00:00Hilary and I made a promise that we wouldn't rest until Hannah's killer was brought to justice.
00:15Four years later that promise is still a long way from being honoured, but we are no less determined.
00:24Our lives are now totally preoccupied with achieving justice for Hannah, and this responsibility is physically and emotionally exhausting.
00:39It was a quiet, ordinary Friday night in Southampton.
00:43A 17-year-old girl named Hannah Fosters was walking home along a familiar road, heading toward the warmth of her family house after an evening with friends.
00:53She was bright, ambitious, loved by everyone who knew her, and full of dreams for the future.
01:00But as she took those final steps towards home, a white delivery van crept up beside her, driven by a man with sinister intentions.
01:08Within minutes, Hannah vanished from the streets. Within hours, her lifeless body would be dumped miles away, hidden under brambles in the dark countryside.
01:19A young girl with aspirations of becoming a doctor, who loved music, art, and science, had her life brutally stolen in a random act of cruelty that shocked not only her family and city, but the entire nation.
01:33What followed was a desperate search for truth, an international manhunt that crossed continents, and a courtroom battle for justice that would drag on for years.
01:43This is a story not just a horrific crime, but a family's relentless fight to honor their daughter's memory and ensure her voice was finally heard.
01:52Hannah Foster was born in 1985 in Southampton, England, to Trevor and Hillary Foster.
02:03She was her first daughter, followed later by her sister Sarah.
02:07Hannah's childhood was full of warmth, surrounded by books and art.
02:12Her parents recall a quiet but confident girl who showed early promise in academics.
02:18At school, she was known for her gentle nature and sharp intellect.
02:23She dreamed of studying medicine, inspired by her mother's work in healthcare, education, and personality.
02:32On March 14th, 2003, she spent the evening at local pubs, The Hobbit and Soul Bar, with a close friend.
02:41They laughed, joked, and talked about upcoming exams.
02:45At 10.50pm, Hannah chose to walk the short distance home alone.
02:50Her friend boarded a bus, and Hannah set off toward her familiar street, unaware that her life was about to end.
02:58A bright future, a loving family, a safe town.
03:03But as Hannah turned down that quiet road, someone was watching.
03:07Someone who would change everything forever.
03:13On March 14th, 2003, a normal walk home becomes the beginning of a horror.
03:19The kidnapping as Hannah walked along Portswood Road.
03:22Meninder Pal Singh Coley approached in his white sandwich delivery van.
03:27He stopped alongside her and forced her into the vehicle against her will.
03:32Inside the van, terrified and aware of the danger, Hannah managed to dial 999 on her mobile phone.
03:39The call lasted 50 seconds.
03:41She did not speak directly, but left the line open.
03:44In the background, Coley's voice could be heard asking her repeatedly if she was English.
03:50Hannah could be heard quietly responding yes.
03:53The call was tragically misinterpreted by the operator and not treated as urgent.
03:58The assault after phone call cut off.
04:01Coley drove Hannah to an isolated area.
04:04The exact location was never identified, but forensic evidence confirmed that the attack took place inside his delivery van.
04:12Once part, Coley raped Hannah in the back of the van.
04:16Forensic scientists later found Coley's DNA inside her body and on her clothing.
04:22The assault was violent.
04:24Bruising and other injuries were consistent with sexual assault.
04:28It is believed this horrifying ordeal lasted several minutes while she was held captive in the van.
04:33The murder after assaulting her.
04:35Coley strangled Hannah to death with his hands.
04:39The post-mortem examination confirmed that the cause of death was manual strangulation.
04:44The pressure applied was so forceful that it crushed her neck tissues and restricted her airway, leading to death.
04:51There were no defensive wounds, suggesting that Hannah, weakened, was unable to resist further.
04:58After killing her, Coley drove Allenton Lane, a remote area near Southampton.
05:03There, he dragged Hannah's lifeless body into a ditch, covering her with undergrowth and brambles to hide her from view.
05:11This act was calculated to delay discovery.
05:14Coley then disposed of her belongings to eliminate evidence.
05:18Hannah's mobile phone and rucksack were later recovered miles away in a bin in South Sea, thrown away in a different part of town to confuse investigators.
05:27As dawn broke over Southampton, Hannah's body lay undiscovered and her killer was making plans to flee.
05:35But the trail he left behind would soon spark one of the most relentless manhunts in modern British criminal history.
05:41As Coley vanished into India, the search for justice spanned two nations in years of waiting.
05:50The investigation begins police soon found Hannah's body in Allenton Lane.
05:55Forensic examination revealed signs of rape and strangulation.
06:00DNA traces matched to an unknown male, later linked to Coley through his son's DNA profile.
06:06CCTV footage traced Coley's van following Hannah's likely route.
06:12Phone records showed her mobile traveling the same route as Coley's van.
06:16All evidence pointed to Coley.
06:18Knowing the net was closing, Coley fled to India on March 18th, 2003, under the pretext of visiting his sick mother.
06:27International manhunt Hannah's parents launched a media campaign in India in 2004.
06:33Coley was spotted in Darjeeling by an off-duty policeman while trying to flee to Nepal.
06:39He was arrested and briefly confessed on Indian TV, but later retracted.
06:44I was abducted, raped and killed Hannah Foster.
06:48And I want to unburden myself.
06:51I totally want to tell the truth what happened there that night.
06:54She was crossing the road, I was coming out of the mitre pub.
06:57My van was parked on the same road where she is walking.
07:01I just picked my van and I came, you know, on the other road and I saw her again.
07:08Then I stopped my vehicle, you know, and I abducted her.
07:12I was totally drunk.
07:14After years of legal battles and over 100 court hearings, India extradited Coley to the UK in 2007.
07:22He was tried in Winchester Crown Court in 2008.
07:26The prosecution presented overwhelming forensic, CCTV and audio evidence from a 999 call.
07:33Coley was found guilty of kidnap, rape and murder.
07:37He received a life sentence with a minimum term of 24 years.
07:41Hannah's family finally found justice after years of suffering.
07:45Justice was served.
07:47But the memory of a young life lost continues to resonate.
07:50In classrooms, in courtrooms and in the hearts of those who refuse to forget.
08:07In a community ofображ
08:15This is a good one.
08:19In the context of the area, I believe,
08:24partners have given the spirit attraction.
08:26In the context of the area, I believe,
08:28the connection between watching the world and watching the world.
08:30I believe that I'm staying, too.
08:32This is a good example.
08:33I believe there are a lot of letters in my life.
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