:30:40,320 --> 00:30:42,040
at the time as the killer.

476
00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:45,959
As well as initial suspects,

477
00:30:45,960 --> 00:30:51,399
the original witnesses from
1994 also had to be tracked down.

478
00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:54,959
The key witnesses in this case
were a taxi driver who was passing

479
00:30:54,960 --> 00:30:58,959
the scene at the time of Jason
staggering out into the street,

480
00:30:58,960 --> 00:31:01,839
two men in a truck
on the way to work,

481
00:31:01,840 --> 00:31:05,160
and a lady who
had been with Jason.

482
00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:09,799
We interviewed this lady,
who'd made the original 999 call,

483
00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:11,160
who'd met up with Jason.

484
00:31:17,160 --> 00:31:18,879
And there were
many other witnesses

485
00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:21,519
we had to trace and
interview, as well.

486
00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:23,959
Without the evidence
they provided,

487
00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:28,479
we wouldn't have had that supporting
evidence to take the case forward.

488
00:31:28,480 --> 00:31:33,080
Their eye witness accounts
were key to this prosecution.

489
00:31:34,280 --> 00:31:38,199
The corroborating evidence
against strike was stacking up,

490
00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:42,680
but Martin and Kevin knew which
piece should deliver a conviction.

491
00:31:45,600 --> 00:31:49,239
The key piece of evidence in
this case was always the knife.

492
00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:52,919
Having the murder
weapon found at the scene,

493
00:31:52,920 --> 00:31:54,400
it's like manna from heaven.

494
00:31:55,400 --> 00:31:58,039
You don't get it in many cases.

495
00:31:58,040 --> 00:32:02,239
And to then have that
murder weapon fully identifiable

496
00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:04,919
as the weapon
used to kill Jason,

497
00:32:04,920 --> 00:32:07,239
with his blood and DNA on it,

498
00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:11,359
the offender's blood
and DNA within that knife

499
00:32:11,360 --> 00:32:15,640
to show that he'd handled
it, was just key evidence.

500
00:32:17,280 --> 00:32:20,679
It was evident from the very start
that forensics would be the key

501
00:32:20,680 --> 00:32:23,119
to opening this
investigation, taking it forward,

502
00:32:23,120 --> 00:32:26,160
and leading it to a conclusion.
It was absolutely critical.

503
00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:30,679
Martin and Kevin's
teams diligently built

504
00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:33,759
a comprehensive
case against strike.

505
00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:35,359
We had the DNA evidence,

506
00:32:35,360 --> 00:32:39,239
we had the previous convictions
which were highly convincing

507
00:32:39,240 --> 00:32:43,319
in terms of strike's ability to
carry out this type of crime,

508
00:32:43,320 --> 00:32:48,359
we had the contextual information
in terms of the witnesses at the scene

509
00:32:48,360 --> 00:32:50,879
describing strike
and his backpack.

510
00:32:50,880 --> 00:32:53,839
I was convinced that this
case was extremely strong

511
00:32:53,840 --> 00:32:57,559
and would proceed very smoothly
through the cps to the court

512
00:32:57,560 --> 00:32:59,839
in a short space of time.

513
00:32:59,840 --> 00:33:04,799
In November 2018, my unit
submitted the prosecution file

514
00:33:04,800 --> 00:33:07,040
to the cps for a
charging decision.

515
00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:10,799
A few months later,

516
00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:15,679
the crown prosecution service
gave their verdict on the submission.

517
00:33:15,680 --> 00:33:19,519
That was rejected
in February of 2019,

518
00:33:19,520 --> 00:33:24,759
saying there was no case to
proceed with on legal grounds.

519
00:33:24,760 --> 00:33:27,239
Unbelievably, the cps
in the north west said,

520
00:33:27,240 --> 00:33:28,719
"no, not enough evidence."

521
00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:32,599
So, as is their right, greater
Manchester police appealed.

522
00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:35,399
Again, that appeal
was turned down.

523
00:33:35,400 --> 00:33:36,680
We went higher.

524
00:33:37,760 --> 00:33:40,359
It went through the hierarchy
of greater Manchester police,

525
00:33:40,360 --> 00:33:45,079
going to the highest level that the
police could appeal the decision.

526
00:33:45,080 --> 00:33:47,399
We took it to an
assistant chief constable,

527
00:33:47,400 --> 00:33:50,159
who also appealed
the cps decision.

528
00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:52,240
That appeal was
also turned down.

529
00:33:54,880 --> 00:33:59,119
It was a series of devastating
blows for Martin and Kevin.

530
00:33:59,120 --> 00:34:02,360
The cps even questioned
their key exhibit.

531
00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:06,399
I was convinced we had more
than enough evidence to take this

532
00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:10,479
case to court, but the cps were
concerned that a knife is a moveable

533
00:34:10,480 --> 00:34:14,399
object and someone else other
than the killer could have touched it.

534
00:34:14,400 --> 00:34:18,159
I appreciate the cps think about
these things in a different way

535
00:34:18,160 --> 00:34:20,799
to investigators, but it
was incredibly frustrating

536
00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:22,919
and I could not
understand the approach

537
00:34:22,920 --> 00:34:24,559
they were taking at that time.

538
00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:28,199
I felt quite incensed
by that decision.

539
00:34:28,200 --> 00:34:30,279
Because...

540
00:34:30,280 --> 00:34:33,279
..You just don't get the kind of
evidence we had in this case.

541
00:34:33,280 --> 00:34:38,079
When you think it was an
innocent man, 21 years old,

542
00:34:38,080 --> 00:34:42,719
going home, attacked
by a stranger for no reason

543
00:34:42,720 --> 00:34:48,119
in the street in the middle of the
night, a horrendous act of violence,

544
00:34:48,120 --> 00:34:54,239
and to not be willing to
give a chance of prosecution

545
00:34:54,240 --> 00:35:00,880
of that case I found just a really,
really bad and wrong decision.

546
00:35:03,120 --> 00:35:05,760
25 years on from
Jason's murder...

547
00:35:07,800 --> 00:35:10,720
..Martin and Kevin were
so close to a conviction.

548
00:35:13,120 --> 00:35:15,919
I knew the police had
exhausted all the options,

549
00:35:15,920 --> 00:35:18,560
but I also knew about
the victim's right to review.

550
00:35:19,880 --> 00:35:23,119
The right to review scheme
allows victims and families

551
00:35:23,120 --> 00:35:25,959
to request a review where
a decision not to proceed

552
00:35:25,960 --> 00:35:28,759
with a criminal case
has been made.

553
00:35:28,760 --> 00:35:32,079
So we spoke to Jason's
brother and asked him

554
00:35:32,080 --> 00:35:34,760
if he would like to appeal
that decision, as well.

555
00:35:36,320 --> 00:35:40,639
It helped that Darren
comerford was a qualified lawyer.

556
00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:42,879
He knew the
circumstances of the case,

557
00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:44,679
he knew the strength
of the evidence,

558
00:35:44,680 --> 00:35:49,599
he has a legal mind himself,
so he knew where this should go.

559
00:35:49,600 --> 00:35:53,319
Darren comerford, as
the family representative,

560
00:35:53,320 --> 00:35:58,359
submitted that appeal, and
that was the final appeal process.

561
00:35:58,360 --> 00:36:02,559
Decades of investigation
and the pursuit of justice

562
00:36:02,560 --> 00:36:05,879
now depended on
this one last review.

563
00:36:05,880 --> 00:36:09,839
The case was transferred to
an independent qc in London,

564
00:36:09,840 --> 00:36:12,920
and in very short order
the decision came back.

565
00:36:19,800 --> 00:36:23,519
A quarter of a century after
Jason comerford was murdered,

566
00:36:23,520 --> 00:36:26,119
detectives' attempts to
charge his alleged killer,

567
00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:29,080
Geoffrey strike, had been
repeatedly knocked back.

568
00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:34,199
The fate of the case now
hung on a last ditch appeal

569
00:36:34,200 --> 00:36:36,040
made by Jason's brother, Darren.

570
00:36:37,120 --> 00:36:40,960
Chief inspector Martin bottomley
anxiously awaited the decision.

571
00:36:42,480 --> 00:36:46,319
When Darren appealed to
the cps, the decision came back

572
00:36:46,320 --> 00:36:49,000
that Geoffrey strike should
be charged with murder.

573
00:36:50,080 --> 00:36:52,559
That decision was
critical, it was crucial,

574
00:36:52,560 --> 00:36:54,479
and it was the right decision.

575
00:36:54,480 --> 00:36:56,520
I think there was surprise...

576
00:36:58,160 --> 00:36:59,239
..And shock, really,

577
00:36:59,240 --> 00:37:02,680
in Manchester that finally
there'd been a breakthrough.

578
00:37:03,680 --> 00:37:07,400
I felt impressed by what
the police had achieved.

579
00:37:08,440 --> 00:37:11,479
I felt pleased for the family.

580
00:37:11,480 --> 00:37:14,999
Because when we broke the
story saying that Geoffrey strike,

581
00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:17,519
who was 75 at the
time, had been charged,

582
00:37:17,520 --> 00:37:19,599
there was quite
a reaction online,

583
00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:22,919
including members
of Jason's family,

584
00:37:22,920 --> 00:37:28,520
who were expressing their relief
that finally they might see justice.

585
00:37:29,800 --> 00:37:33,119
After formally charging
Geoffrey strike with murder,

586
00:37:33,120 --> 00:37:36,879
detectives were granted full
access to his medical records

587
00:37:36,880 --> 00:37:39,879
to help prepare
the case for trial.

588
00:37:39,880 --> 00:37:45,279
His psychiatric medical
notes dated back to the '60s.

589
00:37:45,280 --> 00:37:49,919
That involved us reviewing over
80,000 pages of medical notes

590
00:37:49,920 --> 00:37:53,479
and accounts,
both physical paper

591
00:37:53,480 --> 00:37:59,000
and I think it was something like
18,000 pages of digital records.

592
00:38:00,240 --> 00:38:04,800
Investigating officer Kevin Moore
was staggered by what they found.

593
00:38:06,520 --> 00:38:10,279
We found in those records

594
00:38:10,280 --> 00:38:14,679
three occasions that after he was
interviewed for the murder in 2018

595
00:38:14,680 --> 00:38:18,239
that he had actually spoken
about the murder to three people

596
00:38:18,240 --> 00:38:20,359
within the
psychiatric profession.

597
00:38:20,360 --> 00:38:25,279
In those conversations, he
freely admitted his involvement

598
00:38:25,280 --> 00:38:28,360
in the killing, claimed to have
been acting in self-defence.

599
00:38:29,440 --> 00:38:33,559
But crucially he admitted
the incident had occurred.

600
00:38:33,560 --> 00:38:36,519
And that he had
actually killed the man.

601
00:38:36,520 --> 00:38:39,759
That became further
corroboration to our case.

602
00:38:39,760 --> 00:38:42,800
So we obtained statements
from those three medical staff.

603
00:38:43,960 --> 00:38:49,039
Strike speaking out about his
crime came as no surprise to Martin.

604
00:38:49,040 --> 00:38:51,519
Everyone involved
in the investigation

605
00:38:51,520 --> 00:38:53,599
was satisfied at this point.

606
00:38:53,600 --> 00:38:56,399
The case was going to
move forward to crown court,

607
00:38:56,400 --> 00:38:59,279
but with the overwhelming
evidence, we always suspected that

608
00:38:59,280 --> 00:39:02,719
Geoffrey strike would
eventually admit his offence.

609
00:39:02,720 --> 00:39:05,719
The deep dive into
strike's medical records

610
00:39:05,720 --> 00:39:09,479
also revealed more
disturbing information.

611
00:39:09,480 --> 00:39:12,439
Incredibly, Geoffrey strike
was due to be released

612
00:39:12,440 --> 00:39:16,399
from the mental health
unit in November 2019,

613
00:39:16,400 --> 00:39:19,919
as he was deemed no
longer a threat to the public.

614
00:39:19,920 --> 00:39:23,759
It was cold case officers' hard
work that had quickly changed

615
00:39:23,760 --> 00:39:25,959
that evaluation.

616
00:39:25,960 --> 00:39:30,119
Geoffrey strike was deemed to
pose a moderate risk of harm to self

617
00:39:30,120 --> 00:39:34,359
or to others and he was housed at
a medium security psychiatric unit,

618
00:39:34,360 --> 00:39:37,559
but when he became a suspect
in the murder investigation,

619
00:39:37,560 --> 00:39:42,119
he was transferred to a
high security psychiatric unit.

620
00:39:42,120 --> 00:39:46,359
Strike's extensive medical
records offered no clue why

621
00:39:46,360 --> 00:39:50,479
he had killed Jason comerford,
but they did give a Fuller picture

622
00:39:50,480 --> 00:39:54,319
of Geoffrey's state of
mind 25 years earlier.

623
00:39:54,320 --> 00:39:58,239
Those mental health notes
showed that he was suffering

624
00:39:58,240 --> 00:40:02,359
from paranoid
schizophrenia before 1994.

625
00:40:02,360 --> 00:40:06,799
He'd come out of prison, and
when he returned to prison in 1996,

626
00:40:06,800 --> 00:40:09,959
he was still suffering from
paranoid schizophrenia.

627
00:40:09,960 --> 00:40:13,639
But there was no treatment,
there was no medication

628
00:40:13,640 --> 00:40:16,599
that had been provided
to him within that time.

629
00:40:16,600 --> 00:40:18,639
He'd not magically become well.

630
00:40:18,640 --> 00:40:25,680
And therefore, in 1994, he'd clearly
been a paranoid schizophrenic.

631
00:40:28,400 --> 00:40:32,360
Geoffrey strike's murder trial
was scheduled for December 2020.

632
00:40:33,480 --> 00:40:34,959
In the months leading up,

633
00:40:34,960 --> 00:40:39,039
a full review of his psychiatric
history was undertaken.

634
00:40:39,040 --> 00:40:43,719
That led to the correct
view that in 1994,

635
00:40:43,720 --> 00:40:46,559
when he committed
this act of violence,

636
00:40:46,560 --> 00:40:50,359
he was suffering from
paranoid schizophrenia.

637
00:40:50,360 --> 00:40:52,639
It was agreed by all
professionals involved -

638
00:40:52,640 --> 00:40:55,359
the crown prosecution
service, the forensic psychiatrist,

639
00:40:55,360 --> 00:40:59,919
the defence psychiatrist - that
the most appropriate outcome to the

640
00:40:59,920 --> 00:41:03,800
trial would be that Geoffrey strike
should plead guilty to manslaughter.

641
00:41:05,080 --> 00:41:09,279
Geoffrey strike was able to
claim that it wasn't murder,

642
00:41:09,280 --> 00:41:12,719
it was manslaughter due
to diminished responsibility

643
00:41:12,720 --> 00:41:14,639
due to his psychiatric illness,

644
00:41:14,640 --> 00:41:18,039
and ultimately that's
what he pleaded guilty to

645
00:41:18,040 --> 00:41:22,679
in December of 2020 at
Manchester crown court.

646
00:41:22,680 --> 00:41:27,359
The manslaughter plea took
strike's schizophrenia into account.

647
00:41:27,360 --> 00:41:30,960
But the court still had to
decide an appropriate sentence.

648
00:41:32,120 --> 00:41:36,479
The ruling came almost
27 years after Geoffrey strike

649
00:41:36,480 --> 00:41:39,479
took Jason comerford's life.

650
00:41:39,480 --> 00:41:41,879
After a Manchester
crown court hearing,

651
00:41:41,880 --> 00:41:45,479
Geoffrey strike was sentenced
to an indefinite hospital order

652
00:41:45,480 --> 00:41:48,800
and the judge commented that
he may never be released at all.

653
00:41:51,360 --> 00:41:54,399
An indefinite hospital
order is the equivalent

654
00:41:54,400 --> 00:41:59,159
of a prison life sentence
but in a secure unit setting.

655
00:41:59,160 --> 00:42:02,319
Given his age, he's
unlikely to ever be released.

656
00:42:02,320 --> 00:42:04,999
The court finally
delivered the justice

657
00:42:05,000 --> 00:42:08,919
that Martin and Kevin's
teams had fought so hard for

658
00:42:08,920 --> 00:42:12,199
and Jason's surviving
family deserved.

659
00:42:12,200 --> 00:42:15,559
Darren has shouldered a
lot of this for many years.

660
00:42:15,560 --> 00:42:20,159
He's had the burden of missing
his brother every single day.

661
00:42:20,160 --> 00:42:25,439
He visits his grave regularly, where
his mum and dad also lie at peace.

662
00:42:25,440 --> 00:42:27,919
He actually missed the
final words of the judge

663
00:42:27,920 --> 00:42:29,359
when strike was sentenced.

664
00:42:29,360 --> 00:42:33,159
He left the courtroom early
to lay flowers at Jason's grave

665
00:42:33,160 --> 00:42:35,039
before darkness set in.

666
00:42:35,040 --> 00:42:39,080
But he now knows he's
got justice for all his family.

667
00:42:41,280 --> 00:42:44,759
It's one of the few times I think
I've actually seen full closure

668
00:42:44,760 --> 00:42:47,119
for the bereaved family members.

669
00:42:47,120 --> 00:42:51,399
The brother, Darren, on the
day of sentencing for this case,

670
00:42:51,400 --> 00:42:55,279
in my view, there was
true closure for him.

671
00:42:55,280 --> 00:43:00,079
The police investigation and
prosecution brought that closure.

672
00:43:00,080 --> 00:43:04,479
This was the right result, but
it took far too long for Jason

673
00:43:04,480 --> 00:43:06,080
and his family to get justice.

674
00:43:08,560 --> 00:43:11,999
Convicting a killer
after nearly 30 years

675
00:43:12,000 --> 00:43:14,800
didn't go unnoticed across
the city of Manchester.

676
00:43:16,440 --> 00:43:20,599
There was genuine
surprise that after so long

677
00:43:20,600 --> 00:43:24,759
the police had not given
up and had got a result.

678
00:43:24,760 --> 00:43:27,999
The fact that they
were successful in this

679
00:43:28,000 --> 00:43:31,679
gives hope to many
families in greater Manchester

680
00:43:31,680 --> 00:43:36,839
whose lives have been overshadowed
by tragedy and unanswered questions.

681
00:43:36,840 --> 00:43:41,039
And tells them that
there still is a possibility

682
00:43:41,040 --> 00:43:44,039
that that darkness
might be lifted one day.

683
00:43:44,040 --> 00:43:48,759
Jason comerford's murder case
spanned almost three decades,

684
00:43:48,760 --> 00:43:51,799
but detectives'
perseverance paid off.

685
00:43:51,800 --> 00:43:55,679
It's a case that Martin
and Kevin will never forget.

686
00:43:55,680 --> 00:43:59,879
This was a very unique case
because of its age, the ups and downs,

687
00:43:59,880 --> 00:44:01,479
but we got there in the end.

688
00:44:01,480 --> 00:44:02,680
It's a job well done.

689
00:44:04,000 --> 00:44:06,519
This case is an
exceptional one, really,

690
00:44:06,520 --> 00:44:09,119
because the perpetrator,
Geoffrey strike,

691
00:44:09,120 --> 00:44:13,319
killed Jason randomly.
Completely unmotivated attack.

692
00:44:13,320 --> 00:44:16,599
And it went
unresolved for so long.

693
00:44:16,600 --> 00:44:20,519
If somebody is brought to
justice 20, 30, even 40 years later,

694
00:44:20,520 --> 00:44:23,200
it's a fantastic feeling,
and that's a great result.