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Disappearance of Charlene Downes

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Disappearance of
Charlene Downes
NameCharlene Downes
Born (1989-03-25) 25 March 1989 (age 35)
Date of disappearance1 November 2003
Place of disappearanceBlackpool, Lancashire, United Kingdom

The disappearance of Charlene Downes, a teenager from Blackpool, United Kingdom, occurred on 1 November 2003 when she was 14.[1] Her current whereabouts are unknown. She is believed to have been murdered within hours of her disappearance.[2]

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.

Background and disappearance

Downes was born on 25 March 1989,[3] to Robert, a former soldier, and Karen. She had two sisters and a brother and they lived in Buchanan Street, Blackpool.[4][5][6] The family had moved to Blackpool from the West Midlands in 1999.[7] Downes was educated at 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.[8][9] She would spend her time around Blackpool Promenade and was one of many local white girls who had been groomed by takeaway staff to carry out sex acts in exchange for alcohol, cigarettes and food.[9][10][11]

Downes was last seen in the early evening of Saturday, November 1 2003.[9] 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.[12] She was a slight girl, standing 5 feet 1 inch high, and was aged 14 at the time of her disappearance.[13] The last confirmed sighting of Downes was at the junction of Abingdon Street and the back of Clifton Street.[14] Detective Superintendent Paul Buschini, who led the murder investigation stated he believed Downes had "died within hours of her disappearance."[15]

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.[16] 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".[2] 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.[17] Both Albattikhi and a fellow accused, Mohammed Raveshi, charged with helping Albattikhi to dispose of the body, were cleared following the trial's collapse.[1][2] The CPS decided that it had insufficient evidence to secure a prosecution.[1]

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.[17] The Police Arbitration Tribunal overturned the decision of Lancashire Police and recommended that Beasant be reinstated.[18]

Subsequent developments

The trial bought to light what the newspaper the Guardian described as "endemic child sexual abuse and prostitution in the seaside town".[2] It is believed that as many as 60 girls may have been targeted in the area.[19] The suspected murder of another Blackpool girl, Paige Chivers, is also believed to be linked to the case.[10]

The 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".[20]

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 encyclopedia Wikipedia had been deleted; he claimed this had happened in a way which might indicate editorial bias as to "racialised" murders.[21]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Man cleared over Charlene murder". 2008. 9 April 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d "Beyond the pleasure beach". Guardian. 30 May 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  3. ^ "Charlene Downes". National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  4. ^ "Nightmare for Charlene's family". Blackpool Citizen. 17 August 2007. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  5. ^ "Heartbroken dad's ride for daughter's memorial". Blackpool Gazette. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  6. ^ "Mother of murdered girl 'put into kebabs' runs from court after gruesome testimony". Mail Online. 21 May 2007. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  7. ^ "In a car in the dark alley, a man's arm reached out to caress a child". The Times. 7 April 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  8. ^ "Memorial service to mark birthday". Blackpool Gazette. 24 March 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  9. ^ a b c "Schoolgirl 'murdered by shop owner'". Blackpool Citizen. 24 May 2007. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Sex grooming scandal inside a seaside town". The Times. 7 April 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  11. ^ "Police errors mean girl's killer may never be found". The Independent. 16 October 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  12. ^ "Mother of murdered girl tells of grief". Lancashire Telegraph. 25 May 2007. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  13. ^ "Police chief's worst fears over Charlene". Blackpool Gazette. 25 March 2003. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  14. ^ "Fears for teenager missing a year". BBC. 29 October 2004. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  15. ^ "Charlene received chilling letter". Blackpool Gazette. 27 June 2007. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  16. ^ "Missing girl's body 'put into kebab'". Telegraph. 24 May 2007. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  17. ^ a b "Charlene Downes murder detective forced to resign". BBC. 24 December 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  18. ^ "Charlene Downes murder detective 'should be reinstated'". BBC. 17 December 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  19. ^ "Independent Appeal: The project that could prevent another Charlene Downes from disappearing". 27 December 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  20. ^ "60 girls groomed for sex at takeaway shops in Blackpool". 7 April 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  21. ^ "The Murder of Stephen Lawrence and the Strange Case of the Missing Wikipedia Entries". 31 July 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
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