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Christopher HALLIWELL
Classification: Murderer
Characteristics:
Taxi driver - Sexually assaults
Number of victims: 2
Date of murder: December 27, 2002 / March 19, 2011
Date of arrest: March 24, 2011
Date of birth: 1964
Victim profile:
Becky Godden-Edwards, 20 /
Sian O'Callaghan, 22
Method of murder:
Stabbing with knife
Location: Wiltshire,
South West England, England, United Kingdom
Status:
Pleaded guilty. Sentenced
to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 25 years on October
19, 2012
Sian O'Callaghan was a 22-year-old British woman
who disappeared from Swindon, Wiltshire, having last been seen at a
nightclub in the town in the early hours of 19 March 2011. Her body
was found on 24 March 2011 near Uffington in Oxfordshire. On 19
October 2012, at Bristol Crown Court, Christopher Halliwell, 48,
pleaded guilty to O'Callaghan's murder.
Timeline
At 0252 GMT on 19 March 2011, O'Callaghan was
captured on CCTV leaving Swindon's Suju nightclub to walk 800 metres
(0.50 mi) to the flat in Swindon's old town that she shared with her
boyfriend, Kevin Reape. Reape sent O'Callaghan an SMS at 0324 GMT;
analysis later showed that her mobile phone was in the Savernake
Forest area – 12 miles (19 km) away – at the time the message was
received. At 0945, Reape contacted the police and reported O'Callaghan
as missing.
On 20 March, the police issued their first public
appeal for information, and announced that they had begun searching
Savernake Forest. They stated that the time that elapsed between
O'Callaghan's appearance on the club's CCTV and her mobile phone
signal (0252 and 0324 respectively) meant that the journey from
Swindon to the forest could only have been made by car.
On 22 March, approximately 400 members of the
public joined the police in their search of the forest. The same day,
an anonymous donor offered a £20,000 reward for information that would
lead to finding O'Callaghan.
On 23 March, police announced that analysis of
O'Callaghan's mobile phone signals led to the identification of a
number of "hot spots" to be investigated. Detective Superintendent
Steve Fulcher of Wiltshire Police said that the investigation was
moving at a "rapid pace", and that "significant lines of inquiry" were
being developed. Members of the public were asked to stand down from
searches.
On 24 March, police made an urgent appeal for
witnesses of a green Toyota Avensis with taxi markings, which had been
seen between Swindon and Savernake Forest shortly after O'Callaghan's
disappearance.
Arrest and discovery of body
On the afternoon of 24 March, police arrested a
47-year-old taxicab driver from Swindon on suspicion of kidnapping.
The arrest was made at an Asda supermarket in north Swindon, where a
green Toyota Avensis taxi was also seized. Later the same day,
O'Callaghan's body was found in a shallow grave near Uffington,
Oxfordshire.
On 26 March at 2120 GMT the suspect was charged
with O'Callaghan's murder.
Investigation
During a news conference on 26 March, Det Supt
Fulcher stated that tests revealed that O'Callaghan had not been
sexually assaulted.
On 1 April, the inquest at Oxford coroner's court
was told that it was likely O'Callaghan died from head injuries,
though a forensic pathologist from the Home Office had yet to confirm
a precise cause of death.
Funeral
O'Callaghan's funeral was held at Kingsdown
Crematorium on 18 April 2011.
Trial and subsequent events
On 31 May 2012, taxi driver Christopher Halliwell
appeared in court at a plea and case management hearing, and pleaded
not guilty to the charge of murdering Sian O'Callaghan. On 19 October
2012, he appeared at Bristol Crown Court and pleaded guilty to her
murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of
25 years. The appeal court upheld the sentence on 14 December 2012.
Following the guilty plea, it emerged that a second
murder charge against Halliwell had been dropped as a result of an
error in the police handling of the case. The body of Becky
Godden-Edwards, a woman who had been reported missing in 2007, was
found after Halliwell's arrest. Halliwell had led police to the body.
Judge Mrs Justice Cox ruled that Halliwell's
confessions to killing both women were inadmissible as evidence, as
Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher had breached the guidelines of
the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 by failing to caution
Halliwell and denying him access to a solicitor during the period that
the confessions were obtained. Fulcher has now been suspended pending
an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
On 23 April 2013, an inquest at Oxford Coroner's
Court into the death of Becky Godden-Edwards recorded a narrative
verdict stating that the cause of her death, believed to have been in
2003, was "unascertained but probably caused unlawfully by a third
party."
Wikipedia.org
Becky Godden Murder: Mother's Plea To Killer
The 20-year-old's mother begs a taxi driver who led
police to her daughter's body to "put her out of her misery" and "come
clean"
News.Sky.com
April 23, 2013
A mother whose daughter was murdered has pleaded
with the man who led police to her daughter's remains to "come clean".
Karen Edwards urged taxi driver Christopher
Halliwell to confess to killing Rebecca Godden, who was known as
Becky.
Halliwell, 49, is serving life imprisonment after
admitting murdering Swindon office worker Sian O'Callaghan, 22.
A narrative verdict was recorded at an inquest into
Miss Godden's death on Tuesday.
Oxfordshire Coroner Darren Salter said it was
likely that she had died an "unnatural and violent" death due to an
"unlawful act of a third party".
Miss Godden, 20, who turned to prostitution after
becoming addicted to heroin, was murdered and buried in a shallow
grave on farmland in a Cotswold beauty spot.
Pathologists were unable to ascertain the cause of
death due to the length of time between the body being buried and it
being found.
The family of Miss Godden listened to detailed
post-mortem reports about the state of her decomposed body. Her
mother, Karen Edwards, cried as the court heard that her skull, arms
and parts of her feet were missing. They have never been found.
Halliwell admitted her murder but was not charged
because he had not been cautioned by the police.
Speaking after the inquest, Mrs Edwards appealed
directly to the father-of-three.
"I feel that, as her mum, I will get to the root of
this even if it's with the last breath in my body; I will get a
conviction of some description," she said, fighting back tears.
"And I'd also like to appeal to Christopher
Halliwell - this is your chance now. Come clean, please, please, what
have you got to lose?
"My personal opinion, I don't think he's ever going
to come out, so why not put everyone out of their misery?"
Mrs Edwards said: "What I would like to do today is
appeal to anybody out there who knows anything at all - any tiny,
tiny, little bit of evidence - anything that may help to convict
Becky's murderer.
"Any tiny little thing and I would be eternally
grateful... just please get in touch with the police.
"This is still very much an open murder
investigation. The police are working very, very hard behind the
scenes and I would like to think that I am working with them.
"I want Becky's murderer found and I want a
conviction."
The inquest heard that the last positive sighting
of Miss Godden, then aged 20, was by a police officer on December 27,
2002, in the Manchester Road area of Swindon.
Her family did not know where she was and thought
she was living in the Bristol area.
It was not until police knocked on their door on
what would have been her 29th birthday - April 4, 2011 - that they
discovered the horrific truth.
She had broken off contact with her family after
saying she could not put her mother through the pain of watching her
succumb to drugs.
Her family had previously paid for private
rehabilitation treatment in an effort to help her "get clean".
Detectives had been led to the field in Eastleach,
Gloucestershire, by Halliwell in March 2011.
He had confessed to killing Miss Godden and Miss
O'Callaghan, taking Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher to where he
hid their bodies.
But Mr Fulcher's failure to follow the rules meant
the murder charge in Miss Godden's case had to be dropped.
The hearing also heard that the police
investigation remains open and officers are determined to bring Miss
Godden's murderer to justice.
Detective sergeant Peter Ritson said police were
working on the basis that Miss Godden died in either December 2002 or
early 2003. He added that there was no known location for her death.
Becky Godden farmland grave: Narrative verdict
recorded
BBC.co.uk
April 23, 2013
A woman whose body was found in the Cotswolds
probably died "an unnatural and violent death", an inquest heard.
Becky Godden's remains were discovered after
Christopher Halliwell led police, investigating the murder of Sian
O'Callaghan, to a field in 2011.
The inquest at Oxford Coroner's Court was told the
medical cause of death was unascertained but probably caused
unlawfully by a third party.
A narrative verdict was recorded on her death,
thought to have been in 2003.
The court heard the last sighting of Miss Godden,
from Swindon, was by a police officer on 27 December 2002 in the
Manchester Road area of Swindon.
Her family did not know where she was and thought
she was living in the Bristol area.
It was not until police knocked on their door on
what would have been her 29th birthday - 4 April 2011 - they
discovered the truth.
Police investigation
Oxfordshire Coroner Darren Salter told the inquest
he had a "limited remit" regarding the circumstances of Miss Godden's
death.
He said under the Coroner's Act the coroner could
only express an opinion over the circumstances of the death and that
any verdict should not appear to determine criminal liability on the
part of a named person.
"Specifically in relation to this case there is a
police investigation into the death of Becky and it is still ongoing
and it has not concluded," Mr Salter said.
"I am not going to prejudice any future criminal
prosecution by naming in this court any suspect previously connected
to the case.
"For the same reason I am not going to deal
specifically with the circumstances whereby the location of Becky's
remains became known to the police.
"It is sufficient for me to say that the police
received information leading them to the location."
The court was told Miss Godden was buried in a
shallow grave at Baxter's Farm, Fyfield, in Gloucestershire.
It is believed she died sometime between the end of
2002 and the beginning of 2003, the court was told.
Miss Godden's remains, which had been there for
several years, were incomplete with the skull, arms and feet not
present.
She had turned to prostitution after becoming
addicted to heroin and broke contact with her family after saying she
could not put her mother through the pain of watching her succumb to
drugs.
Her family had previously paid for private
rehabilitation treatment in an effort to help her "get clean".
Speaking outside court her mother, Karen Edwards,
said the verdict meant they would never know what happened.
"When they handed me back Becky's remains I was
told not to open the box which I wouldn't have done anyway.
"I didn't realise how little there was in that box
of my daughter.
"That was hard, really hard to hear all those
little details again," she added.
'Guidelines breached'
Halliwell was jailed for life for the murder of
Miss O'Callaghan but a senior Wiltshire officer's failure to follow
the rules meant the murder charge in Miss Godden's case had to be
dropped.
A High Court judge ruled the admissions
father-of-three Halliwell made during a three-hour period on the day
of his arrest were inadmissible because Det Supt Steve Fulcher
breached guidelines governing the interviewing of suspects.
The detective, who was leading the hunt for Miss
O'Callaghan, failed to caution Halliwell and denied him a solicitor.
The ruling by Mrs Justice Cox meant that Wiltshire
Police had no other evidence against Halliwell to link him to Miss
Godden's death and the murder charge was withdrawn.
Christopher Halliwell admits Sian O'Callaghan
murder
BBC.co.uk
October 19, 2012
A taxi driver has pleaded guilty to the murder of
Sian O'Callaghan who went missing after visiting a nightclub in
Swindon in March last year.
Christopher Halliwell, 48, of Ashbury Avenue,
sexually assaulted the 22-year-old office worker and stabbed her in
the head and neck.
He was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in
prison.
A charge of murdering Becky Godden, 28, will lie on
file as a detective did not follow arrest guidelines.
It can be reported for the first time that the
second charge was withdrawn after a High Court judge ruled Det Supt
Steve Fulcher breached Halliwell's rights by failing to caution him
and denying him a solicitor in an attempt to force information out of
him.
'Inappropriate contact'
During a series of one-to-one interviews over the
course of three hours, Halliwell confessed to murdering Miss
O'Callaghan and took Mr Fulcher to her body.
He then admitted he had killed another woman and
showed the detective where Miss Godden was buried.
The judge said: "As soon as he began to talk about
another offence it is clear that he should have been cautioned."
Wiltshire Police said Mr Fulcher has been suspended
pending an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints
Commission (IPCC) into allegations of "inappropriate contact with the
media".
IPCC Commissioner Naseem Malik said: "Now that the
criminal process has concluded the IPCC can start its investigation
into the police investigation into the tragic deaths of these two
young women.
"The IPCC will also separately investigate
allegations that Det Supt Steve Fulcher, from Wiltshire Police, spoke
about the case to some media outlets on separate occasions contrary to
force instructions, the force media strategy and policies."
He said an investigation into five complaints
against the force - not relating to Mr Fulcher - had already been
completed and three complaints were upheld.
Mr Malik said the force had agreed to apologise to
the complainant and review its family liaison policy.
'Raw pain'
Halliwell was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court to
life in prison with a minimum term of 25 years for the murder of Miss
O'Callaghan.
She had left the Suju nightclub at 02:53 GMT on 19
March for the short journey home.
Her body was found days later near the Uffington
White Horse in Oxfordshire.
The court heard Halliwell had been cruising around
Swindon that night deliberately looking for a victim.
He had switched off the radio inside his vehicle
which allowed colleagues at his taxi company to know where he was.
After leaving the nightclub, Miss O'Callaghan
walked past the Goddard Arms on High Street in the Old Town area and
got into Halliwell's taxi.
He drove his victim to Savernake Forest, near
Marlborough in Wiltshire, where he killed her.
Using CCTV, police identified Halliwell through the
number plate on his car and he was put under surveillance.
He made four visits to where Miss O'Callaghan's
body was hidden in the 24 hours after her abduction.
By the early hours of 21 March Halliwell had moved
the body from Savernake Forest to the spot where it was later found.
'Great dignity'
He then attempted to cover his tracks by cleaning
his car and burning his seat covers.
Halliwell was also captured on CCTV at a petrol
station with posters about Miss O'Callaghan's disappearance in the
rear windows of his taxi.
When Miss O'Callaghan's body was discovered five
days after she went missing, her father Mick spoke of the family's
"raw and overwhelming" pain.
Miss O'Callaghan's family were in court to see
Halliwell plead guilty.
A victim impact statement from her boyfriend Kevin
Reape, which was read in court, said his heart had been "ripped out"
and his life "destroyed".
Speaking outside the court, Mr O'Callaghan said he
wanted to thank Det Supt Fulcher for finding his daughter's body so
soon.
'No understanding'
"Our thoughts go to Becky's family and hope their
conclusion comes as it has for us," he said.
Det Ch Supt Kier Pritchard, of Wiltshire Police,
said: "Sian's family and loved ones have shown great dignity
throughout the court process.
"I hope this conviction will in someway help the
family move forward and onward with their lives."
Karen Edwards, Becky Godden's mother, said: "After
a very complicated and painful journey over the last 18 months, Sian's
family have today had the justice for the murder of their beautiful
daughter.
"However our family's fight for justice for Becky
has only just begun.
"Even though Becky has been found, after all this
time we still have no full understanding of how she met her death.
"Wiltshire Police will be continuing the ongoing
investigation into my daughter Becky's murder.
"As you can imagine this has been a very dreadful
time for all our family and I would like to thank everyone for their
continuing support in striving for justice for Becky."
Taxi Driver arrested for Sian O'Callaghan Murder
- Swindon
By Lee Simpson - Demotix.com
March 26, 2011
Sian O'Callaghan, 23, of Swindon went missing on
Saturday 19th March. Just days after her disapearance police arrested
Chris Halliwell, a taxi driver from Swindon, for her murder.
The murder of Sian O'Callaghan from Swindon has hit a nerve with the
local community. She went missing Saturday 19th of March 2011 after a
night clubbing with friends.
Police moved in on a local taxi driver, Chris
Halliwell, as he arrived at an Asda grocery shop, just days after her
disappearance. He was arrested and charged with her murder.
Authorities then started a thorough search of his Asbury avenue
address in Swindon. Forensics started to gather evidence as bags and
other house hold items could be seen coming from the house.
Police have discovered another body in Eastleach,
Gloucestershire, they believe to be linked to the case. There is no
Identity for the second victim as of yet but DNA records are being
checked. They believe the body to be female, between 23 and 30.
As Chris Halliwell was driven to Swindon
Magistrates court police had to navigate a mob of 100 or more. Shouts
of abuse and death threats could be heard as one man told of a
£150,000 price tag on the taxi drivers head.
The community of Swindon left tributes at the Suju
nightclub where Sian was last seen alive. There was also a gathering
as hundreds of Chinese lanterns were released in an emotional tribute
to her memory.
Neighbours of the alleged killer described him as a
quiet but friendly man who was often seen working on his vehicles.
He will appear in Bristol Magistrates court
Wednesday 30th of March. Swindon, UK.
Detectives searching for missing Sian
O'Callaghan 'very close' to finding her as they focus on 'significant
lines of inquiry'
DailyMail.co.uk
March 24, 2011
'New technological techniques' provide police with
tighter search parameter
Volunteers warned they may come across her body
Police release final CCTV sighting in bid for
information
22-year-old's mobile phone signal detected 12 miles
away in forest 32 minutes after she left Suju nightclub
Missing Sian O'Callaghan could be found within
hours police said as her family thanked the public who have helped
search woodland for her.
Detectives said they were ‘very close to
identifying’ her whereabouts as specialist dog teams were drafted in
to help with the hunt.
The investigation was focusing on the areas of
woodland where her mobile phone was last detected.
In a statement released through police, the family
of Miss O’Callaghan thanked hundreds of people who have scoured the
forest, near Marlborough, Wiltshire, as they search for her.
‘We have been so touched by the support shown by
the community that we wanted to express our thanks,’ they said.
‘The sheer numbers of people who have given up
their time to help search for Sian and distribute appeal posters are
overwhelming and we couldn't ask for better support from the public,
police and media.
‘We are aware of the reward that has been offered
and are very grateful. We hope that this might help someone come
forward with information to help the police find her.
‘This is an extremely difficult time for us and we
continue to hope and pray that our beautiful girl is found soon.’
Today detectives appealed for anyone who had seen a
green Toyota Avensis taxi in the area or any of the items likely to be
in her handbag when she vanished.
Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher, who is
leading the inquiry, said: 'I am urgently appealing for any witness
sightings of a green Toyota Avensis estate with taxi markings seen
between 3am, 4am and 12pm to 9pm on Saturday March 19 between Swindon
and Savernake.'
A Wiltshire Police spokesman added: 'We are now
appealing for information regarding items Sian is believed to have had
in her handbag.
'Her handbag is described as a large dark-coloured
bag with a beige flower on the side.'
The bag's contents included a
distinctively-patterned front-door key, a black car key with yellow
insulation tape, a Tesco Clubcard key fob, a yellow Kinder egg plastic
casing containing a small animal with a furry belly, and lip gloss.
Miss O'Callaghan is also believed to have been
wearing or have with her a DKNY watch with fake diamonds.
Police released pictures of some of the items that
have been identified as looking very similar to those Miss O'Callaghan
had with her.
Yesterday police revealed the investigation was
moving at a ‘rapid pace’ and they had been able to narrow down their
search.
Det Supt Fulcher said: 'I've been able to use new
technological techniques to provide a tighter search parameter and
have been able to rule out large areas of the six-and-a-half-mile
radius we have all been searching.'
Friends and relatives broke down in tears when they
were warned they risked coming across her body during searches on
Tuesday.
Hundreds of volunteers turned out to help police
comb 4,500 acres of woodland for Sian, who vanished after leaving a
nightclub.
Police have honed in on Savernake Forest because
the final signals from Miss O’Callaghan’s mobile phone came from there
on Saturday morning.
She was last seen at 2.50am leaving the Suju
nightclub in her home town of Swindon, 12 miles away.
Detectives say that at night it is 20-25 minutes by
car between Swindon and the forst. Officers released CCTV pictures
that show Miss O’Callaghan leaving the nightclub alone.
She told friends she was going to speak to another
girl outside the venue, promising: ‘I’ll see you in ten or 15 minutes
on the dance floor.’
But she never returned and, when she failed to come
home, her boyfriend Kevin Reape sent her a text that met with no
reply.
Her LG E900 Optimus phone had enough battery power
for it to receive calls and texts for the next 12 hours.
On Monday, Mr Reape, a 25-year-old quantity
surveyor who is not being treated as a suspect, fought back tears as
he told how he alerted police to her disappearance at 9.45am on
Saturday.
Miss O’Callaghan’s grandmother Peggy Pearce said
yesterday: ‘She is a beautiful, lovely person, how would anyone want
to hurt her? We are just so shocked about it all. I will be going to
see her mother Elaine to give her my support, we all need to pull
together to support each other.
‘If anyone knows anything they must tell the police
everything they know.’
An anonymous £20,000 reward has been offered for
information.
Police are also investigating reports that two men
tried to coax a 28-year-old woman into a car in Swindon a few hours
before Miss O’Callaghan went missing.
Cold-case officers investigating the murder of
Melanie Hall, 25, who disappeared from a nightclub in nearby Bath in
1996 have been alerted because of similarities between the two cases.
Miss O’Callaghan, an office administrator, had
spent the evening in Swindon with friends but was not accompanied by
Mr Reape, who had spent the day at the Cheltenham Races.
Police said the couple exchanged text messages
throughout the evening before Mr Reape returned to their home at about
10.30pm and fell asleep without responding to his girlfriend’s final
text, which asked: ‘Where are you?’
They said he woke at 3.24am to find that Miss
O’Callaghan had not returned and sent her a text message, but there
was no reply.
Timeline: Sian O'Callaghan murder
BBC.co.uk
October 19, 2012
Office worker Sian O'Callaghan, from Swindon, was
last seen alive leaving a nightclub in the Wiltshire town.
Five days later, police investigating her
disappearance confirmed her body had been found and an extensive
search was under way for a second possible murder victim.
The following shows the key events in the search
for the 22-year-old and the investigation into her death.
19 March 2011
Sian O'Callaghan is last seen leaving the Suju
nightclub in Swindon alone at 0252 GMT to walk half a mile home to the
flat she shares with boyfriend Kevin Reape, 25.
At 0324 GMT Mr Reape sends a text message to her
mobile phone. Cell site analysis later reveals her phone was in the
Savernake Forest area, near Marlborough.
At 0945 GMT Mr Reape contacts police and reports
Miss O'Callaghan missing.
20 March 2011
Police issue an appeal for information and reveal
they have been searching the 4,500-acre Savernake Forest.
21 March 2011
Det Supt Steve Fulcher, who is leading the
investigation, says it has been established that Miss O'Callaghan's LG
E900 Optimus mobile phone had activated in a six-and-a-half mile
radius of the mast at Cadley.
At 1500 GMT Mr Reape appeals for information to
help find her at a news conference.
Also present are Miss O'Callaghan's parents Mick,
51, and Elaine, 48, and younger sister Lora, 19.
Detectives release CCTV of Miss O'Callaghan leaving
the Suju club.
22 March 2011
About 400 people, including Miss O'Callaghan's
friends and Mr Reape, help search Savernake Forest after police appeal
for the public's help.
An anonymous donor offers a £20,000 reward for
information to help find her.
23 March 2011
Police say further use of mobile phone technology
had produced several "hot spots" that specialist search teams are
examining.
The public are asked not to join the searches.
Det Supt Fulcher says the inquiry is moving at a
"rapid pace" with "significant lines of inquiry being developed".
About 200 people attend a vigil for Miss
O'Callaghan.
24 March 2011
Specialist dog teams are brought in to aid the
search through woodland.
Police make an "urgent" appeal to anyone who saw a
green Toyota Avensis estate taxi on the day Miss O'Callaghan
disappeared to contact them.
The reward to help find her rises to £40,000.
A man is arrested on suspicion of kidnap at a
supermarket in north Swindon where police also seize a green Toyota
car.
A police tent is erected in the front garden of a
house on Ashbury Avenue in Swindon.
Police confirm a number of locations are also being
searched as part of the inquiry.
Police find Miss O'Callaghan's body and search for
a second possible victim after arresting a 47-year-old man on
suspicion of double murder and kidnap.
25 March 2011
Police investigating Miss O'Callaghan's murder say
they are searching for the body of another person who went missing
from Wiltshire "several years ago" at Eastleach in Gloucestershire.
26 March 2011
Police are granted until the early hours of Monday
to question the man being held in connection with Miss O'Callaghan's
murder.
Police searching for a second body near Eastleach
in Gloucestershire find human remains.
At 2120 GMT, Christopher Halliwell, 47, of Ashbury
Avenue, Swindon, is charged with the murder of Miss O'Callaghan.
28 March 2011
Mr Halliwell is remanded in custody by Swindon
magistrates to appear before Bristol Crown Court on 30 March.
Miss O'Callaghan's father Mick says the family's
pain at hearing of her death is "raw and overwhelming".
30 March 2011
Mr Halliwell is remanded in custody to appear via
video link at Bristol Crown Court on 8 April. No application for bail
is made.
1 April 2011
An inquest into Miss O'Callaghan's death is opened
and adjourned at Oxford Coroner's Court. The hearing is told she is
likely to have died of head injuries.
Hundreds of people march through Swindon in memory
of Miss O'Callaghan.
4 April 2011
Police say they have identified a woman whose
remains were found near Eastleach in Gloucestershire.
5 April 2011
Police name the woman whose remains were found near
Eastleach as Becky Godden, from Swindon, who had been missing for
eight years.
6 April 2011
Karen Edwards, Becky Godden's mother, is joined by
about 20 friends and family to lay flowers and a teddy bear at the
site where Miss Godden's body was discovered.
8 April 2011
Mr Halliwell appears via video link at Bristol
Crown Court from Long Lartin prison.
The case is adjourned until 14 July for a plea and
case management hearing.
18 April 2011
Hundreds of people line the streets of Swindon for
Sian O'Callaghan's funeral.
31 May 2012
Halliwell denies murdering Sian O'Callaghan at
Preston Crown Court but a charge of murdering Becky Godden is removed
from the indictment. Mrs Justice Cox rules that evidence gained
following his arrest was inadmissable.
19 October 2012
Halliwell pleads guilty at Bristol Crown Court to
murdering Sian O'Callaghan. He is sentenced to life imprisonment and
must serve a minimum of 25 years.
