GUILTY UK - Bernadette Walker, 17, murdered then hidden, Peterborough, 18 Jul 2020 *Parents Sentenced* #6

[Action Hank]

I've always thought that BW is buried in a secluded location that ScW knows like the back of his hand within half an hours drive to the east of Peterborough, either side of the B1443/A47. Furthermore, that eyeballing the location to ensure that it was undisturbed was the purpose of the Kings Lynn road trip. JMO

Somewhere like this: Peterborough · United Kingdom

Scot and Sarah's little outing on the A16/A1175 near Market Deeping in the early hours of the 20th, I can't stop wondering if Scot took her to see the deposition site. But yeah, in a copse/spinney in that area I'd imagine.

 

[Bethan]

Thanks Hank. I had a vague memory that urban exploring had been mentioned though wasn’t sure it was definitely in this case.

This may have already been discussed but down an urban explorers ‘rabbit hole’ I came upon an abandoned farmhouse & buildings in a secluded spot on the outskirts of a village called Thornley. It was demolished around September 2020.

I have included this sentence from the description ( bolded by me)

“ It has since been demolished so no longer exists but was on the edge of the village and access was very easy without being noticed or disturbing any of the locals”

Being an urban explorer ScW would likely be familiar with other sites like these, that are secluded/abandoned.

My other thought is that an old farmhouse, such as this, in a rural area would be likely to have a septic tank?!

Apologies if this has all been discussed in previous threads.

 

[Bethan]

Thanks Hank. I had a vague memory that urban exploring had been mentioned though wasn’t sure it was definitely in this case.

This may have already been discussed but down an urban explorers ‘rabbit hole’ I came upon an abandoned farmhouse & buildings in a secluded spot on the outskirts of a village called Thornley. It was demolished around September 2020.

I have included this sentence from the description ( bolded by me)

“ It has since been demolished so no longer exists but was on the edge of the village and access was very easy without being noticed or disturbing any of the locals”

Being an urban explorer ScW would likely be familiar with other sites like these, that are secluded/abandoned.

My other thought is that an old farmhouse, such as this, in a rural area would be likely to have a septic tank?!

Apologies if this has all been discussed in previous threads.

Correction, I got the name of the village wrong. It’s THORNEY, approx 9 miles east of Peterborough.

 

[Bethan]

The property was called Causeway Lodge & was a very fine looking old country house. There are photos on Facebook, which I found by googling the name.

Answering my own question….I’ve found it on a map of Thorney dated 1886, so it probably did have an old brick septic tank.

As the property has now been demolished I wonder if that’s just been covered over or exposed & filled with rubble

 

[CSIAngus]

Agree @CSIAngus.

Does anyone remember/know if ScW was into fishing or urban exploring?
( Currently ‘down a rabbit hole’ in the area you mention)

ScW was into urbex, but the extent of that interest has not been quantified. The problem with that as a disposal option is so are a lot of people. ScW strikes me as an urbex follower not a pioneer. I'd be surprised if he'd not fished but don't think that has been mentioned as a recent pastime. A lot of fishing locations also have tree cover. For me it's either derelict farm buildings or tree cover. The problem with water is the body is just waiting to be discovered. Burial is far more the forever option. In general, planned homicide offenders dispose of bodies in locations that they are very familiar with so that they know what to expect. With ScW, his actions were planned, so he would have chosen a location that he knew well and was comfortable carrying out his objective in daylight on a Saturday afternoon and in darkness (although there was virtually no Moon and was raining it wouldn't be total darkness) in the early hours of a Sunday morning. JMO

 

[CSIAngus]

Scot and Sarah's little outing on the A16/A1175 near Market Deeping in the early hours of the 20th, I can't stop wondering if Scot took her to see the deposition site. But yeah, in a copse/spinney in that area I'd imagine.

My thoughts exactly. SW knows exactly where BW is resting, IMO. That trip was as much a drive by as a drive through. Why travel that distance to a McDonalds, when there are options closer to home? They have a new baby, but I've driven in the night to get a baby to sleep but round the doors not that distance, if indeed that was the explanation given.

 

[CSIAngus]

Thanks Hank. I had a vague memory that urban exploring had been mentioned though wasn’t sure it was definitely in this case.

This may have already been discussed but down an urban explorers ‘rabbit hole’ I came upon an abandoned farmhouse & buildings in a secluded spot on the outskirts of a village called Thornley. It was demolished around September 2020.

I have included this sentence from the description ( bolded by me)

“ It has since been demolished so no longer exists but was on the edge of the village and access was very easy without being noticed or disturbing any of the locals”

Being an urban explorer ScW would likely be familiar with other sites like these, that are secluded/abandoned.

My other thought is that an old farmhouse, such as this, in a rural area would be likely to have a septic tank?!

Apologies if this has all been discussed in previous threads.

If I had to start searching somewhere, I would start searching around Thorney. Thorney is the next community along the A47 to the East of Peterborough beyond Eye, but near where the B1443 and A47 meet, and, I'm guessing as I don't know his background, the further east along the A47 the less familiar ScW might be with individual sites. JMO

 

[CSIAngus]

I still can't believe SaW was not charged and convicted with murder. As the judge said, she was the mastermind of the cover-up. That started even before BW was dead.

 

[Bethan]

I still can't believe SaW was not charged and convicted with murder. As the judge said, she was the mastermind of the cover-up. That started even before BW was dead.

……this could still happen, in time.

MOO

 

[Rosegold68]

It was a way back we pondered the UE angle. I'm on a site and we were looking at the abandoned tunnels and drains round Peterborough

Did he take a shovel?was there one found amongst belongings or remnants in vehicle? I can't remember. To dig he needed equipment, to submerge in water, things would also be needed....wonder what was in his lock up

 

[Bethan]

I’m also looking at ‘Woodland Burial Sites’ & ‘Green Burial Sites’ with adjacent accessible woodland
in our target area.

There are two,
Narr Valley Green Burials at Pentwood, approx 6 miles SE of Kings Lynn
& Muchwood Green Burials about 9 miles SE of Peterborough.

Burying a body close to a site like this could throw off Cadaver Dogs.

[ Edited to add

Possibly thinking too far ‘outside the box’ & crediting these parents with more intelligence than they deserve.

Looking at these sites, via Google Earth makes me realise that both sites are relatively ‘exposed’ & that there are plenty of secluded areas of woodland in the area which would be a more likely burial site.]

 

[Rosegold68]

that would be so easy for them to do at the much wood site. Theres roads adjacent where he could hide out and walk in unseen.

 

[Bethan]

Yes, agreed. I tried to attach a photo to my post but it was too large.

 

[Bethan]

It was a way back we pondered the UE angle. I'm on a site and we were looking at the abandoned tunnels and drains round Peterborough

Did he take a shovel?was there one found amongst belongings or remnants in vehicle? I can't remember. To dig he needed equipment, to submerge in water, things would also be needed....wonder what was in his lock up

We know he offered Property Maintenance services, fencing etc & was self-employed as far as I remember, so I presume he had a collection of tools.

To access a septic tank he would only need a crowbar or similar tool for lifting a cover. No digging required.

To bury a body in woodland is hard work….particularly if a dense well-established wood because of the root system & a pick axe is needed.

He would almost certainly have such tools, possibly even a special manhole-cover-lifting tool at his disposal, for inspecting & clearing blocked drains

( As you may gather, though a 60-something retired female, I speak from experience…lol)

 

[Bethan]

The Old Rectory Care Home in Rampton, abandoned in 2000 & approx 20 miles SE of Peterborough looks an intriguing site for urban explorers to visit/photograph, & is still accessible.

It’s mentioned in an article “Cambridgeshire's creepiest abandoned places” which appeared on the Cambridgeshire Live news site in November 2019.

Cambridgeshire's creepiest abandoned places

From former RAF bases to derelict care homes, there are some curious and creepy buildings in Cambridgeshire

www.cambridge-news.co.uk

Such an article would undoubtedly pique the interest of someone whose hobbies include both Urban Exploring & Photography.

 

[spdflower]

By chance I drove through the area east of Peterborough at the weekend. I always take interest in my surroundings when visiting an unfamiliar part of the country.

Bernadette’s case suddenly came to mind when I saw the familiar place name ‘Cowbit’ signposted. It gave me quite a jolt when I realised that poor young lady’s remains could be hidden anywhere in this vast area.

The terrain is very different from where I live, in N Yorkshire, 150 miles to the north. I was already finding the drive fascinating, marvelling at the flatness of the land, the degree of cultivation, lack of hedgerows, and network of deep drainage ditches……vast open spaces…very different to the type of farming I am familiar with.

In my head I was considering the declining population of the British hedgehog, when suddenly became aware I was in the precise area we suspect BW’s body may have been hidden.

Seeing it for myself, made me realise SW’s options were limited.

There is a lot of sparsely populated cultivated land & the roads, though quiet, are narrow, exposed & bordered by deep ditches. A car stopping on a road like this would certainly be noticed, if someone else happened to be in the area at the time.

The ditches (I presume) must be periodically dredged, so a body, in time, may be exposed. ( I suppose if sufficient time has elapsed between murder & recovery, there may be insufficient evidence to prove a crime has been committed. I don’t feel SW would have chosen this option unless acting on the spur of the moment without much thought)

In my mind, ‘disposal’ ( apologies for the word) is much more likely to have been in a heavily wooded area, not far off the road, where there is space to pull a car off the road.

Alternatively a derelict or infrequently used building, which afforded privacy for a period of time. I noticed that many of the farmhouses in this area were completely surrounded by a tall hedge/trees, presumably to provide a windbreak.

With both these options, one would presume SW knew exactly where he was heading & full disposal likely took place under the cover of darkness.

I am jumping off your post @CSIAngus & know I’m not saying anything new to you all.

Just agreeing & sharing my thoughts on seeing the area for the first time myself.

I too am going to take another look at the timeline, a link to which is included on the first post of the thread.

( Sorry for lengthy post)

I also think it’s a heavily wooded area and I regularly walk and search woodland in the area and there’s so many potential places, some I’ve suggested before as they were locations SCW used in his photography.

 

[CSIAngus]

I also think it’s a heavily wooded area and I regularly walk and search woodland in the area and there’s so many potential places, some I’ve suggested before as they were locations SCW used in his photography.

Those places he shot photos were quite close to Peterborough and not heading east from Gunthorpe. The other thing to bare in mind is that he was not picked up by NPR cameras after that so must have traveled exclusively on minor roads or short sections of major roads with no cameras. And the same for his early hours supposed trip on the Sunday.

 

[Action Hank]

In the early hours the day after BW was last seen, ScW was at Uldale Way (blue spot) for some time, which is right on the edge of Peterborough. I think he would've accessed the countryside from there, almost as a sort of jumping off point for whatever reason. Staying on Gunthorpe Road, going past the Barn Garden Centre along a stretch that leads out towards Newborough/Peakirk. You're in the countryside as soon as you've crossed the Gunthorpe Road/ A15 roundabout, and there'd probably be very little camera surveillance out on those narrow, bumpy roads.

My idea of a rough catchment area: The River Welland cuts right through the middle of it, a stretch of which was searched by police, as was Cowbit and Hop Pole. Deeping Nature Reserve is definitely somewhere worth considering. Not ruling out the Thorney area, I just don't recall it being mentioned at any point in the investigation, or remember ScW associating with it?

 

[CSIAngus]

ScW was traveling east in the Gunthorpe mast area presumably with a dead or incapacitated BW in the car when he switched his phone off. That gives you either the B1443 or the A47, with one or two short C roads also possible. Both of the former meet at Thorney. There are some interesting locations in that area. Of course, he could have changed direction at any point and used roads without NPR cameras. Wherever he went, he planned to go there because he felt safe there with a dead girl on a Saturday afternoon. And again to return there in the early hours. It would be a secluded location that he knew well. My view on the late evening trip along the A47 to Kings Lynn McDonalds was to eyeball the deposition site to make sure there was no activity there.

For obvious reasons, the Police don't publish maps of their NPR cameras but that would be a useful tool to rule out roads. For instance, ScW's car was picked up on the A47 in the Kings Lynn trip but not during the key times so if he did travel on the A47 with BW's body then he would have to have turned off before that camera.

In the time he had that afternoon, BW's remains could be anywhere within a vast area which explains why the Police are no longer looking. It'll need ScW or SW disclose where BW is or a chance discovery.

 

[missstery]

I've been reading these threads since the beginning and only just reached the end. My heart is breaking for poor Bernadette and her body not being found yet. I used to live near Pboro and we'd often travel through Thorney / Crowland / Cowbit areas. There's just so many little lanes around there that could easily hide a body which would make it a next to impossible job for anyone searching.

I have a feeling Scott and Sarah will never give up their daughter's location. How can anyone be so cold and evil?

After reading through everything Scott said, I find it quite funny how he could remember why he turned his phone off on the Cowbit trip (his excuse - low battery) but couldn't remember anything about the day of B's disappearance which happened before that. I'm glad he was found guilty and got 32 years though in my opinion when you take another life, especially when it's murder rather than manslaughter, it should be a lot more than that!

I'd made a few notes so thought I'd share them:

- Would metal detectors find her phone? I assume the police would have used them when they were searching
- I tend to switch my phone off when it's running out of battery
- Did Scott tie poor B to a tree like he did with the dolls? And strangle her there before getting rid of her.
- Why did they not make the public aware in the days / weeks after? It could have jogged people's memories and dashcam footage could have been handed in to the police and someone might have seen something that might have been slightly relevant
- I can't help but wonder if B stayed at home the night of her supposely going to her grandparents and Scott drove out there the next day to convince his parents to lie about it. Although after reading her grandparents story in the paper on another post, I can't see that being a lie anymore. I think she really did go there.
- Could they have moved the body after realising about their phone's location and that's when they switched it off
- Someone mentioned a body could be hidden around Hampton earlier on in the posts. Looking online, there's a secluded wood that doesn't get a lot of visitors (which I have been to before). It's approx 14 miles south from Century Square. It's called Holme Fen. That place sticks out in my mind because when I last went there, it looked like no-one had been there for a long time. The trees and bushes were undisturbed (a few years back) and I have heard of a few people who have been found there who were murdered - it's a very dense area with ditches.
- I wondered if it's possible on any of the occasions, if Scott took Sarah's car on those drives (as they were similar vehicles) but changed the number plates over. That way, DNA evidence wouldn't be found in Scott's car and I don't think they really bothered to look in Sarah's car.
- Scott said he was decorating B's bedroom so why would he put her bag in the lockup and not just in another room in the house?
- Why would the wheelchair be in the lockup (as I think shown in one of the media's photos) when it was needed for one of the disabled children. Not relevant to the case I don't think but I was surprised it was in there and not in the house. I did have a thought run through my (suspicious) mind that when she contacted the paper to report a stolen wheelchair, it wasn't stolen at all - it was in the lockup. So she could get more money from the readers and Scott could spend it on the horses. I'm probably wrong though.