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

[tes1984]

Most online commentators are absolutely clueless, and I would take local 'knowledge' with a massive pinch of salt.

I'm not sure if relying on AI, or trying to make a 'mix and match' DNA profile, is going to solve this case.

If DCI Lavender only had 80 or 90 POIs to start with, then I really don't know what to tell him.

 

[Jenesaisquoi]

‘only’ ! I thought that was quite a lot of potentially murderous people for that area!

 

[wtiger]

‘only’ ! I thought that was quite a lot of potentially murderous people for that area!

i reckon almost 100% of people are "potentially murderous" given the right combination of circumstances tbh

 

[tes1984]

‘only’ ! I thought that was quite a lot of potentially murderous people for that area!

It's a lot of the police are only considering known murderers. If it was a rapist who 'graduated' to murder, then It's not really a high number of potential POIs.

AFAIK the previous arrests in the case have been men who don't fit into either category.

A lot of the Bristol cases (Jo Yeates, Melanie Road, Jenny King etc) were committed by men who weren't known rapists or murderers.

In the Batman case, the police had at least 2000 POIs, so a hundred or so really isn't a lot IMO.

 

[Deadbeat]

Most online commentators are absolutely clueless, and I would take local 'knowledge' with a massive pinch of salt.

I'm not sure if relying on AI, or trying to make a 'mix and match' DNA profile, is going to solve this case.

If DCI Lavender only had 80 or 90 POIs to start with, then I really don't know what to tell him.

One user states that ‘locally the rumour was going around it was a bouncer’. That is obviously something I’ll take with a HUGE grain of salt but I found it interesting because while it’s possible, I’d never heard anyone suspect that it COULD have been. I’m sure staff were all checked out though too.

 

[tes1984]

One user states that ‘locally the rumour was going around it was a bouncer’. That is obviously something I’ll take with a HUGE grain of salt but I found it interesting because while it’s possible, I’d never heard anyone suspect that it COULD have been. I’m sure staff were all checked out though too.

The police looked at bouncers during the 90s enquiries. It was difficult to track bouncers, barmen, security guards etc, as a lot of nighttime work was cash in hand, with no paper trail.

 

[kevin17]

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.

Sorry, when you refer to LH, who or what are you referring to please?

 

[kevin17]

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.''

That is quite unbelievable, I don’t know what to make of that.

 

[tes1984]

Sorry, when you refer to LH, who or what are you referring to please?

LH was the woman attacked in a Bath carpark hours before Melanie disappeared.

She waived her right to anonymity, and was interviewed in the press.

A man from a village outside Bath was arrested, but not charged. I wonder if LH failed to pick him out of an ID parade or something like that.

I also wonder if she has been shown photos of POIs throughout the years regarding Melanie Hall.

The police don't seem to link the LH attack with Melanie, or with the Batman rapes. I don't think LH or MH are considered as Operation Eagle (Batman) crimes, although for some reason A&S Police have never actually released a list of the confirmed Batman crimes.

 

[kevin17]

LH was the woman attacked in a Bath carpark hours before Melanie disappeared.

She waived her right to anonymity, and was interviewed in the press.

A man from a village outside Bath was arrested, but not charged. I wonder if LH failed to pick him out of an ID parade or something like that.

I also wonder if she has been shown photos of POIs throughout the years regarding Melanie Hall.

The police don't seem to link the LH attack with Melanie, or with the Batman rapes. I don't think LH or MH are considered as Operation Eagle (Batman) crimes, although for some reason A&S Police have never actually released a list of the confirmed Batman crimes.

Thank you for that, you wouldn’t know what village the guy was from? Sorry, I know that’s a bit of a long shot..

 

[tes1984]

That is quite unbelievable, I don’t know what to make of that.

Just coincidence, unless Christopher Hampton murdered Melanie Hall too.

The police don't seem to consider Hampton as a suspect. I doubt he was the perp, but if Halliwell is being considered, then why not Hampton?

Hampton was a known killer of a girl leaving a nightclub in Bath, lived in Bath, and used to go to Cadillacs when it was a snooker club.

 

[tes1984]

Thank you for that, you wouldn’t know what village the guy was from? Sorry, I know that’s a bit of a long shot..

IIRC the village was Calne, to the East of Bath.

 

[kevin17]

Just coincidence, unless Christopher Hampton murdered Melanie Hall too.

The police don't seem to consider Hampton as a suspect. I doubt he was the perp, but if Halliwell is being considered, then why not Hampton?

Hampton was a known killer of a girl leaving a nightclub in Bath, lived in Bath, and used to go to Cadillacs when it was a snooker club.

Yes, I think you’re right, just an unfortunate coincidence.
Did they obtain DNA from Melanie Hall deposition site? I remember that there was a blue rope that was found with the body. The reason I ask is because if Christopher Hampton was involved then I’m sure the police already have his DNA. The same would go for Christopher Halliwell I would’ve thought?

 

[kevin17]

IIRC the village was Calne, to the East of Bath.

Okay, thank you for that

 

[kevin17]

Just coincidence, unless Christopher Hampton murdered Melanie Hall too.

The police don't seem to consider Hampton as a suspect. I doubt he was the perp, but if Halliwell is being considered, then why not Hampton?

Hampton was a known killer of a girl leaving a nightclub in Bath, lived in Bath, and used to go to Cadillacs when it was a snooker club.

Yes, I think you’re right, just an unfortunate coincidence.
Did they obtain DNA from Melanie Hall deposition site? I remember that there was a blue rope that was found with the body. The reason I ask is because if Christopher Hampton was involved then I’m sure the police already have his DNA. The same would go for Christopher Halliwell I would’ve thought?

I was looking at the police case recently and it pointed towards a picture of a male mid 20s with dark hair and wearing sort of satin jazzy sort of shirt, and it appeared that this person was seen arguing with Melanie outside of the nightclub, I don’t know if anybody has any thoughts on that?

I wasn’t in Bath at the time, but I would’ve been to Cadillacs, at least I think I did but but not on Walcott Street, I’m fairly sure they moved it at some stage down to the bus station or maybe I’m thinking about somewhere else. But I did know quite a lot of folks in Bath when I lived there.

 

[Rookie D]

One thing that I think is important to acknowledge is that with many unsolved murder cold cases, the police do have a relatively good idea as to the identity of a perpetrator.

However, because the CPS act as a form of judge, jury and executioner, it is they who make the decision as to whether a case has enough evidence to go to trial.

Therefore, from the perspective of the police; it's not about what you know, it's about what you can prove.

And if the CPS feel that the police don't have a strong enough case to proceed to a potential conviction, they will shut it down as they see fit; often for the sake of promoting positive statistics. (they're not going to back a horse with only 3 legs)

This leaves many cases in limbo, whereby the police are as close to certain as they can be, but they are stopped in their tracks by the system that determines how the case progresses; if at all.

I am not suggesting that the case of Melanie Hall is one of those particular cases, but in a way, I get the sense that it very well could be.

But that would of course imply that the police have a pretty good idea of who murdered Melanie Hall.

All I would say is that judging by the syntax used by Melanie's parents, it would appear that they also have a fairly good idea as to who took their daughter's life.

Unfortunately, with many of these cold case reviews, it becomes a lacklustre exercise of just ticking boxes, and unless a full review is undertaken with considerably more time, money, resources, and man/woman power put in, then it's extremely unlikely that new evidence will come to light, which could then potentially give the police that extra piece of evidence that they need to try and convince the CPS to consider progressing the case further.

 

[tes1984]

Yes, I think you’re right, just an unfortunate coincidence.
Did they obtain DNA from Melanie Hall deposition site? I remember that there was a blue rope that was found with the body. The reason I ask is because if Christopher Hampton was involved then I’m sure the police already have his DNA. The same would go for Christopher Halliwell I would’ve thought?

The police only have a partial DNA profile, so can rule some suspects out, but can't match the profile to an individual suspect.

With Melanie Road, they had Hampton's rare blood type, which could rule out 97% of suspects. JMO but I doubt the Melanie Hall detectives can rule out anywhere near that high percentage with a few strands of a DNA profile.

 

[kevin17]

One thing that I think is important to acknowledge is that with many unsolved murder cold cases, the police do have a relatively good idea as to the identity of a perpetrator.

However, because the CPS act as a form of judge, jury and executioner, it is they who make the decision as to whether a case has enough evidence to go to trial.

Therefore, from the perspective of the police; it's not about what you know, it's about what you can prove.

And if the CPS feel that the police don't have a strong enough case to proceed to a potential conviction, they will shut it down as they see fit; often for the sake of promoting positive statistics. (they're not going to back a horse with only 3 legs)

This leaves many cases in limbo, whereby the police are as close to certain as they can be, but they are stopped in their tracks by the system that determines how the case progresses; if at all.

I am not suggesting that the case of Melanie Hall is one of those particular cases, but in a way, I get the sense that it very well could be.

But that would of course imply that the police have a pretty good idea of who murdered Melanie Hall.

All I would say is that judging by the syntax used by Melanie's parents, it would appear that they also have a fairly good idea as to who took their daughter's life.

Unfortunately, with many of these cold case reviews, it becomes a lacklustre exercise of just ticking boxes, and unless a full review is undertaken with considerably more time, money, resources, and man/woman power put in, then it's extremely unlikely that new evidence will come to light, which could then potentially give the police that extra piece of evidence that they need to try and convince the CPS to consider progressing the case further.

That’s a really valuable piece of information there thank you, I’ve never thought of it like that, in fact I didn’t realise that at all. I’ve gotta ask, do you know who they think committed the crime and I’m guessing that you probably can’t say

 

[Rookie D]

That’s a really valuable piece of information there thank you, I’ve never thought of it like that, in fact I didn’t realise that at all. I’ve gotta ask, do you know who they think committed the crime and I’m guessing that you probably can’t say

My honest answer, is that I have no idea who they suspected.

But it is my personal belief that they do or did have someone in mind.

I may be wrong of course.

 

[kevin17]

My honest answer, is that I have no idea who they suspected.

But it is my personal belief that they do or did have someone in mind.

I may be wrong of course.

Was there a particular conversation that you were referring to where it seemed obvious that the hall family were referring to a particular Person or was it just in general?