The Detective

Episode 2 of 2: OVERVIEW

A raw and compelling, podcast following Host and Investigative Reporter, Mark Williams-Thomas, as he re-investigates one of the biggest unsolved murder cases in the country that has baffled the police for almost 30 years.

In a UK first, Mark puts his own money and reputation on the line to conduct a thorough re-investigation into the disappearance and murder of 18-year old Nicola Payne, to try to give answers to her family and find out where her remains could be.

With full support from Nicola’s grieving family, total access to all of West Midlands polices case files, and the UK’s top private forensic search team, our podcast captures the twists and turns of a very real investigation.

THE STORY 

Saturday 14 December 1991 – Coventry. 18-year-old mum-of-one Nicola Payne set off from her boyfriend’s house to walk the short distance to the home she shared with her parents, across an area called the 'black pad'. Although it was just a 10-minute walk, she never made it to her parents’ house. She simply vanished.

Nearly 30 years on, her body has never been found. It’s the biggest and most expensive unsolved case in the history of West Midlands Police - and one of the biggest in the UK, which they are desperate to solve, hence their total co-operation.

Within 48 hours of her disappearance two men, Barwell and O’Reilly, were arrested on suspicion of Nicola’s abduction and murder. They gave an alibi which at that time could not be broken and, although they went on the run whilst on bail and changed their identity meaning they could not be picked out at an ID parade, the police did not have enough evidence to charge them.

At the time the police found several items of significance, but forensics was in its infancy.

In 2015, nearly 25 years after Nicola’s disappearance, a cold-case investigation team made a crucial discovery with the case evidence; advancements in forensics resulted in finding Nicola’s DNA on the tent bag recovered in 1991. Both men, Barwell and O’Reilly, were charged with her murder. At their Crown Court trial the defence argued that the evidence linking the suspects to Nicola had been contaminated whilst in police care. Subsequently, both men were acquitted.

Nicola’s family were desperate for another breakthrough but the police leads had gone cold again. All her, now elderly parents, want is to bring Nicola home so they can bury her. In 2018 they asked Mark to re-investigate her disappearance, to seek answers and to try and find Nicola.

Mark Williams-Thomas has agreed to help the family and re-investigate the disappearance and murder of Nicola Payne, to date he has done it all pro bono, Mark believes the answers lie within the community and is determined to find them. Mark’s investigation, gives listeners an all-access pass to see what it’s like to undertake a cold case murder investigation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 1 of 2: OVERVIEW

A raw and compelling, podcast following Host and Investigative Reporter, Mark Williams-Thomas, as he re-investigates one of the biggest unsolved murder cases in the country that has baffled the police for almost 30 years.

In a UK first, Mark puts his own money and reputation on the line to conduct a thorough re-investigation into the disappearance and murder of 18-year old Nicola Payne, to try to give answers to her family and find out where her remains could be.

With full support from Nicola’s grieving family, total access to all of West Midlands polices case files, and the UK’s top private forensic search team, our podcast captures the twists and turns of a very real investigation.

THE STORY 

Saturday 14 December 1991 – Coventry. 18-year-old mum-of-one Nicola Payne set off from her boyfriend’s house to walk the short distance to the home she shared with her parents, across an area called the 'black pad'. Although it was just a 10-minute walk, she never made it to her parents’ house. She simply vanished.

Nearly 30 years on, her body has never been found. It’s the biggest and most expensive unsolved case in the history of West Midlands Police - and one of the biggest in the UK, which they are desperate to solve, hence their total co-operation.

Within 48 hours of her disappearance two men, Barwell and O’Reilly, were arrested on suspicion of Nicola’s abduction and murder. They gave an alibi which at that time could not be broken and, although they went on the run whilst on bail and changed their identity meaning they could not be picked out at an ID parade, the police did not have enough evidence to charge them.

At the time the police found several items of significance, but forensics was in its infancy.

In 2015, nearly 25 years after Nicola’s disappearance, a cold-case investigation team made a crucial discovery with the case evidence; advancements in forensics resulted in finding Nicola’s DNA on the tent bag recovered in 1991. Both men, Barwell and O’Reilly, were charged with her murder. At their Crown Court trial the defence argued that the evidence linking the suspects to Nicola had been contaminated whilst in police care. Subsequently, both men were acquitted.

Nicola’s family were desperate for another breakthrough but the police leads had gone cold again. All her, now elderly parents, want is to bring Nicola home so they can bury her. In 2018 they asked Mark to re-investigate her disappearance, to seek answers and to try and find Nicola.

Mark Williams-Thomas has agreed to help the family and re-investigate the disappearance and murder of Nicola Payne, to date he has done it all pro bono, Mark believes the answers lie within the community and is determined to find them. Mark’s investigation, gives listeners an all-access pass to see what it’s like to undertake a cold case murder investigation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the fourth and final episode of The Murder of Lee Boxell. By now, Mark has clearly established the main suspect amidst the chain of lies and false information. A key witness confirms having seen Lee at St Dunstans church and Mark decides it is time to pay a visit to the main suspect's home to confront him.

Lee Boxell was 15 when he disappeared. On the morning of Saturday 10 September 1988, Lee left his home in Cheam, to meet with a friend at 11am in nearby Sutton. Despite extensive appeals on television and in the press, no one has come forward with any confirmed sightings of Lee.

Following extensive inquires the police found out that several paedophiles were operating in the area at the time Lee disappeared, one of whom ran the unofficial youth club and was jailed for eleven years in 2011, aged 75, after sexually abusing several girls who attended the club.

Our investigation in to Lee's disappearance has taken almost three years and our findings are revealed in this podcast. We uncover new witnesses, new evidence and, for the first time, interview two of the suspects, who have never spoken publicly before.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses the murder of a teenage boy and the sexual abuse of children

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this third episode, two of the four people arrested on suspicion of Lee's murder agree to give Mark interviews, both speaking publicly about their involvement in the case for very the first time. Three of the children of the main suspect also agreed to give Mark interviews about their father, including taking Mark to the spot where one of them believes that their father disposed of Lee's body. And a brand new name is introduced in to the investigation; that of a corrupt police officer who is also a convicted paedophile.

Lee Boxell was 15 when he disappeared. On the morning of Saturday 10 September 1988, Lee left his home in Cheam, to meet with a friend at 11am in nearby Sutton. Despite extensive appeals on television and in the press, no one has come forward with any confirmed sightings of Lee.

Following extensive inquires the police found out that several paedophiles were operating in the area at the time Lee disappeared, one of whom ran the unofficial youth club and was jailed for eleven years in 2011, aged 75, after sexually abusing several girls who attended the club.

Our investigation in to Lee's disappearance has taken almost three years and our findings are revealed in this podcast. We uncover new witnesses, new evidence and, for the first time, interview two of the suspects, who have never spoken publicly before.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses the murder of a teenage boy and the sexual abuse of children

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this second episode, Mark introduces new evidence and interviews several witnesses who used to attend The Shed at St Dunstans Church. Two victims of child sexual abuse came forwards and gave Mark detailed interviews about what happened to them, which some listeners may find upsetting.

Lee Boxell was 15 when he disappeared. On the morning of Saturday 10 September 1988, Lee left his home in Cheam, to meet with a friend at 11am in nearby Sutton. Despite extensive appeals on television and in the press, no one has come forward with any confirmed sightings of Lee.

Following extensive inquires the police found out that several paedophiles were operating in the area at the time Lee disappeared, one of whom ran the unofficial youth club and was jailed for eleven years in 2011, aged 75, after sexually abusing several girls who attended the club.

Our investigation in to Lee's disappearance has taken almost three years and our findings are revealed in this podcast. We uncover new witnesses, new evidence and, for the first time, interview two of the suspects, who have never spoken publicly before.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses the murder of a teenage boy and the sexual abuse of children

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this first of four episodes, Mark Williams-Thomas describes the circumstances around Lee's disappearance and looks at the initial police investigation. He speaks with Lee's parents about the events that took place in 1988 and finds out key information and dates from Mike Platt, an investigator with the Missing People charity.

Lee Boxell was 15 when he disappeared. On the morning of Saturday 10 September 1988, Lee left his home in Cheam, to meet with a friend at 11am in nearby Sutton. Despite extensive appeals on television and in the press, no one has come forward with any confirmed sightings of Lee.

Following extensive inquires the police found out that several paedophiles were operating in the area at the time Lee disappeared, one of whom ran the unofficial youth club and was jailed for eleven years in 2011, aged 75, after sexually abusing several girls who attended the club.

Our investigation in to Lee's disappearance has taken almost three years and our findings are revealed in this podcast. We uncover new witnesses, new evidence and, for the first time, interview two of the suspects, who have never spoken publicly before.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BONUS EPISODE: Mark Williams-Thomas talks to CrimeConVersations, the True Crime podcast brought to you by CrimeCon UK. CrimeConVersations Episode 2 features both The Detective and UK True Crime podcasts.

CrimeCon: London 25th & 26th September 2021, visit www.crimecon.co.uk for tickets and further information

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Mary Flanagan was aged just 16 when she disappeared from her London home on New Year's Eve, 1959. She is the UK's longest missing person’s case.

In this episode Mary's sister, Brenda, reveals a significant sighting of a woman who went into a police station in Scotland in 2016, could this have been Mary?

And a further sighting from a neighbour and someone who knew Mary, who saw here wearing a new pair of glasses.

The forensic artist Tim Widden explains how he sets about creating an age progression image.

Brenda discusses some of her theories about Mary; was she pregnant, did she run away to start a new life or has she been murdered.

Ultimately, Mark Williams-Thomas provides a breakdown of what is known and gives an overview of what he believes has happened to Mary.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mary Flanagan was aged 16 when she disappeared from her London home on New Year's Eve, 1959. Mary is the UK's longest missing persons case.

Mary was brought up in a strict London-Catholic family and had two sisters, Eileen and Brenda, and a brother, Kevin. 

At the time of her disappearance, she was working at the Tate and Lyle sugar refinery in Plaistow. 

In episode 1 Mary’s sister Brenda explains how close they were as a family and what it was like growing up in West Ham in the 1950’s and 60’s 

Brenda provides a valuable insight into how Mary was engaged to a person who was introduced to her by her father.

This person was known as Tom, and he worked at the docks.

As the episode continues, we hear how Mary was pretending to go work at Tate & Lyle in the two weeks prior to her vanishing and how none of the family can remember Tom’s surname or where he lived.

What is very significantly is how the original police file was destroyed, the police say in a flood; a police file that almost certainly would have held significant information about Mary’s disappearance.

During the podcast Mary’s case manager from the Missing People charity gives a valuable insight into the case and explains why some people go missing. 

In episode 2 we explore some of the sightings, the creation of an age-progression image of Mary by a forensic artist and explore what the family think could have happened to Mary.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.