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He is the most dangerous human being
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that I've ever
come into contact with.
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00:00:21,594 --> 00:00:24,239
This was about excessive violence.
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For him, taking somebody's life in
order to take property off them
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is totally justifiable.
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SUZANNE PACKER: This is the story
of the extraordinary hunt
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00:00:36,985 --> 00:00:39,680
for a serial killer
who evaded justice
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00:00:39,705 --> 00:00:41,680
for almost a quarter of a century.
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If you can look at the sea for me...
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The case is at the heart
of the major ITV drama
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The Pembrokeshire Murders.
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This actually happens to people.
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It's not a made-up story.
It's not fantasy.
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This is reality.
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Now we bring together
the real people
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who brought this killer to justice.
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A specialist team determined
to unlock forensic secrets
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which had remained undiscovered
for decades...
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Every contact leaves a trace.
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It's just whether or not
we're clever enough to find it.
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...and who turned to a TV game show
for the final crucial evidence.
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This was a race against time...
I am not a murderer!
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I am not a murderer!
..to catch a killer.
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This was a guy
that was never gonna stop.
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Pembrokeshire is an area
of outstanding natural beauty.
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Beautiful coastline.
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And it is a place where people
come and spend their holidays.
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It's an area which is
very, very close to my heart,
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an area that I love,
an area which I lived in.
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If you've got to choose
somewhere to live in the UK,
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then Pembrokeshire
should be top of the list.
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Beautiful countryside
with a terrible secret.
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Pembrokeshire
was a quiet little place...
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...and yet we had someone
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that had been capable of,
er, such horrendous crimes.
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Somewhere in this rural idle,
a serial killer stalked.
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In the 1980s, four innocent people
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were blasted to death
with a shotgun.
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For more than 20 years,
the crimes remained unsolved.
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'Those crimes cast a shadow
over Pembrokeshire...'
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REPORTER:
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...and two big double murders
were a cloud over the force.
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In here, we've got
the main bulk of the stuff...
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Encouraged by developments
in forensic science,
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Dyfed-Powys Police brought together
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a small, hand-picked team
of detectives
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to take a fresh look at the murders.
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What we'll do today is just
to give you a brief background,
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and then, later on...
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00:04:00,234 --> 00:04:03,520
The top-secret operation
was code-named Ottawa.
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I am Steven Wilkins.
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00:04:07,515 --> 00:04:10,690
I was the senior investigating
officer for Operation Ottawa.
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Cold-case reviews nationally
had moved on,
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particularly with...
with forensic science.
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There'd been a considerable
amount of success,
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so it's very, very important
that serious cases are reviewed.
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The Ottawa team had to go back
to the very beginning,
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when the murders began.
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In December 1985, fire ripped
through a secluded manor house
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belonging to Richard Thomas
and his sister Helen.
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My name is Don Evans, former
detective chief superintendent
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of Dyfed-Powys Police.
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Three days before Christmas,
on a Sunday night,
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I was at my home
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when my control room telephoned me
to say that there was
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a large fire at Scoveston Park,
near Steynton, Milford Haven.
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00:05:06,795 --> 00:05:10,570
When I arrived,
the fire was so extensive
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that everything had fallen through
from the roof
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onto an area where I saw
the body of Richard Thomas burning,
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partly burnt clothes round him
burning.
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There was an area on the abdomen
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which had not been burnt
in the fire.
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That's where I saw
this circular wound.
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I thought at that time
that it was a shotgun wound.
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The body of Richard's sister Helen
was eventually found in debris
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from an upper floor
which had come crashing down
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through the burnt-out manor house.
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The remains of Helen's body
had gunshot wounds,
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and she had black rope
round her neck.
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Initial enquiries began to reveal
a terrifying scenario.
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Police were to discover
that Helen Thomas had been alone
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when the killer arrived.
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She had been tied up,
possibly sexually assaulted,
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and then shot.
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When Richard returned,
he too had been shot.
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The intruder then started a fire
to cover their tracks,
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and it worked.
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Scenes of crime officers spent weeks
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sieving through
the wreck of the house,
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but found nothing
to lead them to the killer.
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It went on for a long time, er,
without success.
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I thought possibly
it was committed by someone
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quite close to the locality.
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Every house in the rural villages
around Scoveston Park
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was called on by the police.
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One man interviewed
was 41-year-old John Cooper,
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a handyman with convictions
for violence in his youth.
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Cooper was interviewed.
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00:07:01,075 --> 00:07:05,570
He was strongly alibied
by his family,
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er, who, it would appear,
was terrified of him.
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00:07:09,184 --> 00:07:12,250
Said that he was home all night,
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as it was a wet night,
and that he hadn't gone out.
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And officers took him
out of the inquiry.
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At that time, we were nowhere near
close to solving it.
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It was alarming for everyone.
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Their main questions were,
"Do you think it'll happen again?"
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And I obviously was trying
to instil in the public that,
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no, it won't happen again.
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But I was keeping my fingers
crossed, everything crossed.
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I had gone away on a week's holiday,
returned on the Monday morning
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to be informed, quite coolly,
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that a couple at Little Haven,
they are missing.
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REPORTER:
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I heard, "Boss, boss! Come quickly!"
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My heart jumped.
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And I ran along the coastal path
to the two dog handlers,
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through the undergrowth,
right down to the cliff edge,
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and there,
I saw this horrible scene -
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Peter and Gwenda Dixon.
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Peter shot, tied...
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...and his dear lady,
partly unclothed...
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...shot.
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Five shots.
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The most horrific sight
you'd ever see.
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The worst I've ever seen.
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It was an assassination.
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00:09:03,204 --> 00:09:06,150
And here we had
another major incident.
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00:09:06,175 --> 00:09:09,510
A double murder
in the county of Pembrokeshire.
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Horrific.
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00:09:15,254 --> 00:09:18,270
REPORTER:
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Why don't you just
give yourselves up to the police?
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How can you live with yourselves
with what you've done to my parents?
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While officers had no idea
about who might be responsible,
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there was one lead.
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REPORTER:
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A witness came forward,
and this sketch was produced
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00:10:00,015 --> 00:10:04,150
of the man seen using Peter Dixon's
cash card at a local bank.
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00:10:05,485 --> 00:10:08,510
The figure in the sketch
became known as "The Wild Man"
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00:10:08,535 --> 00:10:11,429
due to his unkempt appearance.
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00:10:11,454 --> 00:10:14,179
The man was almost certainly
the killer,
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00:10:14,204 --> 00:10:17,670
but despite widespread appeals,
there were no new leads.
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00:10:19,925 --> 00:10:21,820
Thousands of people
were interviewed,
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00:10:21,845 --> 00:10:25,070
significant enquiries were made
in relation to that.
144
00:10:25,095 --> 00:10:27,460
Unfortunately, without a result.
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00:10:29,374 --> 00:10:31,950
The killer had slipped
through the net again.
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00:10:33,765 --> 00:10:37,229
But the murders were not
the only unsolved serious crimes
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00:10:37,254 --> 00:10:39,460
worrying detectives.
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00:10:39,485 --> 00:10:42,150
I'm Glenn Johnson,
detective inspector
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00:10:42,175 --> 00:10:44,510
from the Operation Ottawa
investigation.
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00:10:47,655 --> 00:10:50,510
For more than a decade,
this rural area of Wales
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00:10:50,535 --> 00:10:53,150
had been dogged
by a series of burglaries.
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00:10:54,845 --> 00:11:00,740
The burglaries were of property
always in the Pembrokeshire area,
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00:11:00,765 --> 00:11:02,950
backing onto fields.
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00:11:02,975 --> 00:11:05,870
Jewellery, items of value
were stolen.
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00:11:07,095 --> 00:11:09,740
These continued into the 1990s,
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00:11:09,765 --> 00:11:13,590
when police set up a major operation
to catch the culprit.
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00:11:13,615 --> 00:11:18,380
During a house-to-house enquiry,
a number of exhibits were recovered
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that were identified, er,
stolen from these burglaries.
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00:11:24,124 --> 00:11:28,349
The house belonged to John Cooper,
the handyman who had been questioned
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00:11:28,374 --> 00:11:31,309
about the murders of Richard
and Helen Thomas in Scoveston
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13 years earlier.
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00:11:33,815 --> 00:11:37,630
A detailed search of his house,
grounds and a nearby lake
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00:11:37,655 --> 00:11:43,920
uncovered a buried shotgun, more
than 50 ropes and stolen jewellery.
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00:11:43,945 --> 00:11:48,150
In December 1998,
Cooper was jailed for 16 years,
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having been found guilty
of 30 burglaries and one robbery.
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00:11:52,045 --> 00:11:54,660
The press dubbed him
"The Super Burglar".
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00:11:58,535 --> 00:12:00,710
During the trial,
there had been suspicion
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00:12:00,735 --> 00:12:03,150
that he might also have been
involved in the shotgun murders...
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00:12:11,333 --> 00:12:14,268
...and Cooper
got away with the killings.
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00:12:21,494 --> 00:12:24,029
Cooper was eight years
into his sentence
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00:12:24,054 --> 00:12:27,029
when the Ottawa team
was brought together.
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It was kept very, very tight.
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Positioned in an office
in Fishguard Port.
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Cooper was in prison at the time,
and we certainly didn't want him...
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00:12:37,004 --> 00:12:40,549
make him aware that
we were reviewing the two murders.
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00:12:40,574 --> 00:12:44,138
The sheer scale of an investigation
which covered evidence
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00:12:44,163 --> 00:12:48,388
from four murders and
a number of burglaries was daunting.
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00:12:48,413 --> 00:12:51,589
There was five
computerised incident rooms.
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00:12:51,614 --> 00:12:54,109
There was one old-fashioned
paper-based incident room.
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00:12:55,574 --> 00:12:59,308
11,000 exhibits
and over a million documents
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00:12:59,333 --> 00:13:02,619
that we had to review
before we could even think about
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whether that was gonna end up
in a trial or not.
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00:13:05,804 --> 00:13:11,829
But, from day one, I felt that we
would find the person responsible,
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00:13:11,854 --> 00:13:13,589
that we would find the truth.
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00:13:13,614 --> 00:13:16,589
Evidence is always there,
but you've just got to find it.
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00:13:17,694 --> 00:13:19,229
But could they link Cooper,
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00:13:19,254 --> 00:13:21,339
"The Super Burglar",
to the murders?
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00:13:22,644 --> 00:13:24,949
It now seemed
that another terrible crime
189
00:13:24,974 --> 00:13:27,549
which took place about three miles
away from Cooper's home
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00:13:27,574 --> 00:13:30,308
might hold fresh clues.
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00:13:30,333 --> 00:13:32,669
That night, their childhood
was taken from them.
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00:13:32,694 --> 00:13:35,229
It was a...
a really terrible attack.
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00:13:35,254 --> 00:13:37,058
GUNSHOT
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00:13:52,904 --> 00:13:56,359
In 2006, a small team of detectives
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00:13:56,384 --> 00:14:01,158
was on the trail of a serial killer
who had evaded justice for 20 years,
196
00:14:01,183 --> 00:14:03,158
and they had a prime suspect.
197
00:14:06,714 --> 00:14:09,609
John Cooper was in jail
for burglary,
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00:14:09,634 --> 00:14:11,769
but detectives believe
clues to the murders
199
00:14:11,794 --> 00:14:14,078
might lie in another terrible crime
200
00:14:14,103 --> 00:14:17,328
which had taken place close
to his home while he was still free.
201
00:14:22,464 --> 00:14:27,158
In 1996, a man wearing a balaclava
and armed with a shotgun
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00:14:27,183 --> 00:14:31,328
confronted five teenagers in a field
near Milford Haven.
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00:14:35,744 --> 00:14:39,288
The Milford Haven attack was...
for me, was very, very important.
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00:14:39,313 --> 00:14:42,408
It took place in March 1996.
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00:14:43,664 --> 00:14:46,889
Five children went out into a field.
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00:14:46,914 --> 00:14:48,609
A nice, sunny evening.
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00:14:49,744 --> 00:14:53,689
And then they're confronted by a
masked man with a sawn-off shotgun.
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00:14:55,994 --> 00:14:58,969
Then he takes one of the
young females away from the group,
209
00:14:58,994 --> 00:15:00,439
where he rapes her,
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00:15:00,464 --> 00:15:02,999
and then indecently assaults
a second female.
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00:15:05,794 --> 00:15:09,078
They were in a position where,
if they'd made the wrong movement
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00:15:09,103 --> 00:15:11,929
or tried to get away,
had he have shot one,
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00:15:11,954 --> 00:15:14,569
he could have potentially have shot
all them then.
214
00:15:16,074 --> 00:15:19,129
They were terrified
and feared for their safety,
215
00:15:19,154 --> 00:15:20,969
feared for their... for their lives.
216
00:15:23,544 --> 00:15:25,889
That night,
their childhood was taken from them.
217
00:15:25,914 --> 00:15:27,999
It was a...
a really terrible attack.
218
00:15:30,024 --> 00:15:34,408
Steve Wilkins believed the rapist
with the balaclava and shotgun
219
00:15:34,433 --> 00:15:38,788
was also the man behind the
Scoveston and coast path murders.
220
00:15:40,092 --> 00:15:43,598
He was convinced
that man was John Cooper.
221
00:15:44,983 --> 00:15:47,147
For me, the attack at Milford Haven
222
00:15:47,172 --> 00:15:49,558
actually tied
those two murders together.
223
00:15:49,583 --> 00:15:51,478
When you looked at it
geographically,
224
00:15:51,503 --> 00:15:53,277
proximity to Scoveston Park,
225
00:15:53,302 --> 00:15:56,678
you could actually see
Scoveston Park from the scene
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00:15:56,703 --> 00:15:59,508
where the five children
were attacked.
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00:15:59,533 --> 00:16:02,708
Within five miles,
we'd also had the murders
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00:16:02,733 --> 00:16:05,508
of Peter and Gwenda Dixon
on the coastal path,
229
00:16:05,533 --> 00:16:08,958
again, where robbery,
a sexual element,
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00:16:08,983 --> 00:16:11,348
the use of rope and shotgun
was used.
231
00:16:11,373 --> 00:16:14,628
To me, that was beyond coincidental.
232
00:16:22,342 --> 00:16:25,348
With the circumstantial case
against Cooper building,
233
00:16:25,373 --> 00:16:30,558
Steve Wilkins decided to go public
with an appeal for information.
234
00:16:30,583 --> 00:16:33,277
Cooper, who, at that stage,
was in prison,
235
00:16:33,302 --> 00:16:37,628
was an avid watcher
of ITV Wales for the news.
236
00:16:37,653 --> 00:16:41,628
Therefore, there was a good chance
that he would see a public appeal,
237
00:16:41,653 --> 00:16:44,267
and I wanted to know
what reaction that had.
238
00:16:46,373 --> 00:16:50,527
Steve Wilkins contacted a journalist
who was fascinated by the case.
239
00:17:01,092 --> 00:17:05,838
Jonathan Hill had been on holiday in
the Little Haven area as a teenager
240
00:17:05,863 --> 00:17:08,988
in 1989, during the search
for the Dixons' killer.
241
00:17:54,063 --> 00:17:56,918
As a team, we feel that
there is a very real chance
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00:17:56,943 --> 00:17:59,238
that somebody
watching this programme tonight
243
00:17:59,263 --> 00:18:03,788
may have significant information,
or, indeed, know who is responsible.
244
00:18:10,453 --> 00:18:12,267
I want to unnerve him.
245
00:18:12,292 --> 00:18:15,428
I want him to sit there and think,
"What have they got?
246
00:18:15,453 --> 00:18:19,267
"Have they got evidence already
that ties me to it?"
247
00:18:19,292 --> 00:18:22,038
The objectives and focus
of Operation Ottawa
248
00:18:22,063 --> 00:18:25,038
is to, erm, carry out
a comprehensive review
249
00:18:25,063 --> 00:18:27,238
of all the forensic material
recovered in both cases.
250
00:18:57,623 --> 00:19:00,147
The day after we made the appeal,
251
00:19:00,172 --> 00:19:04,558
Cooper's chosen reading
was failed cases on DNA,
252
00:19:04,583 --> 00:19:07,558
so it did have an impact on Cooper.
253
00:19:10,292 --> 00:19:13,317
Over that way there, and again,
where it elevates, you'll see...
254
00:19:13,342 --> 00:19:16,118
But despite all their suspicions
about Cooper,
255
00:19:16,143 --> 00:19:18,508
detectives had no forensic evidence
256
00:19:18,533 --> 00:19:20,788
to put him
at the scene of the murders.
257
00:19:27,342 --> 00:19:28,678
The Ottawa team wondered
258
00:19:28,703 --> 00:19:31,708
if they may already be sitting
on the evidence they needed.
259
00:19:32,943 --> 00:19:35,838
A large number of items had been
recovered from Cooper's house
260
00:19:35,863 --> 00:19:41,428
in Operation Huntsmen, when he was
arrested for the burglaries in 1998.
261
00:19:42,813 --> 00:19:47,267
He kept mementos of his offending,
and I felt that was part of his...
262
00:19:47,292 --> 00:19:49,708
his MO, is that reminded him
of that moment
263
00:19:49,733 --> 00:19:51,958
when he held the person's life
in his hands.
264
00:19:54,533 --> 00:19:57,238
Could it be that
the forensic answers lay in items
265
00:19:57,263 --> 00:19:59,628
Cooper hoarded from his crimes?
266
00:20:00,733 --> 00:20:02,238
Steve Wilkins called on
267
00:20:02,263 --> 00:20:05,348
one of Britain's foremost
forensic scientists.
268
00:20:08,292 --> 00:20:12,428
I'm Dr Angela Gallop,
and I led the forensic science team.
269
00:20:13,983 --> 00:20:17,317
It is such an interesting case.
It's right up there.
270
00:20:17,342 --> 00:20:20,826
It's like Rachel Nickell,
Damilola Taylor, Stephen Lawrence -
271
00:20:20,851 --> 00:20:25,026
all of these cases that I think
people had given up on, really,
272
00:20:25,051 --> 00:20:26,696
in terms of being able to solve.
273
00:20:28,410 --> 00:20:31,866
Steve Wilkins said at
the beginning of our investigation,
274
00:20:31,891 --> 00:20:34,336
"All I need is a golden nugget,
it's a golden...
275
00:20:34,361 --> 00:20:35,776
"That's all I need, of DNA,"
276
00:20:35,801 --> 00:20:38,185
and I think I and
the rest of the team thought,
277
00:20:38,210 --> 00:20:39,826
"Yeah, yeah," you know?
SHE LAUGHS
278
00:20:39,851 --> 00:20:43,336
"Yeah, you prob... You do, you do.
Let's see what we can find."
279
00:20:43,361 --> 00:20:46,666
BELL TOLLS
280
00:20:46,691 --> 00:20:49,496
While Angela Gallop
began the painstaking work
281
00:20:49,521 --> 00:20:52,746
of examining the items
seized from Cooper's home,
282
00:20:52,771 --> 00:20:56,516
there was worrying news
for the Ottawa team.
283
00:20:56,541 --> 00:20:59,606
He'd served almost ten years
of his prison sentence.
284
00:20:59,631 --> 00:21:03,046
He was about to be released
on parole...
285
00:21:03,071 --> 00:21:05,846
and I'd got no doubt
he would start his offending again.
286
00:21:07,591 --> 00:21:10,716
And there would only be one end
to that - Cooper would kill again.
287
00:21:18,951 --> 00:21:22,275
METAL GRINDING
288
00:21:33,741 --> 00:21:34,996
Welcome home, love.
289
00:21:38,350 --> 00:21:42,405
Cooper goes back on his first night
back at, erm... at home.
290
00:21:42,430 --> 00:21:46,075
Erm, I was actually the senior
investigating officer on call,
291
00:21:46,100 --> 00:21:48,606
and I received a call
from our control room
292
00:21:48,631 --> 00:21:50,566
at around about
three thirty in the morning.
293
00:21:52,100 --> 00:21:53,766
HE SIGHS
294
00:21:53,791 --> 00:21:55,716
And I can remember the exact words.
295
00:21:55,741 --> 00:21:57,996
"Boss, we think
he's murdered his wife."
296
00:21:59,230 --> 00:22:01,436
And I can tell you that, er...
297
00:22:01,461 --> 00:22:03,126
that sent a cold shiver
down my spine.
298
00:22:13,350 --> 00:22:15,686
It is a very sad story
with Pat Cooper,
299
00:22:15,711 --> 00:22:18,126
because she'd suffered
years and years
300
00:22:18,151 --> 00:22:20,205
of physical and mental abuse.
301
00:22:20,230 --> 00:22:25,325
Pat probably was aware of issues
which would have assisted us,
302
00:22:25,350 --> 00:22:29,566
but I think her fear -
and well-placed fear - of Cooper,
303
00:22:29,591 --> 00:22:32,996
er, stopped her ever imparting
that information to us,
304
00:22:33,021 --> 00:22:34,636
so she was terrified of the man.
305
00:22:36,430 --> 00:22:39,356
But the cause of Pat's death
on the night of Cooper's release
306
00:22:39,381 --> 00:22:41,686
was not what police first feared.
307
00:22:43,591 --> 00:22:46,046
Pat had chronic heart disease,
308
00:22:46,071 --> 00:22:48,155
and she actually died
of natural causes.
309
00:22:49,951 --> 00:22:51,996
That is the medical explanation.
310
00:22:52,021 --> 00:22:54,796
I believe that Pat Cooper
just gave up.
311
00:23:02,271 --> 00:23:03,966
Cooper's release
increased the pressure
312
00:23:03,991 --> 00:23:06,275
to secure forensic evidence
against him.
313
00:23:07,711 --> 00:23:10,325
Experts started to make
a detailed analysis
314
00:23:10,350 --> 00:23:14,275
of the items recovered
from his home in 1998,
315
00:23:14,300 --> 00:23:17,966
when he was arrested for the
burglaries in Operation Huntsmen.
316
00:23:35,021 --> 00:23:38,405
So, we were examining the shorts
for fibres
317
00:23:38,430 --> 00:23:41,486
when we noticed that
there was a tiny flake of blood,
318
00:23:41,511 --> 00:23:44,046
or what looked like
a tiny flake of blood on it.
319
00:23:45,741 --> 00:23:47,636
And we DNA-profiled it...
320
00:23:48,821 --> 00:23:50,205
...and we got a result.
321
00:23:52,151 --> 00:23:53,926
After double-checking
the test result,
322
00:23:53,951 --> 00:23:58,155
it was time to break the news
to Steve Wilkins.
323
00:23:58,180 --> 00:24:00,796
And I remember, I rang him, and
he was driving his car at the time,
324
00:24:00,821 --> 00:24:03,126
and I thought, "This is going
to come as a shock to him."
325
00:24:03,151 --> 00:24:04,636
PHONE RINGS
326
00:24:04,661 --> 00:24:06,686
I said, "just pull in somewhere,
and then I'll...
327
00:24:06,711 --> 00:24:09,325
"then I'll talk you through where,
you know... where we've got to."
328
00:24:17,661 --> 00:24:19,686
OK. What is it?
329
00:24:19,711 --> 00:24:22,566
Right, so, we unpicked the hem
of the shorts, like you asked.
330
00:24:23,821 --> 00:24:25,636
And she said, "Steve...
331
00:24:25,661 --> 00:24:29,356
"We've found a small stain.
"We've tested that stain..."
332
00:24:31,911 --> 00:24:34,606
"and it's tested positive
for the blood of Peter Dixon."
333
00:24:36,541 --> 00:24:39,356
"And its discriminating value
is one in one billion."
334
00:24:45,151 --> 00:24:48,126
We were pretty sure that that could
be classed as a golden nugget.
335
00:24:51,180 --> 00:24:54,716
Through further forensic analysis
of the Huntsmen exhibits,
336
00:24:54,741 --> 00:24:58,205
the team discovered that the shorts
also linked Cooper
337
00:24:58,230 --> 00:25:04,046
to the Scoveston double murder
of Richard and Helen Thomas in 1985.
338
00:25:04,071 --> 00:25:08,356
A lot of Richard Thomas's clothing
had been destroyed.
339
00:25:08,381 --> 00:25:11,636
There was one sock
that hadn't been destroyed,
340
00:25:11,661 --> 00:25:12,966
and it was extraordinary.
341
00:25:12,991 --> 00:25:15,686
We managed two find
two different kinds of fibres
342
00:25:15,711 --> 00:25:19,246
linking the sock with the pocket
of, er, john Cooper's shorts.
343
00:25:20,461 --> 00:25:23,075
Finally, the team
had some forensic evidence
344
00:25:23,100 --> 00:25:25,716
to link Cooper to all four murders.
345
00:25:26,871 --> 00:25:29,566
But could they also prove
that Cooper was the masked man
346
00:25:29,591 --> 00:25:32,716
who raped a teenage girl
in Milford Haven?
347
00:25:32,741 --> 00:25:34,796
During his spree of burglaries,
348
00:25:34,821 --> 00:25:37,126
Cooper had attacked a woman
at her home
349
00:25:37,151 --> 00:25:39,636
in the small village of Sardis.
350
00:25:39,661 --> 00:25:42,436
The robbery did not go to plan.
351
00:25:42,461 --> 00:25:45,996
During that armed robbery, he
attacked a lone female in a house,
352
00:25:46,021 --> 00:25:48,716
and as he moved around the house
searching for property,
353
00:25:48,741 --> 00:25:52,436
cash and jewellery, she managed to,
er, set an alarm off.
354
00:25:53,541 --> 00:25:55,436
Cooper fled the scene.
355
00:25:55,461 --> 00:25:57,636
In an attempt to avoid capture,
356
00:25:57,661 --> 00:26:01,356
he threw items of his crime kit
into the hedgerows.
357
00:26:13,511 --> 00:26:17,516
The discarded glove
was to be a forensic treasure trove.
358
00:26:17,541 --> 00:26:21,046
Its fibres were recovered
from items in Cooper's workshop,
359
00:26:21,071 --> 00:26:23,126
proving it was his.
360
00:26:23,151 --> 00:26:25,516
They were also found on branches
used to cover the bodies
361
00:26:25,541 --> 00:26:28,126
of Peter and Gwenda Dixon,
362
00:26:28,151 --> 00:26:32,766
and on evidence from the scene
of the Milford Haven rape.
363
00:26:32,791 --> 00:26:36,516
This muddy glove that
had been recovered from a hedgerow
364
00:26:36,541 --> 00:26:40,525
that links with the Dixons,
with Cooper's home address,
365
00:26:40,550 --> 00:26:43,075
with the Milford Haven crime,
366
00:26:43,100 --> 00:26:46,966
That is the central item,
I think, of the whole case.
367
00:26:48,151 --> 00:26:50,966
So we now connected him
to four murders,
368
00:26:50,991 --> 00:26:53,486
a rape and indecent assault.
369
00:26:53,511 --> 00:26:55,966
Beyond our wildest dreams.
370
00:26:55,991 --> 00:26:59,275
Finally, the Ottawa detectives
believed they had unravelled
371
00:26:59,300 --> 00:27:03,205
the 20-year-old mystery
of the Pembrokeshire serial killer.
372
00:27:03,230 --> 00:27:05,486
WOMAN:
373
00:27:05,511 --> 00:27:08,275
But they knew Cooper
would do everything he could
374
00:27:08,300 --> 00:27:10,486
to continue to evade justice.
375
00:27:10,511 --> 00:27:12,996
You're making things
try to fit to john Cooper,
376
00:27:13,021 --> 00:27:14,436
and it's bloody annoying!
377
00:27:28,801 --> 00:27:31,415
John Cooper
believed he had got away
378
00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:35,335
with four cold-blooded murders
in rural Pembrokeshire.
379
00:27:35,360 --> 00:27:39,856
But police were closing in
and ready to make an arrest.
380
00:27:42,831 --> 00:27:46,305
He will be arrested this morning
on suspicion of four murders,
381
00:27:46,330 --> 00:27:49,105
the armed robbery
and the... the rape offence.
382
00:27:51,310 --> 00:27:54,616
More than 20 years
after the murders at Scoveston Park,
383
00:27:54,641 --> 00:27:57,006
detectives believed
they finally had the evidence
384
00:27:57,031 --> 00:27:59,215
to bring Cooper to justice.
385
00:28:00,521 --> 00:28:03,006
WOMAN: He's kicked off!
He's kicked off.
386
00:28:04,161 --> 00:28:07,136
REPORTER:
387
00:28:13,741 --> 00:28:16,826
Now, detectives had to
go face to face with Cooper
388
00:28:16,851 --> 00:28:18,446
and break down his lies.
389
00:28:19,641 --> 00:28:22,616
Will you tell me what happened
390
00:28:22,641 --> 00:28:27,646
on June 29th, 1989 in Little Haven?
391
00:28:28,801 --> 00:28:31,576
My name is Gareth Rees,
a former detective sergeant
392
00:28:31,601 --> 00:28:33,616
in the Dyfed-Powys police force.
393
00:28:33,641 --> 00:28:37,136
I was one of the officers
who interviewed john Cooper.
394
00:28:38,310 --> 00:28:42,496
He was a nasty individual,
even in the family environment.
395
00:28:42,521 --> 00:28:44,165
They all lived in fear of him.
396
00:28:45,521 --> 00:28:50,446
When he was on a farm,
he killed a pig with a hammer.
397
00:28:50,471 --> 00:28:52,616
And that when his children
were small,
398
00:28:52,641 --> 00:28:55,576
they reared, erm, some chicks,
399
00:28:55,601 --> 00:28:57,776
and he shot them with a shotgun
in front of them.
400
00:29:01,641 --> 00:29:04,646
Detectives focussed their questions
on a pair of khaki shorts
401
00:29:04,671 --> 00:29:06,806
recovered from Cooper's home.
402
00:29:08,560 --> 00:29:11,085
These were shorter than those
in the artist's impression
403
00:29:11,110 --> 00:29:14,576
of the man seen using the Dixon's
bank cards after the murders.
404
00:29:15,751 --> 00:29:18,616
But Peter Dixon's DNA
had been found on them.
405
00:29:20,240 --> 00:29:23,446
During the interviews,
we were given the task,
406
00:29:23,471 --> 00:29:26,726
try and get him to admit
they're his own shorts.
407
00:29:26,751 --> 00:29:29,776
Would you accept that those shorts
408
00:29:29,801 --> 00:29:31,806
resemble the shorts
in the artist's impression?
409
00:29:31,831 --> 00:29:33,576
HE CHUCKLES
Not a bit, no.
410
00:29:33,601 --> 00:29:34,896
OK.
411
00:29:34,921 --> 00:29:36,576
He said that the shorts
worn by the person
412
00:29:36,601 --> 00:29:38,956
in the artist's impression
were long-legged shorts,
413
00:29:38,981 --> 00:29:41,245
but that his bathers
were short-legged shorts.
414
00:29:41,270 --> 00:29:44,866
Have you ever seen the shorts
in this photograph, TWB1, before?
415
00:29:46,171 --> 00:29:48,786
I believe those are my bathers,
actually. OK.
416
00:29:48,811 --> 00:29:50,266
And he's shown the photograph,
417
00:29:50,291 --> 00:29:52,586
I asked, "Have you
seen those before, john?"
418
00:29:52,611 --> 00:29:54,626
and he said,
"They look like my bathers."
419
00:29:54,651 --> 00:29:57,295
OK, so, do you accept
that those shorts were yours?
420
00:29:57,320 --> 00:29:59,936
Yes, those might be my bathers.
Oh, you're bathers.
421
00:29:59,961 --> 00:30:03,225
I knew then
that he'd associated himself
422
00:30:03,250 --> 00:30:06,286
with one of the most crucial pieces
of evidence we had.
423
00:30:10,651 --> 00:30:13,906
The shorts were sent away
for forensic examination,
424
00:30:13,931 --> 00:30:18,626
and the reply we had back
were that they had been shortened
425
00:30:18,651 --> 00:30:21,175
post-manufacture by an amateur.
426
00:30:32,250 --> 00:30:34,936
During yesterday's interview,
John...
427
00:30:34,961 --> 00:30:39,425
Yes. ..you mentioned that,
during the trial,
428
00:30:39,450 --> 00:30:41,376
you handled a shotgun.
429
00:30:42,561 --> 00:30:45,175
Oh, a shotgun was in the court,
yes, I believe it was, yes.
430
00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:47,706
The shotgun used in the robbery that
I was convicted of.
431
00:30:47,731 --> 00:30:49,095
In Sardis? Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
432
00:30:51,171 --> 00:30:54,066
Cooper seemed preoccupied
with the shotgun he used
433
00:30:54,091 --> 00:30:57,175
during the Sardis robbery in 1996.
434
00:30:58,291 --> 00:31:00,586
It had been part
of evidence against him
435
00:31:00,611 --> 00:31:03,295
at his trial two years later.
436
00:31:10,370 --> 00:31:14,536
I believe I handled the gun in the
court case that I was in court for.
437
00:31:41,761 --> 00:31:45,266
As we looked at the packaging
and got the gun out of the packaging
438
00:31:45,291 --> 00:31:48,936
and so on, we noticed that,
in the bottom of the packaging,
439
00:31:48,961 --> 00:31:52,706
there were all these, erm,
little flakes, black flakes,
440
00:31:52,731 --> 00:31:54,986
and so, obviously,
the paint was flaking off.
441
00:31:55,011 --> 00:31:58,066
I seem to remember we had
a low-power microscope with a...
442
00:31:58,091 --> 00:31:59,376
with a strong light,
443
00:31:59,401 --> 00:32:02,866
and you could see that
there was a reddish cast on them,
444
00:32:02,891 --> 00:32:05,066
on the inner surface,
and, of course,
445
00:32:05,091 --> 00:32:07,906
quick as a flash,
we get our blood reagents out,
446
00:32:07,931 --> 00:32:10,016
and we discover
that it's actually blood.
447
00:32:25,481 --> 00:32:28,225
Every contact, absolutely,
I'm sure leaves a trace.
448
00:32:28,250 --> 00:32:31,295
It's just whether or not
we're clever enough to find it.
449
00:32:34,611 --> 00:32:35,906
GARETH: The fact is, john,
450
00:32:35,931 --> 00:32:38,816
that the net has been
slowly closing in around you,
451
00:32:38,841 --> 00:32:41,016
and, with the latest
forensic results,
452
00:32:41,041 --> 00:32:43,016
it's provided us
with strong evidence.
453
00:32:43,041 --> 00:32:45,536
I think he could see then
that the cards
454
00:32:45,561 --> 00:32:48,906
were stacking up against him
and he was in trouble.
455
00:32:48,931 --> 00:32:51,066
WOMAN:
456
00:32:55,401 --> 00:32:58,295
No, because that's your outlook
of every damn thing.
457
00:32:58,320 --> 00:33:00,295
"Oh, yes, put 'em all
onto john Cooper,
458
00:33:00,320 --> 00:33:02,175
"because that's good and proper."
459
00:33:02,200 --> 00:33:06,936
And at that stage, we could start to
see the realjohn Cooper come out.
460
00:33:06,961 --> 00:33:09,225
He starts to become angry.
461
00:33:09,250 --> 00:33:11,866
You're making things
try to fit to john Cooper,
462
00:33:11,891 --> 00:33:13,146
and it's bloody annoying!
463
00:33:13,171 --> 00:33:15,656
He starts to become agitated.
464
00:33:15,681 --> 00:33:17,656
He starts to point to the camera
and says,
465
00:33:17,681 --> 00:33:19,146
"l know all of you in there..."
466
00:33:20,320 --> 00:33:23,225
You two, you all... and
your colleagues and them in there,
467
00:33:23,250 --> 00:33:25,656
choose not to believe it.
To look elsewhere.
468
00:33:25,681 --> 00:33:28,656
Through years of painstaking work,
detectives had built up
469
00:33:28,681 --> 00:33:31,095
a compelling case
against John Cooper,
470
00:33:31,120 --> 00:33:33,866
but Steve Wilkins felt
there was still one missing piece
471
00:33:33,891 --> 00:33:36,146
to connect Cooper to the murders.
472
00:33:46,891 --> 00:33:49,606
BU LLSEYE THEME PLAYS,
APPLAUSE
473
00:33:49,631 --> 00:33:52,375
The answer lay in an unlikely place.
474
00:34:05,021 --> 00:34:06,355
...on Bullseye.
475
00:34:06,380 --> 00:34:08,105
APPLAUSE
476
00:34:08,130 --> 00:34:11,435
It was this legendary game show
hosted byjim Bowen,
477
00:34:11,460 --> 00:34:12,796
and hugely popular,
478
00:34:12,821 --> 00:34:16,305
and the contestants had to answer
general knowledge questions
479
00:34:16,330 --> 00:34:19,566
and then also play darts
to win the prizes.
480
00:34:19,591 --> 00:34:21,016
26...
And Steve said,
481
00:34:21,041 --> 00:34:23,185
"Look, any chance you can see
if you can find this?"
482
00:34:23,210 --> 00:34:24,555
Black.
483
00:34:24,580 --> 00:34:26,466
It was like looking
for a needle in a haystack,
484
00:34:26,491 --> 00:34:30,105
because they made
countless episodes of Bullseye.
485
00:34:30,130 --> 00:34:31,716
They're still running
on channels now.
486
00:34:31,741 --> 00:34:33,466
Who would you like to be
if you weren't you?
487
00:34:37,051 --> 00:34:38,716
I had to get hold of an archivist
488
00:34:38,741 --> 00:34:41,355
who was looking after the, er...
the shows.
489
00:34:41,380 --> 00:34:44,305
They were all stored
in a basement in Leeds,
490
00:34:44,330 --> 00:34:47,846
and it required a bit of sweet
talking and a bit of arm bending
491
00:34:47,871 --> 00:34:50,185
to get him to go through
all the episodes
492
00:34:50,210 --> 00:34:52,996
and look for a contestant
that was from Pembrokeshire.
493
00:34:53,021 --> 00:34:54,826
Listen...
494
00:34:54,851 --> 00:34:58,386
There was no list of the contestants
on ITV records.
495
00:34:58,411 --> 00:35:00,355
The archivist
hunted through videotapes
496
00:35:00,380 --> 00:35:02,355
of hundreds of programmes.
497
00:35:04,691 --> 00:35:07,446
I got a call from the archivist,
who said, erm...
498
00:35:07,471 --> 00:35:09,056
"l think I've found him."
499
00:35:09,081 --> 00:35:11,896
john and Harvey, with £220, please.
APPLAUSE
500
00:35:11,921 --> 00:35:14,215
He said, "There's a guy here,
and he's with a friend,
501
00:35:14,240 --> 00:35:17,165
"and they're from Pembrokeshire."
And I can remember thinking...
502
00:35:17,190 --> 00:35:20,165
Well, it was an amazing moment,
to think we'd found it.
503
00:35:20,190 --> 00:35:22,616
You've got an unusual hobby,
john, haven't you?
504
00:35:22,641 --> 00:35:25,256
The scuba diving.
505
00:35:25,281 --> 00:35:27,646
Apparently, it's the place
to do it down there, isn't it?
506
00:35:27,671 --> 00:35:29,415
Yeah, because...
507
00:35:29,440 --> 00:35:32,535
I get a call from...
from a very excited Jonathan Hill,
508
00:35:32,560 --> 00:35:35,976
and they've actually identified,
er, the particular programme
509
00:35:36,001 --> 00:35:39,646
and the recording,
and, significantly,
510
00:35:39,671 --> 00:35:44,006
it is three weeks
before the Dixons are murdered.
511
00:35:45,751 --> 00:35:48,136
There it is. I'll keep...
512
00:35:48,161 --> 00:35:51,285
We took the artist's impression,
and then we took a freeze frame,
513
00:35:51,310 --> 00:35:53,926
just like you'd do at home on a...
on a DVD player, you know,
514
00:35:53,951 --> 00:35:56,136
you press pause
at the most likely moment...
515
00:35:56,161 --> 00:35:59,646
You get the £220 back. It's... We
know you're a good player, I just...
516
00:35:59,671 --> 00:36:02,256
...and suddenly,
those two images came together.
517
00:36:17,281 --> 00:36:19,085
There he was, on Bullseye,
518
00:36:19,110 --> 00:36:21,856
just a month
before he killed the Dixons.
519
00:36:23,641 --> 00:36:26,366
The Ottawa detectives
were ready to charge Cooper
520
00:36:26,391 --> 00:36:28,696
with four murders and a rape.
521
00:36:28,721 --> 00:36:32,366
Judge me AFTER the trial,
not before.
522
00:36:32,391 --> 00:36:34,806
But now everything rested
with a jury.
523
00:36:35,951 --> 00:36:39,976
I am not a murderer.
I am not a rapist.
524
00:36:43,721 --> 00:36:46,085
Do you find the defendant,
john William Cooper,
525
00:36:46,110 --> 00:36:49,285
guiltY 0F not guilty?
526
00:36:49,310 --> 00:36:53,446
The atmosphere in the court was...
You could have cut it with a knife.
527
00:37:06,360 --> 00:37:09,616
After more than 20 years
of evading justice,
528
00:37:09,641 --> 00:37:13,856
John Cooper was finally facing trial
for murder.
529
00:37:13,881 --> 00:37:17,616
You must judge me AFTER the trial,
not before.
530
00:37:17,641 --> 00:37:19,136
Judge me AFTER the trial.
531
00:37:22,471 --> 00:37:27,856
Over the years, I have had
total control of the investigation,
532
00:37:27,881 --> 00:37:30,566
so it's a real strange feeling
that you're then...
533
00:37:30,591 --> 00:37:33,646
you're handing over
that investigation to people
534
00:37:33,671 --> 00:37:36,085
that you've never, ever met before.
535
00:37:36,110 --> 00:37:40,646
I believed that, if we didn't
secure a conviction against him,
536
00:37:40,671 --> 00:37:42,006
then he would kill again.
537
00:37:44,240 --> 00:37:47,415
One of the country's top barristers
took on the task
538
00:37:47,440 --> 00:37:50,566
of leading the prosecution
against Cooper.
539
00:38:25,571 --> 00:38:28,156
This man in the photograph
is the realjohn Cooper.
540
00:38:28,181 --> 00:38:32,826
A loving husband who was married
to his wife for 42 years.
541
00:38:32,851 --> 00:38:34,876
I am not a murderer.
542
00:38:34,901 --> 00:38:37,076
I am not a rapist.
543
00:38:37,101 --> 00:38:40,826
I am an innocent man who has
been wronged. Thank you.
544
00:38:42,580 --> 00:38:45,876
Cooper gave his evidence, and then
we normally concluded the day
545
00:38:45,901 --> 00:38:51,276
around about four thirty, and the
trialjudge asked Gerard Elias QC
546
00:38:51,301 --> 00:38:55,435
as to whether he wanted to wait and
start his interview in the morning.
547
00:38:57,051 --> 00:39:00,185
Mr Elias... it's quarter to four.
548
00:39:00,210 --> 00:39:02,796
Are you content to begin
your cross-examination
549
00:39:02,821 --> 00:39:04,076
of Mr Cooper tomorrow?
550
00:39:08,021 --> 00:39:11,185
Very well, Mr Elias.
551
00:39:37,380 --> 00:39:38,636
Yes.
552
00:39:49,090 --> 00:39:51,546
Yes, but...
553
00:39:53,261 --> 00:39:57,116
'The atmosphere in the court,
you could have cut it with a knife.'
554
00:39:59,141 --> 00:40:01,676
The next morning, Mr Elias said,
555
00:40:01,701 --> 00:40:03,596
"We've now established
you're a liar,"
556
00:40:03,621 --> 00:40:06,476
and the impact that must have had
on the jury was significant.
557
00:40:06,501 --> 00:40:09,476
It was something
that will remain with me forever.
558
00:41:08,090 --> 00:41:12,346
I'm not a murderer.
I am not a murderer!
559
00:41:12,371 --> 00:41:15,476
REPORTER: The jury in the trial
ofjohn Cooper has retired
560
00:41:15,501 --> 00:41:18,395
to begin considering its verdict
after weeks of evidence.
561
00:41:18,420 --> 00:41:21,145
Now begins the tense wait
for a verdict.
562
00:41:21,170 --> 00:41:24,395
Tense for all the relatives that
have been coming to court every day
563
00:41:24,420 --> 00:41:27,506
and, of course, for the defendant
himself, john William Cooper.
564
00:41:36,170 --> 00:41:38,185
Let's have the jury in, please.
565
00:41:50,571 --> 00:41:54,786
On count one of the indictment,
the murder of Helen Thomas,
566
00:41:54,811 --> 00:41:57,265
do you find the defendant,
john William Cooper,
567
00:41:57,290 --> 00:41:59,546
guiltY 0F not guilty?
568
00:42:01,011 --> 00:42:02,546
HE CLEARS HIS THROAT
Guilty.
569
00:42:02,571 --> 00:42:03,976
Guilty.
570
00:42:05,110 --> 00:42:08,856
On count two of the indictment,
the murder of Richard Thomas,
571
00:42:08,881 --> 00:42:10,856
guiltY 0F not guilty?
572
00:42:10,881 --> 00:42:12,976
Guilty.
Guilty.
573
00:42:14,440 --> 00:42:19,806
On count three of the indictment,
the murder of Gwenda Dixon,
574
00:42:19,831 --> 00:42:22,085
guiltY 0F not guilty?
575
00:43:01,360 --> 00:43:06,976
It's a cold, controlled evil
that I think I saw in Cooper
576
00:43:07,001 --> 00:43:09,926
which I don't remember in anyone
else that I've been involved with.
577
00:43:12,281 --> 00:43:15,256
It's a bittersweet sort of feeling.
578
00:43:16,881 --> 00:43:19,696
Yes, we did have success,
but it was on the success of...
579
00:43:19,721 --> 00:43:24,446
of a lot of pain and trauma
from victims and victims' families.
580
00:43:33,281 --> 00:43:36,256
CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICK
581
00:44:01,081 --> 00:44:03,616
We were always left
asking the question, you know,
582
00:44:03,641 --> 00:44:06,285
were there other victims?
583
00:44:06,310 --> 00:44:08,446
With a killer like Cooper,
who was so prolific,
584
00:44:08,471 --> 00:44:09,806
why would he stop?
585
00:44:09,831 --> 00:44:12,085
REPORTER: 'Flo Evans lived here,
on a small holding...'
586
00:44:12,110 --> 00:44:13,896
And I remember Steve saying to me
587
00:44:13,921 --> 00:44:16,806
he believed that
there was another victim.
588
00:44:16,831 --> 00:44:18,566
And when I trawled through
the archive,
589
00:44:18,591 --> 00:44:20,085
I came across
a rather curious story.
590
00:44:20,110 --> 00:44:21,726
'Flo Evans lived here,
591
00:44:21,751 --> 00:44:24,856
'on a small holding less than
two miles from Scoveston.'
592
00:44:26,641 --> 00:44:28,256
Flo Evans lived here,
593
00:44:28,281 --> 00:44:31,616
on a small holding less than
two miles from Scoveston Park.
594
00:44:31,641 --> 00:44:34,496
The 72-year-old,
who was still fit and active,
595
00:44:34,521 --> 00:44:37,696
was found dead, fully clothed
in a bath full of water.
596
00:44:39,081 --> 00:44:41,616
Flo Evans. Cooper knew her.
597
00:44:41,641 --> 00:44:44,085
Cooper was her sort of handyman,
598
00:44:44,110 --> 00:44:46,806
erm, and yet she died
in a very mysterious way.
599
00:44:49,031 --> 00:44:51,415
The reporter at the time
had speculated
600
00:44:51,440 --> 00:44:53,976
that Flo Evans lived
just a short distance
601
00:44:54,001 --> 00:44:57,136
from Scoveston Park, where two
people had been brutally murdered.
602
00:45:06,001 --> 00:45:09,006
An inquest decided that
the death must have been accidental,
603
00:45:09,031 --> 00:45:12,696
because there was no sign
of forced entry at the house.
604
00:45:12,721 --> 00:45:15,165
But friends and neighbours
disagreed.
605
00:45:15,190 --> 00:45:18,136
Normally, Mrs Evans
only locked her inner back door,
606
00:45:18,161 --> 00:45:22,616
but when her body was found,
the outer door was locked instead.
607
00:45:22,641 --> 00:45:24,256
The bath had been filled with water,
608
00:45:24,281 --> 00:45:26,726
even though
it would have been stone cold,
609
00:45:26,751 --> 00:45:29,896
because the fire heating
the back boiler was not lit.
610
00:45:41,551 --> 00:45:43,856
The widow herself was buried
alongside her husband
611
00:45:43,881 --> 00:45:45,526
in the local cemetery,
612
00:45:45,551 --> 00:45:48,526
her death destined
always to be a mystery.
613
00:46:20,310 --> 00:46:22,285
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