"Last captured on CCTV on a Saturday night in November 2003, Charlene still hasn't been found, and the truth of what happened to her remains unsolved. Nicola Thorp, an actor, writer and broadcaster, who grew up in the town, describes Charlene's disappearance, considered to be murder, as a wound for Blackpool. Over the last couple of decades, the case has been clouded by rumour, far-right rhetoric and police failures."
"Many in the town, she says, still believe the two men who were first tried in 2007 a retrial was ordered, which then collapsed amid grave doubts about the evidence got away with murder. That in itself, she says, is an obstacle to finding out who is really responsible. In that trial, it was alleged the men disposed of Charlene's body by making her into kebab meat."
Charlene Downes, a 14-year-old, was last seen on CCTV in Blackpool in November 2003 and remains missing and presumed murdered. Two men were tried in 2007; a retrial was ordered but later collapsed amid serious doubts about the evidence, and the men subsequently received compensation for false imprisonment. Rumour and a lurid allegation that her body was turned into kebab meat have dominated local conversation. Racist narratives targeting Middle Eastern suspects, evidence suggesting possible grooming by local networks, far-right exploitation of the disappearance, and repeated police failures have impeded investigation and left the community mistrustful, complicating efforts to establish responsibility.
#missing-person-case #cold-case-investigation #police-failures #racial-scapegoating #groomingchild-exploitation
Read at www.theguardian.com
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