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

[tes1984]

According to this the police are now focussing on LESS than 20 potential suspects.

There's no guarantee that the perp is even in the case files though.

Christopher Hampton wasn't on any lists for Melanie Road, and the Batman Rapist is still at large despite over 2000 suspects being DNA tested.

 

[tes1984]

If the police are going with the sighting of the couple arguing between 1.45 and 2am, then why is Melanie still in the very immediate area 30-45 minutes after supposedly leaving the club?

IIRC there was one witness who thought he saw Melanie near the club getting some food and then trying to get a taxi.

The police later searched a local taxi office, but the main taxi rank in Bath was further south, very near to where the attempted abduction of LH took place hours earlier.

It's amazing that Bath had CCTV cameras in 1996, but they didn't put at least one of the cameras in the busiest part of the city.

 

[Deadbeat]

A lengthy and informative news article from just 4 days ago…

Melanie Hall: Fresh probe into woman's murder, three decades on

Melanie Hall was last seen on a night out in Bath before her body was discovered 13 years later.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Hustling01]

Glad this is being looked at again. I do think its connected to the batman series. Hope they get a full dna profile

 

[tes1984]

Glad this is being looked at again. I do think its connected to the batman series. Hope they get a full dna profile

The police don't seem to think it's connected, although I don't think they've ever formally ruled out a connection.

The LH attack doesn't seem to have been part of the linked Operation Eagle (Batman) series. However A&S police don't exactly make it clear which cases they think were the Batman. Was it 14 attacks or was it 17? I've never seen a conclusive list anywhere.

The police went after an ex military man for LH, but didn't have enough evidence to charge him. Presumably this suspect was tested in 2000 against the full DNA profile in the Batman case and ruled out.

 

[tes1984]

It may no longer be relevant, but in one of the Crimewatch appeals, former DCI Riccio mentions that two witnesses saw the suntanned man. One of them was the man who featured in the Channel five documentary. I'm not sure if the other witness was Melanie's boyfriend, or the friend who saw Melanie in the club at 1.10am, or someone else entirely.

The police focus now seems to be on the couple seen arguing between 1.45pm and 2pm in Old Orchard, around the corner from the nightclub entrance.

DCI Lavender, who is running the current enquiry, says the last sighting of Melanie was at 1.10am, when her friends were leaving the club. No mention of the possible sightings of Melanie chatting with the man in the reception area/leaving the club with him.

DCI Lavender also confirms that the keys found near Melanie's body still haven't been linked to a vehicle.

 

[dotr]

March 15, 2026

Verifying Device

''Julie also recalls the case of Melanie Hall, who was killed 12 years to the day after Melanie Road in 1996.

Hall, 25, was also last seen alive at a nightclub in Bath.

Her body was later discovered in October 2009, wrapped in bin bags beside the M5.

Julie said: “It was unbelievably coincidental – two Melanies, same day, 12 years apart.

“I know they’re still hopeful that they might get that breakthrough, even though that’s 30 years on now.''

 

[Professor Moriarty]

Julie said: “It was unbelievably coincidental – two Melanies, same day, 12 years apart.

I sometimes read people saying "I don't believe in coincidences" and I saw a programme in which a retired detective said this. Anyone who doesn't "believe in coincidences" is silly. They happen all the time. I saw a statistician saying that if you looked out of your window and saw three cars that all had your initials in the registration plate, you might think it was crazy. But if you think of all the people, all over the world, who might look out of their windows and see cars, a number of them would see three cars with their initials in their registration. Why shouldn't one be you?

Ever had the experience of going away on holiday to another country and bumping into someone from home? I have. Many have. Why not?

 

[Deadbeat]

An article from 5 days ago. Christopher Halliwell is still somewhat considered a suspect…

Christopher Halliwell person of interest in new BBC One appeal

A killer from Swindon, Wiltshire, remains a person of interest in a police investigation into the unsolved murder of a 25-year-old woman.

www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk

 

[tes1984]

Halliwell has the right sort of MO, but I've never seen anything to link him to Bath.

Presumably he can't be ruled out by comparison to the partial DNA profile, or by his work diaries, cash withdrawals, petrol receipts etc.

He liked prowling in his cab, outside nightclubs in Swindon, but didn't become a taxi driver until a couple of years after Melanie disappeared. He did own at least 40 cars though, so I wonder what he was driving in 1996.

The VW Golf possibly associated with the Melanie Hall case, doesn't seem like the sort of car anyone could really pretend to be a mini cab driver in. Too boy racerish IMO.

 

[Deadbeat]

A detective working the case has said:

“We believe there’s a strong possibility Melanie left the nightclub with her killer, as a coat she had checked into a cloakroom was collected, but she could have met them outside or got into a car.“

Source: Police launch new appeal 30 years on from murder of Melanie Hall

This does have me wondering if she perhaps left the club with the culprit. By this time her boyfriend had left, her friends had left and she was now alone. I imagine this guy has come across as friendly and played the Good Samaritan act with ‘I’ll get you home safe’, to which Melanie in an intoxicated lonely state has agreed to, collected her coat and left with him?

 

[tes1984]

What is the connection between collecting her coat and leaving with her killer? Surely, she wouldn't leave her coat behind whether she left with her killer or not?

I agree. The statement about the coat is a bit weird.

They never say if the boyfriend had a coat. Did he storm out, or queue up to collect his coat?

Could he have also taken Melanie's coat too when he left? They entered the club together, so if they both had coats, then the coats would have been next to each other on a cloakroom rail.

Could Melanie have collected her coat, and noticed her boyfriend's coat was no longer there? Why does she even have her own coat ticket? Wouldn't the boyfriend be a gentleman, pay the cloakroom attendant, and look after the ticket or tickets?

 

[tes1984]

It's annoying that they don't say what the boyfriend was wearing, or where his car was parked.

Someone online gossip says he parked in the same car park where the man was seen coercing a woman towards a car. This hasn't ever been confirmed though, and the car park couple don't seem to be mentioned in the latest appeals.

 

[Rikissa]

I agree. The statement about the coat is a bit weird.

They never say if the boyfriend had a coat. Did he storm out, or queue up to collect his coat?

Could he have also taken Melanie's coat too when he left? They entered the club together, so if they both had coats, then the coats would have been next to each other on a cloakroom rail.

Could Melanie have collected her coat, and noticed her boyfriend's coat was no longer there? Why does she even have her own coat ticket? Wouldn't the boyfriend be a gentleman, pay the cloakroom attendant, and look after the ticket or tickets?

I checked the temperatures in the UK in June 1996, and there had been a heatwave in the first week with temperatures up to, and over 30° C (85° F), and the average temperature stayed above 22° C (70° F) for the month, which I'd guess is considered as warm in the UK.
I'm not certain that the boyfriend would have bothered with a coat in those temperatures, as it would be more of a hassle to carry, than need of it to stay warm. I wouldn't have taken a coat with me if going out when it's 22 °C out, a summer dress would be enough. Is it known if Melanie had had a coat with her?

Datasets/UK Climate/Monthly climate summaries/Historic/June 1996

 

[tes1984]

Melanie had a cream single-breasted long-sleeved jacket.

In the Crimewatch appeal, Melanie is shown carrying the jacket, when they visit friends for a barbecue. Philip is wearing a light black jumper, over a white T-shirt.

When they leave their car and enter the club, Philip seems to be wearing a jacket, so is up to three layers (jacket, jumper and T-shirt).

Crimewatch tried to be as accurate as possible, but the reconstructions did sometimes get things wrong.

 

[Deadbeat]

Could the sequence of events be…

* Melanie’s boyfriend has already left and her friends now leave the club. Melanie is last seen sitting on a stool by the dance floor.

* Soon after, the perp comes over to talk to her as she is alone. The chat is going well and they enter the reception area to sit down there and talk where it’s a little quieter. (Potential witness sighting of Melanie here talking to suntanned man with flashy watch?)

* Man insists he will WALK her to taxi rank and make sure she gets a taxi home safely.

* Melanie collects her jacket which she had a seperate ticket for and leaves club with man, rather than alone. (Again potential sighting of her leaving club with man).

* Shortly after leaving together the man admits to actually having his car parked close by, is sober and will drive her home. Melanie at first objects to this. (Potential sighting of couple arguing outside club and woman being coaxed to car park by man)

*Once in the car he’s perhaps driven her a short distance but stops somewhere more private? He then becomes more pushy with Melanie, trying to make moves on her which she objects to. After arguments he becomes aggressive and assaults her (possibly punches caused fractured cheekbone and jawbone?). After this he has perhaps forced her to strip and sexually assaulted her before killing her by blunt force trauma to the skull. After this he has disposed of the body, clothing and other possessions.


I could be way way off here but just speculating the timeline from the possible witness sightings etc!

 

[tes1984]

That's a feasible timeline, but with no confirmed sightings after 1.10am, it's all just guess work really.

The police don't know if Melanie left the club with someone, or if she was alone.

In theory, she could have tried to head back to her boyfriend's place, or to her car at the hospital, or got in a cab back to her parent's place etc etc.

So many potential scenarios...