Fulcher said of Rees: "He was willing to stand because he's spent his entire life working for Wiltshire Police. Not only did they agree, they offered her a table in the foyer, so moved were they by her story. 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A nice girl who had never been in trouble, her disappearance was immediately deemed out of character, and police acted quickly. Her boyfriend, Kevin Reape, raised the alarm at 9.45am the following morning when Sian hadn't turned up at . "It didn't need to be this way. In 2017, the former Detective Superintendent spoke with Tim Lewis of the Guardian and gave a first-hand account of the events. During the investigation, a complaint was made against him by Becky's father John, which resulted in a disciplinary hearing. Fulcher had elicited a confession from a cold-blooded murderer who had evaded police scrutiny for decades a serial killer who studied forensics so he would be better able to cover his tracks. It was probably the most intense four hours Ive ever experienced, recalls Fulcher, or I am ever likely to experience. Under clear blue skies, Halliwell and Fulcher smoked cigarettes, and slowly some kind of connection formed between the detective and the accused. No, he replies, all Ive ever been is commended. As a result, Halliwell was found guilty by a jury and his sentence increased to life imprisonment, meaning that he will never be released. But Fulcher breaches police procedure to ensure that justice prevails. He tells Tim Lewis why hed do it again. But the situation was confused. Same situation, what would you do? Fortunately, there was enough forensic evidence including Sian's blood being found in the taxi and traces of Halliwell's DNA was on her body to convict the killer. Yet Karen thought about Becky constantly. You can watch it on Monday nights at 9pm. Becky Godden, 20, was killed by Christopher Halliwell in 2003 but her body lay undiscovered for eight years. Its a decent point. The evidence Fulcher obtained about Becky Godden's disappearance was ruled inadmissible in court. That's my disappointment with the thing.". So its a fair question: what would you do if you were in Fulchers shoes that day? It would prove to be a costly decision for Fulcher. The blunder saw Halliwell charged with the murder of 22-year-old Sian OCallaghan in May 2012 but not convicted for Becky's killing. According to the police code, Steve should then have cautioned Halliwell and taken him back to the police station, where he could have spoken to a lawyer. A detective who lost his career after catching a double killer says he believes he could have found more victims if given the chance. As seen in the third episode of the ITV series, Fulcher refused Halliwells requests to take him immediately to a police station. Fulcher, then a senior investigating officer for Wiltshire police, was put in charge. Steve was investigating the disappearance of Sian O'Callaghan, who vanished after leaving a Swindon nightclub on 20 March 2011. Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher, who obtained a confession from Chris Halliwell that was deemed inadmissible as he had not yet been given access to a lawyer. What Fulcher already knew was that his informal chat with Halliwell was breaching Code C of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (Pace), which was instituted in the early 1980s in the aftermath of the Brixton riots. In court, Halliwells barrister, Richard Latham QC, argued that Fulcher had gone back to the 70s style of policing. Fulcher explained at his misconduct trial that he had been keen to lead Halliwell to the spot where the killer said he'd buried Becky and that's why he hadn't escorted him back to the nearest police station, as regulations dictate, to formalise his confession. It doesn't even sound true.". She went out for the night and never came home. Since 2015, he has "been on contract in Somalia as the adviser to the federal government". Of course Pace should be there. Instead, seeing a window of opportunity, hed driven him to the field where Halliwell claimed another body would be found. There were two reasons for this unconventional order. A Confession viewers have been gripped and horrified by the dramatised version of the true story of how DS Steve Fulcher caught a serial killer. Episode six of the six-part series will air tonight Monday, October 7 at 9pm on ITV. We were never going to be able to give Becky the wedding she would have wanted, but I wanted her funeral to reflect that side of her. He has received support from some of the victim's relatives, with the mother of Ms Godden campaigning to David Cameron, the Prime Minister at the time, for more protection from PACE for police. At some point somebody is going to have to explain to the public what they can expect from the police service when their daughter goes missing, he says. After a few hours, just as Fulcher was about to give up, Halliwell confessed to murdering OCallaghan. "People don't always do the right thing. Although Halliwell had already been cautioned twice, Fulcher should have done it again. As a result of this decision, Fulcher violated the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), which later cost him his reputation and career and changed his life. Steve Fulcher, 54, resigned from Wiltshire Police in 2014, Christopher Halliwell is serving two life sentences for the murders, Ms O'Callaghan's disappearance sparked a huge manhunt, Fulcher was played by Martin Freeman in ITV's 'The Confession', Fulcher is backing Mike Rees (right) for the role of PCC in Wiltshire. The manner in which Steve gained Halliwells confessions breached police procedure by failing to caution him and denying access to a solicitor. Photograph: Steve Parsons/PA Are Perfect Match's Joey and Kariselle together? He went into more detail about his current role, which involves delivering aid from the Foreign Office and Department for International Development (DFID) programmes outside the heavily-guarded green zone. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. Although not technically fired, the stress led Fulcher to take leave from work and he began taking antidepressants and sleeping pills. More info. However,. "His trophy store at Ramsbury with 60 items of women's clothing, everything about his history and behaviour indicates that we haven't, and probably never will, get to the bottom of his full offending. In January 2014, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) found Fulcher guilty of gross misconduct for breaches of PACE and ignoring force orders. I think we've lost sight of that.". Karen remembers one incident where dog dirt was smeared on her cardigan and she was made to put it on. What happened next sounds like it was lifted from a TV drama. However, in May 2014, Steve Fulcher resigned from his post and Wiltshire Police. Wed both put ourselves into a position where we were sacrificing our lives.. As a result of being found guilty of gross misconduct in January 2014, Steve Fulcher was given a final written warning, which could have led to his dismissal if he'd fallen foul of any more. View our online Press Pack. Night out: Sian OCallaghan, 22, with her boyfriend Kevin Reape. He told the Swindon Advertiser : "I dont currently think [Wiltshire Police is] delivering the best service it can deliver. After Halliwell was arrested in public at an Asda supermarket, he was driven to Barbury Castle where Fulcher met him in person. In 2014, the Independent Police Complaints Commission described his actions as catastrophic and he was found guilty of gross misconduct. Fans spot surprising star cameo! She got in touch with the Salvation Army, with Missing Persons charities. An official report into a formal complaint about how her case was handled is still pending. "I'm left with a very bad taste in my mouth - it's the summary of it.". Then, suddenly, the police were at the door, with the most devastating news. PACE provides a code of practice for police officers which aims to protect a balance between the powers of the police and the rights and freedoms of members of the public. Believing Sian may still be alive and being . Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. It was the last time she would see Becky alive. Then an inquiry found Steve guilty of breaching guidelines so, disgraced, he resigned. Martin Freeman, show writer Jeff Pope and director Paul Andrew Williams spoke to the press in London including Express.co.uk about PACE and the consequences of Steve Fulchers actions. It had a devastating effect on my family, as I was in a dark place for a long time, he admits. Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Instagram and Twitter accounts. Email us attips@the-sun.co.ukor call 0207 782 4368 . During the trial, Halliwell also accused the detective of threatening his family during questioning. Instead of bringing Halliwell back to Gablecross police station in Swindon, Fulcher told his officers to take him to Barbury Castle, an Iron Age hill fort on the Ridgeway route. He appeared on To Catch a Serial Killer with Trevor McDonald on ITV on September 20. "It's very upsetting to be on the receiving end of that [scene]," the Sherlock star recalled. READ MORE:A Confession on ITV location: Where is A Confession filmed? Surprisingly, Halliwell would confess to not only killing Sian, but lead Steve to the body of another victim, former sex worker Becky Godden. Continuing ITVs long-running penchant for excellent drama series is the newly released A Confession which first hit our screens on September 2nd. What could I have done? It would soon involve five force areas and 1,000 police officers, not to mention many hundreds of friends and locals who scoured the Savernake Forest, close to the last mast her mobile phone had pinged. Good luck with that because I can't think of one. Steve is no longer working for Wiltshire police, having left the force back in 2014, but his decision to hand in his notice wasn't one he made lightly. The pair worked together on the Ms O'Callaghan case in Swindon 10 years ago. On claims from critics and former colleagues that Fulcher's behaviour was "arrogant", Freeman asserted that ultimately his motive was well-intentioned and justifiable. There were members of the family on her dads side who said they had seen her. But she never made it home, and her body was found five days later near Uffington, Oxfordshire. But, between confession and conviction, Fulcher quit the police, after the High Court ruled his actions during the arrest were wrong. A Confession: Killer told DS It's a pleasure ruining your career'. "He was cleaning the rear of his vehicle with blue fluid, depositing items in bins and burning things in the night.". During the investigation, Detective Steve Fulcher broke police protocol and extracted not one, but two confessions from the killer. Jeff Pope's new ITV drama A Confession stars Martin Freeman as Detective Steve Fulcher, whose hunt for missing 22-year-old Sian O'Callaghan led him into an extraordinary situation in 2011. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. ITVs A Confession follows Martin Freeman as Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher but where is the real former police officer now? Fulcher had driven the criminal to a beauty spot and pleaded with him to give up Ms Callaghan's location. This was because Halliwell's confession was regarded as inadmissible as evidence by Judge Mrs Justice Fox. "He'd killed Becky Godden eight year earlier. A Confession concludes tonight (Monday, October 7) at 9pm on ITV. The ITV drama is based on the controversial true story of how a detective caught a serial killer. Fulcher later said the situation was on a "knife-edge", fearing that Halliwell might change his mind about showing them where the body was located. I doubt whether anyone in this room wants the old days of the police back so of course PACE is important, of course, accountability is really really important and those checks and balances are important, you talk to Steve Fulcher, hes a modern policeman, he is passionate pro-PACE but there is light and shade and nuance in all walks of life and certainly in policing. An investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission in 2013 found the police officer had a case to answer for gross misconduct for ignoring force orders. He said: "What should have been a triumph became a disaster. He was found guilty of gross misconduct and resigned from the police force. That hed got away with killing Becky? The evidence was seen as inadmissible as Fulcher had failed to caution Halliwell and denied him access to a solicitor at the time he had confessed. 22:03 GMT 30 Sep 2019. As Halliwell had pleaded guilty to the murder of OCallaghan on October 19, 2012, and there was enough evidence to link him to the crime without a confession, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for her death. He added: PACE was brought in in 1984 for good reasons, which he [Fulcher] agrees with, he is not proposing a change to PACE. But criminal defence barrister Sebastian Gardiner said their must be a way to ensure "police powers are not abused". In October 2012, Halliwell was sentenced to life for Sians murder but not Beckys. Fulcher currently works for a private company in Mogadishu, Somalia. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. "And I think it would be a terrible shame to put in a binary thing of well you either think they were right in which case you think Pace is wrong. He decided to leave Wiltshire Police in 2014 and had now told the Mirror that he is still "bitter" a decade after the events. ", We pay for your stories! That man is a hero. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. "He was in a relationship and had two daughters and a son, so he wasn't an obvious suspect," explains Steve, who caught Halliwell behaving oddly. In the coming weeks and months, she expected Becky to walk in the door at any moment. By not taking Halliwell to the police station, cautioning and providing him access to a solicitor, he was in violation of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE). MARTIN FREEMAN STARS IN ITV DRAMA 'A CONFESSION; Steve Fulcher, played by Martin Freeman, lost his career after catching a serial killer, Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher resigned from Wiltshire Police in May 2014, Fulcher can be seen speaking to Halliwell in episode 3 of A Confession, Christopher Halliwell was found guilty of murder in 2016 and faces life in prison, Fulcher has been supported by the families of the victims, An investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission in 2013 found Fulcher had a case to answer for gross misconduct for ignoring force orders, Martin Freeman plays Fulcher in ITV series A Confession, Elaine Pickford, played by Sobhan Finneran, was grateful to DS Fulcher. Murder but not Beckys controversial true story of how a detective who lost his career catching... To the 70s style of policing released a Confession concludes is steve fulcher still married ( Monday, October 7 at. 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