- 2 days ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:08This was a cold and calculated murder.
00:16There's always a breaking point in an investigation.
00:24The timeline of events didn't add up.
00:32It was crucial we supported our family contact.
00:50When I stood and looked at the house and I saw the flames coming out of the windows of the
00:55third floor, I knew my mum was in that room.
00:58Inside the bedroom, it was an inferno.
01:01All the soft furnishings and the carpets and the curtains were ablaze.
01:07The problem with house fires is that fire is a great destroyer of evidence.
01:15I felt as if there was something wrong because I wanted everybody to get out of the fire but not
01:21Amanda.
01:22Having one of your children die is just awful.
01:26But to have one of your children murdered is unthinkable.
01:42I first met the Bates family when I was tasked to notify them of the tragic news that their daughter
01:47Amanda Burks, aged 27, had been found deceased in a house fire.
01:53From that moment, I became their point of contact in a murder investigation.
01:58My name is Ian Mobs and I was a police family liaison officer, often referred to as a flow with
02:05Staffordshire Police.
02:07The role of a flow is crucial to a murder investigation because you act as a conduit between the family
02:16and the senior investigating officer.
02:18I think it's really important.
02:20Delivering death messages is an awful part of that job.
02:27Having to sit somebody down and tell them that a loved one is dead is extremely, extremely difficult.
02:45The role of a family liaison officer is a relatively recent arrival in the criminal justice system.
03:05Certainly that role did not exist when I started as a young barrister.
03:10I'll get my stuff together and I'll come in.
03:12It's assumed, rightly, much greater prominence as the years have passed by.
03:19I was told that I was going to be the family liaison officer.
03:24My heart sunk a little that this was a fire because I instinctively knew that this could be quite a
03:32difficult case to crack.
03:35The problem with house fires is that fire is a great destroyer of evidence.
03:47At a quarter past two on the morning of the 18th of January 2009, a man rang 999 and asked
03:56for the fire service.
03:58He said that his house was on fire.
04:02He said his children had escaped from the house with him, but he didn't know if his wife was still
04:08in the house upstairs.
04:11My name is Christopher Houghton and I was, up until the end of 2017, a prosecution barrister.
04:20The neighbors could see flames shooting out of the upstairs windows of Christopher and Amanda Burke's house.
04:31The family consisted of Amanda and Christopher and they had two children.
04:37They had Jack, who was about ten, and they had little Millie, she was about two.
04:43When the fire service arrived at about twenty past two, they found the house well ablaze.
04:52And so they did what fire officers do.
04:55They put on their breathing apparatus, and at considerable risk to themselves, they entered the house.
05:03They went up the stairs to find that the landing area was completely ablaze.
05:10They were very worried that the fire might have spread into the roof space and that the ceiling might collapse
05:17upon them.
05:18They managed to extinguish the flames on the landing, and they made their way into the bedroom.
05:26Inside the bedroom, it was an inferno.
05:29All the soft furnishings and the carpets and the curtains were ablaze.
05:35The fire service spent two or three minutes putting out the flames.
05:41It was then that they saw the body of Amanda Burke's lying on the remnants of the bed.
05:49They were immediately struck by the peculiar position.
05:56She was lying in a star shape with her legs and arms spread out.
06:12When I arrived at the scene, the fire was out.
06:15Because it's a crime scene, the area was cordoned off.
06:19Well, I wanted to know what the scene looked like, because I knew that at some point,
06:25the family will be asking me a lot of very searching questions.
06:31I just thought, I need to get a complete understanding of what has transpired here.
06:38I needed to know the facts.
06:41When I entered the house, you wouldn't have known from the downstairs that there'd been a fire.
06:46There was no smoke damage.
06:47So I went to the first floor.
06:50There was some smoke damage, but not a great deal.
06:53But the third floor was completely gutted.
06:57There was nothing left.
06:58It was just a blackened shell.
07:00I entered the room where the body was found.
07:04It was very, very badly damaged.
07:06It just struck me as very, very unusual that somebody could just simply burn to death without waking up.
07:16When somebody finds themselves caught or trapped in a fire, the natural instinct is to try and flee to a
07:26window or to a door.
07:27If they can't get out, the natural instinct is to curl into a ball with one's arms over one's head
07:36in a futile attempt to protect yourself from the flames.
07:40Lying on the bed in a star shape immediately aroused very considerable suspicion about the circumstances of this fire.
07:49We treated the case as suspicious from the very off.
07:55We weren't.
07:57We weren't happy with it.
08:13It was quite late.
08:14I can't remember the time.
08:16They come, a knock at the door, and it was Chris's brother.
08:19my name is Beverly Bates
08:21and I'm the mother
08:23of Amanda Burks
08:26and he said
08:27the house is on fire
08:28Amanda's house is on fire
08:31and I just remember
08:34I just went hysterical
08:37because
08:37I know I rang me mum
08:40I was hysterical and I rang
08:41me son and I was hysterical
08:44on the phone to them
08:45me husband says I'll go up
08:50me husband got up to the house
08:53the road was cordoned off
08:55he says I just stood there
08:56he says I didn't know what to do
08:59the police
09:00came across
09:01and the policeman just turned to him and said
09:04we've got a fatality
09:06and it's Amanda
09:10nobody told the police
09:12as Brian was Amanda's dad
09:14and Brian was so much in shock
09:16he didn't tell the police himself
09:18he was traumatised
09:21he just sat and cried
09:24my mum and my sisters
09:26the husbands and my brothers
09:28they'd all come round
09:31and none of us had any answers
09:33none of us really knew
09:34what was going on
09:36you're in limbo
09:37and we were thinking
09:38what do we do
09:49I was
09:51the single point of contact
09:53for that family
09:54because
09:55they must have a million things
09:57running through their heads
10:01didn't know what was going on
10:03what happened to Amanda
10:05and we didn't
10:06we didn't know where I got the answers from
10:09this family
10:10were absolutely distraught
10:13when I got there
10:14absolutely distraught
10:17when I first saw the liaison officers
10:19it was a relief
10:21I introduced myself to the family
10:23there was Beverly
10:25Amanda's mother
10:26Brian was Bev's husband
10:29the liaison officers had told us
10:32they would represent us
10:33and he was informed
10:35as
10:35what went on
10:37with the investigation
10:39every step of the way
10:40because I was an active part
10:42of the investigation as well
10:43I was actually an investigating detective
10:46as well as being the family liaison officer
10:48I was able
10:49to
10:50go back to this family
10:52and
10:52give them
10:53an accurate picture
10:56of everything we knew
10:57at that time
10:59I said to them
11:00I can't even begin to imagine
11:02what you're going through
11:04because
11:05who can
11:08and
11:09really
11:10I think we sort of started
11:12to hit it off
11:14right there
11:19it was clear
11:20that
11:21Amanda's family
11:23Beverly and Barbara
11:24were just
11:26such lovely people
11:27and so was Brian
11:28and they were a very
11:30very close-knit family
11:32on the 17th
11:34I'd been speaking to her
11:36during the daytime
11:37I rang her
11:38and she was on the way back
11:39and she says
11:39mum I can't talk to you
11:40because I'm driving
11:42I'm going to have her now
11:43and I'll give you a ring later
11:44anyway she never rang me later
11:46so I thought she was tired
11:48or she was busy
11:50and then it was later on
11:53at the night time
11:55I think I come with her
11:57tried ringing
11:57and I got no answer
11:58so I text her
11:59and I got a message
12:01having a nice room of therapy
12:04Chris just took the kids out
12:07so I rang Chris
12:08and I said
12:08have you took the kids out
12:09he says yeah
12:11so I text Amanda again
12:12and said
12:13you're having a rhema therapy night
12:15and she said yeah
12:16so we were texting backwards
12:17and forwards
12:19between me and Amanda
12:20all of a sudden
12:21the taxi stopped
12:30you need to see
12:31if there's anything
12:32you've gained forensically
12:33from the crime scene
12:35the fire was in the bedroom
12:37I actually recovered
12:39a piece of carpet
12:41from that room
12:43the scientists examined
12:46the carpet
12:47and discovered
12:48that the carpet
12:49was highly fire resistant
12:51they were sure
12:53this had not been
12:55a smouldering
12:56slow burning fire
12:58they were satisfied
13:00that this was a fire
13:02started with the use
13:04of some form of accelerant
13:06a fire in other words
13:07that had been deliberately set
13:10also there was a smoke alarm
13:13on the second floor landing
13:16that smoke alarm was found
13:18detached from the wall
13:20and lying propped
13:22against the skirting board
13:24and the floor
13:25it wasn't damaged
13:27in any way
13:28by fire
13:29as we all know
13:31smoke rises
13:32and it's near the ceiling
13:33that it will be first detected
13:35the conclusion was
13:37that that had been removed
13:38either immediately before
13:40or at the very early stages
13:42of the fire
13:43so that when the fire brigade
13:45did get there
13:46the fire had taken
13:48a considerable hold
13:57my initial briefing
13:58was that we didn't know
14:00where the children were
14:01I wanted to see
14:02that they were safe
14:03and well
14:04and I wanted to establish
14:07if they were witnesses
14:09and if they could help us
14:10with the inquiry
14:11I managed to track
14:12the children down
14:13to Christopher
14:14the husband's
14:16mum and dad's house
14:17Christopher was in the house
14:19I introduced myself
14:21the same as I always would
14:22that I'm the family liaison officer
14:25Christopher said that
14:29Amanda was relaxing
14:33and she had some kind of bath
14:35like an aromatherapy bath
14:37and then she retired to bed
14:40with candles
14:42his account was
14:44that he had left his wife
14:46in the house
14:47on her own
14:48when he went out
14:49in the evening
14:50with the children
14:51for a meal
14:53he said
14:54he had been texting
14:56Amanda
14:57throughout the evening
14:58he'd returned
15:00and assumed
15:01that she was upstairs
15:02but didn't know
15:04for certain
15:06and the next thing he knew
15:07he was awoken
15:08by the fire alarm
15:09the one thing
15:11that I took away
15:13from that meeting
15:14was
15:15Christopher's attitude
15:17if he'd lost his wife
15:19in a fire
15:22I would have expected him
15:24to be devastated
15:25but he wasn't
15:27he just simply wasn't
15:29I found Christopher's behaviour
15:32extremely odd
15:33I became very uncomfortable
15:36with the situation
15:38I was absolutely convinced
15:40that I didn't want
15:41these children
15:41in this house
15:44they were numb
15:47quite frankly
15:49Millie
15:49Amanda's daughter
15:51she was very young
15:53and I don't think
15:54she quite understood
15:55what was going on
15:57but Jack did
15:59and
16:00they
16:02came across to me
16:03as being
16:04just utterly
16:06well
16:07Jack was just numb
16:08it was clear to me
16:11that
16:11whilst Amanda's family
16:13were
16:13rightly
16:14so
16:15devastated
16:17Christopher wasn't
16:19and
16:20you know
16:21that's not normal
16:23surely
16:31in order to identify
16:33the victim
16:35normally you would
16:37invite the family
16:38to the mortuary
16:40and you'd do a physical
16:42identification
16:43that wasn't possible
16:45in this instance
16:46because
16:48Amanda
16:50was
16:51terribly
16:53terribly
16:54burnt
16:56they were going to
16:57identify Amanda
16:59through her dental
17:00records
17:00and I gave them
17:01the address
17:03and the phone number
17:04the dentist Amanda
17:05used
17:05it was very difficult
17:07to support the family
17:08through this
17:08because
17:09Beverly
17:10had an overwhelming
17:11desire
17:12to see her daughter
17:13which is understandable
17:15but
17:16she couldn't
17:17I was told
17:20I couldn't actually
17:21go and see her
17:21but I could go and
17:23hold her hand
17:25through a blanket
17:27but we wouldn't be able
17:28to see her body
17:29that was really hard
17:31I refused to do that
17:33not because
17:33I didn't want to do it
17:35but I knew
17:36if I went and touched
17:37her hand
17:37through a blanket
17:38I'd want to pull
17:39the blanket off
17:50this was about
17:51a relationship
17:52between
17:52Amanda Burks
17:54and her
17:55husband
17:56Christopher
17:57they met
17:59at the end
18:00of the 1990s
18:02when
18:02Amanda
18:03was 18
18:04and Chris
18:05was 21
18:06they met
18:08on a night
18:08out
18:09she just says
18:10I've met this
18:11lad and he's
18:12really nice
18:13she'd been
18:14out with him
18:15a few times
18:15she brought him
18:16home
18:17that first meeting
18:18with him
18:18it seemed like
18:19a nice lad
18:20he was polite
18:22he's a charmer
18:23it developed
18:24quite quick
18:25within 12 months
18:27of meeting him
18:27they'd moved in
18:28together
18:29that led
18:30in the year
18:322000
18:33to the birth
18:33of their elder
18:34child
18:35Jack
18:42my name
18:42is Jack
18:43Bates
18:43and I'm
18:44the son
18:44of Amanda
18:44Burks
18:46the night
18:47of the 17th
18:48Chris picked me up
18:50we ended up going
18:51to 10 pin bowling
18:52on some of the arcade
18:53machines
18:54and then he took us
18:55to McDonald's
18:56and then back home
18:57where we sat
18:58in that time
18:58at McDonald's
18:59I went up
18:59to go to the third floor
19:01to see what my mum was doing
19:03and Chris
19:04quickly come running
19:05to me
19:06and brought me
19:07back down
19:07before I got
19:08to the third floor
19:09and said
19:09no no
19:09leave your mum
19:10she's having
19:11a relaxing time
19:12she doesn't want
19:13to be bothered
19:13by our kids
19:14she'll come
19:15into the bedroom
19:15later when you're asleep
19:16and she'll give you a kiss
19:18after that
19:19he put us
19:20in our dramas
19:21and he put us
19:21into his bed
19:23which felt weird
19:24to me that night
19:25why aren't I going
19:26in my own bed
19:27why am I going
19:27into his bed
19:31the smoke alarm
19:32started going off
19:33and I woke up
19:34straight away
19:36and Chris was already
19:37out of the bed
19:37standing up
19:38and the room
19:39was filling
19:40with black smoke
19:41he then told us
19:42to go and sit
19:43in the en suite
19:44of the master bedroom
19:45which we did
19:47until the smoke
19:47was getting a bit
19:48too much
19:49and we went out
19:49onto the landing
19:50at that point
19:51he was banging
19:52on the door
19:52the bedroom door
19:54for the third floor
19:56shouting my mother's name
19:57at that point
19:59the smoke
19:59was getting
19:59even worse
20:00so I took Amelia
20:02step by step
20:03down to the first floor
20:04and we went
20:04into the living room
20:05until the smoke
20:06started coming
20:07through the fireplace
20:08and at that point
20:09I exited the house
20:11the front door
20:11was already unlocked
20:14the whole street
20:15was lit up
20:16with an orange glow
20:17from the fire
20:18flames were coming
20:19out the roof
20:21and the driveway
20:22was covered
20:23in glass
20:24from the windows
20:25blowing
20:25and I could see
20:26the flames
20:27coming out
20:27of the roof
20:29when I stood
20:30and looked at the house
20:31and I saw the flames
20:32coming out
20:32of the windows
20:33of the third floor
20:34I knew my mum
20:35was in that room
20:36I knew by looking
20:37at the house
20:38that she wouldn't survive
20:48despite the fact
20:50that Amanda's body
20:51was very severely burnt
20:53the scientists
20:55and the pathologists
20:57recovered some very
20:59important evidence
21:00when somebody is trapped
21:03in a smoke filled environment
21:06what one should discover
21:08in the airways
21:09and the lungs
21:10are traces of soot
21:12Amanda's lungs
21:14and airways
21:15were examined
21:16and no traces
21:17of soot
21:18were found
21:18that must mean
21:21that she was not breathing
21:23at any time
21:24that that fire
21:25took place
21:28the other thing
21:29they would have expected
21:30to find
21:31were traces
21:32of cyanide
21:34and carbon monoxide
21:36which are both
21:37byproducts of a fire
21:39but there is no trace
21:41of either of those
21:42in her blood
21:42a person who is
21:44exposed
21:46to the extreme heat
21:47of a fire like this
21:49will find that
21:51the muscles
21:53of their body
21:54contract
21:55such that it appears
21:57that the body
21:57is in a fighting stance
21:59as though they are crouched
22:00and with their arms
22:02out in front of them
22:03Amanda's body
22:04was found
22:04in this odd star shape
22:06indicating very strongly
22:08that she was not alive
22:10when the fire
22:11took place
22:21as soon as I became aware
22:23of what the autopsy
22:24results were
22:25I obviously informed
22:27the family
22:27and this was distressing
22:29for them
22:31Amanda was released
22:32from the coroners
22:33to the undertakers
22:35we used to go down
22:37in the undertakers
22:38and up until the funeral
22:40they used to
22:41put Amanda's coffin
22:43in a room
22:44and we used to go
22:45and sit with her there
22:45and talk to her there
22:48she was clearly
22:49the brains
22:50of the outfit
22:52she was the go-getter
22:54she was the worker
22:56she put the business
22:58plans together
22:59and she had helped
23:01to set up
23:02all of the businesses
23:04that the family
23:06had had
23:07she really
23:08really
23:08was such a good
23:10hard-working lady
23:11I used to say to her
23:12about how hard she worked
23:14and she says
23:15mum doing it for me kids
23:17just because I want my kids
23:19to have a stable future
23:20when I was growing up
23:22I always felt
23:22the closest to my mum
23:24she was always loving
23:26compassionate
23:27always a shoulder
23:28to cry on
23:29whenever I got upset
23:30I'm in the kitchen
23:31with my mum
23:32and my sister
23:32making cakes
23:33mum would have her music on
23:34and we'd all sit
23:35at the table
23:36decorating the cakes
23:37and that was good memories
23:39Jack came across to me
23:40as being a very
23:41very intelligent
23:42young man
23:42he was clearly
23:43very articulate
23:44for one of his age
23:47and he was able
23:48to communicate with me
23:49really very well
23:50he wanted to tell me
23:52something on one
23:52particular occasion
23:53while I was round the house
23:54he said
23:55I've got something
23:56to say to you
23:57and I said okay
23:59so
24:00he stood there
24:01and I sat
24:03on the bottom step
24:04of the stairs
24:05so that I was now
24:06exactly his level
24:08because I wanted him
24:09to feel comfortable
24:10with me
24:10I wasn't trained
24:11to do this
24:12this is just something
24:13that I've picked up
24:14over the years
24:15that children
24:16communicate more freely
24:18when the adult
24:20they're speaking to
24:21isn't actually
24:22towering over them
24:23he wanted to tell me
24:25on that day
24:26that when his father
24:27took them out
24:28he was extremely
24:29extremely anxious
24:31and very very nervy
24:34Jack explained to me
24:35that at one point
24:37he kicked a football
24:38so hard
24:39that he burst it
24:40and that he was in a
24:42literally a quite
24:44manic state
24:45of mind
24:45he was helping
24:47a lot
24:47and I always thanked him
24:50for his input
24:50a family liaison officer
24:53is very important
24:55in ensuring
24:56that the victims
24:58and in this case
24:59the victims
25:00loved ones
25:01remain
25:03central
25:04to the investigation
25:05and are never
25:06forgotten
25:07or ignored
25:08in the course
25:09of an investigation
25:17an important element
25:19of Christopher's story
25:21was obviously
25:23that Amanda
25:24had been engaged
25:26in an aromatherapy evening
25:28her mother
25:29was quite clear
25:30that if Amanda
25:32was going to have
25:34an aromatherapy evening
25:35she would change
25:37out of her ordinary
25:38day clothes
25:39and into her night clothes
25:40when Amanda's body
25:44was examined
25:45recovered from it
25:48were traces
25:49of a green sweater
25:51and part
25:53of the underwiring
25:55of a bra
25:56CCTV footage
25:59taken
25:59at the
26:00premises
26:02occupied
26:03by the company
26:04that Amanda
26:05and Christopher
26:06owned
26:07showed that Amanda
26:09was wearing
26:10that same
26:11green sweater
26:12earlier in the day
26:14she had not
26:15changed her clothing
26:17since the morning
26:18of the 17th
26:20and that
26:22really undermined
26:23the suggestion
26:24that Amanda
26:26had been involved
26:26in some sort
26:27of aromatherapy session
26:36when they first
26:37moved in together
26:38everything seemed fine
26:39but then
26:40there seemed to be
26:42a lot of arguments
26:43it was
26:44a stormy
26:45relationship
26:46he was being
26:47really horrible
26:48he was shouting
26:49he was violent
26:50nearly every week
26:51she'd ring me up
26:52and we'd have to go up
26:53she'd come in
26:54for a few days
26:55then he'd work
26:56his way around
26:56then she'd go back
26:57so it was kind of
26:59it was just like
27:00a vicious circle
27:02on many occasions
27:03the police were called
27:05to their home
27:07but generally
27:08Amanda would
27:09either refuse
27:10to complain
27:11or if she did
27:12complain
27:13would be persuaded
27:15by Christopher
27:15later to withdraw
27:17her complaints
27:18the violence
27:19the violence was just
27:20continual
27:21you used to always go
27:22for bashing her head
27:23in the wall
27:24or marking on the body
27:26where you can't see
27:26you never went
27:27for marking a face
27:29so there was never
27:30any physical
27:31as anybody else
27:34could see
27:35me mum always used to say
27:37to Amanda
27:37you need to get out
27:39one of these days
27:40it's going to kill you
27:44she thought the problem
27:45was herself
27:46she didn't think
27:47the problem was him
27:47because he'd put it
27:48into her mind
27:49as it was her
27:50with domestic violence
27:52always make you
27:53feel as if it's your fault
27:55you can turn the tables
27:57that if you had to
27:59push the buttons
28:00it wouldn't have happened
28:02so every time
28:03anything happened
28:03she just feels
28:04as if it was her fault
28:06it's control
28:07they control you
28:12Amanda would try
28:12and shield
28:13the kids
28:14from the domestic violence
28:16but I don't think
28:16she could actually
28:18shield them that much
28:19I can remember
28:20lots of rowing
28:21and I can remember
28:22him hitting me mum
28:23every day
28:24it was like
28:25walking on eggshells
28:26sometimes
28:26and I know
28:27me mum was walking
28:27on eggshells too
28:28because you say
28:29the wrong thing to him
28:30and it's going to be
28:30kicking off
28:31like whenever there was
28:32a row or anything
28:32she didn't want me
28:33she didn't want me around
28:34she used to send me
28:36out the room and stuff
28:37but I'd
28:37I'd always
28:38I'd always get back in
28:39I didn't want him
28:41hitting me mum
28:41you want to stick up
28:43for your mum
28:43but again
28:44you're sticking up
28:45against a fully grown man
28:46when you're only a child
28:47yourself
28:47so it's kind of hard
28:50I noticed sometimes
28:51when I went to
28:52friends houses
28:52that their mum and dad
28:53were always
28:54loving with each other
28:55but my
28:56my
28:57my dad Chris
28:58was always
28:59vile to me mother
29:01he wanted to control
29:02everything she did
29:03where she went
29:04he wanted to control
29:05what friends she spoke to
29:07whether she went out
29:08whether she stayed in
29:09if she'd come to my house
29:10he was constantly
29:11on the phone
29:12when she wasn't with her
29:14seeing where she was
29:22there was one time
29:24she got out of the relationship
29:25she'd moved back home with us
29:27and then she got her house
29:29and she moved in the house
29:30and she got Amelia
29:31as a baby that time
29:33so she got Jack and Amelia
29:35and she'd moved in this house
29:36and she was quite happy
29:38the day of Amelia's christening
29:40they decided
29:40we'd be amicable
29:42we'll have the christening together
29:45so she did the christening
29:46then she went home
29:48and he went
29:48should have gone home
29:50she'd let him in
29:51and he'd
29:52started arguing with her
29:54he'd literally
29:56broke things all in a bedroom
29:59Jack had gone upstairs
30:00and he was upstairs
30:01with Amelia
30:02he kicked off
30:04and smashed the house up
30:06hit me mum
30:07and the police
30:08ended up coming
30:09and he was arrested
30:10he wanted to get back together
30:12and she'd said no
30:13so that's when he'd lost his temper
30:16and he's
30:17swiped everything off
30:18the dressing table
30:19in the bedroom
30:20and throwing stuff around
30:22Amanda had phoned the police
30:24she tried backtrack out of that
30:26but I think the police
30:27insisted
30:27they went through with it
30:29that time
30:31this time
30:32the case did go to court
30:34and amongst the penalties
30:36that were imposed upon Christopher
30:38he was required to attend
30:40a domestic abuse programme
30:44and it was kind of
30:45after he'd
30:45been through the court
30:48he was saying
30:49well I've got all this
30:50it's all in place
30:51and
30:52that's when she moved back with him
30:54they got through Christmas
30:56okay
30:56but Amanda decided
30:57she wanted out of the marriage
31:01and they were living
31:01they were still together
31:03in the house
31:03but living separate
31:04because it was a three story house
31:06and she was sleeping
31:07in the top floor
31:17Amanda's family had informed me
31:19that Amanda had been texting
31:22Beverly
31:22Amanda's mum
31:23on a regular basis
31:25throughout the evening
31:26because then with the last messages
31:28I had
31:29of Amanda
31:30I felt as if I needed
31:31to cherish their messages
31:33and I'd pick the messages up
31:34when I'm reading through them
31:35and I just said
31:36the messages don't seem right
31:39when I was in the house
31:41when I was in the house
31:41and Dev
31:42showed me
31:43her mobile phone
31:44I could see the text messages
31:46were there
31:46and then she showed me
31:47text messages
31:48that she'd had
31:50from Amanda
31:51me and Amanda
31:52have always put
31:53three little kisses
31:55and the three little kisses
31:56that aren't there
32:04a good while ago
32:06I had sent Amanda
32:07a message
32:08and I'd only put two
32:10and she sent a message back
32:11and asked me
32:12where the other kiss was
32:13so
32:14it was kind of
32:15a family thing
32:18we put three little kisses
32:19that's something
32:20I obviously passed on
32:21to my scene
32:21investigating officer
32:22straight away
32:23he brought in
32:24a linguistic expert
32:26to look at the text messages
32:27that were on
32:29Beverly's phone
32:31and they concluded
32:32that these text messages
32:34had not come from Amanda
32:36and that prompted him
32:37to do the phone analysis
32:40they confiscated Chris's phone
32:42they managed to get
32:43some information
32:44off Amanda's phone
32:46the telephone records
32:47for Amanda
32:48should show
32:49that phone calls
32:50were being made
32:51from or in the vicinity
32:52of the house
32:53his records should show
32:54that he was elsewhere
32:55with the children
32:56having a meal
32:58and it turned out
33:00that no they weren't
33:00Christopher's mobile phone
33:02and Amanda's mobile phone
33:04were travelling together
33:05the only conclusion
33:07that could be drawn
33:08from that was
33:08that they were both
33:10in the possession
33:11of Christopher Perks
33:12and that completely
33:14destroyed his assertion
33:16that it was his wife
33:17who was using
33:18her mobile telephone
33:19in the early evening
33:21of the 17th of January
33:28my senior investigating
33:29officer informed me
33:31that he had
33:32sufficient evidence now
33:35to arrest
33:36and charge
33:37Christopher
33:38the evidence
33:40was that clearly
33:42Amanda
33:42was dead
33:43before
33:44the fire broke out
33:46and the evidence
33:48of the phones
33:50travelling side by side
33:51Christopher's and Amanda's
33:53together
33:53was damning
33:54and then you've got
33:55the linguistic expert
33:56putting absolutely no doubt
33:58on the validity
34:00of the messages
34:03now this left me
34:05in an awkward position
34:05because the kids
34:06were still with
34:08Chris's family
34:09as I spent more
34:11and more time
34:12with Amanda's family
34:15it became clear
34:16that these were
34:18by far the best guardians
34:20for these children
34:21by far
34:23I persuaded
34:25the scene
34:25investigating officer
34:26to not arrest Christopher
34:27until
34:29the kids
34:30were at Amanda's
34:31mum and dad's
34:32this he agreed to
34:33and
34:34thankfully
34:35when Christopher
34:36was arrested
34:38Beverly
34:39had the kids
34:40the police
34:41arrested him
34:43and charged him
34:44with murder
34:46I felt
34:47vindicated
34:48I had suspected
34:50from day one
34:51that Christopher
34:52was responsible
34:53for Amanda's murder
35:06we prepared
35:08Amanda's family
35:09for court
35:10they took us
35:11around the court
35:11they explained
35:12everything
35:13what was going on
35:14seeing the courtroom
35:15for the first time
35:16was quite an intimidating
35:17place to be
35:18because I'd never seen
35:19anything like that before
35:20and I was only a child
35:21and seeing this big
35:22grand building
35:25was quite daunting
35:26I said I'd take them there
35:29and I would bring them back
35:30and I would stay with them
35:32all day
35:33through the court proceedings
35:35so that I could still
35:36provide
35:38support and comfort
35:40during the court process
35:42I told them
35:43that obviously
35:44Christopher was going
35:45to be in court
35:45and that they'd see him
35:47they understood
35:48that as well
35:49the evidence
35:51against Christopher
35:52Burks
35:53was
35:55overwhelming
35:55which is no doubt
35:57why
35:57on the
35:59first day
36:00the case
36:00was listed
36:01for trial
36:02Christopher Burks
36:03changed his plea
36:04from not guilty
36:05to guilty
36:06and acknowledged
36:07for the first time
36:08that he was responsible
36:10for the death of his wife
36:12there was no flicker
36:14of emotion
36:15on that man's face
36:16when he admitted his guilt
36:19Christopher Burks
36:19came across to me
36:20as possibly
36:22the most
36:23emotionless
36:25soulless man
36:26I've ever met
36:27he was absolutely
36:28as cold as ice
36:30the liaison officers
36:32come over to the house
36:32and broke the news
36:34to me
36:35that it was in fact
36:36Chris
36:36that had murdered my mum
36:38and set the house on fire
36:41I stormed out the room
36:42I was a bit in denial
36:43at first
36:43because I just couldn't believe
36:46that
36:47he would do that
36:48Jack was just devastated
36:50because he didn't think
36:51as he'd done it
36:53he couldn't understand why
36:56it was hard to process
36:58because
36:59how do you process
37:00that your dad's killed your mum
37:02so it's
37:03kind of a hard thing
37:04to get your head around
37:05and then
37:06for him to light the house
37:07on fire as well
37:09it was
37:10very hard for me
37:11to get my head around
37:13when he found out
37:14that his father
37:15had admitted
37:16killing his mother
37:18I think that's the day
37:19he lost his dad
37:21but
37:22I was so glad
37:23when Chris pleaded
37:24because
37:25I knew now
37:27that
37:28the kids
37:29were going to be staying
37:30with the manless family
37:31the day
37:32that I found out
37:33that I was going
37:34to live with
37:35my non-albert
37:36and my granddad Brian
37:37was
37:38was one of the best days
37:39ever
37:40my non-albert
37:41she's helped me
37:42through the most
37:43hardest times
37:44throughout my life
37:45she's my guardian angel
37:54once Christopher Burks
37:55had pleaded guilty
37:56then
37:57the landscape
37:58of the case
37:59changed completely
38:01the judge
38:03adjourned sentence
38:05to a later date
38:07that I came back
38:08to court
38:09and
38:10told the judge
38:12and the public
38:13at large
38:14about the circumstances
38:16of the case
38:18the state of the body
38:20after the fire
38:21was such
38:22that the pathologist
38:24was not able
38:25to establish
38:26a precise cause of death
38:28only Christopher Burks
38:31knows
38:31why
38:32he
38:33murdered his wife
38:36it's perfectly possible
38:38and probably likely
38:41that he killed her
38:43by strangling her
38:44again
38:46Amanda's body
38:47was found in this
38:48odd star shape
38:49her muscles
38:50did not contract
38:52because she had been dead
38:54probably for 15 hours
38:56and so rigor mortis
38:58would have set in
38:59and that would have
39:01prevented the muscles
39:02contracting in the way
39:03they would have done
39:04if she died in the fire
39:06the likelihood
39:08the likelihood
39:09that at around
39:1111 o'clock
39:12in the morning
39:12there was a quarrel
39:15between them
39:16over her decision
39:18to end the marriage
39:21and that he
39:22lost his temper
39:24and then
39:25strangled her
39:28during the afternoon
39:29and evening
39:30of the
39:3117th of January
39:34Christopher Burks
39:35used Amanda's
39:36mobile telephone
39:38to send
39:39and receive
39:40text messages
39:41trying to create
39:42the impression
39:43that she was still
39:44alive
39:45I was devastated
39:47I clung on
39:48to their messages
39:49thinking
39:49they were the last things
39:52the last bits
39:53of communication
39:54we had between
39:54each other
39:55and then
39:56to find out
39:57it wasn't who
39:58sent them
39:59and it was him
40:01I was just
40:02absolutely devastated
40:07One of the things
40:08that he said
40:09in those text messages
40:11was that
40:13Amanda was
40:14spending the evening
40:15in the house
40:16having
40:16what he called
40:17and what she would have called
40:19an aromatherapy
40:21evening
40:22and
40:23he
40:24used this
40:25to give the
40:27impression
40:27that she would have
40:29lit candles
40:30both in the
40:32bathroom
40:33and in her
40:34bedroom
40:34the object of this
40:36obviously
40:36was to create
40:38the impression
40:38the fire
40:39may have started
40:40as a result
40:41of a candle
40:42toppling over
40:43perhaps when
40:44Amanda had
40:45fallen asleep
40:46Christopher's objective
40:48after he had
40:50murdered his wife
40:51was to try
40:51and destroy
40:53her body
40:53and in destroying
40:55it
40:56destroy the
40:57evidence
40:57of how
40:58she'd
40:58met
40:58her death
40:59he
41:00decided
41:01the best way
41:02that he could
41:03do that
41:03was by
41:04setting a fire
41:06in the bedroom
41:07upstairs
41:07what he did
41:09was to
41:10detach
41:11the smoke alarm
41:12on the landing
41:13of the upstairs
41:14floor
41:15from the wall
41:16and place it
41:18on the floor
41:18in the correct belief
41:20that it would not
41:21go off
41:22until the fire
41:23had taken
41:23a real hold
41:25he had to delay
41:27calling 999
41:29for as long
41:30as possible
41:30he couldn't have
41:32the police
41:33the fire brigade
41:34the neighbours
41:35arrive
41:36too soon
41:38to find Amanda's
41:39body
41:39still relatively
41:41intact
41:41so that when
41:43the fire brigade
41:44did get there
41:45the fire had
41:46taken a
41:47considerable hold
41:49the fire service
41:50asked Christopher
41:51if there was
41:52anybody in the house
41:53and he told
41:54the fire service
41:55his wife
41:56may well be
41:57inside the house
41:58on the upper floor
41:59he of course
42:01knew
42:01that his wife
42:03was in the house
42:04but that she was
42:05dead
42:15the judge
42:16went
42:17away
42:18to Chambers
42:20where he clearly
42:21deliberated
42:22over the sentence
42:24and so it was actually
42:26quite late on
42:26in the day
42:27when he actually
42:28read out the sentence
42:29the courts
42:30had basically
42:31closed
42:32Chrissy's legal team
42:34were arguing
42:35that they could
42:35come back
42:36on Monday
42:37to
42:39sentence
42:40Christopher
42:40and the judge
42:42was adamant
42:42he said
42:45that justice
42:46had to be seen
42:47and justice
42:49had to be seen
42:49to be done
42:50and that he had
42:51no intention
42:52of delaying this
42:53over the weekend
42:54and that Christopher
42:55was going to be
42:56sentenced that night
42:58and so he did
43:00Christopher was
43:01sentenced
43:02to life
43:03imprisonment
43:04the minimum term
43:05was one
43:06of 19 years
43:31I'm extremely grateful to Ian
43:35for everything
43:35I think
43:37the liaison officers
43:38is an important
43:39in any murder investigation
43:42they kept
43:43the family
43:44from falling apart
43:45they actually
43:46stopped us
43:46from sinking
43:48working with you
43:49was without doubt
43:51the most rewarding thing
43:53I ever did
43:54as a police officer
43:56I don't think
43:57we could have got through
43:59as well as we did
43:59without you
44:00definitely
44:01that first knock
44:03at the door
44:03when you come
44:04through the door
44:04it was a relief
44:06it was a relief
44:07to have somebody there
44:10to talk to
44:11because at that point
44:12we were just in limber
44:13obviously I can remember you
44:15when I was a child
44:16but now I'm an adult
44:17it's a pleasure
44:18to meet you
44:19I have
44:20I've FLO'd other families
44:21since
44:22but nothing compares
44:25to FLO'ing
44:26you lot
44:27you meant the world to me
44:29you really did
44:30and I'm just
44:31I'm just so glad
44:32I could have helped
44:33the family liaison officers
44:35were absolutely
44:36I don't know
44:37where we'd have been
44:38without them
44:39this has been in my wallet
44:41since the day
44:41you gave it to me
44:42do you remember it?
44:44yes I can now
44:46it's beautiful
44:49erm
44:50thank you for your kindness
44:53thank you for showing
44:56can you really
44:58just gets at me a bit
45:00eh
45:01thank you for your kindness
45:02and thank you for showing
45:04that you care
45:05it's hard to find
45:06the right way
45:07to say how much
45:08you've touched my heart
45:10I want you to know
45:11that what you did
45:13really meant a lot to me
45:14I want to say
45:15a big thank you
45:16from the depths of my heart
45:18I appreciate
45:19what you've done
45:20and I truly
45:21truly thank you
45:22oh
45:23beautiful
45:24you were
45:24you were a beautiful person
45:27oh thank you
45:29you're making me go now
45:31I know
45:32hey
45:32nobody realises
45:34do they
45:34just how much
45:36no
45:36it affects your life
45:38he served his sentence
45:41we've
45:41we'll never
45:42ever
45:42finish our sentence
45:44no
45:44never
45:46thank you for helping
45:47me and my family
45:48yeah
45:49my nan
45:49my great nan
45:50my glendad
45:50and the whole family
45:51yeah
45:51couldn't thank you enough
45:52that's alright I think
45:53it's been a privilege
45:56we'll never
45:56thank you
45:56so
45:56we're within me
45:56we will
45:57oh
Comments