Was Charlene, 14, sexually abused by up to 100 men before being murdered and chopped up for kebab meat? Police reopen case of missing teenager ten years on
- Charlene Downes, 14, disappeared in Blackpool ten years ago today
- She had been abused by up to 100 men before her death, police believe
- Paige Chivers, 15, vanished in August 2007 and was also groomed for sex
- Police relaunch inquiry and urge the public for information about them
Charlene Downes, 14, disappeared in Blackpool on November 1 2003 amid claims that she was abused by up to 100 men and chopped up for kebab meat.
Today, the 10th anniversary of her disappearance, Lancashire Police announced they have relaunched the investigation led by Superintendent Andy Webster and a team of specialist officers.
The team will also concurrently investigate the disappearance of another local teenager, Paige Chivers, 15, who vanished in August 2007.
New probe: Police have relaunched investigations
into the murders of Charlene Downes (left) and Paige Chivers (right) in
Blackpool in the past ten years
Police suspect she was groomed for sex and believe she was murdered, but her body has never been found.
Officers have not ruled out a link between both cases with documents revealing there are around 100 'people of interest' they want to trace.
Assistant Chief Constable Andy Rhodes said Lancashire Constabulary had never given up the search for either girl, but hoped the fresh investigation would jog people's memories.
'There is nothing evidentially that links these cases at present although we would never rule it out but as with Charlene, I would also ask people to remember Paige and, again, let us know if there's anything they have been keeping to themselves about what happened to her,' he said.
Mr Rhodes said he was certain someone had information that would help solve both cases.
'We know that people are more confident in coming forward to report historic information nowadays and this may be the case here,' he said.
'Charlene and Paige's friends, obviously just teenagers at the time they went missing, will now be grown up and may have their own children. I would hope they may be more confident now in coming forward and telling us what they may know.
'We appreciate that a considerable amount of time has passed since both Charlene and Paige went missing but we would still encourage anyone with information to come forward and speak to us as it could assist in our inquiries, and help bring the killer or killers to justice.'
Renewed appeals: The two teenagers vanished without a trace but may have been murdered by a paedophile
Cold case: This kebab shop was at the heart of
Charlene's case. Its then owner was falsely accused of killing her and
chopping her up. He and another man were paid compensation after the
case against them collapsed. It is believed to be under new ownership
and changes its name
Lancashire police and crime commissioner Clive Grunshaw said he had seen many cases where information years later resulted in successful prosecutions.
Mr Grunshaw specifically mentioned the case of former BBC presenter Stuart Hall, who was jailed for child sexual abuse against 14 girls between 1967 and 1985.
'I hope, in the cases of both Charlene and Paige, there is someone out there who now feels comfortable enough to come forward and tell the police what they know,' he said.
'Charlene and Paige's families have a right to know what happened to their children, and I would urge anyone who thinks they might know something - no matter how small - to take this opportunity and contact the police.'
Prosecutors in the 2007 trial of takeaway owner Iyad Albattikhi, accused and later acquitted of Charlene's death, claimed her body was chopped up and had 'gone into kebabs'.
The court heard Charlene was one of a number of young white girls who gravitated to Blackpool's takeaways to have sex with older men.
Mr Albattikhi was formally cleared of Charlene's murder while co-defendant Mohammed Reveshi was acquitted of helping to dispose of her body.
Both of the accused were later reported to have received six-figure compensation sums for false imprisonment.
Paige had also been linked to sex exploitation in the area.
Over the years, police have made four arrests on suspicion of Paige's murder but all have been freed without charge.
4 comments:
Well done to everyone that went to blackpool for demos, its cost thousands of pounds to police each demo,that's the only reason our guttless,wankey police have opened the case again,scared shitless of being called racist,and the cps is run by Muslims and left wing cunts, millwall
If useless Chief Cuntstubbles' mums, sisters, wives and daughters got their arses fucked off them by asian/muslim sexual predators we'd see some police action in the right direction - till then it's still going to be police victimization of law-abiding soft targets such as motorists and those exercising their Common Law rights and freedoms fascist thug police loath to ackknowledge exist.
Fly On The Wall
How do I claim benefits when I get to Britain? Romanians demand help from job agencies in the UK
Romanians and Bulgarians will be entitled to certain UK benefits from January
Job agencies are said to be bombarded with people asking how to claim
British companies are advertising on Romanian websites saying 'find out if you are entitled'
More than 6,000 unemployed EU migrants currently live in Britain
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2486853/How-I-claim-benefits-I-Britain-Romanians-demand-help-job-agencies-UK.html#ixzz2jiAAHE3g
If people are more inclined to come forward to lodge claims of 'historic' abuse it is because the Savile Report effectively absolved them from any burden of proof, preferring instead to accept the truth of any and all allegations on the grounds that not to might hurt the accusers' feelings. It seems the pleasure of feeling superior to wealthy entertainers like Stuart Hall and Rolf Harris is just too great. Blinded to where this is leading - evidence-free convictions on the back of [coincidentally of course] government plans to introduce secret arrests – we will continue to endorse flash mob behaviour until we ourselves, or a loved one, experience the peculiar hell of a malicious prosecution for ourselves. We are silly, childish people. When Thomas More says in ‘A Man For All Seasons’, ‘Aye..I would give the Devil himself benefit of law – for my own safety’s sake’ it was a warning to anyone with half a brain.
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