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{{Short description|2003 disappearance in England}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2013}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox
{{Infobox person
| name = Charlene Downes
| bodystyle =
| image = Charlene Downes.jpg
| labelstyle = width:
| datastyle =
| alt =
| above = Disappearance of<br/> Charlene Downes
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1989|3|25|df=yes}}<ref>{{Cite book|title=Sold in Secret|first=Karen|last=Downes|year=2018|publisher=Blink Publishing|location=London|isbn=978-1-788-70098-6|page=5}}</ref>
| above-style = background-color:
| birth_place = [[Coventry]], England<ref name="birth">''England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007''</ref>
| headerstyle = background-color:
| label2 = Name
| mother = Karen Downes
| data2 = Charlene Downes
| father = Robert Downes
| disappeared_date = {{Disappeared date and age|2003|11|01|1989|03|25|df=yes}}
| label3 = Born
| disappeared_place = [[Blackpool]], [[Lancashire]], England
| data3 = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1989|3|25}}
| disappeared_status = {{Missing for|2003|11|01|df=yes}}<br /> Presumed deceased
| label4 = Date of disappearance
| data4 = 1 November 2003
| death_date = {{circa}} {{Death date|2003|11|01|1989|03|25|df=yes}}
| label5 = Place of disappearance
| death_cause =
| nationality = [[British people|British]]<!--
| data5 = Blackpool, Lancashire, United Kingdom
-->{{Infobox|child=yes
| label1 = Description
| data1 = White, {{convert|155|cm|ftin|abbr=on}}, slim, straight shoulder-length brown hair, blue eyes<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/3964423.stm |title=Fears for teenager missing a year |publisher=BBC News|date=29 October 2004}}</ref>}}
| website = {{URL|https://www.lancashire.police.uk/campaigns/charlene-downes/}}<!--
-->{{Infobox|child=yes
| label1 = Reward
| data1 = £100,000<ref>{{cite web |last=Farnworth |first=Amy |url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/23893417.100-000-reward-information-charlene-downes-killer/ |title=£100,000 reward for information on Charlene Downes' killer |date=1 November 2023 |website=[[Lancashire Telegraph]] |access-date=4 December 2024 |archive-date=16 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241116164545/https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/23893417.100-000-reward-information-charlene-downes-killer/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
}}
}}
The '''disappearance of Charlene Downes''', a teenager from [[Blackpool]], United Kingdom, occurred on 1 November 2003 when she was 14.<ref name="BBC2008">{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/7339477.stm |title=Man cleared over Charlene murder |date=9 April 2008 |publisher=BBC |accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref> Her current whereabouts are unknown. She is believed to have been murdered within hours of her disappearance.<ref name="Guardian">{{Cite web |url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/may/30/ukcrime.childprotection |title=Beyond the pleasure beach |work=The Guardian |date=30 May 2008 |accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref>
'''Charlene Elizabeth Caroline Downes''' (born 25 March 1989) disappeared on 1 November 2003, when she was 14, from her home town of [[Blackpool]], a seaside town in [[North West England|north-west England]]. Downes was last seen in an area of the town centre that contained several takeaway and fast-food units. [[Lancashire Constabulary]], the police force investigating her disappearance, believe that she was [[Murder in English law|murdered]] within hours of the last sighting.<ref name=Lancashirepolice>{{cite web |title=Charlene Downes |url=https://www.lancashire.police.uk/campaigns/charlene-downes/ |website=[[Lancashire Constabulary]] |archive-date=10 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230710115442/https://www.lancashire.police.uk/campaigns/charlene-downes/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>


Two men were tried in May 2007—one for Downes' murder, the other for [[Accessory (legal term)|helping]] to dispose of her body—but the jury failed to reach a verdict. A re-trial was scheduled, but in April 2008 the accused were released because of concerns about the evidence compiled by Lancashire Constabulary.<ref name=ipcc>[https://www.ipcc.gov.uk/news/ipcc-concludes-managed-investigation-reasons-behind-collapse-charlene-downes-trial "IPCC concludes managed investigation into reasons behind collapse of Charlene Downes trial"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801154729/https://www.ipcc.gov.uk/news/ipcc-concludes-managed-investigation-reasons-behind-collapse-charlene-downes-trial |date=1 August 2017 }}, Independent Police Complaints Commission, 15 October 2009.</ref>
Downes disappeared whilst visiting an area which would be later identified as commonly used as a meeting place for [[child grooming]]. Although two men were tried in relation to her disappearance, one for murder, they were later freed when the case against them collapsed. Downes disappearance is considered unsolved.


The trials brought to light what [[Julie Bindel]] described in ''[[The Guardian]]'' in May 2008 as "endemic child sexual abuse" in the town.<ref name=Bindel30May2008/> The police believe that, for a protracted period before her disappearance, Downes had been the victim of [[Child sexual abuse in the UK|child sexual abuse]] at the hands of one or more men.<ref name=Bindel30May2008>{{Cite news|last=Bindel|first=Julie|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/may/30/ukcrime.childprotection |title=Beyond the pleasure beach |work=The Guardian |date=30 May 2008|access-date=9 February 2021}}</ref><ref name="BBC2008">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/7339477.stm |title=Man cleared over Charlene murder |date=9 April 2008 |publisher=BBC News}}</ref> They interviewed 3,000 people and found that she and other girls in the area had been "swapping sex for food, cigarettes and affection",<ref name=Bindel30May2008/> a form of [[child sexual exploitation]] known as [[Child grooming|localised grooming]]. It is thought that 60 local girls may have been targeted.<ref name=Battersby27Dec2011/>
The case has attracted the attention of the far-right groups the [[English Defence League]] and [[British National Party]].


On 1 August 2017, a 51-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murdering Downes and was released two days later. He is no longer under investigation.<ref name=BBC1Aug2017>[https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lancashire-40789538 "Charlene Downes: Murder arrest in missing Blackpool girl probe"], BBC News, 1 August 2017.</ref><ref name=BBC13Aug2017>[https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lancashire-40800457 "Charlene Downes: Man released in 2003 missing girl murder probe"], BBC News, 3 August 2017.</ref> A £100,000 reward remains on offer for information leading to the conviction of her killer(s) or the recovery of her body.<ref name=Lancashirepolice/><ref name=BBCreward/>
==Background and disappearance==
Downes was born on 25 March 1989,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PubCaseSearchServlet?act=viewChildDetail&caseNum=L011103&orgPrefix=UK04&seqNum=1 |title=Charlene Downes |publisher=National Center for Missing & Exploited Children |accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref> to Robert, a former soldier, and Karen. She had two sisters and a brother and they lived in Buchanan Street, Blackpool.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blackpoolcitizen.co.uk/news/1627128.nightmare_for_charlenes_family/ |title=Nightmare for Charlene's family |publisher=Blackpool Citizen |date=17 August 2007 |accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/local/heartbroken_dad_s_ride_for_daughter_s_memorial_1_432084 |title=Heartbroken dad's ride for daughter's memorial |work=Blackpool Gazette |date=28 August 2008 |accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-459013/Mother-murdered-girl-kebabs-runs-court-gruesome-testimony.html |title=Mother of murdered girl 'put into kebabs' runs from court after gruesome testimony |work=Daily Mail |date=21 May 2007 |accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref> The family had moved to Blackpool from the [[West Midlands]] in 1999.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/crime/article2976112.ece |title=In a car in the dark alley, a man's arm reached out to caress a child |work=The Times |date=7 April 2011|accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref> Downes was educated at [[St. George's Church of England High School|St. George's High School]], Blackpool, she was described in court as "well and happy" but had a "chaotic" home life and had been expelled from school.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web |url=http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/local/memorial-service-to-mark-birthday-1-4382368 |title=Memorial service to mark birthday |work=Blackpool Gazette |date=24 March 2012 |accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref><ref name="blackpool2007">{{cite web |url=http://www.blackpoolcitizen.co.uk/news/1424133.schoolgirl_murdered_by_shop_owner/ |title=Schoolgirl 'murdered by shop owner' |publisher=Blackpool Citizen |date=24 May 2007 |accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref> She would spend her time around [[Blackpool Promenade]] and was one of many local white girls who had been [[Child grooming|groomed]] by takeaway staff, predominantly Muslim, to carry out [[sex act]]s in exchange for alcohol, cigarettes and food.<ref name="blackpool2007"/><ref name="Timessexgrooming">{{cite web |url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/crime/article2976181.ece |work=The Times |title=Sex grooming scandal inside a seaside town |date=7 April 2011 |accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/police-errors-mean-girls-killer-may-never-be-found-1803647.html |title=Police errors mean girl's killer may never be found |work=The Independent |date=16 October 2009 |accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref>


==Background==
Downes was last seen in the early evening of Saturday, 1 November 2003.<ref name="blackpool2007"/> She had seen her mother in Blackpool town center, kissed her goodbye and promised not to be late home, saying she was going to the town's arcades.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/1428136.mother_of_murdered_girl_tells_of_grief/ |title=Mother of murdered girl tells of grief |work=Lancashire Telegraph |date=25 May 2007 |accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref> She was a slight girl, standing 5 feet 1 inch high, and was aged 14 at the time of her disappearance.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/local/police-chief-s-worst-fears-over-charlene-1-398054 |title=Police chief's worst fears over Charlene |work=Blackpool Gazette |date=25 March 2003 |accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref> The last confirmed sighting of Downes was at the junction of Abingdon Street and the back of Clifton Street.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/3964423.stm |title=Fears for teenager missing a year |publisher=BBC |date=29 October 2004 |accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref> Detective Superintendent Paul Buschini, who led the murder investigation stated he believed Downes had "died within hours of her disappearance."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/local/charlene-received-chilling-letter-1-415546 |title=Charlene received chilling letter |work=Blackpool Gazette |date=27 June 2007 |accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref>
Charlene Downes lived in Buchanan Street, Blackpool, with her parents—Karen and Robert Downes, a former soldier—as well as her brother and two sisters.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blackpoolcitizen.co.uk/news/1627128.nightmare_for_charlenes_family/ |title=Nightmare for Charlene's family |work=Blackpool Citizen |date=17 August 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/local/heartbroken_dad_s_ride_for_daughter_s_memorial_1_432084 |title=Heartbroken dad's ride for daughter's memorial |work=Blackpool Gazette |date=28 August 2008}}</ref> The family had moved to Blackpool from the [[West Midlands (region)|West Midlands]] in 1999.<ref>{{cite web|last=Price|first=Ki|url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/crime/article2976112.ece |title=In a car in the dark alley, a man's arm reached out to caress a child |work=The Times |date=7 April 2011}}</ref> Charlene attended [[St George's School, Blackpool|St George's School]], Blackpool. Although described in court as "well and happy", she had experienced a "chaotic" lifestyle after being [[Expulsion (education)|expelled]] from school, frequenting the area around Blackpool's Central Promenade.<ref name="Memorial service">{{cite web |url=http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/local/memorial-service-to-mark-birthday-1-4382368 |title=Memorial service to mark birthday |work=Blackpool Gazette |date=24 March 2012}}</ref>


According to an internal police report, Downes was one of 60 girls in Blackpool, some as young as 11, who had been [[Child grooming|groomed]] by ethnic [[Pakistan]]i men to carry out [[sex act]]s.<ref name="Timessexgrooming">{{cite web |url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/crime/article2976181.ece |work=The Times |title=Sex grooming scandal inside a seaside town |date=7 April 2011}}</ref> The girls would be given food and cigarettes by the male employees of fast-food outlets in exchange for sex.<ref name=hughes>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/police-errors-mean-girls-killer-may-never-be-found-1803647.html |title=Police errors mean girl's killer may never be found |work=The Independent |date=16 October 2009|first=Mark |last=Hughes}}</ref>
==Murder case==
Following her disappearance, Iyad Albattikhi was arrested for her murder and tried in 2007 along with Mohammed Raveshi, who was charged with helping to dispose of the body. In the case, the prosecution had alleged that the Albattikhi had slept with Downes, murdered her and joked that he had put her in the kebabs he sold from his shop.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1552482/Missing-girls-body-put-into-kebab.html |title=Missing girl's body 'put into kebab' |work=The Daily Telegraph|date=24 May 2007 |accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref> The police investigation involved the interviewing of 3,000 people and the revelation that girls such as Downes had been "swapping sex for food, cigarettes and affection".<ref name="Guardian"/> However, a jury failed to reach a verdict in the original trial and a subsequent re-trial collapsed when it became clear that the [[Crown Prosecution Service]] considered the transcriptions of several [[covert surveillance]] tapes which formed the evidence behind the case unreliable.<ref name="BBC">{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-16325953 |title=Charlene Downes murder detective forced to resign |publisher=BBC |date=24 December 2011 |accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref> Both Albattikhi and a fellow accused, Mohammed Raveshi, charged with helping Albattikhi to dispose of the body, were cleared following the trial's collapse.<ref name="BBC2008"/><ref name="Guardian"/> The CPS decided that it had insufficient evidence to secure a prosecution.<ref name="BBC2008"/>


==Last sighting==
Detective Sergeant Jan Beasant, who was responsible for transcribing the tapes, was subsequently found guilty of misconduct by [[Lancashire Police]] following a critical report by the [[Independent Police Complaints Commission]]. The IPCC recommended Ms Beasant face a disciplinary hearing and that one officer should receive a written warning.<ref name="BBC"/> The [[Police Arbitration Tribunal]] overturned the decision of Lancashire Police and recommended that Beasant be reinstated.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-20761824 |title=Charlene Downes murder detective 'should be reinstated' |publisher=BBC |accessdate=1 August 2013 |date=17 December 2012}}</ref>
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = vertical
| width = 220
| image1 = North Pier aerial, Blackpool.jpg
| caption1 = ''(above and below)'' Blackpool's [[North Pier]], where Downes was seen on the evening she disappeared
| image2 = Blackpool North Pier - panoramio.jpg
}}
Charlene's mother, Karen, last spoke to her early in the evening of 1 November 2003, in Blackpool town centre.<ref name=Crimewatch/> Downes was wearing black jeans with a gold-eagle design on the front, a black jumper with a white-diamond pattern, and black boots. Police say she may also have been wearing white cardigan or top with a hood.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/local/police-chief-s-worst-fears-over-charlene-1-398054 |title=Police chief's worst fears over Charlene |work=Blackpool Gazette |date=25 March 2003}}</ref>


Karen was in Church Street handing out flyers for an Indian restaurant when she saw Charlene and one of her other daughters, Rebecca, at around 6:45&nbsp;pm. The three of them talked briefly. Rebecca said she was going home; Charlene said she was going to meet some female friends. She called them from a local telephone box, then waited with her mother until they arrived. Karen watched the girls walk off together toward the [[Winter Gardens, Blackpool|Winter Gardens]]. That was the last time she saw her daughter.<ref name=Crimewatch/>
==Subsequent developments==
The trial bought to light what the newspaper the ''[[Guardian (newspaper)|Guardian]]'' described as "endemic child sexual abuse and prostitution in the seaside town".<ref name="Guardian"/> It is believed that as many as 60 girls may have been targeted in the area.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/independent-appeal-the-project-that-could-prevent-another-charlene-downes-from-disappearing-6281815.html |title=Independent Appeal: The project that could prevent another Charlene Downes from disappearing |date=27 December 2011 |accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref> The suspected murder of another Blackpool girl, Paige Chivers, is also believed to be linked to the case.<ref name="Timessexgrooming"/>


The friends spent a short time together. Downes then met another friend at around 9:30 pm and visited the Carousel Bar on the [[North Pier]].<ref name=Crimewatch>"Charlene Downes Murder", ''Crimewatch'', BBC, 13 December 2004, from [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-NNXP2oJVA&t=1m55s 00:01:55].</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/1428136.mother_of_murdered_girl_tells_of_grief/ |title=Mother of murdered girl tells of grief |work=Lancashire Telegraph |date=25 May 2007}}</ref> There is CCTV footage of a girl at 9&nbsp;pm on the junction of Dickson Road and Talbot Road (a main thoroughfare that leads from North Pier to the town centre) that is believed to be Downes; she is with an unidentified woman in her 30s with dyed-blonde hair wearing a three-quarter-length coat.<ref name=Lancashirepolice/> According to Downes's friend, she and Charlene left the Carousel Bar and returned to the town centre at around 10 pm. Her friend last saw her at around 11&nbsp;pm near Talbot Road/Abingdon Street.<ref name=Lancashirepolice/><ref name=Crimewatch/>
A number of protests concerning the case have taken part in the town. In March 2011, [[Casuals United|Blackpool Casuals]], a group affiliated to the [[English Defence League]], protested on Blackpool promenade, an event timed to coincide with what would have been Downes' 22nd birthday.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/local/group-march-for-charlene-1-3227573 |title=Group march for Charlene |work=Blackpool Gazette |date=28 March 2011}}</ref> In April 2011 the group protested to highlight the way the police had handled the enquiry.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/local/group_to_stage_new_charlene_protest_1_3280640 |title=Group to stage new Charlene protest |work=Blackpool Gazette |date=13 April 2011}}</ref> The following month up to 2,000 EDL protesters demonstrated on Blackpool Promenade in relation to the case,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/local/2_000_edl_protesters_gather_on_blackpool_promenade_1_3428595 |title=2,000 EDL protesters gather on Blackpool Promenade |work=Blackpool Gazette}}</ref> with police introducing limits to number of people allowed to protest outside the takeaway at which the cleared men worked.<ref name="tshirtban">{{cite web |url=http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/local/charlene-s-gran-upset-by-t-shirt-ban-1-3396129 |title=Charlene's gran upset by T-shirt ban |work=Blackpool Gazette |date=20 May 2011 |accessdate=2 August 2013}}</ref> Members of the Downes family have also been involved in the "Justice for Charlene" campaign.<ref name="tshirtban"/> The far-right [[British National Party]] have also campaigned for a re-trial in the case.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bnp.org.uk/news/national/justice-charlene-downes-%E2%80%93-we-demand-re-trial |title=Justice for Charlene Downes – We DEMAND a re-trial. |date=20 May 2012 |publisher=BNP |accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.searchlightmagazine.com/archive/bnp-solves-its-debt-crisis-with-austerity-cuts |title=BNP solves its 'debt crisis' with austerity cuts |date=8 July 2012 |accessdate=2 August 2013}}</ref> The group [[Unite Against Fascism]] has criticised the English Defence League for using the case.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://uaf.org.uk/2011/05/blackpool-anti-racist-vigil-against-the-edl-saturday-28-may/ |title=Blackpool: anti-racist vigil against the EDL, Saturday 28 May |date=11 May 2011 |accessdate=2 August 2013}}</ref> The BNP have since criticised the EDL for withdrawing their support for the campaign.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bnp.org.uk/news/national/how-edl-leaders-stabbed-grieving-family-back |title=How the EDL leaders stabbed a grieving family in the back |date=28 January 2013 |accessdate=2 August 2013}}</ref>


==Murder trial==
The ''[[Daily Telegraph|Telegraph]]'' reported that Mick Gradwell, a former detective superintendent with Lancashire Police, had told another newspaper that the investigation into sexual abuse in Blackpool was being "hampered by political correctness".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/8433887/60-girls-groomed-for-sex-at-takeaway-shops-in-Blackpool.html |title=60 girls groomed for sex at takeaway shops in Blackpool |date=7 April 2011 |accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref>
Following a police decision to treat Downes's disappearance as murder, there were several arrests in the case, and two men stood trial in May 2007. The prosecution alleged at [[Preston Crown Court]] that Charlene had been murdered by Iyad Albattikhi, a 29-year-old man from [[Jordan]] and the owner of Funny Boyz fast-food outlet in Blackpool. Mohammed Reveshi, Albattikhi's business partner, was accused of disposing of her body. According to the prosecution, Albattikhi had sex with Charlene.<ref name=blackpool2007>{{cite news|last=Bradshaw|first=Charlotte|title=Schoolgirl 'murdered by shop owner'|url=http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/1424133.display/|newspaper=The Westmorland Gazette|date=24 May 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/local/charlene-received-chilling-letter-1-415546 |title=Charlene received chilling letter |work=Blackpool Gazette |date=27 June 2007}}</ref> The prosecution alleged that the men had discussed disposing of her body by putting it in [[kebab]]s sold from the fast food outlet.<ref name=Bindel30May2008/><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1552482/Missing-girls-body-put-into-kebab.html |title=Missing girl's body 'put into kebab' |work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|date=24 May 2007}}</ref>


The jury failed to reach a verdict. A re-trial was ordered and scheduled for April 2008, but such serious errors in the Lancashire Constabulary's covert-surveillance evidence were identified that the [[Crown Prosecution Service]] could offer no case, and the men were released.<ref name=ipcc/><ref name=hughes/><ref name="BBC">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-16325953 |title=Charlene Downes murder detective forced to resign |publisher=BBC News|date=24 December 2011}}</ref> In 2011, Albattikhi was convicted of assault after headbutting an 18-year-old woman.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/9094908.Blackburn_man_jailed_for_attack_on_girl/|title=Blackburn man jailed for attack on girl|work=Lancashire Telegraph|date=21 June 2011|first=Sam|last=Chadderton}}</ref>
In a July 2013 blog post for the website of ''The Telegraph'', journalist Sean Thomas noted that the original Charlene Downes article on the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia had been deleted; he claimed this had happened in a way which might indicate editorial bias as to "racialised" murders of whites, which receive less media coverage in comparison to similar murders of black and minority ethnic victims.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/seanthomas/100229154/the-murder-of-stephen-lawrence-and-the-strange-case-of-the-missing-wikipedia-entries/ |title=The Murder of Stephen Lawrence and the Strange Case of the Missing Wikipedia Entries |date=31 July 2013 |accessdate=1 August 2013}}</ref>

After a critical report by the [[Independent Police Complaints Commission]], one of the detectives involved, Det Sgt Jan Beasant, was found guilty of misconduct by Lancashire Constabulary and told to resign, but the Police Arbitration Tribunal overturned the decision.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-20761824 |title=Charlene Downes murder detective 'should be reinstated' |publisher=BBC News |date=17 December 2012}}</ref> In 2014, Beasant's lawyer said she was suing the police for up to £500,000, as her transcripts were, in fact, entirely accurate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/crime/scapegoat-murder-detective-to-sue-police-1-6534059|title='Scapegoat' murder detective to sue police|work=Blackpool Gazette|date=1 April 2014}}</ref>

==Subsequent publicity==
[[File:Blackpool tower from central pier ferris wheel.jpg|thumb|[[Blackpool Tower]] on the Central Promenade]]
The trial brought to public attention what [[Julie Bindel]] described in ''[[The Guardian]]'' as "endemic child sexual abuse" in Blackpool.<ref name=Bindel30May2008/><ref name=Battersby27Dec2011>{{Cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/independent-appeal-the-project-that-could-prevent-another-charlene-downes-from-disappearing-6281815.html |title=Independent Appeal: The project that could prevent another Charlene Downes from disappearing |date=27 December 2011|work=The Independent |first=Matilda |last=Battersby}}</ref><ref name="Timessexgrooming"/> According to a police report, the employees of 11 takeaway shops in the town centre had been grooming dozens of girls aged 13–15, giving them cigarettes, food and alcohol for sex. Mick Gradwell, a former [[detective superintendent]] with Lancashire Constabulary, said that the police inquiry into child grooming in Blackpool, Blackburn and Burnley had been "hampered by [[political correctness]]", according to ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', because the girls were white and the perpetrators non-white.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/8433887/60-girls-groomed-for-sex-at-takeaway-shops-in-Blackpool.html |title=60 girls groomed for sex at takeaway shops in Blackpool |date=7 April 2011 |work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London |first=Nick |last=Collins}}</ref>

In July 2013, journalist [[Sean Thomas (writer)|Sean Thomas]] noted in ''The Daily Telegraph'' that the original Charlene Downes article on [[Wikipedia]] had been deleted in June 2007, and argued that this might be an attempt to "redraft" history and to not give coverage to [[far-right politics]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/seanthomas/100229154/the-murder-of-stephen-lawrence-and-the-strange-case-of-the-missing-wikipedia-entries/|title=The Murder of Stephen Lawrence and the Strange Case of the Missing Wikipedia Entries|last=Thomas|first=Sean|date=31 July 2013|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130807155842/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/seanthomas/100229154/the-murder-of-stephen-lawrence-and-the-strange-case-of-the-missing-wikipedia-entries/|archivedate=7 August 2013|url-status=dead|access-date=1 August 2013}}</ref>

Downes's disappearance became the subject of a [[BBC One]] ''[[Panorama (British TV programme)|Panorama]]'' programme, "The Girl Who Vanished", on 10 November 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04t9mdv|title=The Girl Who Vanished|publisher=BBC Panorama|date=10 November 2014}}</ref> In December 2014, BBC ''[[Crimewatch]]'' staged a reconstruction of the last sighting of Downes, and the police offered a £100,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the killer(s) or recovery of the body.<ref name=BBCreward>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-30336055|title=BBC News - Charlene Downes murder: Police offer £100k reward|publisher=BBC News|date=4 December 2014}}</ref>

In April 2008, the week after the attempt at re-trial failed, Karen Downes stabbed her husband during an argument. The wounds were minor and he declined to press charges, saying that she was maddened with worry and frustration.<ref name=hughes/> In March 2009, Charlene's sister, Emma, pleaded not guilty to racially aggravated assault against the brother of the man who had been charged with murdering Charlene.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/local/charlene-downes-sister-accused-of-assault-1-375294|title=Charlene Downes' sister accused of assault|work=Blackpool Gazette|date=10 March 2009}}</ref> She maintained that her assault on the man's brother had never been racially motivated; on the first day of her trial the prosecution accepted her plea to common assault, a less serious offence.<ref>{{cite news|title=Murder row sister admits to assault|url=https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/murder-row-sister-admits-to-assault-1-383219|date=3 September 2009|newspaper=Blackpool Gazette|access-date=18 November 2017}}</ref> She was sentenced to community service.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/charlene-s-sister-attacked-brother-of-murder-accused-1-384242|work=Blackpool Gazette|title=Charlene's sister attacked brother of murder accused|date=2 October 2009}}</ref> In 2012, Charlene's younger brother admitted in court to punching the man who had faced the charge of helping to dispose of her body.<ref>{{cite news|title=Previously accused punched by missing girl's brother|url=https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/previously-accused-punched-by-missing-girl-s-brother-1-4269152|date=21 February 2012|newspaper=Blackpool Gazette|access-date=18 November 2017}}</ref> He was given a fine and a suspended sentence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/crime/charlene-brother-back-in-court-1-5735451|title=Charlene brother back in court|work=Blackpool Gazette|date=5 June 2013}}</ref>

==2017 arrest==
On 1 August 2017, police arrested a 51-year-old man from [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston]], who lived in Blackpool at the time of Downes's disappearance, on suspicion of murdering her. He was released two days later and is no longer under investigation.<ref name=BBC1Aug2017/><ref name=BBC13Aug2017/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.itv.com/news/granada/update/2017-08-01/man-arrested-over-murder-of-charlene-downes/|title=Man arrested over murder of Charlene Downes |work=[[Blackpool Gazette]] |date=1 August 2017}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of people who disappeared mysteriously: 1990–present|List of people who disappeared]]
*[[Murder of Lindsay Rimer]], unsolved 1994 case of a 13-year-old girl who disappeared from the street in [[Yorkshire]]
*[[Disappearance of Suzy Lamplugh]], one of Britain's most famous disappearance cases


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
{{reflist}}


{{Child sexual abuse in the UK}}
[[Category:2003 in England]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Downes, Charlene}}
[[Category:2000s missing person cases]]
[[Category:2000s missing person cases]]
[[Category:Child abduction]]
[[Category:2003 crimes in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Unsolved crimes]]
[[Category:2003 in England]]
[[Category:2000s in Lancashire]]
[[Category:Child abduction in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Crime in Lancashire]]
[[Category:History of Blackpool]]
[[Category:Incidents of violence against girls]]
[[Category:Missing English children]]
[[Category:Missing person cases in England]]
[[Category:November 2003 crimes]]
[[Category:November 2003 events in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Unsolved murders in England]]
[[Category:Unsolved crimes in the United Kingdom]]

Latest revision as of 06:34, 4 December 2024

Charlene Downes
Born(1989-03-25)25 March 1989[1]
Coventry, England[2]
Disappeared1 November 2003 (aged 14)
Blackpool, Lancashire, England
StatusMissing for 21 years, 1 month and 18 days
Presumed deceased
Diedc. (2003-11-01)1 November 2003
NationalityBritish
DescriptionWhite, 155 cm (5 ft 1 in), slim, straight shoulder-length brown hair, blue eyes[3]
Parents
  • Robert Downes (father)
  • Karen Downes (mother)
Websitewww.lancashire.police.uk/campaigns/charlene-downes/
Reward£100,000[4]

Charlene Elizabeth Caroline Downes (born 25 March 1989) disappeared on 1 November 2003, when she was 14, from her home town of Blackpool, a seaside town in north-west England. Downes was last seen in an area of the town centre that contained several takeaway and fast-food units. Lancashire Constabulary, the police force investigating her disappearance, believe that she was murdered within hours of the last sighting.[5]

Two men were tried in May 2007—one for Downes' murder, the other for helping to dispose of her body—but the jury failed to reach a verdict. A re-trial was scheduled, but in April 2008 the accused were released because of concerns about the evidence compiled by Lancashire Constabulary.[6]

The trials brought to light what Julie Bindel described in The Guardian in May 2008 as "endemic child sexual abuse" in the town.[7] The police believe that, for a protracted period before her disappearance, Downes had been the victim of child sexual abuse at the hands of one or more men.[7][8] They interviewed 3,000 people and found that she and other girls in the area had been "swapping sex for food, cigarettes and affection",[7] a form of child sexual exploitation known as localised grooming. It is thought that 60 local girls may have been targeted.[9]

On 1 August 2017, a 51-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murdering Downes and was released two days later. He is no longer under investigation.[10][11] A £100,000 reward remains on offer for information leading to the conviction of her killer(s) or the recovery of her body.[5][12]

Background

[edit]

Charlene Downes lived in Buchanan Street, Blackpool, with her parents—Karen and Robert Downes, a former soldier—as well as her brother and two sisters.[13][14] The family had moved to Blackpool from the West Midlands in 1999.[15] Charlene attended St George's School, Blackpool. Although described in court as "well and happy", she had experienced a "chaotic" lifestyle after being expelled from school, frequenting the area around Blackpool's Central Promenade.[16]

According to an internal police report, Downes was one of 60 girls in Blackpool, some as young as 11, who had been groomed by ethnic Pakistani men to carry out sex acts.[17] The girls would be given food and cigarettes by the male employees of fast-food outlets in exchange for sex.[18]

Last sighting

[edit]
(above and below) Blackpool's North Pier, where Downes was seen on the evening she disappeared

Charlene's mother, Karen, last spoke to her early in the evening of 1 November 2003, in Blackpool town centre.[19] Downes was wearing black jeans with a gold-eagle design on the front, a black jumper with a white-diamond pattern, and black boots. Police say she may also have been wearing white cardigan or top with a hood.[20]

Karen was in Church Street handing out flyers for an Indian restaurant when she saw Charlene and one of her other daughters, Rebecca, at around 6:45 pm. The three of them talked briefly. Rebecca said she was going home; Charlene said she was going to meet some female friends. She called them from a local telephone box, then waited with her mother until they arrived. Karen watched the girls walk off together toward the Winter Gardens. That was the last time she saw her daughter.[19]

The friends spent a short time together. Downes then met another friend at around 9:30 pm and visited the Carousel Bar on the North Pier.[19][21] There is CCTV footage of a girl at 9 pm on the junction of Dickson Road and Talbot Road (a main thoroughfare that leads from North Pier to the town centre) that is believed to be Downes; she is with an unidentified woman in her 30s with dyed-blonde hair wearing a three-quarter-length coat.[5] According to Downes's friend, she and Charlene left the Carousel Bar and returned to the town centre at around 10 pm. Her friend last saw her at around 11 pm near Talbot Road/Abingdon Street.[5][19]

Murder trial

[edit]

Following a police decision to treat Downes's disappearance as murder, there were several arrests in the case, and two men stood trial in May 2007. The prosecution alleged at Preston Crown Court that Charlene had been murdered by Iyad Albattikhi, a 29-year-old man from Jordan and the owner of Funny Boyz fast-food outlet in Blackpool. Mohammed Reveshi, Albattikhi's business partner, was accused of disposing of her body. According to the prosecution, Albattikhi had sex with Charlene.[22][23] The prosecution alleged that the men had discussed disposing of her body by putting it in kebabs sold from the fast food outlet.[7][24]

The jury failed to reach a verdict. A re-trial was ordered and scheduled for April 2008, but such serious errors in the Lancashire Constabulary's covert-surveillance evidence were identified that the Crown Prosecution Service could offer no case, and the men were released.[6][18][25] In 2011, Albattikhi was convicted of assault after headbutting an 18-year-old woman.[26]

After a critical report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, one of the detectives involved, Det Sgt Jan Beasant, was found guilty of misconduct by Lancashire Constabulary and told to resign, but the Police Arbitration Tribunal overturned the decision.[27] In 2014, Beasant's lawyer said she was suing the police for up to £500,000, as her transcripts were, in fact, entirely accurate.[28]

Subsequent publicity

[edit]
Blackpool Tower on the Central Promenade

The trial brought to public attention what Julie Bindel described in The Guardian as "endemic child sexual abuse" in Blackpool.[7][9][17] According to a police report, the employees of 11 takeaway shops in the town centre had been grooming dozens of girls aged 13–15, giving them cigarettes, food and alcohol for sex. Mick Gradwell, a former detective superintendent with Lancashire Constabulary, said that the police inquiry into child grooming in Blackpool, Blackburn and Burnley had been "hampered by political correctness", according to The Daily Telegraph, because the girls were white and the perpetrators non-white.[29]

In July 2013, journalist Sean Thomas noted in The Daily Telegraph that the original Charlene Downes article on Wikipedia had been deleted in June 2007, and argued that this might be an attempt to "redraft" history and to not give coverage to far-right politics.[30]

Downes's disappearance became the subject of a BBC One Panorama programme, "The Girl Who Vanished", on 10 November 2014.[31] In December 2014, BBC Crimewatch staged a reconstruction of the last sighting of Downes, and the police offered a £100,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the killer(s) or recovery of the body.[12]

In April 2008, the week after the attempt at re-trial failed, Karen Downes stabbed her husband during an argument. The wounds were minor and he declined to press charges, saying that she was maddened with worry and frustration.[18] In March 2009, Charlene's sister, Emma, pleaded not guilty to racially aggravated assault against the brother of the man who had been charged with murdering Charlene.[32] She maintained that her assault on the man's brother had never been racially motivated; on the first day of her trial the prosecution accepted her plea to common assault, a less serious offence.[33] She was sentenced to community service.[34] In 2012, Charlene's younger brother admitted in court to punching the man who had faced the charge of helping to dispose of her body.[35] He was given a fine and a suspended sentence.[36]

2017 arrest

[edit]

On 1 August 2017, police arrested a 51-year-old man from Preston, who lived in Blackpool at the time of Downes's disappearance, on suspicion of murdering her. He was released two days later and is no longer under investigation.[10][11][37]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Downes, Karen (2018). Sold in Secret. London: Blink Publishing. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-788-70098-6.
  2. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007
  3. ^ "Fears for teenager missing a year". BBC News. 29 October 2004.
  4. ^ Farnworth, Amy (1 November 2023). "£100,000 reward for information on Charlene Downes' killer". Lancashire Telegraph. Archived from the original on 16 November 2024. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d "Charlene Downes". Lancashire Constabulary. Archived from the original on 10 July 2023.
  6. ^ a b "IPCC concludes managed investigation into reasons behind collapse of Charlene Downes trial" Archived 1 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Independent Police Complaints Commission, 15 October 2009.
  7. ^ a b c d e Bindel, Julie (30 May 2008). "Beyond the pleasure beach". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  8. ^ "Man cleared over Charlene murder". BBC News. 9 April 2008.
  9. ^ a b Battersby, Matilda (27 December 2011). "Independent Appeal: The project that could prevent another Charlene Downes from disappearing". The Independent.
  10. ^ a b "Charlene Downes: Murder arrest in missing Blackpool girl probe", BBC News, 1 August 2017.
  11. ^ a b "Charlene Downes: Man released in 2003 missing girl murder probe", BBC News, 3 August 2017.
  12. ^ a b "BBC News - Charlene Downes murder: Police offer £100k reward". BBC News. 4 December 2014.
  13. ^ "Nightmare for Charlene's family". Blackpool Citizen. 17 August 2007.
  14. ^ "Heartbroken dad's ride for daughter's memorial". Blackpool Gazette. 28 August 2008.
  15. ^ Price, Ki (7 April 2011). "In a car in the dark alley, a man's arm reached out to caress a child". The Times.
  16. ^ "Memorial service to mark birthday". Blackpool Gazette. 24 March 2012.
  17. ^ a b "Sex grooming scandal inside a seaside town". The Times. 7 April 2011.
  18. ^ a b c Hughes, Mark (16 October 2009). "Police errors mean girl's killer may never be found". The Independent.
  19. ^ a b c d "Charlene Downes Murder", Crimewatch, BBC, 13 December 2004, from 00:01:55.
  20. ^ "Police chief's worst fears over Charlene". Blackpool Gazette. 25 March 2003.
  21. ^ "Mother of murdered girl tells of grief". Lancashire Telegraph. 25 May 2007.
  22. ^ Bradshaw, Charlotte (24 May 2007). "Schoolgirl 'murdered by shop owner'". The Westmorland Gazette.
  23. ^ "Charlene received chilling letter". Blackpool Gazette. 27 June 2007.
  24. ^ "Missing girl's body 'put into kebab'". The Daily Telegraph. London. 24 May 2007.
  25. ^ "Charlene Downes murder detective forced to resign". BBC News. 24 December 2011.
  26. ^ Chadderton, Sam (21 June 2011). "Blackburn man jailed for attack on girl". Lancashire Telegraph.
  27. ^ "Charlene Downes murder detective 'should be reinstated'". BBC News. 17 December 2012.
  28. ^ "'Scapegoat' murder detective to sue police". Blackpool Gazette. 1 April 2014.
  29. ^ Collins, Nick (7 April 2011). "60 girls groomed for sex at takeaway shops in Blackpool". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  30. ^ Thomas, Sean (31 July 2013). "The Murder of Stephen Lawrence and the Strange Case of the Missing Wikipedia Entries". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 7 August 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  31. ^ "The Girl Who Vanished". BBC Panorama. 10 November 2014.
  32. ^ "Charlene Downes' sister accused of assault". Blackpool Gazette. 10 March 2009.
  33. ^ "Murder row sister admits to assault". Blackpool Gazette. 3 September 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  34. ^ "Charlene's sister attacked brother of murder accused". Blackpool Gazette. 2 October 2009.
  35. ^ "Previously accused punched by missing girl's brother". Blackpool Gazette. 21 February 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  36. ^ "Charlene brother back in court". Blackpool Gazette. 5 June 2013.
  37. ^ "Man arrested over murder of Charlene Downes". Blackpool Gazette. 1 August 2017.