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00:00Good morning. We have another powerful show today.
00:04We're joined by the family of 19-year-old Ellis Cox,
00:07who was fatally shot in 2023.
00:10They're campaigning to keep up the pressure to find those involved.
00:14And a multi-million pound drugs bust of a gang
00:18who spread misery right across the country.
00:21He looked like an ordinary guy.
00:24I didn't realise that we were going to be stopping
00:26a UK-wide organised crime group.
00:32And could you face the person
00:34who killed a member of your family?
00:37I needed to bring that impact to him
00:39and I needed him to understand what he'd done.
00:43We've got that and more on Crimewatch Live.
00:47He's been jamming the switchboard both here and at the instant.
00:52Just to remind you, this was the abduction and no-drop campaign
00:55and the handgun debate.
00:59Hello and welcome to Crimewatch 12 people rang
01:02and giving the same of those fantastic messages.
01:13Good morning and thanks for joining us today.
01:15We're here in Cardiff, ready to ask for your help
01:17with some of the biggest appeals in the UK.
01:19Including why these Pokemon cards are suddenly at the centre of a crime wave across the country.
01:26And behind the scenes in our HQ, our team are ready to take your calls.
01:30You can scan our QR code to get all of our details or you can call us on 08000 468
01:37999.
01:38Text us on this number there, there it is, 63399.
01:42Start your message with the word crime, then leave a space, then write your text or email us at this
01:47address here.
01:51Remember those details are going to stay on the screen, down at the bottom, all through the show.
01:57Now, our first appeal this morning comes from Newark Northgate and it dates back to 1987.
02:03A teenage schoolgirl waited alone for a delayed train.
02:06A predatory group of men took advantage.
02:09As you can imagine, this film has some strong content.
02:17Even after all this time, I've been too afraid to face it.
02:22To keep silent is to pretend it never happened.
02:36In December 1987, Sophie, who was in her mid-teens,
02:40was catching a train from Stevenage to Hull.
02:44We've changed her name to protect her identity.
02:48These are her words.
02:57It was a Friday night.
02:59The train stopped at Newark Station, as it usually did,
03:02but all passengers were told to get off.
03:05The next train to Doncaster was delayed two hours because of the snow up north.
03:18A large group of men were also on the platform.
03:23They all looked quite similar, short-cut hairstyles, jeans or sweatpants,
03:28carrying canvas bags over their shoulders.
03:33I vividly remember one of the young men being very vocal and complaining about the delay.
03:40The group of men all decided to go to the nearest pub.
03:42As they were leaving, the loudest person, person two, asked me what I was going to do.
03:51Thinking she would be safer than waiting alone on the platform,
03:55she went with them to the local pub.
04:03I was 16.
04:04I didn't drink, so I asked for a Coke.
04:10I remember distinctly person two giving me the Coke,
04:13and I questioned why it tasted funny.
04:16He gave no reason.
04:18He kept encouraging me to drink up.
04:21He then brought me another drink straight away.
04:52One of the most vivid memories
04:53to this day I have is looking down at my feet
04:56as I was being taken along the platform
04:58and realising they weren't touching the floor
05:01but were dragging along the ground.
05:06I remember seeing other passengers on the platform look at me
05:09as I was being carried by these guys.
05:12I remember one passenger looking at me and then looking away,
05:15maybe in shame, maybe in disgust.
05:26Sophie was dragged to the end of the tracks.
05:31She was raped by one of the men
05:33as the others watched.
05:38They then made her wait with them
05:39until the train arrived.
05:49I have no memory of getting on the train
05:52nor picking up my small brown suitcase.
05:55I do remember being on the train
05:57in the section between the carriages.
06:02Sophie was then pushed into the toilet
06:04where she was raped a second time
06:06by the same man.
06:16I remember starting to sober up in the toilet
06:19and realising I could now talk
06:21and try to get out of this situation.
06:24A short time later,
06:26the train pulled into Doncaster Station.
06:29Person two was telling me
06:30I had to stay with them.
06:37Sophie finally saw a chance to escape
06:39by telling them she was going to check on her connection.
06:43And when she saw the train on the platform,
06:46she quickly jumped on.
06:49She hid when she saw person two looking for her.
06:57I remember the man opposite me
06:59looking at me quizzically.
07:24Sophie had kept this horrific ordeal to herself
07:28for most of her life.
07:32I finally told my husband
07:33and the tears finally came.
07:37After years,
07:38I stopped feeling ashamed.
07:45Well, I'm now with Detective Superintendent Sam Blackburn
07:49from the British Transport Police.
07:50Sam, that's an absolutely harrowing ordeal
07:53for that young woman back then, isn't it?
07:55Can you just remind us
07:56the key details of what happened?
07:57So, this is December 1987,
08:01almost 40 years ago.
08:03Specifically, it was a very, very cold winter
08:06and the victim had boarded a train
08:08that had stopped at Newark Northgate
08:11because of the weather.
08:12She disembarked off the train
08:15disembarked off the train
08:16and was met by a large group of men.
08:19They encouraged her, saying that they were from the army
08:23to go to a local pub.
08:27Whilst in that pub, her drink was spiked
08:30and she was forced to have more and more drink.
08:34They then left the pub
08:36and she was carried to the train station
08:39as we saw in the reconstruction.
08:41And there, on those cold train tracks,
08:44she was raped.
08:45Absolutely horrific.
08:46But it didn't end there, did it?
08:48It didn't end there.
08:49And then she went back onto the train
08:51and again, she was raped again on that train
08:54with all of those six men.
08:56We think it's about six men with her
08:58encouraging that behaviour.
09:00Absolutely horrific what happened.
09:01She described a group,
09:03she said around about six men,
09:04but there was two main perpetrators
09:06within the group.
09:08What can you tell us about that?
09:08Yeah, that's correct.
09:09I mean, the main one that introduced himself
09:11on the platform was very loud and chatty,
09:14almost that ringleader of this group,
09:16the one that encouraged her to feel safe
09:19and to come to that public house.
09:21And then there was another male,
09:23the rapist, who was quieter, shy,
09:26as she described,
09:27and was nervous.
09:30Any description that you're able to obtain?
09:32The descriptions are limited or very general.
09:35I mean, she stereotypes them as being squaddies,
09:38but the instigator, that ringleader,
09:41described as a white male,
09:43five foot six, five foot seven in height.
09:45Again, just being very loud.
09:48And then the rapist,
09:50very similar height,
09:51five foot six, five foot seven,
09:53clean shaven, short, dark hair,
09:56but he spoke with a northern accent.
09:58And you mentioned the army.
10:00She said there was conversations
10:01that would suggest they may have belonged
10:04or have some affiliation with the army.
10:05There was also mentioned the backpacks that they had,
10:08which may again back that up.
10:10Who do you want to hear from today?
10:11Who can help us with this?
10:13I'd say 125,000 serving British soldiers
10:16in the army at that time.
10:18I want to speak to those six,
10:20or I want to speak to those people
10:22that may have heard that story
10:24replayed in a different way over time.
10:28Friendships do change.
10:30Allegiances change.
10:31So if you know someone that was involved in that
10:34or heard that story being told,
10:37I want to hear from you.
10:39Yeah, and I hope we do get exactly that.
10:41Sam, thank you for joining us.
10:42Please do use the contact details on screen
10:45to get in touch if you can help in any way.
10:49Well, as we heard there,
10:50it can take decades sometimes to come forward
10:53and ask for help
10:54if you have been a victim of sexual abuse.
10:57Making that step easier is New Pathways,
11:00and I'm joined now by Jackie Stamp, their CEO,
11:02and Nikki, who is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse.
11:07Thank you to both of you for coming in today.
11:09It's a difficult topic to talk about,
11:11so we appreciate your time.
11:12Jackie, just to come to you first,
11:13tell us a bit more about New Pathways
11:15and how it works.
11:16Of course, thank you.
11:18New Pathways is a charity based in Wales.
11:21We support about 11,000 people every year.
11:24We started actually almost 35 years ago,
11:27and at that time it's just a helpline
11:29for women affected by rape in a local area.
11:32But we realised very quickly
11:34the issue was much wider than that.
11:36It affected, you know,
11:36sexual abuse could affect anyone
11:38of any gender of any age.
11:40So, you know, fast forward to today,
11:42we provide a lot of services for adults,
11:45for children, for young people,
11:48counselling services to help people recover from the trauma.
11:51There are support services available for people
11:54if they just need some coping skills,
11:55maybe, to move on with their lives.
11:57We run six of the eight sexual assault referral centres.
12:01In Wales are SARCs,
12:03they're generally known as now.
12:04And we have a large team of ISVAs,
12:07so that's Independent Sexual Violence Advisors.
12:10And they can help people to consider their options
12:13about reporting to the police,
12:14because whilst that's an option,
12:16it's not for everyone.
12:17And the important thing for most people
12:19is just to recover.
12:21It's also important to say, isn't it, Jackie,
12:23that there isn't any expiry date on coming forward.
12:27Absolutely.
12:28It's never too late to report a sexual crime.
12:32Actually, official statistics will show us
12:34that maybe only 15% of people
12:36ever disclose sexual abuse.
12:38And sometimes, you know,
12:39our own records show 30, 40, 50 years later,
12:42people can still come forward
12:44and tell their story for the first time.
12:46They can still take a report or get support services.
12:49It's really important.
12:50People know the stigma doesn't have to be there.
12:53Well, Nikki, you sought help from New Pathways, didn't you?
12:56That was a really pivotal moment for you, wasn't it?
13:00Yes, it was.
13:01I was sexually abused between the ages of 10 and 13.
13:05And it was an experience that shaped my entire life.
13:11And, you know, when I look back now,
13:14I can't believe, you know,
13:16how much it impacted me and what it did to me.
13:19You know, I had very little self-worth.
13:21I, people pleased, you know,
13:24my behaviours were shocking.
13:26And it was all as a result of that violation.
13:30And my wife and I adopted three children back just a few years ago.
13:36And when I looked at them,
13:38I saw their vulnerability and I saw their innocence.
13:40And I knew that I had to rid the abuser from our lives
13:43because I couldn't have him anywhere near them any longer.
13:47Of course.
13:47And how did New Pathways help you do that?
13:51They have been absolutely amazing.
13:53The specialist support that they offer has been life-changing for me.
13:57You know, I'm still here because of them.
13:59They offer special trauma counselling.
14:03You know, my counsellor helped me through the most painful of memories
14:09and, you know, helped me to understand myself
14:12and to see who I am beyond what I've been through.
14:16And, you know, I am now living again.
14:19I'm not afraid of absolutely everything.
14:22And my children have a mum that is able to function,
14:26that can do things because, you know,
14:28for such a long time after my disclosure
14:30and in the years leading up to it,
14:32my mental health spiralled.
14:34You know, I was full of anxiety, panic attacks,
14:38nightmares, flashbacks.
14:40It was really horrific.
14:41Nicky, honestly, it means so much for you to share the story today
14:45because I know it will help other people watching.
14:48And if there are people watching this morning
14:50that really resonate with your story
14:52and have been through something similar,
14:53what would you say to them?
14:55Please reach out when you're ready
14:56because there are support services out there
14:58that will help you.
15:00You know, there's strength and solidarity
15:02and knowing that you're not alone.
15:04And, you know, a lot of what we've experienced has shaped us,
15:07but it should never define us.
15:09As you say, it's important for people to reach out.
15:12People can reach out to new pathways, can't we?
15:14We've got the website on the screen now
15:16for people to contact you.
15:18And just to say as well, as we're speaking,
15:21we are having people calling into the studio.
15:23Your message is so powerful.
15:26So thank you so much for coming in
15:27and telling us more, Nicky, Jackie.
15:30Raph.
15:32Yeah, it really was.
15:34Now, we have another of our exclusive films
15:37looking at the work of an elite team across the UK.
15:40And today we're in Wales following an operation
15:43to take down a gang supplying millions of pounds
15:46worth of heroin.
15:51He looked like an ordinary guy, ex-police officer.
15:56I didn't realise that we were going to be stopping
15:58a UK-wide organised crime group.
16:08In December 2021,
16:10the regional organised crime unit, Tarion,
16:13were contacted by Police Scotland
16:15about a car doing regular trips up there from Cardiff.
16:20Vehicles with suspicious patterns of travel,
16:23it can sometimes be an indicator to us
16:26that these persons are involved in organised crime.
16:29Police inquiries across the next few months
16:32revealed where the vehicle was travelling to.
16:37The vehicle was doing a roundabout trip every month
16:41and the vehicle would travel
16:42into the Fazakli area of Liverpool
16:45and went to Fife in Scotland
16:49and or sometimes Blythe in Northumbria.
16:54The vehicle then would travel back into the Liverpool area
16:58to a place called Walton
16:59and then back down to Cardiff.
17:02The owner of the vehicle was 64-year-old Stephen Creasy.
17:07He did have previous convictions
17:10but nothing really that stood out.
17:12On the surface, he looked like an ordinary guy,
17:16ex-police officer, ex-navy officer
17:18who'd settled down in Cardiff.
17:22DC Richards contacted Police Scotland
17:25and asked them to do a stop-and-search of the car
17:28the next time it was there.
17:31Police Scotland stopped the vehicle near Glasgow on the M8.
17:36Stephen Creasy was alone inside the vehicle
17:39and he wasn't able to give an explanation
17:41as to why he was travelling such large distances
17:44around the United Kingdom.
17:46Luckily on that day,
17:47Police Scotland sourced a police doc
17:50who indicated under their front passenger seat of the vehicle.
17:54The officers found a sophisticated metal hide
17:58which contained five kilograms of heroin,
18:01a street value of £500,000.
18:06So a large quantity of heroin.
18:10Creasy was found with two phones at the same time.
18:15He was arrested by Police Scotland and taken into custody.
18:21Convinced he was part of something much bigger,
18:24Creasy was placed on bail.
18:26But Tarion officers continued the investigation.
18:30Officers from Scotland provided me with the SIM card numbers
18:33for the two telephones that were found inside of the car.
18:37One was a clean phone and was used for everyday business.
18:41The other phone was a burner phone.
18:44There was only six numbers that phone had been in contact with
18:47and that's where the investigation started.
18:53I submitted communications data applications
18:56for all six of the telephone numbers
18:58and four of them were based in the Walton area
19:01of Merseyside, Liverpool.
19:03One of them was based in the Anstruther area of Fife in Scotland
19:08and the other in the Blythe area of Northumbria in England.
19:13In other words, the phones were in the exact locations
19:16that Creasy had been visiting.
19:19In July 2022, police discovered the identities
19:22of the individuals operating behind two of the phone numbers
19:26found on Creasy's burner phone.
19:28The number that was based in Anstruther and Fife
19:31we managed to attribute to a male by the name of Christopher Heaney.
19:37Heaney had previous convictions for drug trafficking offences.
19:42The telephone number that was based in the Blythe area of Northumbria
19:46we managed to attribute to a male by the name of Geoffrey Hickson.
19:50Geoffrey Hickson also had previous convictions
19:53for drug trafficking offences.
19:56Due to the five kilograms of heroin found in Creasy's car
20:00when he was stopped near Glasgow,
20:02police believed that he was delivering the heroin to Heaney and Hickson.
20:06But who were the suppliers?
20:09I started to do work on the four telephone numbers
20:13which were based in the Walton area of Liverpool.
20:19One of them belonged to a man called Christopher Brannan.
20:24Christopher Brannan had previous convictions for drug trafficking as well.
20:28He didn't have any financial footprint at all.
20:32He wasn't registered at an address.
20:35That definitely raised all my suspicions.
20:39The phone data confirmed Brannan was in contact with Creasy,
20:43Hickson and Heaney during key travel dates.
20:46My hypothesis was that he was orchestrating
20:49the supply of heroin around the United Kingdom.
20:52He was the key player in this group.
20:57In September, police had a further breakthrough
21:00when another Liverpool number was attributed
21:03to an individual called Stephen Hopkins.
21:07Stephen Hopkins had previous convictions for drug trafficking.
21:11Based on the travel patterns and everything we knew at that time,
21:15we were understanding a little bit more
21:17about who was working in which area.
21:21Brannan was running the show from Liverpool.
21:25Creasy was the courier picking up the drugs from Hopkins
21:29and driving them to the dealers, Heaney and Hickson.
21:34Creasy would then drive back to Brannan
21:36to drop off the drug money.
21:41Now, after almost a year of intense investigations,
21:45Tarion were ready to make their move.
21:53I went to Anstruther.
21:58Mr. Heaney was home inside the address.
22:01I'm arresting you on suspicion of conspiracy to supply heroin.
22:04There was a large amount of cannabis.
22:07There was some cash.
22:09An amount of opium.
22:10A lot of mobile phones and SIM cards were also found
22:14and a set of car keys.
22:17Two streets away, I found the vehicle
22:20and just under a kilo of heroin under the passenger seat.
22:26Those drugs alone were worth £100,000
22:29and were ready for onward supply.
22:32This was a huge win for Tarion
22:34and confirmed that Heaney was a key player
22:37dealing heroin on a large scale.
22:39We've got a warrant to search for pharmacists, OK?
22:42Well, are you going to be arrested?
22:44170 miles away in Blythe, Northumberland,
22:47police also raided Hickson's house,
22:51where they found more drugs, phones and SIM cards.
23:01Meanwhile, in Fazakali, Liverpool,
23:04police raided Hopkins' house
23:05and found items pointing to heroin production.
23:12And in Walton, police raided the home of suspected kingpin Christopher Brannan
23:18and arrested him.
23:20While searching the house,
23:22police discovered it wasn't only heroin he was dealing in.
23:27In the attic was a small cannabis grill.
23:30It was valued around about £20,000 to £30,000.
23:34The raids were a huge success.
23:37Not only had Tarion found irrefutable evidence,
23:42but they had also got most of the crime group.
23:48They now moved into arrest Creasy for a second time.
23:52You're under arrest on suspicion of conspiring with others to supply Class A drug,
23:56namely diamorphine, or street name as heroin.
24:00The four suspects from Liverpool and Scotland were brought down to Cardiff.
24:06The suspects, I think, were quite shocked that they were being arrested
24:10and then escorted back to South Wales.
24:12Some of them had probably never been to Wales in their life.
24:15When interviewed, the suspects refused to give police any information.
24:21Are you a supplier of Class A drugs, namely heroin?
24:26No comment.
24:27When did you first meet Stephen Creasy?
24:30No comment.
24:31Shaking your head no there.
24:34No.
24:35No? OK.
24:36Do you wish to make any comment on that, Christopher?
24:39My client's exercising his legal right to remain silent.
24:42OK.
24:45Following the interviews,
24:46further lines of inquiry revealed
24:48the final member of the organised crime group,
24:52a man called Kevin Thompson.
24:54We were able to identify Kevin Thompson,
24:57who was based in the Lock Galley area of Fife.
25:01Police went to Thompson's house and waited for him.
25:07And a number of hours had passed
25:09and Kevin Thompson just appeared from behind his home address.
25:13There was a woodland area and he just walked out towards us.
25:18We were able to find the police.
25:18Tarion had disrupted an organised crime group
25:21that had trafficked 65 kilos of heroin across the UK
25:25worth over £8 million.
25:31I was relieved and just extremely, extremely happy.
25:36Our small team had dismantled an organised crime group.
25:40All of our suspects were ultimately charged
25:43with conspiracy to supply heroin.
25:46Unfortunately, prior to sentencing,
25:49Stephen Hopkins passed away whilst on remand.
25:54However, on the 3rd of September 2024,
25:58Brannan, Hickson, Heaney, Thompson and Creasy
26:01were sentenced to a total of 57 years and five months in prison.
26:08Heroin is one of the most addictive and harmful drugs out there.
26:12We know that heroin destroys our communities.
26:14It destroys lives and families.
26:17So to take an organised crime group
26:20who were trafficking such large amounts of heroin off the streets
26:23and put them behind bars is, yeah, extremely rewarding for us.
26:31Just an incredible operation
26:33and good to know that those Class A drugs are off the streets.
26:36Now, last year, we ran an appeal with Merseyside Police
26:40to help them find the killer of 19-year-old Ellis Cox,
26:44who was shot as he cycled home in June 2024.
26:48Well, I'm joined now by Ellis' mum, Carolyn,
26:51and his aunt, Julie,
26:52who are still doggedly campaigning
26:54to find out who was responsible.
26:56Thank you so much to both of you for being here this morning.
27:00Can we start, Carolyn, by talking about your son, Ellis,
27:05and what he was like?
27:06Yes, Ellis was beautiful inside and out.
27:10He was funny, caring.
27:15I know it's hard.
27:17You were such a, and still are, an incredibly close family.
27:21And it's a really powerful message that you hear today
27:24because you are seeking justice for your son, Ellis.
27:28Julie, I know it's difficult,
27:29but can you take us back to the night of the shooting
27:33and remind us what happened?
27:35Yeah, of course.
27:36So Ellis headed out to meet some people he knew from school
27:39for a bike ride, and he met them halfway.
27:42So we didn't see who it was, who he met up with.
27:45And they were heading to Southport,
27:47and then we believe riding back.
27:49He kept in constant contact throughout the day
27:51with all of us and consistently with his mum
27:54just to let him know where he was.
27:56Up until literally five minutes before he was heading for home,
28:01which was heading towards the loop line,
28:03and it was a two-minute bike ride, and he'd have been home.
28:07He was so close to home,
28:08and it was there at the Liver Industrial Estate
28:12where he was tragically killed.
28:14And that is why you're here today,
28:16because you are looking for answers.
28:18What's even more heartbreaking with this
28:20is that he was a complete innocent in this, wasn't he?
28:24Yeah, that's right.
28:26Ellis had never been in any trouble, not a bit of bother.
28:30And, you know, obviously the people who we were with
28:33that obviously we didn't know,
28:36clearly we understand and we know that Ellis wasn't the target.
28:40No.
28:40And since then, you as a family have been working tirelessly
28:44to keep Ellis' name in the public consciousness.
28:48You want people to know about your son,
28:50you want people to come forward with answers.
28:54You've had banners and posters around the city,
28:58display screens,
28:59telling people about your son
29:02and information that you need to come forward.
29:05Yes.
29:06We just keep going.
29:08We do something every month.
29:11We will not stop.
29:13We will continue to do our appeals.
29:15We want Ellis' face to be everywhere
29:18because we need justice for Ellis.
29:21And, you know, I beg the people who know,
29:28the mums, the dads, the friends, cousins,
29:31who are still protecting these people,
29:34they know who it was.
29:37Stop protecting them because
29:40they've taken a precious person away
29:43and the evil are still walking around.
29:46And this could happen to somebody else
29:48because Ellis just went out on his bike
29:50and he didn't come home.
29:53So stop protecting them.
29:55Stop assisting them
29:56because your child could be next.
29:59This is the thing, Carolyn, isn't it?
30:01You're appealing to people
30:02who are watching this morning.
30:05They could have that key piece of information
30:07that can give your family
30:10the answers that they really need.
30:13As well as that,
30:14there is a Crimestoppers reward of £20,000
30:18and you are willing to match that
30:21for the right information
30:23that could lead to the conviction
30:24and arrest of Ellis' killer.
30:26Yeah, that's correct.
30:28You know, we're grateful for that
30:30and the support of Berserside Police
30:31and Crimestoppers.
30:33And we want to be able to get,
30:35you know, justice for Ellis.
30:38So when the reward was brought to us,
30:42the first thing that we said
30:43was we would match it
30:44for the right information
30:46that leads to a conviction.
30:48You can see just how close you are
30:50as a family
30:51and you are going to keep on campaigning,
30:54aren't you?
30:54You're going to keep pushing forward
30:56until you get the answers
30:57that you need, Carolyn.
30:59Continue, yes.
31:00We always say
31:01we will never stop
31:02until
31:05the broader justice.
31:07We will never stop
31:07whilst we're still breathing
31:09because
31:09this shouldn't have happened
31:11to my baby
31:14and why should they're evil?
31:17Why should they still be living their lives?
31:19Why should they still be seeing their mum
31:23when they've taken Ellis from us?
31:25So we beg anyone who can help us
31:28because they need to be taken off the streets.
31:32Absolutely.
31:33It's such a powerful message.
31:35Carolyn, Julie,
31:37I know it's difficult
31:38and for you to come in
31:39this morning
31:40and share your beautiful memories of Ellis
31:43but also just push that message through
31:46of the answers that you need
31:48and for people to come forward.
31:50It means everything
31:51and hopefully we can help.
31:53So thank you again.
31:54Please, if you do know anything
31:56about this horrific murder,
31:58then get in touch with us.
31:59You can get in touch with the police.
32:01You can also get in touch with Crime Stoppers
32:04and you can watch the full appeal
32:06on our website.
32:07Please share it with those that you know
32:09who live in the area.
32:11We need somebody to come forward.
32:15Please do.
32:16And just a reminder,
32:17don't wait till the end of the programme.
32:18The numbers are there.
32:19The details are there.
32:20They're at the bottom of the screen.
32:21They are throughout the show.
32:22If you can help with that appeal
32:24or any of the others,
32:25please don't wait.
32:26Get in touch now.
32:28Now in our next film,
32:29we are looking at restorative justice,
32:32meeting a man who bravely came face to face
32:35with his twin brother's killer.
32:40In the summer of 1998,
32:43my identical twin, Simon,
32:46was murdered.
32:52We grew up in rural Cumbria.
32:55Classic, identical twins.
32:57Mum would always dress us the same.
32:59We were kind of like a one,
33:01a single person for probably about the first
33:04eight, nine years of our life.
33:09He'd been out with three friends that night,
33:12and he decided,
33:14having lost contact with his friends,
33:16he decided to walk out of the club.
33:18He wasn't very familiar with the area,
33:20and he went the wrong way
33:22and saw these two young lads.
33:26They led him into a dark park,
33:29and at that point,
33:30they proceeded to attack him.
33:32They would beat him up.
33:34They would knock him unconscious.
33:35They threw him into the fishing pond.
33:38And he was found the following morning
33:40by a man walking his dog,
33:42and he drowned.
33:49Within two weeks,
33:50we actually had an arrest,
33:53which was a massive thing for the family.
33:58They were both found guilty,
34:01and they were found guilty of murder.
34:03And it was such a relief.
34:05And we cried.
34:09You, as a family,
34:11you've then got to get on with your lives.
34:15It's a very different life.
34:18I kind of went into a bit of a deep,
34:21dark depression, if I'm honest.
34:24It made me so angry, so angry.
34:29And I think it consumes so much of you.
34:34You know, that's...
34:36You have this bubbling up hatred of feelings of revenge and anger,
34:42and it consumes you.
34:45As painful as it was going to be,
34:47I needed to go...
34:50I needed to go...
34:51I needed to unpack the night of Simon's death.
34:57Why Me are a national charity,
35:00and our aim is to promote awareness of and access to restorative justice.
35:04So restorative justice is really about dialogue.
35:07It's about letting someone who's been harmed by a crime or a victim
35:11talk to the person that has caused that harm.
35:14So, often that looks like a face-to-face meeting,
35:17so those two people in a room having a conversation.
35:19But it doesn't have to be.
35:21It could be through a letter-writing process, or through videos being passed between them.
35:26And it really just helps people affected by crime to get those questions answered,
35:31and to get the closure they need to move forward with their lives.
35:35And, yeah, repair some of the harm that's been caused.
35:40It's a huge thing to meet up with the person that murdered your brother.
35:47But for me, it was a very important part of my journey.
35:52It was an incredibly powerful meeting.
35:56The thing that struck me was he was wanting to help me.
35:59And he was wanting to own it and take responsibility for what happened.
36:05And there was no shirking of the questions that I asked him.
36:09We talked about how we'd met Simon. We talked about the attack.
36:13I showed him pictures of the funeral and of the grave.
36:16I showed him pictures of our 30th birthday.
36:19And I needed to bring that impact to him.
36:21And I needed him to understand what he'd done and how he destroyed
36:26and how it impacted our family and all Simon's friends.
36:35Restorative justice does reduce re-offending.
36:38Coming face to face with the harm that you've caused is not an easy thing to do.
36:42And so the people who go through that process are often then less likely to cause that harm again.
36:48There are going to be many people who are sitting at home having experienced a crime
36:52and are struggling to move forward just to know that that option is out there,
36:57whether that's now or in 10 years' time.
37:00Knowing that it's available means that they can then explore that when it's right for them.
37:05The meeting helped me neutralize the attack on Simon
37:08or dissolve some of that intensity around it.
37:11Don't get me wrong, I do have bad days.
37:14I can have days where I've thought about Simon and I'll cry.
37:21But you don't have that hatred or feelings of anger and revenge anymore.
37:35Just so powerful what Nick did there, agreeing to meet up.
37:39But he said it gave him so much closure.
37:42You can see it was really important for him to do that, wasn't it?
37:45Yeah, incredibly brave.
37:47Now, recently, the world record for the most expensive trading card ever sold at auction was broken.
37:54A rare Pokemon card from 1998.
37:57A Japanese promo Pikachu Illustrator card owned by YouTuber Logan Paul was sold for,
38:04get this, $16.49 million.
38:09I mean, I'm still trying to get my head around that.
38:11That is something else.
38:13You and me both.
38:13Yeah.
38:14Launched 30 years ago, these bits of card have become a serious target for thieves
38:18and recently have shown many thefts from retail outlets across the UK.
38:24Well, we're joined now by Pokemon enthusiasts and shop owner Amy Wasley
38:28and Professor of Criminology Emmeline Taylor.
38:30Thank you for coming in this morning.
38:33Amy, before we get on to the thefts,
38:34can you just tell us a bit more about why these cards are so popular?
38:39Obviously, the YouTube drive behind the popularity of the cards has spiked a lot of interest.
38:46There is significant value in the cards and a lot of that comes from sparsity
38:52and kind of the desire to have them and that desire going up within consumers
38:58has kind of led to this exponential growth of the hobby
39:02and in such a short space of time, the supply and demand has struggled to keep up.
39:07OK, so we've got some cards here, Amy,
39:10and we might not have any worth $16 million,
39:12but there's certainly a range, isn't there, in the price or the value between these.
39:16What sort of money could these be?
39:18Yeah, so here on the table, we've got anything between £3 and £1,000.
39:23So we're looking at a really big divide,
39:25but to the untrained eye as such,
39:28you might not know which ones sit in the £3 bracket
39:30and which one sits in the £1,000.
39:32And it can be a really large scope between the two,
39:37some that look expensive not being so,
39:40and some that don't look expensive being much more than you would expect.
39:43That's a game in itself, isn't it?
39:44Spot the expensive card, it'd be tricky to know.
39:46You'd be the £3 one.
39:47Yeah, hey, hey, hey, easy.
39:49But you've actually been targeted by thieves yourself, haven't you, Amy, with this?
39:53Multiple times, yes, from break-ins overnight to daylight,
39:58you know, people just coming into the store,
40:00and it's been, it's really hard for businesses at the moment
40:03because there is no more restocks.
40:05So if a thief comes in and steals my stock,
40:09it could be up to three months before I could get more,
40:11and then I have nothing to sell for three months.
40:13Of course.
40:13Oh, that's awful, isn't it?
40:15Emmeline, you are a professor of criminology,
40:18and let me get this right, acquisitive crime,
40:20and you've studied this, looked into this in detail.
40:23What does that mean?
40:25Yeah, so acquisitive crime are any offences that are committed
40:28for financial gain or for material goods.
40:33So it's essentially stealing things,
40:35and that could include burglary, theft from the person,
40:38and unfortunately, as we're seeing,
40:40a shoplifting epidemic across the UK.
40:43So last year, over half a million offences reported to the police,
40:47but retailers say this is just a drop in the ocean
40:50compared to the reality of the level of crime
40:53that's being targeted at these stores.
40:55Gosh, and it's not just Pokemon cards, is it?
40:57There's other valuable collectibles like soft toys
41:00that there's theft attached to.
41:02Yeah, that's right.
41:03So this is seen as relatively high reward
41:06and low risk for offenders.
41:08So it's caught the attraction of organised gangs
41:11that are now targeting specific items
41:13that they know that they can steal relatively easily.
41:16So they're targeting smaller businesses now,
41:18and they can sell them very quickly
41:20using e-commerce platforms.
41:22They're largely untraceable.
41:24They're small, so they can steal in bulk.
41:27So unfortunately, this is a growing problem.
41:29Is that what you think their motivation is then?
41:31Because it's so easy to get in, get out,
41:33and perhaps the authorities may not look at this
41:36as seriously, in their mind, as some other crimes.
41:40Yeah, so for career criminals,
41:41they can see this is an easy target.
41:43It's very lucrative.
41:44And unfortunately, as Amy has explained
41:47before we came on the show,
41:49sometimes when you report this to the police,
41:50it's just seen as quite trivial.
41:53It's a game, it's a few cards.
41:54How can these have value in them?
41:56But we're also seeing this with jelly cat toys, for example,
42:00any of these collectible items.
42:01So I think we need to change the narrative
42:03about these are very valuable items.
42:06So just quickly then,
42:07how can people protect themselves
42:08if they have got things like this?
42:10Yeah, so for businesses invested in technology,
42:13CCTV, locked cabinets,
42:15all of that target-hardening advice,
42:17and for individual collectors,
42:20treat this as you would a very expensive piece of jewellery,
42:23or even hard cash, you know,
42:25and think about insuring your goods,
42:27having them registered and documented.
42:30Really good advice.
42:31I know you've taken extra steps yourself, Amy,
42:32to keep yourself safe.
42:34Thank you both for joining us today.
42:36And I'm afraid that brings us to the end of today's programme.
42:39And I should say,
42:40if you've been affected by any of the issues raised today,
42:42we have had some heavy subjects covered.
42:44Help is available at BBC Action Line.
42:46And if you're interested in crime and detective work,
42:48then do head to iPlayer
42:50for our sister series, Crime Watch Court,
42:52where we take a deep dive
42:54into some of the most complex investigations
42:56that police face.
42:58But that is it from me, this series.
43:00Steph is going to be with you in the morning.
43:01I'll be back with you in the autumn.
43:03Tomorrow, an international crime group
43:05are locked up thanks to the determination of detectives.
43:10Operation Matrix started out
43:11as looking at someone very localised,
43:13but how it developed
43:15and the things that came from that
43:16all of a sudden spanned out regionally,
43:18nationally and internationally.
43:20We'll see you for that and more
43:21same time at 10.45 tomorrow.
43:24Bye for now.
43:51Bye for now.
43:52Bye for now.
43:54Bye for now.
44:00Bye for now.
44:01Bye for now.
44:01Bye for now.
44:01Bye for now.
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