Still Missing UK - Bernadette Walker, 17, left parent's car, Peterborough, 21 July 2020 *Arrests* #4

[Resident71]

Can I add about the backroad into Newborough, it isn’t as quiet as you might think, you very rarely go down without having to pull in or have somebody pull in to let you by (possible appeal for dash cam footage could have been done?) Add in lockdown and this road was being used more by people avoiding the main road due to local groups citing that police were stopping individuals asking them where they were going. At night although it’s quiet you do still get people using it.

The issue is once you come out off of the backroad you have a left or right, left and right again you have places where cars park up and walk dogs, and seeing parked cars there wouldn’t arouse suspicion. Likewise, locally we have a place known locally as nine bridges (through Peakirk) that’s 5-10 minutes from Newborough. And cars park there all the time so you wouldn’t be surprised to see one.

I do wonder if the alarm was raised sooner that possible malicious harm had come to Bernadette that people would have volunteered in their hundreds if not thousands to help look for her, especially during lockdown and people having more free time.

edit: edit to say the backroad into Newborough is unfortunately cluttered with flytipping on a regular basis, so much that a lovely lady at the end is seen quite often litter picking. So seeing clothes or stuff that could be suspicious wouldn’t be looked at twice.

 

[Tortoise]

When asked about the buying of top-up for BW's phone, ScW admitted to buying time by sending messages as BW so that the police and the social services wouldn’t be involved. The prosecutor pointed out that his sending false messages from BW's phone wouldn’t stop her from making allegations of sexual abuse.

rsbm

helenvic, can you clarify what ScW was admitting here? Was it buying time as in phone minutes, or buying time as in playing a waiting game. I assume it's the latter but I just want to be clear. If it is, then 'buying time' is a very unfortunate expression/admission for him.

As the prosecutor has pointed out, it's not an explanation - sending fake messages from BW's phone can't influence whether she goes to police and SS then or in a year's time. He'll always have that problem because it's them writing the confessions to lying not BW.

The fake messages could only be an attempt to control the recipients not to report anything. Please don't report your concerns to police/SS even though your friend BW disappeared after making the allegations. That's where the buying time makes sense, and it's hugely unfortunate because it reveals the messages were a delaying tactic from the word go.

Also it seems very strange that he has admitted to sending messages. That's one of the perverting justice charges ticked off, because I thought he'd denied it and he'd put all of that on Sarah.

The other thing is this part -

The prosecutor said, “Bernadette’s phone was a very, very useful tool, wasn’t it?”
“Not useful to me, no.” ScW added that SaW knew what to do with the phone; he wouldn’t have known where to start.

“Did you leave Bernadette’s phone at the lock-up?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“You’re the one with all the tech data.”

To your knowledge has he been asked if it was him that sent the message to Sarah from BW's phone at Westwood, the afternoon of the 19th when Sarah was visiting her friend? I wondered if it tied into this question about leaving the phone at the lock-up. It seems another strange thing, to say I don't know, if he is claiming Sarah was in charge of BW's phone.

IMO

 

[helenvic]

helenvic, can you clarify what ScW was admitting here? Was it buying time as in phone minutes, or buying time as in playing a waiting game. I assume it's the latter but I just want to be clear.

Yes, the latter. He said they didn't want the police or social services to get involved.

 

[helenvic]

To your knowledge has he been asked if it was him that sent the message to Sarah from BW's phone at Westwood, the afternoon of the 19th when Sarah was visiting her friend? I wondered if it tied into this question about leaving the phone at the lock-up

Yes, he had to admit it was him because SaW had an alibi, being at her friend's house. But he said that SaW told him to do it. He got flustered around questions of when the phone was at the lock-up, claiming that it wasn't, but then telling the prosecutor that she was the one with the tech data.

 

[Tortoise]

Yes, he had to admit it was him because SaW had an alibi, being at her friend's house. But he said that SaW told him to do it. He got flustered around questions of when the phone was at the lock-up, claiming that it wasn't, but then telling the prosecutor that she was the one with the tech data.

Aha!! Thank you.

So he's admitted at least one of the charges of perverting the course of justice. And they're both going for the 'it's not my fault miss! waaah! waaah!' defence.

Sending this while Sarah had an alibi witness, and his text to his step-father 12 minutes later from the lock-up, with a photo, looks very much like planning for the inevitable police enquiry into BW's phone pings. Just like Sarah's "my daughter is missing, can we search for where her phone was last used" and "I'm not going to be controlled by Scott anymore"

 

[Mercsw]

I am hoping this pause is for him to change his plea and reveal the truth. It’s clear he’s not going to survive up to 3 more days of cross examination. He was a blubbering and confused wreck after a handful of questions!

he’s revealed too much already, has made mistakes on nearly every question that are incredibly telling, and then was in the process of remembering stuff when the judge just ended it.

 

[Mandalas]

Aha!! Thank you.

So he's admitted at least one of the charges of perverting the course of justice. And they're both going for the 'it's not my fault miss! waaah! waaah!' defence.

Sending this while Sarah had an alibi witness, and his text to his step-father 12 minutes later from the lock-up, with a photo, looks very much like planning for the inevitable police enquiry into BW's phone pings. Just like Sarah's "my daughter is missing, can we search for where her phone was last used" and "I'm not going to be controlled by Scott anymore"

I can definitely see this being the case. Both SaW and ScW were very familiar with online tech and social media - evidenced by the scale of their followers and 'quality' of video production on for eg. Tiktok and Instagram (referencing the editing and technical/creative diversity, as opposed to the nature of the content itself, which is not to my taste, personally). Unfortunately it doesn't seem that they had the wit or foresight to see how they would leave a trail of digital footprints evidencing their attempts to create an escape route from the inevitable downfall.

I'm still struggling to understand SaW's position in all of this. If ScW was abusive at home, then I can, to an extent, rationalise that her choices may have been made out of fear... but IME, I have also seen the mother's instinct kick in against all possible odds to protect her children and preserve their future (perhaps even stretching to putting her own life at risk in the process), and don't understand why this wouldn't have happened in this instance if she genuinely suspected she was in danger in the hands of ScW. Jealousy? Denial? Fear of the loss of the other children, as others have mentioned here? I can't believe that she was complicit at all. Does anyone here think there is any possible scenario in which she may have been complicit, and what that might have been? I know this has been raised before, so don't feel you need to repeat if there is already a comment I can jump back to. I sometimes get to ideas a bit later than other sleuthers .... actually scrap 'sometimes', more like 'generally'!

Edited to correct typos.

 

[SaintMoore]

So basically, he's denied all charges all along until now.
And now on the stand, just admitted to perverting the course of justice, when he was supposed to be explaining how he didn't do it?

 

[Mercsw]

So basically, he's denied all charges all along until now.
And now on the stand, just admitted to perverting the course of justice, when he was supposed to be explaining how he didn't do it?

lol. He was also in the process of remembering stuff differently when the judge just halted the whole thing. Basically he’s doomed.

 

[CSIAngus]

Can I add about the backroad into Newborough, it isn’t as quiet as you might think, you very rarely go down without having to pull in or have somebody pull in to let you by (possible appeal for dash cam footage could have been done?) Add in lockdown and this road was being used more by people avoiding the main road due to local groups citing that police were stopping individuals asking them where they were going. At night although it’s quiet you do still get people using it.

The issue is once you come out off of the backroad you have a left or right, left and right again you have places where cars park up and walk dogs, and seeing parked cars there wouldn’t arouse suspicion. Likewise, locally we have a place known locally as nine bridges (through Peakirk) that’s 5-10 minutes from Newborough. And cars park there all the time so you wouldn’t be surprised to see one.

I do wonder if the alarm was raised sooner that possible malicious harm had come to Bernadette that people would have volunteered in their hundreds if not thousands to help look for her, especially during lockdown and people having more free time.

edit: edit to say the backroad into Newborough is unfortunately cluttered with flytipping on a regular basis, so much that a lovely lady at the end is seen quite often litter picking. So seeing clothes or stuff that could be suspicious wouldn’t be looked at twice.

Covid restrictions had been relaxed at that point. One of the reasons that there is so much flytipping in the lane up towards Newborough is you can do it without getting caught. As you say, parked cars in that area on a Saturday lunchtime would not raise any suspicion.

 

[CSIAngus]

i wouldn’t have thought so for the mast field as that’s a top professional job probably given to their outsourced specialist team. He’s a fencer with a dodgy back and maybe some old tools, that’s a pretty heavy duty fence looking at google street view.

Your shout for that farm could be a good one. Now I know he headed out that way after picking her up (thanks to Helen, still not reported in media who appear to have given up on this case!), it does change the case considerably. That means those 410 steps are when it happened. It gives us an entirely different crime scene, and also makes a mockery of his story and subsequent evidence (the bag being at the lockup for example)

I've had much more substantial galvanised metal fences and gates installed by small local firms. Panels and gates are bought ready made. Just need concrete and making sure it's all square. I agree the phone mast company probably have a groundworks contact for all of their sites. The question is whether he was a good enough locksmith to be able to use warded padlock picks.

 

[hellobear]

Was just musing the GPS / ping locations from the phones.

I am assuming they must have had the location (GPS) feature on the phones turned off, as this usually gives a really accurate timeline of your location, much more so than phone mast pings. I just looked back on mine from yesterday on Google Maps timeline. It was accurate to the point that it knew I got a bus into town & back ( it knew I didn't drive myself ) Even in areas with very poor signal ( Norfolk for example ) it is very accurate.

The phone pings showed that ScW travelled between Werrington, Gunthorpe & Dogsthorpe on the morning he picked up BW. I would place him on or close to the A15 Paston Parkway and then anywhere North East of that area towards Newborough. As on this map here

I think the Cowbit trip was a ruse to lay a false trail. BW is closer to home than we think. JMO

 

[mspuurfect]

Was just musing the GPS / ping locations from the phones.

I am assuming they must have had the location (GPS) feature on the phones turned off, as this usually gives a really accurate timeline of your location, much more so than phone mast pings. I just looked back on mine from yesterday on Google Maps timeline. It was accurate to the point that it knew I got a bus into town & back ( it knew I didn't drive myself ) Even in areas with very poor signal ( Norfolk for example ) it is very accurate.

The phone pings showed that ScW travelled between Werrington, Gunthorpe & Dogsthorpe on the morning he picked up BW. I would place him on or close to the A15 Paston Parkway and then anywhere North East of that area towards Newborough. As on this map here

I think the Cowbit trip was a ruse to lay a false trail. BW is closer to home than we think. JMO

I agree the Cowbit was a false trail, I think he left the phone in Gunthorpe (firstly after picking B up and the early hours of the morning in Uldale Way) then he has buried her in perhaps Newborough area. Something in my gut says Crowland area though but as I'm not from that area not sure if thats a possibility?

 

[hellobear]

I agree the Cowbit was a false trail, I think he left the phone in Gunthorpe (firstly after picking B up and the early hours of the morning in Uldale Way) then he has buried her in perhaps Newborough area. Something in my gut says Crowland area though but as I'm not from that area not sure if thats a possibility?

I am leaning more towards Newborough area, mainly because no DNA or evidence was found in the car. I am wondering if that area North East of the A15 Paston Parkway would ping the Gunthorpe mast?

Did he drive to that area from his parents house after picking up BW, they both exited the car ( hence no DNA or evidence to be found ) & he killed her there, covering her up enough so that she would not be noticed & then returning at night to conceal her properly? ( Early hours of 19th when his phone was placed at Uldale Way ) with the trips to the lockup to being to pick up tools etc... JMO

Was awake at 4am still thinking about BW and where she could be. I remember the police Prop plane flying over during the searches ( was unusual as first time I have seen a Prop plane used by police )

 

[Sooty]

Like others have said earlier in the thread, I think there is some truth in what he says; for example; he pulled over on a grass verge to roll a cig, and to talk to BW (persuade/threaten her to say she had been lying - she wasn’t going to do that, she had come this far with dealing with the abuse) she jumped out the car ( as we know from her notebook she had considered running away but didn’t feel brave enough - perhaps she realised she had to at this point) she went down an alley (I’m thinking this is his misleading description of a narrow lane or track given what we know now - why else would he say that if it wasn’t the truth in some form) and he went after her in pursuit. We can only imagine what happened when he caught up with her. (It would be really very difficult to kill her whilst he was in the drivers seat and she was sat in the passenger seat unless he used a weapon and there is no forensics to support that). He then turns off his phone, once he panics at what’s occurred, so he isn’t disturbed and finds a place to conceal the body. He goes back in the middle of the night to finish the job more thoroughly. Someone said that the 400 odd steps are equivalent to 300m? So that’s a minimum of 150m or so up (and then back) up a narrow lane, or track somewhere, just a few minutes drive out to the east of gunthorpe area.

MOO

 

[Sooty]

I am leaning more towards Newborough area, mainly because no DNA or evidence was found in the car. I am wondering if that area North East of the A15 Paston Parkway would ping the Gunthorpe mast?

Did he drive to that area from his parents house after picking up BW, they both exited the car ( hence no DNA or evidence to be found ) & he killed her there, covering her up enough so that she would not be noticed & then returning at night to conceal her properly? ( Early hours of 19th when his phone was placed at Uldale Way ) with the trips to the lockup to being to pick up tools etc... JMO

Was awake at 4am still thinking about BW and where she could be. I remember the police Prop plane flying over during the searches ( was unusual as first time I have seen a Prop plane used by police )

Great minds …. Hellobear! Sorry we’ve overlapped a bit here!

 

[mspuurfect]

I am leaning more towards Newborough area, mainly because no DNA or evidence was found in the car. I am wondering if that area North East of the A15 Paston Parkway would ping the Gunthorpe mast?

Did he drive to that area from his parents house after picking up BW, they both exited the car ( hence no DNA or evidence to be found ) & he killed her there, covering her up enough so that she would not be noticed & then returning at night to conceal her properly? ( Early hours of 19th when his phone was placed at Uldale Way ) with the trips to the lockup to being to pick up tools etc... JMO

Was awake at 4am still thinking about BW and where she could be. I remember the police Prop plane flying over during the searches ( was unusual as first time I have seen a Prop plane used by police )

My biggest stumbling block is when he first picked B up and how he got the opportunity to kill her, I said on here earlier on the thread that I did not believe she was ever in the lockup and not transported in the car due to no forensics and probably a cadaver dog would have searched his car. B was 17, he went in a different direction to Century Square so what reason did he give her. The McDonalds trips have bothered me, I don't think he just needed a burger and in the original statement he mentioned asking her if she wanted to go to McDonalds? Could that have been the excuse needed to drive in a different direction than home? He probably already knew where he was going to do it (still think SaW was invlolved with ALL planning) ALL MOO though and sorry rush typing this as someone calling me so apologies if some details incorrect just trying to go from memory

 

[hellobear]

Great minds …. Hellobear! Sorry we’ve overlapped a bit here!

Just glad I made sense... and it was not just my insomnia & late night thoughts going off on a tangent

 

[hellobear]

My biggest stumbling block is when he first picked B up and how he got the opportunity to kill her, I said on here earlier on the thread that I did not believe she was ever in the lockup and not transported in the car due to no forensics and probably a cadaver dog would have searched his car. B was 17, he went in a different direction to Century Square so what reason did he give her. The McDonalds trips have bothered me, I don't think he just needed a burger and in the original statement he mentioned asking her if she wanted to go to McDonalds? Could that have been the excuse needed to drive in a different direction than home? He probably already knew where he was going to do it (still think SaW was invlolved with ALL planning) ALL MOO though and sorry rush typing this as someone calling me so apologies if some details incorrect just trying to go from memory

I agree I think it was already planned out by both ScW & SaW, the night she was staying with the Grandparents, if not before. As for why, trying to put myself into the mind of a person who could commit such atrocity... nothing makes sense!

I remember the fb posts from the very start ( late July ) and even then something seemed 'off' to me. I have seen many appeals for missing children & adults on fb, they are usually posted within 24 hours of the person not arriving home with the posts being monitored & replied to by a friend or family member as the parent / next of kin is too busy searching to monitor social media. Driving to the missing persons friends, places they hang out etc... Another thing that struck me is that both ScW & SaW changed their profile pictures to ones of BW. Not really something I have seen with a missing person ( again, too busy searching, talking to police to be on social media ) however it is quite common for people to change their picture to a person who has recently passed away!

Most of SaW posts have been removed, but they were public for some time & did not come across as someone who was concerned for her missing daughter. Pics of family meals out, lots of 'memes' and laughing face emojis. Could be dismissed as trying to keep things 'normal' for the other children but it just didn't sit right with me.

You can still view the very early media ( Peterborough Telegraph ) posts, and posts on missing persons pages along with all the comments ( some very interesting! ) - you just have to search BW and then click on 'posts' . Apologies if this is not allowed, please let me know & I will remove it.

I have spent a lot of time thinking about & researching this case. This forum is amazing. I often don't get to get my thoughts & feelings down in writing due to ongoing illness, so might just be lurking sometimes... but always, always thinking!!

All MOO of course.

 

[CSIAngus]

Like others have said earlier in the thread, I think there is some truth in what he says; for example; he pulled over on a grass verge to roll a cig, and to talk to BW (persuade/threaten her to say she had been lying - she wasn’t going to do that, she had come this far with dealing with the abuse) she jumped out the car ( as we know from her notebook she had considered running away but didn’t feel brave enough - perhaps she realised she had to at this point) she went down an alley (I’m thinking this is his misleading description of a narrow lane or track given what we know now - why else would he say that if it wasn’t the truth in some form) and he went after her in pursuit. We can only imagine what happened when he caught up with her. (It would be really very difficult to kill her whilst he was in the drivers seat and she was sat in the passenger seat unless he used a weapon and there is no forensics to support that). He then turns off his phone, once he panics at what’s occurred, so he isn’t disturbed and finds a place to conceal the body. He goes back in the middle of the night to finish the job more thoroughly. Someone said that the 400 odd steps are equivalent to 300m? So that’s a minimum of 150m or so up (and then back) up a narrow lane, or track somewhere, just a few minutes drive out to the east of gunthorpe area.

MOO

I was moving towards ScW strangling BW in the car within 10 minutes of picking her up and then driving up towards Newborough with her in the footwell looking for a dump site. But I'm coming round to the idea that he just drives with her in the car, possibly arguing about the AS allegation, to Dogsthorpe then he heads to the Barn Garden Centre but continues on up Gunthorpe Road towards Newborough. He eventually stops to roll a cig and the now traumatised BW decides to leg it out of the car. However, he catches her, loses it, gives her a good hiding and ends up throttling her. She's rudely concealed at the spot and he returns in the night to dig a hole. As to location, I reckon its going to be close to a track but away from occupied buildings, somewhere between the Barn Garden Centre and the B1443. I've mentioned Barnoak Road before.