- 4 months ago
- #realityinsighthub
Crimewatch Roadshow Season 22 Episode 1
#RealityInsightHub
🎞 Please subscribe to our official channel to watch the full movie for free, as soon as possible. ❤️Reality Insight Hub❤️
👉 Official Channel: https://www.dailymotion.com/TrailerBolt
👉 THANK YOU ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
#RealityInsightHub
🎞 Please subscribe to our official channel to watch the full movie for free, as soon as possible. ❤️Reality Insight Hub❤️
👉 Official Channel: https://www.dailymotion.com/TrailerBolt
👉 THANK YOU ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00Just to remind you, this was the abduction and reno-drop campaign and the handgun debate.
00:07Hello and welcome to Prime Watch 12.
00:10You've been running, giving the same as those fantastic results.
00:21Good morning and thanks for joining us today.
00:24And I'm delighted to welcome Steph McGovern to the team.
00:27She's going to be with us whilst Michelle is having her first baby.
00:30And Michelle, whatever you're doing, I hope you've got your feet up.
00:33Because you won't have them up for long, love.
00:36Good luck, Michelle.
00:37Yeah, I am absolutely buzzing to be stepping in.
00:39And hopefully your calls will give some much-needed justice to the victims and families we'll be hearing about throughout the series.
00:47Today, do you know who smashed through the wall of an expensive boutique to steal thousands of pounds worth of handbags?
00:54And look at that.
00:54It was a meticulously planned break-in, but who was behind it?
01:00Also, we'll be talking to officers from Devon and Cornwall Police about the tech being used to identify vapes laced with harmful drugs.
01:10They want to get them off the streets.
01:11Certainly do.
01:12And we have an exclusive film with a team of detectives who led the manhunt to find Constance Martin and Mark Gordon, who went on the run with their new baby.
01:22Yeah, it's an incredible case.
01:24Our phone lines are now open.
01:26To get in touch, scan the QR code below using your phone's camera and follow the link.
01:30Or call us on 08000 468 999.
01:36You can text us as well.
01:38The number's 63399.
01:40Start the message with the word crime, leave a space, and then write your text.
01:44You can email us, cwl at bbc.co.uk, and all of these details will be on your screen down by the clock throughout the programme.
01:56Now, the first appeal we need your help with this series is a fatal shooting of a much-loved and treasured 19-year-old, Ellis Cox.
02:03Ellis was known as a gentle giant.
02:23He was very mature for his age.
02:26When he was about 11, 12, he started to grow his hair, and it got longer and longer and longer, and I used to have to blow-dry it every morning, because his hair had to be perfect.
02:41And then, eventually, he told us he was going to the shop, and this is a famous photo that he came back with this haircut, and nobody could recognise him.
02:50When he was in the shower, you'd hear his boombox come on, and then you knew you were in for a treat, because he would go through various songs, and he would sing, and even our neighbours say,
03:09we know when Ellis is in the shower, because you can hear his beautiful singing.
03:16Whenever he would come home from work, I would tell him about my day.
03:20I don't have that anymore, and he was a good boy, and he just went on out on his bike.
03:32On Sunday, the 23rd of June, 2024, Ellis was at home with his mum.
03:50Ellis wanted to go on a bike ride, because he was really bored, and he said he was going with friends who he knew from school.
04:02But we said, oh, it's a bit late to go now, because we had them wrapped in cotton wool, and he said, it's only half four.
04:09It's really sunny, and I'm 19, and he said, could he borrow a bike off his uncle, Julie's husband?
04:17He went, oh, it's in the shed, Julie, it's a mess, and I was like, get in there and get him a bike, you know, make sure he wants to go with his friends.
04:24And then off he went.
04:25Ellis cycled to meet his friends, and they took a train to Ormskirk.
04:33I rung him numerous times to see where he was and to see if he'd eaten, and then I phoned him and he was on his way back.
04:44He said, Mum, I'm right by yours, I'll be five minutes. Will you warm up my tea?
04:49So I said, yeah. So I thought, I can relax, because I knew that he was five minutes away.
04:57That was the last time Carolyn spoke to her son.
05:00At approximately 10.50pm, Merseyside police were made aware that a 19-year-old man had been shot
05:22whilst at the Liver Industrial Estate in Aintree, Sefton.
05:26One of the males who were with Ellis, he'd call the ambulance first, and they'd notified the police,
05:32and that's how we became aware of the incident.
05:36Ellis was seriously injured, and he was taken to hospital from the scene.
05:41Unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries whilst he was there receiving treatment at the hospital.
05:45Even though he was 19, he's my baby.
06:04And they...
06:06Them people took him from me, and I didn't get to...
06:11I didn't get to say goodbye.
06:13I didn't get to give him a love for how old of me.
06:20And he was just five minutes away.
06:24He would have needed his mum.
06:25Officers started piecing together Ellis' movements that day.
06:41He was in a group of five lads,
06:45all around about the same age, between 17 and 19, 20.
06:49They'd been cycling around Ormskirk, and really just done as young lads do, possibly played football.
06:58That summer, he'd become friendly with a new group of friends.
07:02I don't think this new group of friends were his type of people, really.
07:06I think they were engaged in some low-level criminality.
07:09Ellis probably wouldn't have been aware of any of that.
07:12Ellis and four of the group travelled back to Liverpool by train,
07:18getting off at Maghall North,
07:20heading into Liva Industrial Estate to cycle home via the loop line.
07:26Ellis and his friends have entered sort of an alleyway,
07:29which leads on to the loop line.
07:31And we think there, Ellis and his friends have actually had some sort of confrontation
07:40with the offenders.
07:44Ellis and the group try to flee.
07:47As they've come back into the industrial estate,
07:49we can hear three shots on CCTV.
07:57Now, unfortunately, that's where Ellis is struck,
08:00and Ellis falls to the floor.
08:03Ellis' four friends escaped, but one was also shot in the foot.
08:08There is obviously sort of confusion, and Ellis' friends are frightened.
08:14The assailants then fled the scene on e-bikes.
08:18Three of Ellis' friends leave the area,
08:20but one goes back to him and calls for an ambulance.
08:23We're in the industrial estate.
08:31This is actually the location where Ellis was murdered.
08:38CCTV footage in the industrial area comes to around about this location,
08:44and then from here on in, there's no CCTV.
08:46During the searches, there were two bullet casings recovered.
08:53Judging by the location of where the casings were recovered,
08:56this is where I believe the gunman would have been standing,
08:59in and around this location.
09:02Forensic enquiries into the firearm casings
09:05confirmed the weapon had been linked to two previous shootings in Merseyside,
09:10though the weapon itself has never been recovered.
09:13We know that the suspects have come to this location from this direction
09:17and come from Walton Hall Lane, Walton Hall Avenue area.
09:22I believe they've gone back that route as well.
09:26So I'd ask anybody who lives close to that location
09:30where the loop line meets the Grandison estate,
09:33if they saw anything untoward that night,
09:35if they had any information about who was riding those bikes on that night,
09:38please come forward.
09:39Unfortunately, one of the main aspects of the investigation
09:45that we've encountered
09:46has been the lack of support and information that we receive
09:50from those who were with him on the night.
09:54We're looking for a motive why this happened.
09:57We need to establish that anything happened earlier on in that day
10:00that may have led to this.
10:02Have Alyssa's friends been targeted in particular,
10:04or is this just a totally random attack?
10:08There will be people in our community
10:11who know exactly who's responsible for this,
10:14what they did with the firearm,
10:16where they took the bikes,
10:18what they did with the clothing that they were wearing.
10:26This investigation will continue
10:28until we find who's responsible
10:29and we bring them to justice.
10:36His favourite colour was orange.
10:39So, everything neon orange.
10:44From the minute you walk into the cemetery,
10:46you can see where Alice is.
10:49You can see it probably from the moon.
10:50We need someone who knows
10:57who did this to come forward
10:59and give us that justice for Alice.
11:07If it was your baby,
11:09could you see this
11:10knowing that you know who's done this?
11:14My baby's been taken,
11:16so help us and do the right thing.
11:20Well, this has clearly been incredibly hard
11:27for all of Alice's family,
11:29his friends and the wider community.
11:33And DCI's Steve McGrath
11:34from Merseyside Police is with me now.
11:36Steve, thank you for joining us today.
11:39What you want to make clear
11:40is that you don't believe
11:41that Alice was actually
11:42the intended target of any of this.
11:44Yeah, no.
11:45Alice had absolutely no links to criminality
11:47or he was not involved in criminality in any way.
11:50So he's a totally innocent victim in this.
11:53Our inquiries indicate
11:54that the males that he was with
11:55were involved in low-level criminality,
11:58potentially drug dealing
11:59around and in and around the loop line area.
12:03So that's formed part of our inquiry.
12:06OK, what can you tell us
12:07about his movements that night?
12:09So if you think back to last summer,
12:12it was a lovely sunny time of the year,
12:14lovely sunny day.
12:15Alice and about eight friends
12:17that we've established now
12:18have actually gone to the Ormskerk area
12:20and were hanging around
12:21a university campus
12:23up in Ormskerk.
12:25They've then got the train back
12:27and they've got off the train
12:28at Magul North,
12:29which is a train station
12:31in Magul area.
12:33And then they've cycled through Magul.
12:35They've gone through Fizackley
12:36and ultimately gone into Aintree
12:38where they've gone on
12:40to the Liver Industrial Estate.
12:42Now that takes you through
12:43to the loop line,
12:43which eventually will take you back
12:45to where Alice lived.
12:46OK, what do we know
12:47about the suspects?
12:48So what we believe
12:50is that there was three suspects
12:51involved in the murder of Alice
12:53using e-bikes,
12:55so electronic bikes.
12:56We believe that they've entered
12:58the loop line
12:59potentially around
13:00the Walton Hall Avenue area
13:01and they've also escaped that way too.
13:05It's difficult to say
13:05because of the lack of CCTV
13:07on the loop line,
13:08but we've essentially ruled out
13:10other areas
13:11that they may well have gone in
13:13and out of the loop line from.
13:15And as a result of your inquiries,
13:16you believe they may be local?
13:19Yes, we think so.
13:20I mean, that firearm's been used
13:21on two previous occasions
13:22in the Merseyside area.
13:24So we think that that firearm's
13:26been used by a particular
13:27organised crime group,
13:29which would make sense
13:30when we look at the location
13:31around where Alice was murdered.
13:33So it does look like
13:34it's a localised issue.
13:36What do you know about the weapon?
13:38It was a Glock-type
13:39self-loading pistol.
13:41We believe three shots
13:42were fired on the night.
13:44We've had ballistics examination
13:45of the occasions,
13:47which has led us to believe
13:47that that's the type of firearm used.
13:50Who do you need to hear from today?
13:52So what I'm looking for today,
13:53really, is to make an appeal
13:54to those who are close
13:55to the individuals
13:56who are responsible
13:57for Alice's murder.
13:59I believe that we know
14:00potentially who's responsible
14:01for this now.
14:02We've had a lot of information
14:04from the community,
14:05but it's really more specific details
14:08that I want to ask for today.
14:10So I want to know
14:11sort of who these individuals
14:12were associating with at the time,
14:14what locations they were visiting,
14:16just in order to try
14:17and recover the evidence
14:18that we need
14:19to pursue a prosecution
14:20in this case.
14:21And you need these answers,
14:23and these answers
14:24may well be out there
14:25with someone watching this
14:26right now.
14:27And if they are sat there
14:28and they're scared
14:29to come forward
14:29or they just need
14:30that extra incentive
14:31to come forward,
14:32there's a pretty big
14:33financial reward here.
14:34Yes, so Crime Stoppers
14:35have put forward
14:36a £20,000 reward,
14:38and that's for the arrest
14:39and prosecution
14:40of the offenders
14:40in relation to this.
14:41So that can be accessed
14:43through the Crime Stoppers website
14:44and also through
14:45their telephone contact.
14:47Yeah, we just need
14:47to get the answers in
14:49for this awful, awful crime.
14:50Steve, thank you.
14:52Well, if you can help,
14:53please do pick up the phone
14:55if you know anything
14:56about this awful shooting,
14:58just 19 years of age.
15:01All the ways you can contact us
15:02are at the bottom of your screen,
15:04and we're just going to leave them there
15:05throughout the whole programme.
15:08Now, I'm sure many of you
15:10will have followed in horror
15:11the extraordinary trial this year
15:14of socialite Constance Martin
15:16and her partner Mark Gordon.
15:18Now, they went on the run together
15:19with their newborn baby
15:21in the freezing cold
15:23of November 2023.
15:25Well, now, we can show you
15:27an exclusive film
15:29with the detectives
15:30who led that case.
15:31It's one that would become
15:32a very personal investigation,
15:35and as you can imagine,
15:36this film has some disturbing details
15:38from the start.
15:42We've never come across anything
15:44like this in 23 years
15:46in the police.
15:49It was imperative
15:50that we found the couple
15:52and the baby.
15:54We knew we had to find them
15:55and fast.
15:57All right, where's your child?
15:58On the 5th of January 2023,
16:10at around 20 past six
16:11in the evening,
16:13a member of the public
16:13calls Greater Manchester Police
16:15to report a car fire
16:17on the M61 near Bolton.
16:20Detective Sergeant Dominic Beaver
16:22is on duty.
16:24At the time,
16:24it just seemed quite innocuous.
16:25It was reported
16:27that fire service
16:27were dealing,
16:28and it didn't really seem
16:29like it was much for me
16:31until tables turned
16:32just over an hour later.
16:34I mean, I'm not a pathologist,
16:35but there's loads of newborn baby
16:37paraphernalia in the car.
16:39And when the police attended,
16:41it's been flagged to me
16:42because they were found
16:44what they believed
16:45were body parts
16:45in the vehicle.
16:47What's on the back seat
16:49is probably
16:50about the size
16:51of a bag of sugar.
16:53All sort of concern
16:54is the fact that there's a towel
16:55or a baby blanket
16:56that is blood-stained
16:59and is in the...
17:00It was reported back to me
17:02a while later
17:03that they believed
17:03it was indeed a placenta
17:05that the pathologist thought
17:06was between one and two days old.
17:09The main concern is,
17:10has this child been born
17:12outside of a medical setting
17:14and need some support and help?
17:15That was the big concern.
17:16A witness reports
17:21seeing a couple
17:22leaving the burning car
17:23carrying a newborn baby.
17:26The reason we needed
17:27to find them
17:27was because
17:28it was quite a concern
17:29that a couple
17:30in the weather
17:31that we were having,
17:31it was absolutely
17:32pouring down the rain
17:33that night
17:33and they had a small baby
17:35that we didn't know
17:36how old it was,
17:37how vulnerable.
17:42A search of the area
17:43yields a key piece
17:45of evidence.
17:47In that documentation
17:49we found the name
17:50of Mark Gordon
17:51and we put his name
17:56in the police computer
17:57only to find out
17:57that he had warnings.
18:00It was flagged
18:01that Mark Gordon
18:01was a registered sex offender
18:03having been convicted
18:04to a serious sexual offence
18:06in the United States.
18:10And the database
18:11reveals something else.
18:13It came flashing
18:14on the screen
18:15of a wanted marker
18:16that went on
18:17to elaborate
18:18that together
18:19with his partner
18:19Constance Martin
18:20they had a tendency
18:22to hide pregnancies.
18:26The couple
18:27already have
18:28four children,
18:29all of them
18:29taken into the care
18:30of social services.
18:32And then at that point
18:33we think,
18:34well hang on,
18:35there's a couple
18:35potentially
18:36from the warnings
18:37on the computer
18:37that have hidden
18:38this pregnancy
18:39and have tried
18:41to flee with this child
18:42that's clearly
18:43not had medical care.
18:44It was a real concern
18:46that we just needed
18:46to make sure
18:47that baby was safe.
18:51We knew we had
18:52to find them
18:53and fast.
18:56The following morning,
18:57one sighting leads police
18:59to a makeshift campsite
19:00where they find
19:01Constance Martin's passport
19:03and evidence
19:04that the couple
19:05had been sleeping outdoors
19:06with a baby.
19:08I remember it being
19:09quite a cold winter
19:09and we just had
19:11real concerns
19:12of them not sleeping
19:13somewhere proper
19:14and what may happen
19:16is everyone
19:17was fearing the worst.
19:21Following an appeal
19:22for information,
19:23a member of the public
19:24reports seeing the couple
19:26in Bolton Town Centre.
19:28We dispatch officers
19:30straight to that location
19:31to start reviewing
19:32the CCTV
19:32to see if we can
19:33pick up the couple
19:34and see where
19:35they go afterwards.
19:38That uncovered
19:39the couple
19:40being dropped off
19:41in the town centre,
19:42walking through
19:43the bus station.
19:45We saw
19:45Constance and Mark
19:47soaking wet through
19:48with what seems
19:49to be the baby
19:50inside the coat.
19:55Mark's hood
19:55was up.
19:56That may have been
19:57because of the rain.
19:57It may have been
19:58because he was trying
19:59to avoid CCTV cameras.
20:02They certainly
20:02seemed to be
20:03alive to the tactics
20:04that the police
20:05might utilise the caption.
20:07CCTV then shows
20:09the couple leaving
20:10in another taxi
20:11and officers are able
20:12to identify the driver
20:14who confirms
20:15that the baby
20:16is alive and well.
20:18Police continue
20:19to trace the couple's
20:20movements,
20:21first to Liverpool
20:22and then more than
20:24250 miles south
20:25to Harwich in Essex.
20:2848 hours after
20:30the discovery
20:30of the burning car,
20:31the story
20:32is attracting
20:33national headlines.
20:35Police searching
20:36for a missing couple
20:37and their newborn baby
20:38have released
20:39a CCTV image
20:40that they believe
20:41to be of the mother.
20:45When CCTV
20:46then picks up
20:47the couple arriving
20:48in East Ham
20:48in London,
20:50Detective Superintendent
20:51Lewis Baysford
20:52from the Met Police
20:53takes over
20:54the investigation.
20:55This has got to be
20:57the most significant
20:58manhunt
20:58that I have ever
20:59been involved in.
21:01As a father
21:02myself,
21:03it certainly
21:03makes you think
21:04differently
21:05around investigations
21:06when children
21:07are at the heart
21:08of them.
21:09The CCTV
21:10was really telling
21:11the fact that
21:16she's liable
21:17to being smothered
21:18whilst within
21:18that coat.
21:20It's not
21:20an appropriate
21:21carry device
21:22for such a young
21:23baby in the early
21:25days of her life.
21:27This concern
21:28only grew
21:29when we saw CCTV
21:30images of the way
21:31that they were
21:32handling the baby
21:33in a local restaurant.
21:36In essence,
21:37I would refer to it
21:38as almost handling
21:39they're like a rag doll.
21:43Concerns deepen
21:44when police find
21:45CCTV of the couple
21:47buying a lightweight
21:48tent.
21:51As soon as we knew
21:52that that tent
21:52had been bought,
21:53it became apparent
21:54that they were
21:54sleeping rough.
21:56We knew that the
21:57weather had turned.
21:58We knew that
21:59temperatures at night
22:00were in minus four,
22:02minus five,
22:02minus six.
22:03But the hunt
22:04for the couple
22:05is proving difficult.
22:07They avoid using
22:08mobile phones
22:09or bank cards,
22:10leaving no digital
22:11footprint.
22:12Everything was paid
22:13for in cash.
22:15There was no
22:15interactions with
22:16members of the public.
22:18And when they did
22:18enter at times
22:19restaurants or cafes
22:21to get food for
22:22themselves,
22:23they did so with
22:24masks, which then
22:25concealed their
22:26identities.
22:27By this stage,
22:29police are convinced
22:30that the couple
22:31are playing a dangerous
22:32game of cat and
22:33mouse.
22:34The couple
22:36were so significant
22:38in their
22:39anti-surveillance
22:40that they would
22:41spend hours
22:41circling round
22:43streets of London
22:44before them
22:45moving on.
22:49The spontaneous
22:50planning that they
22:51were doing was
22:52all in an attempt
22:53to evade us.
22:56An enormous
22:58manhunt is now
22:59underway and the
23:00search dominates
23:01the news.
23:02Police say a
23:03couple who
23:03disappeared with
23:04their newborn baby
23:05may be sleeping in
23:06a tent.
23:08Detectives fear
23:08Constance Martin
23:10and Mark Gordon
23:10may be sleeping
23:11rough in freezing
23:12temperatures.
23:14We knew that
23:16without the media
23:17and without the
23:17public, we would
23:19not find the
23:19baby.
23:20Police are
23:21appealing to a
23:21mother from
23:22London to keep
23:23her beautiful
23:24newborn safe.
23:25One tip-off
23:26leads police to
23:27New Haven
23:28on the south
23:29coast.
23:30Detectives
23:30suspect that
23:31even without
23:32passports, the
23:33couple may be
23:34trying to flee
23:35the country.
23:36But instead of
23:36heading to the
23:37port, CCTV
23:38captures them
23:39walking through
23:40a residential
23:41area.
23:42We realise
23:44they're just
23:44about to enter
23:45the South
23:45Downs.
23:47And the last
23:47images we have
23:48of them is
23:49walking past
23:50a residential
23:50premises towards
23:52a footpath which
23:53goes into the
23:55expanse of that
23:55South Downs for
23:57hundreds of
23:57miles of open
23:58land with
24:00temperatures at
24:01minus four,
24:02minus five, with
24:03a tent designed
24:05for a festival,
24:07you know that
24:08the baby's health
24:09and well-being is
24:11at significant
24:12risk now.
24:17Such a shocking
24:18story.
24:18Well, later on
24:19we'll see how
24:20they were finally
24:21caught.
24:22Now, though,
24:23I'm with DS
24:24Laura Fox,
24:24and DI David
24:25Jarvis from
24:26Cheshire Constabulary,
24:28they need help
24:28with an appeal
24:29involving the
24:30theft of over
24:31£260,000 worth
24:33of designer
24:35handbags.
24:35And we've got
24:36an example of
24:37one of the
24:37handbags here
24:38which we'll
24:38come to in a
24:39minute.
24:39But Laura,
24:39just tell us a
24:40bit about this
24:41appeal.
24:41Yeah, so on
24:42Sunday the 8th of
24:43June 2025 at
24:44around 11.38pm,
24:46three offenders
24:47have broken into
24:48a Cheshire
24:48boutique store
24:49which sells
24:50luxury designer
24:51handbags and
24:52they've stolen
24:52around £260,000
24:54worth of items
24:55in what was
24:55a targeted,
24:57sophisticated and
24:58well organised
24:58burglary.
24:59And we're just
24:59seeing pictures
25:00of the shop,
25:01tell us a bit
25:02more about it
25:02because it's
25:02in quite a
25:03posh area of
25:03Cheshire,
25:04isn't it?
25:04Yeah, so the
25:05shop is called
25:05Dress Cheshire,
25:06it's situated in
25:07the heart of
25:07Presbury Village,
25:09it's often
25:10widely referred to
25:10as the Golden
25:11Triangle with
25:12its neighbours,
25:12Wimslow and
25:13Aldley Edge.
25:14The store
25:14itself is
25:15situated next to
25:16an unoccupied
25:17building and the
25:19offenders have
25:19there tunnelled
25:20their way through
25:20a brick fireplace
25:21into the store
25:22on the night.
25:23Yeah, it's some
25:24effort that was
25:24put into this
25:25and David,
25:26there is CCTV
25:27footage isn't
25:28there from
25:29inside and you
25:30can see these
25:31three suspects
25:32breaking in
25:33essentially through
25:34this wall they've
25:35put in from the
25:36pub next door.
25:37Yeah, that's
25:37correct, so today
25:38we've been unable
25:38to identify the
25:39offenders, as you
25:40can see from CCTV
25:41at 11.38 hours
25:43on the 8th of June
25:45the offenders break
25:46into the store,
25:47they're all wearing
25:48face coverings and
25:49they're wearing
25:50clothing covering
25:50their necks, arms
25:51and legs, so we
25:53were unable to
25:53identify any
25:54distinguishing features
25:56such as marks, scars
25:57or tattoos, so we've
25:58been unable to
25:59identify them so far.
26:01They're really
26:01clambering about,
26:02aren't they grabbing
26:03those bags?
26:04You've got CCTV
26:05footage of the car
26:06that they travelled
26:07in as well,
26:08haven't you?
26:08That's correct, yes,
26:09so through our
26:09inquiries we know
26:10that the offenders
26:11attended the address
26:12next to the shop
26:13on the 3rd and
26:147th of June,
26:15they use the same
26:16vehicle on those
26:17dates as they do
26:18during the burglary
26:19on the 8th of June
26:20and we've been
26:21unable to identify
26:22the make or model
26:23of that vehicle.
26:24Yeah, which is
26:24partly why you're
26:25doing this appeal
26:26today.
26:26And Laura, let's
26:27talk about this
26:27haul because I mean
26:28260 grand's a lot
26:29of money but
26:30actually that's not
26:31as many handbags
26:31as you might think
26:32because these are
26:33really expensive
26:34handbags we're
26:35talking about.
26:35Yeah, so in total
26:36there was 45
26:37handbags that were
26:38stolen, a wide range
26:40of designer brands
26:40including Hermes,
26:42Gucci, Chanel,
26:43Prada, Louis Vuitton.
26:44The most expensive
26:45item that went on
26:45the night of the
26:46burglary was an Hermes
26:47Birkin handbag
26:49so it was a
26:49black crocodile
26:50that retailed
26:51around £45,000.
26:52Wow, gosh, that's
26:53an incredible amount
26:54of money and even
26:54this one we've got
26:55here, this is
26:56kind of, it's very
26:58similar to one of
26:59the ones, a couple
27:00of them that got
27:00stolen.
27:01Yeah, so the one
27:01that's on display
27:02here today, so that's
27:03an Hermes Birkin
27:04handbag, it's
27:05identical to three
27:06that were stolen
27:06on the night of the
27:07burglary, albeit in
27:08different colours to
27:09this and that retails
27:10around £20,000.
27:11Yeah, wow.
27:12A lot of money,
27:13obviously, owner
27:14desperate to get
27:15this stuff back and
27:16interestingly, they
27:17were going to put in
27:17air tags into the
27:18bags, didn't they?
27:19So you were able to
27:20track them for a bit.
27:21Yeah, that's correct.
27:22So Christine places
27:22air tags into the
27:23handbags as an added
27:25security measure in
27:26order to trace and
27:27locate them if they're
27:28stolen.
27:29So an Apple air tag
27:30emits a signal to
27:32Apple devices which
27:33then will send the
27:34location to the
27:35owner, in this case
27:36Christine.
27:37So on the night of
27:37the burglary, Christine
27:38received a notification on
27:39her phone to say the
27:40handbags were moving.
27:42When she's attended at
27:43the shop in company
27:44with the police, she's
27:45able to trace the
27:46pings, as you can see
27:47on the screen now, to
27:49a location within
27:50Shore, South
27:51Manchester.
27:52When officers have
27:52attended the location,
27:53they found the air
27:54tags but not the
27:55handbags.
27:56So that makes us
27:56believe that the
27:57offenders knew of
27:58this added security
27:59measure.
28:00Yeah, so you could
28:01see where they went
28:01and then they sussed it
28:02and ditched the air
28:03tags.
28:04So what is it you
28:05want from this
28:05appeal then?
28:06So ultimately we
28:07want to bring the
28:07offenders to justice
28:08and get some closure
28:09for Christine.
28:10And in order to do
28:11that we need the
28:12public's help.
28:13So we need information
28:14in relation to the
28:15offenders.
28:15So I've got no doubt
28:16whatsoever that the
28:17offenders will be
28:17boasting about this
28:18crime in their local
28:19community.
28:20So we're really keen to
28:21hear from anybody
28:22who's able to provide
28:23a name for the people
28:24responsible.
28:25Also in relation to
28:26the vehicle, if
28:28anybody can remember
28:29seeing a suspicious
28:30vehicle on the 3rd,
28:317th or 8th of June
28:32in around the
28:33Presby or Within Shore
28:34area, we'll be keen to
28:35hear from them.
28:35And then finally,
28:3745 high value rare
28:39handbags have been
28:39stolen and the only
28:41reason to do that is
28:42because of the
28:43monetary value.
28:44So we'd be really keen
28:45to hear from anybody
28:45who's been offered to
28:47buy one of these
28:47handbags at a
28:48significantly reduced
28:49price or in suspicious
28:50circumstances.
28:51Yeah, that's a really
28:52good point.
28:52Anyone offering you
28:53one of those on the
28:54cheap, it's probably
28:56dodgy.
28:56Yes.
28:56Yeah.
28:57Great.
28:57Well, thank you so
28:58much for coming in
28:59and we will keep those
29:01images on our website
29:02so you can have a
29:03closer look as well.
29:04And if you know
29:05anything, please do
29:06get in touch.
29:07The words to do that
29:08are at the bottom of
29:09the screen.
29:11Now back to our
29:12exclusive look at the
29:13search for Constance
29:14Martin and Mark
29:15Gordon.
29:16Police believe the
29:16couple are going to
29:17sleep in the wild and
29:19they are worried about
29:20the baby.
29:22As temperatures dip
29:23below freezing,
29:25they're spotted heading
29:26out into the South
29:27Downs with only a
29:28flimsy tent for
29:29shelter.
29:31This was the biggest
29:32search operation that
29:34I've ever been
29:34involved in and think
29:35I ever will.
29:36And it was imperative
29:37that we found the
29:38couple and the baby.
29:41Police focus the
29:42search on the area
29:43where the couple
29:44entered the South
29:45Downs.
29:46They deploy drones and
29:47urge farmers to keep
29:48vigilant for the
29:49fugitives, but they
29:51find nothing.
29:55As the search
29:56continues, police begin
29:57to get a clearer picture
29:58of the couple's very
30:00different backgrounds.
30:01She is an aristocrat.
30:03Her father served as a
30:05page boy to the queen.
30:06She studied Arabic at
30:07university and went to
30:09drama school.
30:10Personal photos suggest
30:12she was glamorous,
30:13well-traveled and a
30:15free-spirited young woman.
30:18Constance Martin does come
30:19from a background in which
30:22she has an abundance of
30:25financial means.
30:28We knew that following
30:30the sale of land from the
30:33family estate that the
30:35trust was set up.
30:37Constance was receiving
30:38around £5,000 a month
30:40from that fund.
30:42By contrast, Mark Gordon
30:45grew up in Birmingham, the
30:46fifth child of a nurse.
30:49In the 1980s, his family
30:50moved to Florida, where he
30:52was convicted of raping a
30:53neighbour, a 30-year-old
30:55mother of two, at knife
30:57point.
30:58Mark was, at the age of
30:5914, convicted to 40 years
31:02for that home invasion and
31:05rape.
31:06And we also know that
31:08actually he was committed
31:09to an adult prison.
31:11He served 20 years before
31:12being deported.
31:13By now, a registered sex
31:17offender, he meets
31:18Constance Martin in a shop
31:20in London, and their
31:22turbulent relationship
31:23begins.
31:25From that moment on, she had
31:28very little to do with her
31:29family.
31:30They went and lived in a
31:32very isolated position,
31:35really just relying on
31:36themselves to get through
31:37day by day.
31:38As the manhunt for the
31:50couple continues, CCTV picks
31:53up Constance in New Haven,
31:55walking with a bag, and
31:56just minutes later, buying
31:58food and petrol.
32:00Mark Gordon is also
32:01spotted, but the couple
32:03remain one step ahead of
32:04the police.
32:05And at that point, you
32:07start to question your
32:09decisions leading the
32:10investigation, leading the
32:12inquiry as to, have we done
32:14the right thing?
32:14Is there anything that we
32:15are missing?
32:17Five weeks pass until, on
32:19February the 20th, CCTV shows
32:22the couple trying to break
32:23into some outbuildings,
32:25presumably to find shelter.
32:27The bag is still with them.
32:28The couple seem increasingly
32:35desperate, and one week
32:36later, they slip up, when
32:39Constance Martin's bank card
32:40is used at a cash machine
32:42outside a shop in Brighton.
32:45A man who had been in that
32:47convenience store where the
32:48ATM was had spotted them, and
32:51he rang 999.
32:53Officers were dispatched, and
32:55seven minutes later, have the
32:57couple in their sights.
33:03You'll stop for a second.
33:06Stop for a second.
33:06Well, I need to speak to you.
33:09Well, because potentially I
33:10think you may have been in
33:11national news.
33:14Put the stick down.
33:16Drop it now.
33:20After 53 days on the run,
33:22the fugitives are arrested.
33:24The first question that I ask
33:28is, is the baby with them?
33:31And I get told no.
33:33And at that point, my heart
33:35just goes.
33:38Where is your child?
33:39The couple were belligerent.
33:42They were obstructive.
33:44Where is your child?
33:45In a minute, where is your child?
33:50Constance just arguing what she
33:52had been arrested for, rather
33:54than answering the questions,
33:56which were, where is your baby?
33:58You are under arrest for
33:59considerable birth of a child.
34:00How's that?
34:01That's not arrestable.
34:02All right.
34:03And section 20, section 27.
34:05The couple are brought into
34:06custody, and the desperate search
34:08for their baby goes on.
34:11The first thing that we did
34:13was deploy hundreds of officers
34:16so that that night, we were
34:17searching every part of the land
34:19close to where they were
34:21arrested to try and find her
34:23safe and well.
34:27But on March 1st, the search
34:31is called off.
34:32So the officers searching the
34:35local area had seen a shed on
34:38sort of an allotment, and inside
34:40had seen the blue tent, as well
34:43as bags, and particularly the bag
34:45for life, and that you can see
34:47them carrying throughout the
34:48investigation.
34:50And the officer puts his hand
34:53into the bag.
34:54He finds, firstly, discarded
34:57nappies, bottles, and rubbish.
35:02Before he touches a baby's body.
35:09And in essence, left in a state
35:11that was so degrading that, you
35:14know, it's one of the things
35:15that will, you know, will live
35:16with me for a long time.
35:18This afternoon, senior officers
35:20laid their own tributes in
35:21memory of the child, who, they
35:23say, may have died some time ago.
35:27We are truly devastated by the
35:28outcome, and we know this
35:30emotion is being felt here in
35:32Brighton, and across the country
35:34today.
35:35Now in custody, Constance Martin
35:37is interviewed by detectives.
35:40We have found a baby.
35:44Constance, I can tell you, the
35:47baby's not alive.
35:47The evidence suggests the baby
36:03probably died of hypothermia.
36:06She was named Victoria.
36:08Tell me about Constance.
36:11No.
36:11Don't.
36:14Take it to him.
36:17Constance.
36:18On July 14th, 2025, Constance Martin and Mark Gordon are found guilty of gross negligence
36:40manslaughter, perverting the course of justice and child cruelty.
36:44In September, they are jailed for 14 years.
36:57Getting the guilty verdict was all about giving justice to baby Victoria.
37:03But it was closure certainly for me, I think, and the investigation team, that actually there
37:08was sole responsibility for her death lays with Constance Martin and Mark Gordon.
37:13I just find it extremely, terribly sad.
37:18All we were ever concerned about and all we ever wanted to do was find Constance and Mark
37:24with the baby in the hope that they'd be safe and well, they could get them the care that
37:28they needed and that the baby would be fine, but it was just so disappointing and sad.
37:34We'll always be asking questions, we'll never really truly know why they did what they did.
37:45And if you've been affected by any of the issues in that film, then head to the BBC Action
38:00Line for advice and support on who to speak to.
38:03Now, vapes have been steeped in controversy, be it the environmental damage of disposables or being
38:11marketed at underage shoppers, but there is also a new worrying and dangerous trend.
38:17And that is vapes that contain substances like THC or even spice.
38:23Yeah, and they have been making their way into the hands of children as young as 13.
38:28But with us to tell us more about it, our PC, Nick Burnett from Devon and Cornwall Police
38:33and Professor Christopher Pudney from the University of Bath.
38:37Thanks for coming in to explain.
38:38You've got a machine here you're going to tell us all about that's been helping with testing.
38:42But first of all, Chris, this is a growing problem, isn't it?
38:45Yeah, so we've now tested vapes and liquids pulled out of schools across the country and
38:50we find that 13% of all the material we've had has actually got a synthetic drug called
38:56spicing.
38:56And that's a drug we find endemic in the UK prison system where it's associated with
39:00nearly half of the non-natural deaths of men and it has withdrawal symptoms like heroin withdrawal.
39:05Yeah, because what is spice?
39:07Yeah, it's a purely synthetic drug that was originally designed to mimic cannabis, but
39:11actually never made it to market because it's just so dangerous.
39:13Wow, that's a massive amount that you found, 13% there.
39:17So, Nick, as a police officer, tell us, how does a drug like this end up in these vapes
39:23and these vapes that kids can actually get hold of and are getting hold of?
39:26Yeah, so they're getting hold of in schools.
39:29Quite commonly you see QR codes on street furniture, lampposts, bus stops in city centres around the
39:35schools and the kids literally scan the QR code and it takes you straight through to their
39:39menu of choice, put your order in and it comes through in the post.
39:42So, it's quite easy for them to actually put the spice within a normal vape that the kid
39:47can then buy.
39:47Absolutely, it comes in a normally, commonly a clear liquid, but also in brightly coloured
39:52to attract the children and you literally just refill your vape up and away you go.
39:57Kind of scary how readily available it is, isn't it?
40:00Chris, can I just ask as well about the distinguishing of vapes?
40:03Because obviously you've got the kind of legitimate high street ones and then these
40:07ones laced with spice, you've developed Kit to be able to tell the difference between them.
40:12Yeah, exactly right and Nick will show it here, says we've developed this with Devon and
40:16Cornwall and with Nick and what this device does lets us tell the difference between normal
40:19vape liquid or even in a smokable vape here or in a liquid or an edible and it lets us distinguish
40:27a bunch of different drugs.
40:29So right now it's going to test for THC and spice and even synthetic opioids and the colour
40:34that comes up on the LED panel there gives you a sense of what drug you've got so when
40:38this finishes running we'll see what we've got here and you know we can see it's come
40:42up there with a colour so now we've got a drug in there that we're going to worry about and
40:46then Nick's going to go away and test that further.
40:48So we can just see there so it has come up and it's yeah it's quite clear you've got the
40:52four different colours there that it could potentially come up with the answer there and
40:57we can see there that it has given an indication that was just seconds wasn't it, it was seconds
41:02that you've done there. So Nick if someone is watching this and they're worried that someone
41:07may be using spice especially if it was a child but it could be anyone couldn't it what would
41:11you say to them should they be worried?
41:13Yeah but have the confidence to come forward with all of the data we've collected it's not
41:18about criminalising the children it's about education that we can reduce the demand and
41:23we obviously can take it out of the market but it's identifying the factors so anxiety,
41:29children having palpitations and it can lead to heart failure and kidney failure but the
41:36kids are videoing and coercing that a high achieving student into doing things they wouldn't ordinarily
41:41do that is captured on a video and then coerced by the threat of showing that video whether
41:47it be to teachers or to parents or just onto social media platforms.
41:51Gosh it's so many elements to this aren't there and in terms of how it's going with this bit
41:56of kit you you kind of get sent the confiscated items don't you from the schools and then what
42:01result have you had from it so far?
42:02That's right so we've run two operations, one in October last year, one in March this year.
42:09The results from October last year was 15% of all vapes contained spice, this year it's
42:14down to six percent so we're hoping the education that we've been able to put out through ourselves
42:20and education and our partners has been able to reduce that figure down.
42:24Brilliant, great result, thank you.
42:26Good luck with the rest of it, thank you.
42:29I'm afraid that is all we've got time for today, thank you for watching and catch us on
42:33iPlay remember for the next 30 days.
42:35Yeah, tomorrow a shop worker shows his steely resolve as he fights off an armed robber.
42:43Within seconds brandishes the six inch kitchen knife, one of the other members of staff he's
42:48come out and clearly could have been hurt himself.
42:54Do you know the man wielding the knife who is?
42:57We're going to see you tomorrow, same time 10.45. Bye for now.
43:01Bye bye.
43:05Bye bye.
43:35Bye bye.
Comments