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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
 
 
 
 
 
 
photo gallery
 
 
 
 
 
 

Murder of Sian O'Callaghan

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.

 

 

 
 
 
 
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