UK UK - Melanie Hall, 25, Bath, Somerset, 9 June 1996

[Dotta]

Maybe but if it was club drugs like Ecstasy, it's more likely she would have taken one at the start of the evening, to get high and enjoy the club more or whatever people take that stuff for, not after a few hours. Which could have happened, and might explain why she was dancing with another guy if she was high on E. Maybe her boyfriend objected to that, rather than to her dancing with a man in a club. Who knows. There was a disagreement about something and it just seems off or out of proportion somehow.

Were she and her bf regular clubbers?

But I don't think Melanie's murder was about drugs - which are very common in clubs and not something to abduct and probably rape and then smash someone's face and head in over. Just par for the course. Melanie was an ordinary young woman, a graduate in her first job with a "nice" boyfriend. I think this was a sex killing - someone abducted Melanie when she was extremely vulnerable, someone who targeted her in the club - like the Bible John killer - or who targeted her just outside the club - because she was on her own, probably worse for wear, tired, maybe it had got chilly, her boyfriend had pushed off as had her mates and she had no way to get home. She was very vulnerable to anyone who said they were a taxi driver or maybe even were a real taxi driver or someone she'd got to know who said they'd help her get home.

Sadly it is depressingly common for women on their way home from nights out to be targeted by predators.

I understand.

But he might have lured her out promising some (more?) drugs outside,
they were seen talking in the street and then arguing.

What about?

Maybe he said she had to get into the car (and go to a place?) to be given some.
And she reluctantly agreed.

A witness said the victim went to the underground car park unwillingly.
But, nevertheless, she went
and once in the car - was trapped.

JMO
This is just a theory and my imagination!!!

 

[tes1984]

There were a lot of potential sightings of Melanie outside the club, but none of them have been confirmed.

Couple arguing in the street.
Couple arguing near the river.
Couple arguing in a street further North.
Couple canoodling outside the club.
Woman being coerced towards carpark.
Woman heard shouting "leave me alone".
Woman seen outside taxi rank.

AFAIK none of these potential sightings have been ruled out though.

 

[Dotta]

There were a lot of potential sightings of Melanie outside the club, but none of them have been confirmed.

Couple arguing in the street.
Couple arguing near the river.
Couple arguing in a street further North.
Couple canoodling outside the club.
Woman being coerced towards carpark.
Woman heard shouting "leave me alone".
Woman seen outside taxi rank.

AFAIK none of these potential sightings have been ruled out though.

Oops

Ummm....
So... I picked only those to fit my theory.

Canoodling???
I had to ask Uncle Google about the meaning
as I'm not an English native speaker!

Phew!

 

[tes1984]

A woman (fitting Melanie's general description) and a man were seen kissing and cuddling outside the club at around 2.15am.

 

[Inspector Evans]

Did this club not have door staff?

Been a very long time since clubbing days (and they weren't too frequent) but the ones I went to always had plenty of people lingering outside the doors at closing time which would be 3am and staff would make sure people vacated the premises at that time.

No idea who was interviewed by police in the days after Melanie went missing but again unless there were hundreds in there you'd think she and the mystery man would be remembered by someone once out in the open unless there were some hidden alleys or other spots around the club.

 

[tes1984]

The club had door staff. I think it closed at 2am.

The police interviewed hundreds of clubbers and employees. A lot probably slipped the net though, as nightclubs were very much cash businesses in the 90s.