UK UK - Charlene Downes, 14, Blackpool England, Nov 2003

[jessie]

I just read her mums book. It horrified me how the police initially just treated her as a runaway - I doubt it would have saved her but it could have led to a conviction if they investigated these men a lot earlier.

There wasn't very much about the trial in the book, I'm not sure if that was for legal reasons or if the mum didn't want to go there.

I wouldn't say I "enjoyed" the book because it's such horrid subject matter but I'd certainly recommend it if you're interested in missing persons.

This was one of those cases I just couldn't bear to read about. Brave of you Ironside (imoo) and I'm very interested in your views and comments to inform me. Sometimes I don't have the emotional strength for the details though.
With all the preceding abuse cases that have come to light recently I am trying to see these from an objective viewpoint re: police lack of intervention. Difficult though. Appreciate your input,

 

[SJ16321]

I just read her mums book. It horrified me how the police initially just treated her as a runaway - I doubt it would have saved her but it could have led to a conviction if they investigated these men a lot earlier.

There wasn't very much about the trial in the book, I'm not sure if that was for legal reasons or if the mum didn't want to go there.

I wouldn't say I "enjoyed" the book because it's such horrid subject matter but I'd certainly recommend it if you're interested in missing persons.

I often wonder if the police dismiss it as a runaway a lot of the time due to lack of resources. It's a case of they say it's a runaway and just pray it is as they don't have the resource to try and hunt down every teenager that goes missing.

 

[silverjug]

I often wonder if the police dismiss it as a runaway a lot of the time due to lack of resources. It's a case of they say it's a runaway and just pray it is as they don't have the resource to try and hunt down every teenager that goes missing.

Until I came here I never really understood the magnitude of missing young people.
It seems that Police Forces the world over devote a lot of time and resources to them, the amounts are mind numbing.

 

[Kitkat28]

Until I came here I never really understood the magnitude of missing young people.
It seems that Police Forces the world over devote a lot of time and resources to them, the amounts are mind numbing.

Only if they are middle class white girls though. “Missing white woman syndrome” is sadly not just a cliché.

 

[pillywiggin]

Thinking about Charlene today.

 

[jonmarbles]

i find the familys storys a tiny bithard to belive

 

[Ironside]

i find the familys storys a tiny bithard to belive

The thing that really bugged me about her mums book is she states Charlene had never ran away before. That's just not true. It may be the book was edited that way to make it a more sanitised version of events for sales.

Source
The murder that exposed Blackpool's hidden sex abuse

 

[wtiger]

This story is one which has been twisted to suit certain agendas.

The facts are thus:
The 2 guys who stood trial were almost stitched up by bungling police...the supposed audio tapes did not even actually exist ..or at least could not be produced by the police.
Jan Beasant was sacked for making such a monumental mess of supposedly transcribing the supposed audio tapes.

It is fair to say that Charlene was never more vulnerable than when she was in the presence of those who should have been caring for her (please dont ask me to post proof of this)

Anyone who knows a fraction of the story knows that the real story will not ever now emerge but i can say for certain that the right wing theories are a mile away from the truth.

Channel 5 have a 3 part documentary upcoming...lets see how much truth they are prepared to broadcast!

 

[SJ16321]

The tapes do exist. Panorama played some to Beasant during their programme a couple of years ago. The sound quality is dreadful though so it would be no surprise if the transcripts were wrong.

I await the documentary too. It must be pretty in depth to be a 3 parter.

 

[Cagle]

More than a decade on from the unsolved "murder", police still have no idea what happened to the 14-year-old girl.

Who is Charlene Downes, when did the teen disappear and has anyone been charged with her murder?

 

[jonmarbles]

More than a decade on from the unsolved "murder", police still have no idea what happened to the 14-year-old girl.

Who is Charlene Downes, when did the teen disappear and has anyone been charged with her murder?

 

[jonmarbles]

i cant belive they have only just looked at the cctv footage its like the first investigaters dident want to solve it.

 

[Pinkizzy]

I watched the first episode and it looks like a proper police stitch up. I wouldn't be surprised if her murder was linked to the BNP and the other murdered girl from Blackpool,

 

[Legally Bland]

I'm not sure what to say after the documentary. I'm not generally good at detecting when people are lying, but they were all so bad at it, even the police. The two original investigators really weren't prepared for how detailed the interviews were going to be.

The only believable people in it were the 4/5 victims.

I wasn't sure I'd heard correctly at first when it mentioned the Downes' "house guest" at the time Charlene disappeared.

 

[wtiger]

Nothing new in the documentary!

I could have produced exactly the same thing 10 years ago!

The family are probably the worst character witnesses anyone could ever want.
The documentary never even touched upon why the Downes family washed up in Blackpool in the first place - it could feasibly be argued that if COVENTRY social services had done their job properly then this story may have been very different

 

[wtiger]

In my honest opinion, i have seen this case being linked to that of Paige Chivers...i do see one glaring similarity - both girls were probably at most risk when they were in their family home!...
Whatever your views on Charlene's eventual fate...it's hard to present the parents as anything other than incompetent at very best

 

[jslk]

I've only seen 2 episodes so far, but it is very, VERY damning of LE.

The transcription is really an embarrassing mess.

 

[Farley]

Jesus what a complete cluster feck this case is.

I think it’s safe to say that everyone who should have been protecting this girl, and I mean everyone. Her family, social services, the police etc, all failed her spectacularly.

But what really wound me up, outside of her vanishing of course is the kebab meat headlines. I’m sorry but I hope whichever reporter wrote those, which ever paper printed them is thoroughly ashamed of themselves. It’s absolutely outrageous that those rumours were allowed into the public domain. And used to make some seedy little rag money.

No, her parents aren’t blameless but imagine how utterly distraught reading that would have made them? And her extended family. It’s absolutely appalling.

I also found her sisters sudden hostility strange. Several times she seemed to randomly become hostile. It very much gave the impression that she knew more than she was letting on. But then of course we only saw the edit they wanted us to see.

Safe to say it’s incredibly sad that Charleen has paid the ultimate price for the utter apathy and inaction of anyone who could have saved her. What an awful awful case.

 

[jonmarbles]

her sister was the last person to see hr alive and doesnt seem to want to anser qustions about it.

 

[Pinkizzy]

I'm glad a new team of detectives are investigating the case, hopefully we'll get to the bottom of this shambles.