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- It was really shocking,
horrible, frightening.
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00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:11,760
We couldn't get our heads round it,
none of us.
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00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:22,160
- That's when the alarm bells
started ringing.
4
00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:24,120
She wouldn't go anywhere
without me.
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00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:36,280
- Axe marks. A lot of blood
had been spilt onto the floor.
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00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:39,080
But when a killer
refuses to reveal
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00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:43,200
the location of a body, police,
prosecutors and forensic teams
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00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:47,520
have an almost impossible task
to deliver justice.
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00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:51,600
- He didn't show any remorse,
and he wasn't going to tell us
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00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:53,440
where Laura was.
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00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:56,800
Laura's family
and her son, Rashid,
12
00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:58,960
are still desperate for answers.
13
00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:02,840
How could she have disappeared
without a trace?
14
00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:05,840
This is their story.
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- It's like stepping back in time.
It feels like yesterday
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that we were here.
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00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:33,440
It's summer 2005,
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and Cleveland police
are hunting for human remains.
19
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- A member of the public
came forward
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00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:45,160
to pass some information on
that they'd seen, years before,
21
00:01:45,320 --> 00:01:48,960
somebody in the dark,
carrying something heavy,
22
00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:51,720
and taking it
down towards the golf course.
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Something may have been buried
down there.
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00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:58,640
It clearly
needed to be investigated,
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00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:00,520
and properly investigated.
26
00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:07,320
- I was stunned, to be honest,
when the police came back
27
00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:09,680
and said that it was a lead
28
00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:11,680
to do with
the Laura May Shatanawi case.
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I was... I was astonished,
really, that, you know,
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after all this time, it was all
coming back to the surface.
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- Laura May was a devoted wife,
married to doctor
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and property developer
Hassan Al Shatanawi.
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00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:36,560
They lived in Laura's home town
of Hartlepool
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00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:38,920
with their only son, Rasheed.
35
00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:48,400
- The outside of where I grew up,
with me mam, dad, and my granddad
36
00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:53,560
living in this house.
My bedroom was the top attic,
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00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:56,200
but the back one
was me mam and dad's.
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00:02:57,040 --> 00:03:00,960
Oh, it was a good house.
Had some good memories in it.
39
00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:03,160
I've got a few bad memories
in there, like,
40
00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:05,880
but more good memories than bad.
41
00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:18,520
Me mam just loved travelling.
She just had the travel bug,
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00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:20,360
visiting new places.
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00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:25,200
She was studying travel and tourism
at Hartlepool College.
44
00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:30,040
But there's
one college day in June
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00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:33,640
Laura's seven year-old son Rasheed
would never forget.
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00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:40,440
- On that day she took us
to school on that morning,
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cos she was going to sit
a travel and tourism exam,
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00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:49,600
and that was the last time
anybody saw me mam.
49
00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:56,360
- I'd gone up
to take my mam shopping,
50
00:03:56,520 --> 00:04:02,240
and when I walked in,
my mam was upset. And she said,
51
00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:06,880
"Shirli, you'll never guess
who was in my house last night:
52
00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:10,320
Hassan and Rasheed." She said,
53
00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:12,560
"Laura has gone on holiday."
54
00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:18,360
I said: "What, without Rasheed?"
55
00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:20,560
And she said,
"That's what I'm thinking.
56
00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:23,520
Laura wouldn't go on holiday
without Rasheed."
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00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:28,040
Mam was clearly upset about it,
58
00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:31,960
and she... she knew
something was wrong.
59
00:04:39,280 --> 00:04:42,960
- Me mam's best friend
couldn't get hold of her.
60
00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:46,960
So she'd been trying. And one day
she come down the street,
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00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:50,200
and I was playing in the street,
and that's when she asked us,
62
00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:53,360
"Where's your mam at?"
And I told her,
63
00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:58,200
"She's on holiday." I think that's
when alarm bells started ringing.
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00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:06,040
- So I phoned after a week,
65
00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:08,040
and Hassan told me then
66
00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:12,880
that she'd gone to Hungary
on a course with the travel agents.
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00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:21,000
I went straight to see my brother,
and he just said to me,
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00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:23,080
"Shirli, she's just gone on holiday.
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00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:25,680
She'll be back when she's ready,
she'll come back."
70
00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:29,000
But Laura
didn't come back,
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00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:30,520
and her friends and family
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00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:32,840
were becoming
increasingly concerned.
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00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:45,920
- I believe it was a Friday,
Mr. Shatanawi had arrived
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00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:48,400
at the inquiry desk
at the police station
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00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:50,760
to report his wife missing.
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He said that she hadn't been seen
for almost four weeks.
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00:05:57,520 --> 00:06:01,560
The fact that he'd waited four weeks
before he'd reported it to us
78
00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:04,720
was, really, rather unusual.
79
00:06:05,880 --> 00:06:11,120
Most missing persons are reported
missing by their loved ones
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00:06:11,280 --> 00:06:14,840
within a matter of hours,
as opposed to weeks.
81
00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:20,960
Now, we were told, from the people
who knew her well,
82
00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:26,080
that she wouldn't even stay
overnight without her son,
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never mind for four weeks.
84
00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:32,360
It just didn't seem right.
85
00:06:34,280 --> 00:06:37,280
Police launch
a missing persons inquiry,
86
00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:40,920
and put Laura's life
under the microscope.
87
00:06:41,080 --> 00:06:44,400
- She was a happy little girl.
88
00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:49,960
She was the first child
to my brother and his wife,
89
00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:53,640
and they were
a lovely, contented family.
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00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:59,040
When she was a teenager,
they went off on this cruise,
91
00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:02,160
and she came back and she was
full of stories,
92
00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:05,000
and she absolutely loved it.
93
00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:09,760
And from then on,
she just wanted to travel.
94
00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:19,560
In 1983, whilst on holiday
in Egypt, Laura spots a post
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in a lonely hearts column:
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00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:25,440
'Doctor seeks English girl.'
The man behind the ad
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00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:30,320
is Cairo-based GP
Hassan Al Shatanawi.
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00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:34,640
- She must have wrote to him,
and he'd wrote back to her.
99
00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:37,960
And then she went to Egypt
to meet him.
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She was 26, I think,
at the time, and he was 36.
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She loved the man, I know... I know
she did, I know she loved him.
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00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:54,400
- And eventually
they got married in Cairo,
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00:07:54,560 --> 00:08:00,480
and then they moved back to the UK.
I think it was for business reasons.
104
00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:05,640
He wanted to work
as a property developer.
105
00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:10,880
- And I was born in 1985,
in Cameron Hospital in Hartlepool.
106
00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:16,560
- And she was
very, very family-orientated.
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00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:19,280
She just loved her little family.
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00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:24,200
In July 1993,
as word spreads
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00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:25,920
about the missing mother of one,
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the story
hits the local Hartlepool news.
111
00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:33,920
- We decided
that we'd put out a press appeal
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00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:37,960
for anyone who had any information
at all about Laura.
113
00:08:38,120 --> 00:08:42,640
- And I distinctly remember
the picture that the media used
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00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:46,840
at the time, with her blonde hair
and sort of nice smile on her face,
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00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:50,160
and I remember thinking, you know,
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00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:54,120
she just looks like a normal woman,
a normal mum.
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00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:56,840
You know, it sent shivers
down your spine, really.
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00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:02,560
Hartlepool,
it's a very close-knit community.
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00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:05,760
It's like a big village,
everybody knows everybody,
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00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:08,200
and I think this case
touched a lot of people.
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00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:11,040
It made you feel, like, uneasy,
that you couldn't believe
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00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:13,520
something like that was happening
in your town.
123
00:09:14,720 --> 00:09:18,680
Behind the scenes,
Al Shatanawi is helping police
124
00:09:18,840 --> 00:09:21,760
with their inquiries
into his wife's disappearance.
125
00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:29,240
- We decided that Hassan
would be brought to the station
126
00:09:29,400 --> 00:09:33,960
as a witness, so that he could
tell us as much information
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00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:36,400
as he had about what had happened,
128
00:09:36,560 --> 00:09:40,640
about his wife, where she might be,
any conversations they'd had
129
00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:44,080
about her leaving
and going on holiday.
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00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:49,840
And he was quite happy to speak
to us, and freely gave us permission
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to search the house.
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00:09:55,720 --> 00:09:59,560
We didn't find any evidence
of any flights, any hotel bookings,
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00:09:59,720 --> 00:10:05,160
anything which might suggest
that she was interested
134
00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:10,920
in going on holiday,
but we did find her passport.
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00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:19,040
This fairytale of her going off
on holiday by herself
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00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:20,360
could be put to bed.
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00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:30,160
- I can't really remember that much
about how the relationship was
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00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:34,120
with me mam and dad,
but I knew they argued a lot.
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00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:36,880
Like, he used to hit me mam and that
a couple of times,
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00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:40,040
but from the outside, looking in,
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00:10:40,200 --> 00:10:43,320
it just looked an ordinary family.
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00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:45,120
- By July 1993,
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00:10:45,280 --> 00:10:49,720
Laura has been missing
for four weeks.
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00:10:51,320 --> 00:10:53,920
As the police investigation
into her disappearance
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00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:59,280
picks up pace, Hartlepool detectives
now consider her doting husband
146
00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:01,720
a potential suspect.
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00:11:11,680 --> 00:11:14,080
- When he realised
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00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:17,560
that the CID
were going to be involved
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in trying to find Laura,
he tended to change somewhat.
150
00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:26,600
Far from being relaxed, he was
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00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:30,560
trying to give us the impression
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that he was a concerned husband.
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It didn't really wash,
I have to say.
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After discovering
Laura's passport in the family home,
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00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:43,800
Hassan's claim to police
that his wife had gone
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00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:47,640
on a last-minute holiday by herself
isn't stacking up.
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00:11:48,680 --> 00:11:54,280
- We were able to speak
to Laura's best friend,
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00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:59,040
and she confirmed to us
that Laura had never mentioned
159
00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:03,320
to her anything
about taking a last-minute holiday.
160
00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:07,640
She still could have telephoned,
she could have written a postcard,
161
00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:10,160
a letter.
She could have gotten in touch,
162
00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:12,640
and Laura's best friend insisted
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00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:15,560
that's exactly
what she would have done.
164
00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:18,560
And again,
that was another red flag for us.
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00:12:20,040 --> 00:12:22,440
We did a sweep
166
00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:27,440
of as many travel agents in the area
as we could,
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00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:31,240
and no-one recognised her
from photographs.
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00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:36,280
There was nothing, no indication
at all that she'd booked a holiday
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00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:37,840
through a travel agent.
170
00:12:39,440 --> 00:12:41,080
As the days go by,
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00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:45,240
Laura's family become
increasingly concerned and confused.
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00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:47,240
- We knew there was something amiss.
173
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- It was really shocking, horrible,
frightening.
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00:12:51,520 --> 00:12:55,040
We couldn't get our heads round it,
none of us.
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00:12:55,200 --> 00:12:59,800
And you know, we...
we were just all confused.
176
00:12:59,960 --> 00:13:03,240
We... we didn't know what we were...
what was happening.
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00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:06,920
It was... it... it... it...
it wasn't nice at all.
178
00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:17,040
- We decided that we needed
to find out exactly what had gone on
179
00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:22,480
with the husband.
And on one of his visits
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00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:24,960
to the police station,
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00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:26,880
he told us
that he couldn't stay long,
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00:13:27,040 --> 00:13:29,800
he had to be away
because he had an appointment.
183
00:13:30,720 --> 00:13:34,440
When he left the police station,
we placed him under surveillance.
184
00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:41,360
He got a taxi
from outside the police station,
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00:13:41,520 --> 00:13:46,360
and it was driven to Seaton Carew,
186
00:13:46,520 --> 00:13:51,560
to an area
where there are garden allotments,
187
00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:55,840
and he got out of the car,
opposite those allotments,
188
00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:59,720
crossed the road to a bus stop.
He waited for a double-decker bus
189
00:13:59,880 --> 00:14:05,480
to arrive. He climbed on that bus,
190
00:14:05,640 --> 00:14:09,000
and he was followed onto the bus
191
00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:11,920
by two officers,
192
00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:15,080
who watched everything he did
193
00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:19,080
and recorded everything
that he was interested in.
194
00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:23,880
Went upstairs to the top deck,
and that gave him viewing access
195
00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:27,000
to allotments nearby.
196
00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:29,520
And he stayed on the bus
197
00:14:29,680 --> 00:14:32,720
until it returned
to Hartlepool town centre,
198
00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:37,520
and he got off and walked
a short distance back to his house.
199
00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:40,640
So it was looking as if he didn't
have an appointment after all.
200
00:14:40,800 --> 00:14:46,160
Detectives discover
through a local authority search
201
00:14:46,320 --> 00:14:51,240
that Hassan Al Shatanawi
is renting one of these allotments.
202
00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:55,640
He'd visited
the council civic centre a few times
203
00:14:55,800 --> 00:14:58,160
about this allotment,
because he was wanting
204
00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:00,880
to change the one that he had
to another one,
205
00:15:01,040 --> 00:15:03,000
but they couldn't accommodate him.
206
00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:05,360
- My brother didn't know
about the allotment.
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00:15:05,520 --> 00:15:08,400
No, we didn't know about that.
Laura didn't know about it,
208
00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:09,920
nobody knew about it.
209
00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:14,400
- This allotment,
it just threw everybody by surprise.
210
00:15:14,560 --> 00:15:16,880
How... how he got it,
how long he'd had it,
211
00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:19,640
nobody... nobody seemed to know.
212
00:15:19,800 --> 00:15:23,520
While CID keep Hassan
and his mystery allotment
213
00:15:23,680 --> 00:15:24,960
under surveillance,
214
00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:28,840
they also dig deeper
into his letting business.
215
00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:34,760
- We checked with the council to see
what other properties he had.
216
00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:37,640
There's always a chance
Laura might have gone there.
217
00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:40,360
The information that we recovered,
218
00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:45,160
whilst we were speaking to tenants
of his other properties,
219
00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:48,320
that he was a bit of a nuisance,
220
00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:51,360
particularly with female tenants.
221
00:15:51,520 --> 00:15:55,800
He was always interested in them,
222
00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:59,840
and trying to get them to be
interested in him, shall we say?
223
00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:05,320
- He used to go missing
for weeks and weeks on end.
224
00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:09,120
I mean, there was times
when I took Laura to Newcastle
225
00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:11,600
to look for him.
She'd knock on doors,
226
00:16:11,760 --> 00:16:13,720
where she'd been sending letters
to him,
227
00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:17,240
and they had no idea who he was.
228
00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:19,680
She knew that there was something up
as well.
229
00:16:19,840 --> 00:16:23,640
I mean, Laura was... she was
as much in the dark with Hassan
230
00:16:23,800 --> 00:16:24,800
as we were.
231
00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:28,760
As police probe
more deeply
232
00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:31,120
into Hassan Al Shatanawi's
background,
233
00:16:31,280 --> 00:16:33,080
they soon uncover a reason
234
00:16:33,240 --> 00:16:35,920
for his long stretches
away from home.
235
00:16:36,080 --> 00:16:39,560
It would be a major breakthrough
in the investigation.
236
00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:44,640
- We had the information
from social services
237
00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:49,480
that he was involved
in another relationship.
238
00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:56,720
There was another son Hassan had had
239
00:16:56,880 --> 00:16:58,600
during his other relationship...
240
00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:05,560
..and there were possibilities
241
00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:10,680
that that son may have been
taken into social services' care.
242
00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:14,680
When Hassan was made aware of that,
243
00:17:14,840 --> 00:17:17,160
he offered himself up
to social services
244
00:17:17,320 --> 00:17:22,720
and said that he would support
his other relationship, other son.
245
00:17:24,280 --> 00:17:26,600
Hassan's loyal wife,
Laura,
246
00:17:26,760 --> 00:17:29,640
was completely unaware
of her husband's double life
247
00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:31,360
and other family.
248
00:17:31,520 --> 00:17:35,000
It's believed she finds out about it
by accident,
249
00:17:35,160 --> 00:17:37,840
just before going missing.
250
00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:42,720
- There was a board
outside the courtroom one day,
251
00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:46,320
and Hassan's name was on it,
about getting custody
252
00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:52,240
for this child, and somebody
had told Laura about it.
253
00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:57,560
So she'd gone down to the courts
to see what was going on,
254
00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:02,840
and that's how she found out
about this other little boy.
255
00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:08,120
And Hassan wanted Laura
256
00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:11,280
to take on this little boy,
257
00:18:11,440 --> 00:18:13,640
and Laura didn't want to do it.
258
00:18:14,880 --> 00:18:17,160
- We spoke with
Laura's best friend,
259
00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:20,600
and she said that if Laura
had found out about it,
260
00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:23,360
she wouldn't have stood for it.
261
00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:26,880
She would have upped and left,
taking Rasheed with her.
262
00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:34,720
Now investigators
have a potential motive
263
00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:38,560
for Hassan Al Shatanawi
to want his wife out of the way.
264
00:18:38,720 --> 00:18:43,000
- When we spoke to him
at the police station
265
00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:47,920
in the early stages,
he didn't mention any of that to us.
266
00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:53,360
He didn't volunteer to us the fact
that he was in a relationship,
267
00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:55,520
nor that they had a son.
268
00:18:55,680 --> 00:19:01,400
Again, that was something else
which caused us concern.
269
00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:03,400
Why didn't he tell us about that?
270
00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:06,000
Soon,
271
00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:08,920
the concerned husband
lets his mask slip.
272
00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:15,120
- Me dad did take part
in a media appeal,
273
00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:19,400
and then that's when a builder
from Middlesborough
274
00:19:19,560 --> 00:19:23,840
contacted the police by saying
that my dad had paid him
275
00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:26,920
a couple of days before
to erect a brand new shed
276
00:19:27,080 --> 00:19:29,240
on an allotment in Seaton Carew,
277
00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:31,840
then a couple of days later
rang him up,
278
00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:33,760
asked him to dismantle it
and burn it.
279
00:19:35,480 --> 00:19:39,000
- They said that they could.
They were willing to help him out
280
00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:42,480
with that. So they agreed a price,
281
00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:47,240
they went to the allotment,
collected the shed,
282
00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:52,600
and they were given instructions
to take it away, smash it up,
283
00:19:52,760 --> 00:19:55,840
and burn it.
This shed was brand new.
284
00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:59,040
They were aware
of one of their friends
285
00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:01,800
who was in the market
for a garden shed,
286
00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:04,360
and they found a new home
for the shed,
287
00:20:04,520 --> 00:20:07,600
not on a bonfire, but in a garden
in Middlesborough.
288
00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:12,080
This could be
a significant breakthrough
289
00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:13,600
in the hunt for Laura.
290
00:20:13,760 --> 00:20:17,280
Investigators swiftly make their way
to the home in Middlesborough
291
00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:19,160
where the shed had been moved.
292
00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:25,040
- The builders took us
to the address where the shed was...
293
00:20:27,120 --> 00:20:29,760
..and sure enough,
it was in the back garden.
294
00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:35,040
A team of detectives were present
when the shed was discovered,
295
00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:40,080
and the detective officers
sent for a forensic team.
296
00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:43,840
- It was very difficult
297
00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:47,800
in terms of the recovery
of forensic material,
298
00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:52,480
because there was a long time delay
299
00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:57,520
between the initial disappearance
of this individual
300
00:20:57,680 --> 00:21:02,800
and the subsequent examination
of this particular material.
301
00:21:02,960 --> 00:21:05,720
Forensic material can be fragile:
302
00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:10,080
it can be dispersed, it can be
destroyed, it can be moved.
303
00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:14,320
- But in examining the shed,
304
00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:19,240
the floor showed up
quite a large dark patch.
305
00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:23,120
Attempts had been made
to gouge out the patch on the floor,
306
00:21:23,280 --> 00:21:24,360
but that had failed.
307
00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:27,400
The stain had been covered up
by creosote.
308
00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:30,920
- But the area was soon
309
00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:35,360
the focus
of the particular examination,
310
00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:38,280
and some presumptive blood testing
was carried out
311
00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:40,080
in that particular space.
312
00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:43,000
- And the forensic team
confirmed it was human blood.
313
00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:54,120
- In Hartlepool, after blood
is found in an allotment shed
314
00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:57,120
owned by her husband,
Hassan Al Shatanawi...
315
00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:05,160
..police now suspect mum of one
Laura Shatanawi has come to harm.
316
00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:10,600
But with no body, they now have to
prove Hassan has murdered her.
317
00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:20,200
- This was a very challenging case.
318
00:22:20,360 --> 00:22:25,080
The obvious thing is
the lack of a cadaver.
319
00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:30,800
The body
is a huge source of information.
320
00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:35,960
Ordinarily, so much contact trace
material can be recovered
321
00:22:36,120 --> 00:22:42,000
and used within the investigation:
nail clippings, hair,
322
00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:47,800
swabs from the skin,
but in this case there's no cadaver.
323
00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:51,600
What police do have,
however,
324
00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:54,360
is the garden shed
from an allotment
325
00:22:54,520 --> 00:22:56,600
rented by Hassan Al Shatanawi.
326
00:22:56,760 --> 00:22:58,960
He had ordered it to be destroyed,
327
00:22:59,120 --> 00:23:03,240
but it was in fact moved to a garden
in Middlesborough.
328
00:23:03,400 --> 00:23:06,640
This is now the focus
for the police inquiry
329
00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:08,800
into
Laura Shatanawi's disappearance.
330
00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:12,800
- It was decided, as part of
the forensic strategy,
331
00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:16,560
that the shed would be
put onto a low-loader
332
00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:21,240
and transported directly
to the Forensic Science Service,
333
00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:23,760
where it would be examined,
334
00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:27,040
and it was discovered
335
00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:30,680
that the floor of the shed
336
00:23:30,840 --> 00:23:33,680
were planks of wood
butted together,
337
00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:37,120
and it was apparent,
visual examination,
338
00:23:37,280 --> 00:23:39,360
that it had been cleaned,
339
00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:44,280
and that a lot of blood
340
00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:46,760
had been spilt onto the floor.
341
00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:56,000
And if you can imagine
the two planks together, like this.
342
00:23:56,160 --> 00:24:00,840
we've got blood on the surface
that was subsequently cleaned,
343
00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:04,840
but then blood's seeped down
to form a V shape
344
00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:08,920
within the gaps in the shed floor,
345
00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:12,040
and it appears as though
some of that blood is formed
346
00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:15,360
through the floor, and then
onto the surface below.
347
00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:20,080
But there is something
even more sinister uncovered
348
00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:24,000
by forensic scientists
on the floor of the shed.
349
00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:29,520
- It bore the marks of chop marks
350
00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:31,320
in the wood, quite deep.
351
00:24:33,040 --> 00:24:35,040
A crime scene investigator
352
00:24:35,200 --> 00:24:39,440
was adamant
that it was axe marks on the floor.
353
00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:41,400
The working hypothesis:
354
00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:45,400
that some sort of dismemberment
had taken place.
355
00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:53,040
Police now
have to break the news
356
00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:56,600
of this dreadful discovery
to Laura's family.
357
00:24:57,480 --> 00:25:01,480
- I mean, it must be horrible
to think
358
00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:06,160
that that's your dad
that's done that to your mum.
359
00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:10,720
It's horrible.
It... .it... it's horrible.
360
00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:13,720
- I remember
361
00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:18,680
being in my mam's friend's, like,
362
00:25:18,840 --> 00:25:20,440
kitchen-cum-dining room,
363
00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:25,120
and I was surrounded by the police
and social services.
364
00:25:26,120 --> 00:25:30,760
And I think it might have been
one of the care workers just said,
365
00:25:30,920 --> 00:25:34,120
like, "We think your mam's...
we think your mam's dead."
366
00:25:34,280 --> 00:25:36,560
And I just remember
bursting into tears.
367
00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:41,680
I just remember
going into that house afterwards,
368
00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:44,440
and there was nowt in.
The police had just taken the lot.
369
00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:48,800
A lot of stuff out of wardrobes,
shelves. Out of the kitchen.
370
00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:52,560
The lot had gone. It was hard
to take in.
371
00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:56,800
Just threw everybody.
It just threw everybody.
372
00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:02,000
But before
they can charge Hassan with murder,
373
00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:06,800
investigators have to prove
the blood uncovered in Hassan's shed
374
00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:08,280
is Laura's.
375
00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:15,000
- In 1993, the national DNA database
376
00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:16,840
was in its infancy.
377
00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:20,440
The amount of material
that you would need
378
00:26:20,600 --> 00:26:23,720
to produce a profile
was quite large.
379
00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:27,880
For example, crime scene
investigators were told at that time
380
00:26:28,040 --> 00:26:33,040
that for material to produce
a profile, blood,
381
00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:36,080
you would need
something the size of a 10p piece.
382
00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:40,160
Whereas now, we can simply
383
00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:43,120
tape or swab a surface
384
00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:49,200
and produce profiles
from microscopic pieces of material.
385
00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:54,640
Scientists now have
a large sample of blood
386
00:26:54,800 --> 00:26:57,360
from between the floorboards
to work with.
387
00:26:57,520 --> 00:27:02,400
But without Laura's body,
there is a major stumbling block.
388
00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:06,600
- So in relation to DNA matches
389
00:27:06,760 --> 00:27:10,600
to the deceased's blood,
390
00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:12,040
it's obviously difficult,
391
00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:16,400
because we've got no control sample
from the body.
392
00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:20,120
So in this particular case,
secondary sources were sought.
393
00:27:23,360 --> 00:27:25,200
In a groundbreaking move,
394
00:27:25,360 --> 00:27:29,880
scientists take DNA samples
from members of Laura's family
395
00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:33,080
to try to get a familial DNA match
with the blood
396
00:27:33,240 --> 00:27:35,320
at the suspected murder scene.
397
00:27:38,560 --> 00:27:42,560
- I remember having blood tests,
some blood taken for DNA,
398
00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:46,160
a sample and that,
and I remember just passing out.
399
00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:49,720
I just remember getting up,
and just passing out,
400
00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:54,240
but the police did come
with two bags of sweets for us.
401
00:27:55,600 --> 00:27:57,920
It was overwhelming, it was.
402
00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:04,800
- We compiled a DNA profile
of Laura,
403
00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:07,600
using a blood sample
from her dad,
404
00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:10,680
a blood sample from her son,
Rasheed,
405
00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:15,520
as well as strands of hair
from the hairbrushes in her bedroom,
406
00:28:15,680 --> 00:28:19,880
traces of saliva from postage stamps
and envelopes,
407
00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:23,400
from letters which she'd written
to her dad
408
00:28:23,560 --> 00:28:25,040
when she was in Egypt,
409
00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:28,520
and that profile
410
00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:31,440
matched the blood on the floor.
411
00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:39,400
At the time, DNA profiling
was pretty much in its infancy,
412
00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:43,520
and to have this result
available to us
413
00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:45,640
was fantastic.
414
00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:51,160
On the 16th of July,
Hassan Al Shatanawi
415
00:28:51,320 --> 00:28:55,880
is arrested
on suspicion of his wife's murder.
416
00:28:56,040 --> 00:28:59,160
- This is the police station
in Hartlepool,
417
00:28:59,320 --> 00:29:02,640
and when he was arrested
418
00:29:02,800 --> 00:29:06,800
he was taken around
the other side of the building
419
00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:09,960
to the custody area,
420
00:29:10,120 --> 00:29:12,600
where he was interviewed
under caution.
421
00:29:16,680 --> 00:29:19,160
We needed to understand
what had happened,
422
00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:22,480
and how he'd done it,
and how he disposed of her.
423
00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:24,720
These things had to be asked,
424
00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:29,000
and he was given the opportunity
to explain everything.
425
00:29:29,160 --> 00:29:34,960
Obviously, he was informed
that what he'd told us thus far
426
00:29:35,120 --> 00:29:38,160
we didn't believe, and now
it was time to tell the truth.
427
00:29:42,160 --> 00:29:45,480
Any relevant questions
which we put to him,
428
00:29:45,640 --> 00:29:49,360
he would either say,
"No comment," no reply.
429
00:29:49,520 --> 00:29:54,680
Just wouldn't help
with the investigation at all.
430
00:29:56,560 --> 00:29:59,200
Minute strands of hair
are also found
431
00:29:59,360 --> 00:30:01,280
on samples of the shed flooring.
432
00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:04,760
These too are profiled
and match to Laura.
433
00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:09,320
Even though the police
don't have Laura's body,
434
00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:12,400
the evidence
against Hassan Al Shatanawi
435
00:30:12,560 --> 00:30:17,360
is stacking up.
But he continues to remain silent.
436
00:30:17,520 --> 00:30:20,520
- Everything
was slotting into place nicely.
437
00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:24,080
We had the evidence
from the shed builder,
438
00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:26,960
the strong evidence
of the DNA profile
439
00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:28,680
recovered from inside the shed.
440
00:30:28,840 --> 00:30:31,440
It was quite close
to being unprecedented
441
00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:35,200
to charge someone
without a body,
442
00:30:35,360 --> 00:30:37,920
but after his final interview
443
00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:41,640
we were more than satisfied,
as were the CPS,
444
00:30:41,800 --> 00:30:45,760
that there was sufficient evidence,
and Hassan was charged with murder.
445
00:30:45,920 --> 00:30:47,840
But without a body,
446
00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:52,680
police fear the chances
of securing a conviction are slim.
447
00:31:00,080 --> 00:31:04,120
- In one of the first investigations
of its kind in Britain,
448
00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:07,480
even though police
had not found the remains
449
00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:09,960
of missing Hartlepool woman
Laura Shatanawi,
450
00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:12,040
they believe
they have enough evidence
451
00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:15,720
to charge her husband, Hassan,
with her murder.
452
00:31:17,720 --> 00:31:20,960
But will they be able
to make their case against him
453
00:31:21,120 --> 00:31:22,840
stick in court?
454
00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:26,560
- He was remanded in custody,
to prison.
455
00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:32,080
Inquiries still carried on,
to try and find Laura's remains.
456
00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:36,680
Searches continued of land...
457
00:31:38,720 --> 00:31:41,520
..properties that we knew
Hassan was connected with.
458
00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:46,560
None of it came to anything.
459
00:31:46,720 --> 00:31:50,600
We made inquiries
at the local public incinerator.
460
00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:55,440
That came of nothing. It was
down to us now
461
00:31:55,600 --> 00:31:59,760
to prepare the case for trial.
462
00:32:04,760 --> 00:32:07,720
Meanwhile, with his dad,
Hassan, in prison,
463
00:32:07,880 --> 00:32:10,480
and his mum, Laura, believed dead,
464
00:32:10,640 --> 00:32:13,280
seven year-old Rasheed
has to be cared for.
465
00:32:13,440 --> 00:32:16,520
- I went to live with
me auntie Shirli in West Carnforth.
466
00:32:16,680 --> 00:32:20,760
You know, great village.
You know, great people in it.
467
00:32:20,920 --> 00:32:24,720
You know, all sort of took us
under their wings.
468
00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:29,160
- And I took Rasheed in.
I mean, Laura's best friend,
469
00:32:29,320 --> 00:32:33,160
and her family,
they were very supportive to me.
470
00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:37,960
I had a huge amount of people
to help me with Rasheed as well,
471
00:32:38,120 --> 00:32:42,360
and it was just lovely.
And it worked, it worked.
472
00:32:43,280 --> 00:32:47,200
- I remember going to see Dad
in prison, when he was on remand.
473
00:32:47,360 --> 00:32:49,680
I still hadn't
really got my head around it.
474
00:32:49,840 --> 00:32:52,000
It was mixed emotions, really,
475
00:32:52,160 --> 00:32:55,560
because I had people telling me
476
00:32:55,720 --> 00:32:58,520
that he had killed me mam,
477
00:32:58,680 --> 00:33:00,400
and then when I was going
to see him,
478
00:33:00,560 --> 00:33:03,920
I had him telling me
that he hadn't killed me mam,
479
00:33:04,080 --> 00:33:07,000
and that he'd been set up.
It was very difficult.
480
00:33:07,160 --> 00:33:10,760
It wasn't the easiest environment
to be walking into.
481
00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:17,760
Barely a year
482
00:33:17,920 --> 00:33:20,440
after
Laura Shatanawi's disappearance,
483
00:33:20,600 --> 00:33:23,600
her husband finally faces justice.
484
00:33:23,760 --> 00:33:26,400
Feelings in the area
were running high.
485
00:33:28,640 --> 00:33:32,280
- The court case got moved
from Teesside,
486
00:33:32,440 --> 00:33:36,400
cos me dad seemed to think
that there was a gang after him,
487
00:33:36,560 --> 00:33:39,280
and that's where they were
going to get him, at Teesside,
488
00:33:39,440 --> 00:33:42,280
so they moved it to Newcastle.
- There were a lot of witnesses.
489
00:33:42,440 --> 00:33:46,840
Their involvement in the trial,
from a prosecution point of view,
490
00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:51,080
was to try and build up
491
00:33:51,240 --> 00:33:54,480
a picture of Laura,
492
00:33:54,640 --> 00:33:57,320
and certainly to show
493
00:33:57,480 --> 00:34:01,200
how much she adored Rasheed,
494
00:34:01,360 --> 00:34:05,800
and that she would never leave him
under any circumstances.
495
00:34:08,920 --> 00:34:11,520
The prosecution
outlines Hassan's motive
496
00:34:11,680 --> 00:34:15,040
for killing his wife:
to be able to set up home
497
00:34:15,200 --> 00:34:18,120
with another woman, with whom
he'd been having an affair,
498
00:34:18,280 --> 00:34:19,960
and who had had his child.
499
00:34:20,120 --> 00:34:23,760
- I think my mam found out
about Hassan's affair,
500
00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:27,160
and that could have been a motive.
Whether she confronted him,
501
00:34:27,320 --> 00:34:31,240
or he knew that she knew,
I think it was on that day,
502
00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:35,640
after that... exam.
503
00:34:35,800 --> 00:34:39,040
- So on the one hand,
there was the risk
504
00:34:39,200 --> 00:34:41,880
that he might lose the child,
505
00:34:42,040 --> 00:34:44,680
the son from his other relationship,
506
00:34:44,840 --> 00:34:46,160
to social services.
507
00:34:46,320 --> 00:34:49,720
On the other hand,
if Laura found out
508
00:34:49,880 --> 00:34:52,320
about his other relationship,
509
00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:54,400
he might have lost Rasheed.
510
00:34:54,560 --> 00:34:58,600
We were told
she would never have stood for it.
511
00:34:59,640 --> 00:35:04,360
Hassan's Muslim background
would have also put him
512
00:35:04,520 --> 00:35:06,040
in a quandary.
513
00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:10,520
- It would have been
a huge shame, disgrace,
514
00:35:10,680 --> 00:35:14,200
were he to lose a son,
515
00:35:14,360 --> 00:35:17,560
either through marital separation,
divorce,
516
00:35:17,720 --> 00:35:19,120
or any other means.
517
00:35:21,160 --> 00:35:23,600
The prosecution
takes the court
518
00:35:23,760 --> 00:35:28,240
through Laura's final hours
on that fateful day in June 1993
519
00:35:28,400 --> 00:35:32,040
when she disappeared,
never to be seen again.
520
00:35:32,200 --> 00:35:34,840
- She sat the exam at the college.
521
00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:39,480
That morning is when the shed
was erected in the allotment.
522
00:35:43,280 --> 00:35:47,400
The shed itself, that needed
to be made available
523
00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:52,120
for the jury to inspect. That wasn't
brought backwards and forwards
524
00:35:52,280 --> 00:35:55,680
every day, it was obviously
left in the court building
525
00:35:55,840 --> 00:35:57,080
under lock and key.
526
00:35:57,240 --> 00:35:59,080
Without a body,
527
00:35:59,240 --> 00:36:01,640
and with Hassan
maintaining his innocence,
528
00:36:01,800 --> 00:36:05,320
the star piece of evidence
is the murder scene.
529
00:36:05,480 --> 00:36:09,320
- Find Laura's DNA in the shed,
530
00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:12,080
that was the main part of our case.
531
00:36:12,240 --> 00:36:16,800
That needed to be pointed out,
shown to the jury.
532
00:36:18,720 --> 00:36:22,120
After a six-week trial,
the jury retires
533
00:36:22,280 --> 00:36:24,080
to consider its verdict.
534
00:36:26,440 --> 00:36:29,800
- We were on tenterhooks
from the moment
535
00:36:29,960 --> 00:36:31,400
the judge sent the jury out.
536
00:36:34,080 --> 00:36:37,920
Then, when they came back
with the guilty verdict,
537
00:36:38,080 --> 00:36:39,840
we were ecstatic.
538
00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:43,320
- The judge, Mr. Justice Jarrett,
told him,
539
00:36:43,480 --> 00:36:45,680
"You have been convicted
on the plain evidence
540
00:36:45,840 --> 00:36:48,640
of cold-blooded, premeditated,
calculated murder."
541
00:36:48,800 --> 00:36:51,720
- He was sentenced
to life imprisonment.
542
00:36:51,880 --> 00:36:57,240
With a minimum term
to be served of 16 years.
543
00:36:57,400 --> 00:37:01,960
- In my career,
spanning some 37 or so years
544
00:37:02,120 --> 00:37:05,360
in crime scene investigation,
this is the only case
545
00:37:05,520 --> 00:37:09,680
that I'm aware of where the force
have managed to secure a conviction
546
00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:14,480
when in the absence
of a deceased person.
547
00:37:16,800 --> 00:37:21,120
- But Hassan didn't show any remorse
whatsoever,
548
00:37:21,280 --> 00:37:24,160
and he wasn't going to tell us,
or tell the family,
549
00:37:24,320 --> 00:37:28,240
where Laura was, which was a pity,
550
00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:31,040
a shame, really, for Rasheed,
551
00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:33,280
and for the other members
of the family
552
00:37:33,440 --> 00:37:36,560
not to be able to put Laura to rest.
553
00:37:37,840 --> 00:37:40,520
- I think Rasheed
should have had closure,
554
00:37:40,680 --> 00:37:42,520
and my brother
should have had closure,
555
00:37:42,680 --> 00:37:45,080
and my mam should have had closure,
but we didn't.
556
00:37:45,240 --> 00:37:50,520
And it... it's... it's sad.
It's very sad.
557
00:37:50,680 --> 00:37:52,560
In the years
that follow,
558
00:37:52,720 --> 00:37:55,520
Hassan Al Shatanawi
still refuses
559
00:37:55,680 --> 00:37:59,360
to give up the location
of his wife's body.
560
00:37:59,520 --> 00:38:02,000
But Rasheed has never given up hope,
561
00:38:02,160 --> 00:38:05,840
and is determined
to continue the search.
562
00:38:06,000 --> 00:38:08,520
- Oh, it always goes
through your mind where she can be,
563
00:38:08,680 --> 00:38:11,520
and it still does to this day.
The same, like... the thing is,
564
00:38:11,680 --> 00:38:15,040
sometimes I just sit there, think,
like, where the hell can she be?
565
00:38:21,400 --> 00:38:25,160
- Fast-forward 12 years,
and an unexpected tip-off
566
00:38:25,320 --> 00:38:28,200
could hold the key
to Laura's final resting place.
567
00:38:32,480 --> 00:38:36,720
Her family wait with baited breath,
while the police start a dig.
568
00:38:39,840 --> 00:38:43,040
- There was something buried
that was giving nutrient
569
00:38:43,200 --> 00:38:46,120
to foliage
that wasn't elsewhere evident.
570
00:38:46,280 --> 00:38:49,800
So it was important
to identify what that nutrient was.
571
00:38:51,120 --> 00:38:54,960
And that's where they advised
that we should start the dig.
572
00:38:55,120 --> 00:38:56,720
- I remember really feeling like,
573
00:38:56,880 --> 00:38:59,440
oh, please, let this be
Laura May's body.
574
00:38:59,600 --> 00:39:03,120
To bring it back for her family,
please let it be her.
575
00:39:05,520 --> 00:39:09,120
- So the archaeological team
carried out the dig
576
00:39:09,280 --> 00:39:11,040
that was required to be carried out.
577
00:39:13,880 --> 00:39:16,640
Took them about two to three days
to finish the job.
578
00:39:16,800 --> 00:39:19,560
And in the event, we discovered
579
00:39:19,720 --> 00:39:22,520
it was the skeletal remains
of a dead animal.
580
00:39:26,360 --> 00:39:28,080
- Unfortunately, it wasn't me mam.
581
00:39:29,120 --> 00:39:30,760
The family as a whole were gutted.
582
00:39:30,920 --> 00:39:34,480
- He was devastated,
but he had such a strength
583
00:39:34,640 --> 00:39:38,920
that he, you know, vowed
to keep fighting on to find her.
584
00:39:44,120 --> 00:39:48,280
In 2013 comes another blow
to Laura's family.
585
00:39:48,440 --> 00:39:50,320
Hassan is released
by the parole board
586
00:39:50,480 --> 00:39:54,760
without their knowledge,
and against their wishes,
587
00:39:54,920 --> 00:39:59,040
and deported back
to his country of origin, Jordan.
588
00:39:59,200 --> 00:40:03,720
Now he's free, the family fear
they'll never get the answers
589
00:40:03,880 --> 00:40:07,680
they need to find Laura's remains.
590
00:40:09,320 --> 00:40:13,520
- Disappointed, shocked.
If ever I'm going to get closure,
591
00:40:13,680 --> 00:40:17,600
I always thought
it was going to come from me dad.
592
00:40:17,760 --> 00:40:22,000
But that chance has gone
of sitting down with him
593
00:40:22,160 --> 00:40:25,520
in a controlled environment.
That's gone.
594
00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:30,680
Despite frequent attempts
to trace his father in Jordan,
595
00:40:30,840 --> 00:40:33,040
Rasheed has drawn a blank.
596
00:40:33,200 --> 00:40:37,600
- I was absolutely crushed.
I was crushed.
597
00:40:37,760 --> 00:40:40,720
I couldn't believe it.
It's horrible.
598
00:40:42,360 --> 00:40:45,560
And it doesn't get any easier
as time goes by.
599
00:40:45,720 --> 00:40:50,600
I mean, it's 30 years now,
and my mam's died,
600
00:40:50,760 --> 00:40:55,280
she died of a broken heart,
my brother died of a broken heart.
601
00:40:55,440 --> 00:40:59,320
You know, and they... we've never
found out whatever happened to her,
602
00:40:59,480 --> 00:41:03,080
and yet Hassan
is wandering around the streets.
603
00:41:03,240 --> 00:41:07,040
He... he is a free man now
to do whatever he wants.
604
00:41:07,200 --> 00:41:11,000
That's very hurtful, and it's wrong.
605
00:41:11,160 --> 00:41:15,760
- Hassan would know
that there is channels out there
606
00:41:15,920 --> 00:41:21,880
to contact me. Does sadden us
that he hasn't tried before now.
607
00:41:23,480 --> 00:41:26,000
He's done a crime,
he's been released.
608
00:41:26,160 --> 00:41:28,200
We've still got the life sentence.
609
00:41:29,560 --> 00:41:32,280
I know I've got the headstone there
with me mam's name on,
610
00:41:32,440 --> 00:41:34,400
where me gran and granddad's buried.
611
00:41:36,080 --> 00:41:38,840
I'd love to put me mam in there.
That'd be closure,
612
00:41:39,000 --> 00:41:41,640
and then us as a family,
what's left of us,
613
00:41:41,800 --> 00:41:44,240
can sort of move on.
614
00:42:09,080 --> 00:42:12,640
- It's so important
that we keep the case alive,
615
00:42:12,800 --> 00:42:14,800
because somebody
must know something,
616
00:42:14,960 --> 00:42:17,400
whether it be just
a tiny piece of information
617
00:42:17,560 --> 00:42:19,320
that they remember back at the time.
618
00:42:19,480 --> 00:42:22,360
It could, you know, be
the final piece in the jigsaw,
619
00:42:22,520 --> 00:42:24,440
really, of finding where she is.
620
00:42:26,800 --> 00:42:30,760
- Every now and again, human remains
will wash up on beaches
621
00:42:30,920 --> 00:42:33,640
around the country.
It's always going to be there,
622
00:42:33,800 --> 00:42:35,000
at the back of your mind.
623
00:42:35,160 --> 00:42:39,360
So you just keep on hoping
that one day it'll be me mam.
624
00:42:42,520 --> 00:42:45,200
I won't give up,
until the day I die.
625
00:42:45,360 --> 00:42:50,680
I'll never give up
looking for me mam, never.
626
00:42:50,840 --> 00:42:52,880
She's got to be out there somewhere.
627
00:42:53,040 --> 00:42:56,320
- Please, Hassan, be truthful to us
628
00:42:56,480 --> 00:42:57,640
and give us the answers
629
00:42:57,800 --> 00:43:00,560
of what happened
to our lovely, lovely Laura May.
52566
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