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00:06On May the 10th, 2010, a man went to check on his girlfriend
00:11after she hadn't answered his calls.
00:14What awaited him behind her door would haunt him forever.
00:21Sarah was dead on the ground, covered with blood,
00:25clearly been stabbed repeatedly around the head and the face area.
00:28And there was blood everywhere, on the floor, on the bed, all around the flat.
00:35Sarah Thomas had been murdered in her flat in Redhill, in Surrey.
00:41Her killer tried to cover their tracks,
00:44but the police uncovered a trail of evidence.
00:49It was critical at this stage for the police to determine the whereabouts of the attacker
00:53and track their movements.
00:54As the attacker was still in possession of the potential murder weapon
00:59and could be a real danger to other members of the public as well.
01:05Within days, police identified the killer as 39-year-old David Baxendale.
01:12But by then, he'd fled the country and was out of their jurisdiction.
01:20I don't think that at this point, he's thinking he can get away with it.
01:26So the only plan, really, is to stop them arresting him
01:30and try and remain on the run for the rest of his life.
01:35With a long history of violent convictions,
01:39David Baxendale had proven himself to be
01:42one of Britain's most evil killers.
02:08David Baxendale was arrested in 2010 for the murder of Sarah Thomas.
02:15He'd evaded capture for six weeks,
02:18travelling to Spain in an attempt to avoid detection,
02:22only to be recognised by his distinguishable tattoos.
02:28He was quickly extradited back to the UK to stand trial.
02:33The only problem was Baxendale denied any involvement in the murder.
02:41Baxendale at trial said that he did go to the flat of Sarah and he was there,
02:46but in fact, another man then entered the flat
02:49and it was him, the other man, who killed Sarah in his presence.
02:55But DNA evidence told a different story,
02:59linking Baxendale to both the scene of the crime and the murder weapon.
03:04The forensic evidence in the case was overwhelming,
03:08proving that Baxendale and he alone had been responsible for killing Sarah.
03:14This wasn't an intricately planned crime that he committed.
03:20He left himself in extreme danger of being convicted and he knew that.
03:28Despite his denial, Baxendale was convicted of the murder of Sarah Thomas
03:33and handed a whole life sentence.
03:37David Baxendale was a man who was capable of the most extreme violence.
03:42He was remorseless, he was belligerent, he was arrogant.
03:47And what's more, there was no handbrake.
03:57This killer's story begins in 1971
04:01in the county of Surrey in the southeast of England.
04:08We know very little about David Baxendale's early life,
04:11but what became pretty clear very quickly was that he was violent.
04:17I think that probably he's always had a problem with impulsiveness
04:22and with rage and temper.
04:25I don't think that that's something that just happened
04:27when he got to be an adult.
04:32In 1990, at the age of 19,
04:36Baxendale was arrested and charged with his first serious offence.
04:41He was convicted of wounding with intent,
04:44which involved the use of a knife and stabbing someone repeatedly
04:48while he was under the influence of LSD.
04:52He's in an environment where he's taking drugs,
04:55he's carrying a weapon.
04:56This is a man who has anger issues.
05:00He was very easily offended,
05:03in particular when he was drinking,
05:05when he had any sort of substances.
05:07He would take offence, he would react in a violent way.
05:13Baxendale was jailed for the violent attack.
05:16But just six years later,
05:18he was out and back to his usual criminal behaviour.
05:25In 1996, Baxendale attacked again.
05:29He stabbed an associate seven times
05:32with a five and a quarter inch sheath knife.
05:36It was another example of Baxendale's inability to control himself.
05:42What we can tell about Baxendale's previous criminal history
05:45is that he had a real thing for using knives,
05:48and the scale of the ferocity and intensity of the attacks got worse and worse.
05:55He's clearly not the type of man who accepts any form of challenge.
06:00He's getting into situations where people are,
06:03from his perspective, provoking him.
06:06So this is a person who is escalating,
06:10who is not slowing down,
06:12who is not learning lessons,
06:14and who really society can't control.
06:20Baxendale was sent to prison once again.
06:23When he was released,
06:25he seemingly began anew,
06:27and by the early 2000s,
06:29he was living on the Costa del Sol in southern Spain.
06:35Baxendale may have ordered his residence to another country,
06:38but he was still the same time bomb,
06:41a man with a very, very short fuse.
06:46My suspicion is that he's escaping something when he goes to Spain.
06:50Maybe he's worried that his past is going to catch up with him,
06:55and out there he'll have more freedom and less worry.
06:58The problem is with someone like Baxendale,
07:01he's got no support network in Spain,
07:03he's got no stability,
07:04and he's clearly an unstable person,
07:07so I can't see that that would have a good effect on him.
07:13Little is known about Baxendale's time in Spain,
07:17but in 2001,
07:20he bumped into an old acquaintance.
07:23The pair got drinking,
07:25ended up back at his flat.
07:27An argument broke out,
07:29a knife was pulled,
07:31and his friend was stabbed 14 times
07:33in what was described as a vicious and violent assault.
07:38This time, he actually kills him.
07:47It seems to me that Baxendale doesn't target strangers.
07:52He gets into confrontations with people
07:56who he's either socializing with or meeting up with.
08:00This is almost a typical situation for Baxendale,
08:04but his violence escalates kind of off the scale.
08:10He stabs the victim multiple times,
08:1314 times,
08:14takes quite a long time to stab somebody 14 times,
08:18so this is kind of a rage that he gets in.
08:25It didn't take long for Spanish investigators
08:28to track Baxendale down and arrest him for murder.
08:33Police found a series of voice recordings on his phone.
08:37He was actually confessing to the murder.
08:39What better evidence could there have been for police at the time?
08:44In those recordings,
08:46it's quite possible that what he's doing
08:48is trying to justify or explain what he's done,
08:53because at some level,
08:54he absolutely knows he's gone too far,
08:56but he doesn't necessarily think that he's wrong.
09:01What it shows is a degree of vanity
09:03in terms of what he'd done.
09:06He wasn't ashamed,
09:08didn't feel guilty particularly about what had happened.
09:11There's an indication that he quite enjoyed
09:14the notoriety that came with it.
09:16The police had a confession,
09:19but the motive wasn't clear.
09:22He was high on Class A drugs and booze,
09:25but the attack was spontaneous
09:27and seemingly without motive.
09:31I think the drugs and the alcohol
09:33exacerbate the existing problems that Baxendale has.
09:38He gets into a rage, acts on that rage,
09:41and when he's in it,
09:42he's keeping going until either that rage subsides
09:46or he becomes aware of the damage that he's done.
09:54Baxendale was charged with murder.
09:57In 2003, his trial began in Spain.
10:02The fact that they had a confession from Baxendale
10:05meant that it was effectively an open and shut case.
10:09He was convicted of murder
10:11and sentenced to 11 years in prison.
10:14He was a genuine danger
10:15to ordinary members of the public.
10:17If you happen to encounter him
10:19on a day when he was high and drunk,
10:21who knows what was going to happen to you?
10:23In June 2008,
10:27after serving five years of his sentence,
10:30Baxendale was deported back to the UK
10:33to serve out the rest of his time.
10:37Just over a year later,
10:39on the 1st of September 2009,
10:43Baxendale, now in his late 30s, was released.
10:48Baxendale was released early,
10:50which suggests to me
10:51that he behaved himself while he was in prison,
10:55that he didn't get himself into any more trouble,
10:59which, of course, suggests
11:01that there is something in Baxendale
11:04which allows him to control his temper.
11:08He's coming out of prison
11:10as somebody who's always done exactly what he wanted,
11:13always been violent exactly when he wanted.
11:16He is still a dangerous, spontaneously violent,
11:20addictive personality
11:21who is literally a loose cannon,
11:24ready to go off at any moment.
11:29He may not have been in prison anymore,
11:33but the authorities were keeping a close eye
11:36on David Baxendale.
11:39When Baxendale was released,
11:41there were still conditions
11:42that he had to attend probation.
11:44So when he was back in the UK,
11:45he was attending drug rehabilitation courses in the UK,
11:48and that was a condition of his probation.
11:50I think rehabilitation is incredibly difficult,
11:54depending on the person.
11:56Baxendale was a repeat and serial offender.
11:59He's an incredibly reactive man.
12:02That suggests to me
12:04that these types of interventions
12:05are not going to work with someone like him.
12:11Now back in the UK,
12:14Baxendale set up home in his native Surrey.
12:20In 2010, he is living around the Red Hill area,
12:24but still a fairly itinerant life.
12:26Not employed,
12:28but having a condition
12:28to attend probation and rehabilitations.
12:31He was tied to the area
12:33because of those conditions.
12:34His life wasn't structured.
12:38He is attending rehab,
12:41and his behaviour whilst in rehab
12:44is absolutely outrageous.
12:47On the 5th of May,
12:49Baxendale attended probation.
12:50He met a young woman there.
12:53He seems to have been rebuffed
12:55when he approached her.
12:59Baxendale had met the woman previously
13:01and confronted her about not returning his calls.
13:05When she rejected him,
13:07Baxendale snapped.
13:10This turns into a status issue for him.
13:13How dare she?
13:15How dare she reject him?
13:17She probably didn't even realise
13:19that he had perceived it this way.
13:22And then he threatens to kill her.
13:25That is a sign
13:27that he's in serious escalation
13:29at that point.
13:34Baxendale's rage
13:35had been simmering for years,
13:37causing him to explode
13:39when he felt challenged.
13:41Just five days later,
13:43his uncontrolled violence
13:45would escalate once again.
13:47But this time,
13:48it would no longer be a threat.
13:50It would be...
13:53cold-blooded murder.
14:05In 2010,
14:07convicted murderer David Baxendale
14:10was living in Surrey.
14:13Authorities were keeping an eye
14:15on the 39-year-old,
14:17but his drinking and violent behaviour
14:19continued to escalate,
14:21unabated.
14:26This is a man
14:27who is treading
14:28a very dangerous path,
14:30and one which is not
14:31membership of ordinary
14:33civilised society.
14:34He had a propensity
14:36to lose his temper.
14:37If something happened
14:39he wasn't happy with,
14:40he could suddenly snap,
14:42and snap in a very extreme way.
14:47On the 10th of May, 2010,
14:50Surrey police were called
14:52to a flat in the village
14:54of Nutfield
14:54after reports
14:56of a murder.
14:58Journalist Neville Wilson
15:00was local to the area.
15:04I was a news editor
15:05at the Surrey Mirror
15:06at the time.
15:07When I first got the call,
15:09a contact of mine
15:09said to Mila,
15:10Nev,
15:11I think there's been a murder.
15:14Neville rushed to the scene
15:15to find that police
15:16had blocked all roads
15:18in and out of the village.
15:22It's pretty clear
15:22something major has happened.
15:24There's police cars everywhere.
15:27There were more police officers,
15:28and there's forensics
15:29coming back and forth
15:31from a tent
15:32that they've set up outside.
15:33I didn't know
15:34what had happened,
15:34but it was pretty clear
15:35something pretty catastrophic
15:37had happened
15:37to warrant that amount
15:39of police presence
15:39in Nutfield that night.
15:43I couldn't get much
15:44from the scene,
15:45to be perfectly honest.
15:45No-one seemed to know
15:46very much about the victim.
15:49Neville returned
15:50the next day
15:52and began hearing a rumour
15:53that the flat belonged
15:55to a local woman.
15:58He wanted to see
15:59if there was any truth
16:00to this.
16:03I rocked up
16:04at the Queen's head.
16:05Everyone knew
16:06there'd been a murder,
16:07and everyone knew
16:08that a woman
16:09had been murdered
16:09in this flat in Nutfield.
16:11And it wasn't
16:12until that moment
16:12in that pub
16:13when I got speaking
16:14to a woman
16:15when she told me
16:16the name of the victim,
16:18and her name
16:18was Sarah Thomas.
16:21I had the name
16:22of the victim.
16:23I knew who
16:23Sarah Thomas was.
16:25But the big question
16:26was,
16:26who had murdered her?
16:30Police on the scene
16:31had confirmed
16:32that the victim
16:33was 38-year-old Sarah.
16:37There really isn't
16:38a lot known
16:38about the life
16:39of Sarah Thomas.
16:41When I was covering
16:42the case,
16:43I really had to dig deep,
16:44you know,
16:44knock on a lot of doors
16:45to find anyone
16:46who knew very much
16:47about her.
16:48She had three children.
16:50She was in a relationship
16:51with another man,
16:53but it was slightly
16:54on-off,
16:55a little bit unpredictable,
16:57slightly chaotic.
16:58Her lifestyle
16:58was slightly chaotic
17:00and largely unstructured.
17:03The police investigation
17:05began by interviewing
17:07Sarah's boyfriend
17:08who'd initially made
17:10the 999 call.
17:13Sarah's boyfriend
17:13on the day,
17:14he's been texting her,
17:15he's been calling her,
17:17and he's getting
17:17a bit worried,
17:17so he decides
17:18to take himself
17:19up to Nutfield
17:19to look in on her
17:20at her flat.
17:24Once he gets
17:26through the door,
17:26he discovers,
17:27to his horror,
17:28that she's lying there
17:30on the carpet,
17:32dead.
17:34Sarah was covered
17:36with blood,
17:37clearly been stabbed
17:38repeatedly around the head
17:39and the face area,
17:41and there was blood
17:42everywhere,
17:42on the floor,
17:43on the bed,
17:44all around the flat.
17:48In cases of homicide,
17:50especially where women
17:52are the victims,
17:53the boyfriend
17:55will be the first person
17:57they look at
17:58because statistically,
17:59it is likely
18:01to be them
18:02that are implicated.
18:03So Sarah's boyfriend
18:05would have come
18:06under suspicion
18:07absolutely immediately
18:09by the police.
18:15Investigators needed
18:16to establish
18:17a time of death
18:18to see if Sarah's boyfriend
18:20could be her killer.
18:22They spoke to neighbours
18:24to see if anybody
18:26had heard the attack.
18:29A neighbour did hear
18:32repeated thumps
18:33on the ground,
18:35which indicated
18:36some sort of event
18:38taking place
18:38within that flat.
18:40She could say
18:41it was in Sarah's flat,
18:42that was taking place.
18:44But she didn't hear
18:45any screaming out,
18:46she didn't hear
18:46any voices,
18:47she just heard
18:48repeated thumps.
18:51The noises
18:52put Sarah's time
18:53of death
18:54somewhere between
18:554.50
18:56and 5.45pm.
18:59Detectives
19:00looked at the boyfriend's
19:01phone
19:01to see if it could
19:02provide an alibi
19:04for this time.
19:07On his phone
19:08was material
19:09indicating
19:10categorically
19:11he'd been in
19:11Godston
19:12and could not
19:12have been present
19:13at the time
19:14of the murder.
19:15So they were
19:17pretty clear
19:17in their minds
19:18that he was not
19:18the main suspect.
19:20Sarah's boyfriend
19:21was ruled
19:21out of the inquiry.
19:24Investigators
19:24turned to
19:25whether he'd
19:25seen anything
19:26on that fateful day
19:28that could
19:28provide any leads.
19:31When Sarah's boyfriend
19:32returned to the flat,
19:33as he got to the
19:34front entrance,
19:35he saw a man
19:36hurry past him
19:37coming out of the flat,
19:39keeping his head down.
19:41At the time,
19:42of course,
19:42he had no idea
19:43who that person
19:44might be
19:45or have any reason
19:46to suspect him
19:47of anything.
19:49The police's
19:50attention turned
19:51to that man.
19:53Who was he?
19:54Where did he go?
20:00There were no signs
20:02of forced entry
20:03to the flat,
20:04so police worked
20:06on the theory
20:06that Sarah
20:07had let this person in.
20:10They needed to build
20:11a timeline
20:12of Sarah's movements
20:14that day.
20:17They need to track
20:18everything that Sarah's done
20:19and match, perhaps,
20:21to the description
20:22of this man
20:23who's leaving
20:24her house
20:25seen by the boyfriend.
20:27Was anybody
20:28that she was interacting
20:29with fit in
20:30the description
20:31of that man?
20:32Did anybody else
20:34see anybody
20:35matching that description?
20:37Well, after speaking
20:38to the boyfriend,
20:39the police
20:40now know
20:40that Sarah's
20:41been at some kind
20:42of party
20:43that afternoon
20:43and she's been
20:44chatting to people
20:45there.
20:48Detectives
20:48were able
20:49to speak
20:49to a friend
20:50of Sarah's
20:51who told them
20:52that Sarah
20:52had met a man
20:54at the gathering.
20:57There came a time
20:58in the afternoon
20:58when Sarah
20:59decided to invite
21:00her friend
21:00back to her flat
21:02and at that point
21:03the man
21:04she met
21:04that day
21:05asked if he
21:06could come
21:06to.
21:07So the taxi
21:08arrived,
21:09Sarah went
21:09downstairs,
21:10her friend
21:11was sorting
21:12himself out
21:13but before
21:14he could go
21:14downstairs,
21:15the man,
21:15the new man
21:16who Sarah
21:17had not met
21:18before that day
21:18came downstairs,
21:19got into the
21:20back of the taxi.
21:21When the friend
21:22came downstairs,
21:23he held the door
21:24tight so the friend
21:25could not get
21:25into the back
21:26of the cab.
21:29That's quite
21:30a sinister behaviour
21:31because that
21:31suggests to me
21:32he's doing
21:33everything now
21:34to make sure
21:35that he
21:36and Sarah
21:37are alone
21:38together.
21:39I think the police
21:41would have found
21:42that an interesting
21:43piece of information
21:44because there's
21:44some kind of
21:45foresight here
21:46that I want
21:47to be alone
21:47with this woman.
21:50Investigators
21:51now suspected
21:52the man
21:52from the gathering
21:53may be the same
21:55one seen
21:55leaving Sarah's
21:57flat.
21:57They needed
21:58to know
21:59what happened
22:00next so they
22:01tracked down
22:02the taxi driver
22:03who'd taken
22:04Sarah and her
22:05possible killer
22:06to the flat.
22:09The taxi driver
22:11describes this
22:12man as being
22:13very friendly
22:14towards her
22:15but her
22:16slightly pushing
22:18back,
22:18slightly rebuffing
22:19what are clearly
22:20advances of
22:22a romantic nature.
22:24During the taxi
22:25journey at one
22:26stage he
22:26leant over
22:27and tried
22:27to kiss
22:28Sarah
22:28but Sarah
22:29recoiled
22:30slightly
22:30at that point.
22:32What these
22:34actions say
22:34to me is
22:35that this
22:36man had
22:37in his mind
22:38probably that
22:39he wanted
22:39to have
22:39sexual relations
22:40with Sarah.
22:42It just
22:42suggests to me
22:43that this
22:44person was
22:44on a mission.
22:45They knew
22:46exactly what
22:47they wanted
22:47from Sarah.
22:50Sarah didn't
22:51necessarily know
22:52what that
22:53plan was.
22:56Police had
22:57their first
22:58hint at a
22:59possible motive,
23:00rejection.
23:02They needed
23:03to get an
23:04ID on this
23:05man.
23:06So they
23:07began to
23:07track down
23:08others who'd
23:09been at the
23:09gathering.
23:10In the
23:11meantime,
23:12they searched
23:12Sarah's flat
23:13for any
23:14clues.
23:21They found
23:22fingerprints
23:23in Sarah's
23:24blood on
23:25the windowsill
23:25beneath which
23:27there was a
23:27pool of blood
23:28outside where
23:29Sarah sadly
23:30had bled.
23:32The fingerprints
23:33offered the
23:34first potential
23:35lead in
23:36revealing Sarah's
23:37killer.
23:38A fingerprint
23:39of this nature
23:40is of high
23:40evidential value
23:41as it places
23:43a person
23:44in the
23:45flat at
23:46the time
23:46of the
23:46attack or
23:47shortly
23:47thereafter.
23:50The search
23:51also revealed
23:52another clue.
23:55The absence
23:56of the
23:56potential murder
23:57weapon at
23:57Sarah's flat
23:58meant the
23:59police didn't
24:00know if the
24:01offender still
24:01had this on
24:02their person
24:02and therefore
24:03they could be
24:04a real danger
24:04to other
24:05members of
24:05the public.
24:07As the
24:08forensic evidence
24:09started to
24:10build,
24:10detectives
24:11turned to
24:12the post
24:13mortem.
24:14The initial
24:15injuries
24:16appeared to
24:17be from
24:17a bladed
24:18object,
24:19possibly a
24:20knife.
24:21The injuries
24:22included
24:22stab marks
24:23to her neck,
24:24her face,
24:25her ears,
24:25and also
24:26her hands
24:26and forearms.
24:29The defensive
24:30wounds to
24:31her arms
24:32and hands
24:33showed that
24:33she was
24:34trying to
24:34put up
24:34a fight
24:35and defend
24:35herself
24:36against
24:36this attack,
24:37fearing for
24:38her life
24:39in this
24:39awful
24:39moment.
24:43The fatal
24:44injury was
24:45her stab
24:46wound through
24:46the neck
24:47which cut
24:48her carotid
24:48artery.
24:51The police
24:51investigation
24:52were working
24:53with the
24:53theory that
24:54they were
24:54looking for
24:55some sort
24:55of knife
24:56or bladed
24:56object as
24:57a potential
24:58weapon that
24:58had caused
24:59Sarah's death.
25:02There was
25:03a huge
25:03amount of
25:03violence on
25:04Sarah's
25:05body that
25:06tells us
25:07an awful
25:07lot about
25:08what might
25:09have happened
25:09during that
25:10attack.
25:11If you
25:11stab somebody
25:12in the neck,
25:13I would say
25:14you've got to
25:15have some
25:15form of
25:16intention there
25:17that you
25:17know this
25:18could possibly
25:18end with
25:19that person's
25:19death.
25:20So it's
25:20quite possible
25:21this is
25:21somebody who
25:22got into
25:22a rage
25:23with her.
25:30Investigators
25:30knew they
25:31were looking
25:32for a very
25:32violent killer,
25:34potentially still
25:35armed with a
25:36knife.
25:38They were in
25:39a race against
25:40time,
25:41desperate to
25:42uncover the
25:43identity of
25:44the mystery
25:45man before
25:47he could
25:48kill again.
26:00In 2010,
26:02Surrey police
26:03were on the
26:03hunt for
26:04the killer
26:04of 38-year-old
26:06Sarah Thomas.
26:08Sarah's flat
26:09in the quiet
26:10village of
26:11Nutfield revealed
26:12a brutal
26:13knife attack,
26:14and a man
26:15had been
26:15spotted fleeing
26:16the scene.
26:20Investigators
26:21needed to
26:22get an ID
26:22on their
26:23suspect,
26:24as soon
26:25as possible.
26:33The police
26:34appealed to
26:34witnesses,
26:35and what
26:35they get
26:36back is
26:37a series
26:37of reports
26:38about this
26:39strange man
26:40kind of running
26:41around the
26:41village,
26:42trying to
26:42get a
26:42taxi.
26:44All
26:45witness
26:46statements
26:46agreed that
26:47the man
26:48was behaving
26:49erratically.
26:50They
26:51couldn't
26:51confirm it
26:52was the
26:52same person
26:53that Sarah
26:54had brought
26:54back to
26:55her flat
26:55that day.
26:57But all
26:58the sightings
26:58were close
26:59to the
26:59time of
27:00the murder.
27:02I think the
27:03police would
27:04have found
27:04his movements
27:05incredibly
27:05suspicious.
27:06This is a
27:07person who's
27:08scattering himself
27:09over a wide
27:10area, lots of
27:11people are
27:12seeing him.
27:14So that was
27:14a good line
27:15of inquiry
27:15for the
27:16police.
27:16Who was
27:17this guy
27:18and why
27:18was he
27:18running
27:19around the
27:19village,
27:19desperately
27:20trying to
27:20get a
27:20taxi,
27:21straight
27:21after this
27:22murder?
27:24The police
27:25needed to
27:26find out
27:26if this
27:27strange man
27:28was the
27:29same person
27:29that had
27:30been at
27:31the gathering
27:31with Sarah
27:32that afternoon.
27:35The police
27:36realized after
27:38interrogating a
27:39number of the
27:40people who
27:40had been with
27:41Sarah Thomas
27:42that one man
27:43who'd been
27:44there was a
27:45chap called
27:46David Baxendale.
27:50Once the
27:51police had
27:52the name
27:53of David
27:54Baxendale,
27:55they could
27:55carry out
27:56their own
27:56inquiries.
27:57They feed
27:58David Baxendale
27:59into their
28:00police computer
28:01and come up
28:02with a man
28:02with a
28:03record
28:04for violence.
28:06GBH,
28:07murder with
28:08knives,
28:09he therefore
28:10becomes a
28:11person not
28:11only of
28:12interest,
28:12he becomes
28:13the prime
28:13suspect in
28:14the murder
28:15of Sarah
28:15Thomas.
28:19Investigators
28:20had identified
28:21their likely
28:22killer,
28:23but he'd
28:24seemingly
28:24vanished
28:25without a
28:26trace.
28:30This is
28:30where the
28:31police need
28:31us,
28:31the media.
28:32They send
28:33us a
28:33description
28:34of this
28:34wanted man
28:35in the
28:36hope that
28:36someone may
28:37know him
28:37or may
28:38have seen
28:38him and
28:39they can
28:39come to
28:39police and
28:40let them
28:40know where
28:41he is.
28:42They
28:43describe the
28:43man,
28:44about 5'7",
28:45brown hair,
28:46blue eyes,
28:46but he has a
28:47couple of really
28:48distinguishing features.
28:49He has a
28:50tattoo of a
28:50dragon on
28:51his right arm
28:52and a
28:53tattoo of a
28:53scorpion on
28:54his left
28:55chest.
28:55very distinctive
28:57marks.
28:59Police spoke to
29:00the witnesses
29:01who'd seen
29:02the strange
29:02man running
29:03around.
29:04They reported
29:06seeing a
29:07dragon tattoo
29:08on his arm,
29:09fitting the
29:10description of
29:12David Baxendale.
29:14All of the
29:15witnesses who
29:16saw him in
29:17these various
29:17stages of his
29:18route around
29:19the countryside
29:20described this
29:21man very
29:21disorientated,
29:23affected by
29:23drink or
29:24drugs,
29:25sweating,
29:26frantic,
29:26appearing
29:28agitated in
29:29some way.
29:31He ran
29:32across the
29:32motorway,
29:33and we know
29:33this because
29:33there was
29:34camera evidence
29:35from the
29:36motorway covering
29:37that area,
29:37which showed
29:38this individual
29:38dodging traffic
29:39as he ran
29:40across the
29:41motorway and
29:42up into the
29:42fields on the
29:43other side.
29:47The witnesses
29:49were also able
29:50to identify
29:51specific items
29:52that Baxendale
29:53had on his
29:55person.
29:56There were a
29:57couple of
29:57witnesses who
29:58saw him go
29:59past and saw
29:59him carrying a
30:00distinctive white
30:01bag.
30:02There were
30:03witnesses in
30:03Bletchingly who
30:04saw what was
30:05clearly the same
30:06man, apparently
30:08lost, walking
30:09around and running
30:10around the area.
30:12At this stage,
30:13once he'd got to
30:14Bletchingly, he
30:15wasn't any longer
30:16carrying the bag
30:17he had been
30:17previously carrying.
30:20Witnesses also
30:21told police that
30:23at one point
30:24the man was
30:24wearing a
30:25beige jacket.
30:27A team were
30:28sent to trace
30:29Baxendale's
30:30footsteps, working
30:32on the theory
30:33that he'd been
30:33trying to get
30:34rid of incriminating
30:36evidence.
30:39Following the
30:40police search, a
30:40beige jacket was
30:41found under a
30:42bench, and this
30:43appeared to be
30:44bearing red
30:44staining.
30:46From first
30:47examination, it
30:48appeared to be
30:48blurred.
30:51It seemed the
30:52police were on to
30:53something.
30:54In a nearby
30:55woodland, they
30:56hit the jackpot
30:57once again, and
30:59found a distinctive
31:00white bag with
31:01clothing and a
31:03pair of trainers
31:03inside.
31:06The clothing also
31:07appeared to be
31:08bearing red
31:08staining that
31:09looked like blood,
31:11spots on the
31:12trainers and other
31:12bloodstains on the
31:13clothing.
31:14If the blood on
31:15this clothing was
31:16identified to
31:17Sarah, this
31:18could indicate
31:18this person was
31:20wearing the
31:20clothing when
31:21they committed
31:22the attack and
31:23could be Sarah's
31:24killer.
31:27Investigators
31:27were hopeful
31:28they'd be able to
31:29forensically link
31:30the clothing and
31:31the trainers to
31:32Baxendale, but
31:34they were still
31:34missing the
31:35killer and the
31:36murder weapon.
31:39A knife was
31:40found at the
31:41base of a tree,
31:42and it looked to
31:43be bearing red
31:44staining that
31:45could be blood.
31:46This could be
31:47critical in the
31:48investigation.
31:52After extensive
31:53forensic testing,
31:55the clothing and
31:56the knife were
31:57all a match to
31:58both Sarah's
31:59blood and
32:00Baxendale's
32:01DNA.
32:03It was strong
32:04evidence linking
32:05him to the
32:06murder.
32:07Investigators now
32:08needed to link
32:09him to the
32:10scene.
32:11Police went
32:12back to the
32:13fingerprint that
32:14they first found.
32:16analysis found
32:17that the
32:18fingerprint at
32:19the flat was
32:20identified to
32:21Baxendale and
32:22was made in
32:23Sarah's blood.
32:24This is very
32:24incriminating
32:25evidence as it
32:26puts Baxendale at
32:27the flat at the
32:29time of Sarah's
32:29death or shortly
32:31afterwards.
32:32The forensic case
32:34against Baxendale
32:36was now compelling,
32:37but there was still
32:38no sign of the
32:4039-year-old.
32:41In May 2010,
32:43police got a tip
32:44off about a man
32:46with a dragon
32:46tattoo drinking
32:48in a bar in
32:49Spain.
32:51Detectives felt
32:52confident this
32:53could be Baxendale,
32:55given his links
32:56to the country.
32:57They located
32:58CCTV of him the
33:01day after Sarah's
33:02murder, making
33:03his way to
33:04Portsmouth.
33:06Baxendale went
33:07to get a ticket.
33:08He wanted to
33:09get clearly to
33:10the south of
33:11Spain, but there
33:12were no ferries to
33:13the south of
33:13Spain that night.
33:15The closest he
33:16could get to was
33:17St. Marlowe.
33:19Baxendale gets
33:20the ticket.
33:21He goes to the
33:22bar to wait.
33:23He's seemingly
33:24quite relaxed at
33:25that stage.
33:27As investigators
33:29followed his
33:30journey on
33:30CCTV, they
33:32discovered that
33:33Baxendale had
33:34made significant
33:35efforts to
33:37evade justice.
33:40Baxendale had
33:41gone to the
33:42gentleman's
33:42loo's nearby to
33:43the ferry terminal.
33:44He wanted to
33:45change his
33:46appearance to
33:47some degree.
33:48He took out a
33:49shaver.
33:49He shaved his
33:50head completely.
33:51Some people saw
33:52him and clearly
33:53thought it was
33:53odd.
33:54It was odd.
33:55And there
33:56happened to be a
33:56couple of special
33:57constables nearby.
33:58They came and
33:59approached him and
34:00asked for his
34:00identification.
34:02He produces a
34:03passport in the
34:04name of his
34:04brother.
34:05The police have
34:06no reason to
34:07hold him.
34:08At this point,
34:09they don't know
34:09particularly that
34:10these two things
34:11are connected.
34:13And Baxendale gets
34:14a ferry from
34:16Portsmouth that
34:17day to St.
34:18Marlowe in
34:18France, the first
34:20of his steps on
34:22escaping justice in
34:23Britain.
34:27I don't think that
34:28at this point he's
34:30thinking he can get
34:31away with it.
34:32So the only plan
34:34really is to stop
34:36them arresting him
34:37and try and remain
34:38on the run for the
34:39rest of his life.
34:45Police were
34:46confident that the
34:47man spotted in
34:48Spain was David
34:50Baxendale, but this
34:52breakthrough brought
34:53with it a new
34:54challenge.
34:55Their prime suspect
34:57was thousands of
34:58miles away.
34:59Desperate to bring
35:01him to justice,
35:02detectives were in a
35:03race against time,
35:04knowing that failure
35:06could mean that
35:07Sarah's killer
35:09would get away
35:10with murder.
35:22In 2010, David
35:24Baxendale was a
35:26wanted man, the
35:28prime suspect in
35:29the murder of
35:3038-year-old Sarah
35:32Thomas.
35:34Police had tracked
35:35the 39-year-old to
35:37Spain, and they
35:38needed to find and
35:40arrest him as soon
35:41as possible.
35:43But getting a
35:44warrant for another
35:46country wasn't going
35:47to be straightforward.
35:54You have to get
35:55what's known as a
35:55European arrest
35:56warrant, and that
35:58involves satisfying
35:59an awful lot of
36:00authorities that you
36:01have reasonable
36:02grounds to arrest a
36:04man who isn't in
36:05your jurisdiction.
36:06It takes a little
36:07time.
36:1018 days after Sarah's
36:13murder, police
36:14finally got a
36:15warrant, and
36:16Spanish authorities
36:17tracked down
36:18Baxendale to
36:20Fuengirola in
36:21southern Spain.
36:23On the 21st of
36:24June 2010, David
36:26Baxendale was
36:27finally arrested and
36:29charged.
36:30He was brought
36:32back to the UK,
36:33where the police had
36:34established a strong
36:36case against him.
36:39The police by this
36:41stage had been able
36:41to join all these
36:42bits of evidence, the
36:43forensic evidence, the
36:45items recovered, the
36:46bloodstaining, the
36:47DNA, the identification
36:49of Baxendale by various
36:51individuals.
36:52And it was now
36:53portraying a very clear
36:54and compelling picture of
36:56his culpability.
37:02The trial began at
37:04Guildford Crown Court in
37:06February 2011.
37:08Baxendale pled not
37:09guilty.
37:12Prosecutor Richard Jory,
37:14KC, used the forensic
37:16evidence to paint a
37:17picture of what happened
37:19on the afternoon of
37:21Sarah's murder.
37:24Sarah took him back to
37:26her flat.
37:27They'd bought alcohol.
37:29Clearly, the idea was to
37:30go back and have a drink.
37:31But all the indications up
37:32to that point were that
37:33although he was
37:35interested in something
37:36perhaps happening
37:37romantically, she had
37:39constantly rebuffed him
37:41prior to that.
37:42And it may well be the
37:43case, although there are
37:44no witnesses, that that
37:46was the cause of friction
37:47and that sort of caused
37:48him to snap when he was
37:49in the flat.
37:51At some point,
37:52something changes.
37:54And this man who
37:56Sarah has welcomed into
37:58her home
37:58suddenly flips.
38:03We don't know what
38:05happened, what triggered
38:06the attack.
38:08Sarah was completely
38:09vulnerable and innocent
38:11in her own home.
38:12The last thing she would
38:13have expected was what
38:15happened.
38:15It was a sickening,
38:17horrific crime
38:19and completely
38:20spontaneous.
38:22Richard presented
38:23a strong case,
38:25but Baxendale
38:26denied it all.
38:31Baxendale at trial
38:33said that he did go to
38:34the flat of Sarah
38:35and he was there.
38:37But in fact, another man
38:38then entered the flat
38:39and it was him,
38:41the other man,
38:42who killed Sarah
38:43in his presence.
38:44In fact, all the
38:46forensic evidence
38:47and all the analysis
38:48of items within the flat
38:49showed that Baxendale
38:51was present,
38:51but no other man.
38:53No other witness
38:54indicated any other
38:55person.
38:56All the forensic evidence
38:57indicated that it was
38:58Baxendale and Baxendale
39:00alone who'd been
39:01responsible.
39:04Richard exhibited
39:06that Baxendale had
39:07the most compelling
39:08motive to kill Sarah
39:10that evening.
39:13There were a number
39:13of witnesses from
39:14the day of the murder
39:15who spoke about
39:16Baxendale's demeanor
39:18at that time,
39:18which was worrying.
39:21Some of the witnesses
39:22spoke of him
39:23showing violent urges,
39:25speaking of
39:26inappropriate sexual
39:28matters and even
39:30threatening to cut
39:31the throat of his
39:32probation officer.
39:33Particularly, he could
39:34not deal with rejection.
39:36And if he was rejected,
39:37if he was rebuffed,
39:39very often that would
39:40lead to an extreme
39:41escalation in his
39:42behavior.
39:43We know from his
39:45history that he
39:46responds badly to
39:48anyone challenging
39:50him.
39:51I think that
39:52Baxendale was like
39:54a pressure cooker.
39:55He could go at any
39:57minute with any kind
39:59of confrontation or
40:00challenge.
40:01The general impression
40:02is that bubbling
40:03beneath the surface
40:05of someone who
40:06appeared charming and
40:08ordinary on the
40:08outside was a very
40:09angry, ready-to-snap
40:12character.
40:18Richard wanted to
40:20further display
40:21Baxendale's shady
40:23past.
40:26During the course of
40:27the trial, the
40:28prosecution can apply
40:29to put in previous
40:31relevant instances of
40:33his what we call
40:34bad character.
40:36And in this case, we
40:37had evidence of
40:38previous occasions
40:39when Baxendale had
40:41stabbed victims.
40:44He tried to give an
40:46impression in front of
40:47the jury.
40:47He was a calm
40:48individual and that
40:50he did not do this
40:51and it must have been
40:52someone else.
40:52But the more you
40:53looked at it, and no
40:54doubt the more the jury
40:55looked at it, they
40:56could see his past
40:57record of extreme
40:58violence and criminality.
41:00And the evidence,
41:01frankly, in the case
41:02was overwhelming.
41:05As part of the trial,
41:08Baxendale himself took
41:10the stand.
41:12When he gave evidence,
41:13he clearly was trying
41:14to keep a lid on his
41:16temper.
41:17It became evident that
41:18he could lose his
41:19temper quite quickly.
41:21As soon as he got up
41:23to give evidence and
41:24he chose to give
41:26evidence, then we see
41:28what Baxendale is like
41:30when he's being
41:30challenged, when
41:32somebody isn't
41:33agreeing with him.
41:34We get a little bit
41:35of an insight into
41:37what his victims
41:39would have faced
41:40from him.
41:46On the 17th of March
41:482011, at Guildford
41:51Crown Court, the jury
41:53took just three and a
41:54half hours to
41:55unanimously convict
41:56David Baxendale of
41:58murder.
41:59The judge, when he
42:02sentenced him, had to
42:03consider all the
42:04relevant bits of
42:05background about him.
42:06It was clearly relevant
42:08that he had a violent
42:08past.
42:10In rare circumstances
42:11where someone has
42:13committed a previous
42:13murder and has then
42:14been convicted again,
42:16that person may qualify
42:17for what we call a
42:18whole-life tariff.
42:22Baxendale was given
42:23a whole-life sentence.
42:24That means he'll never
42:25be eligible for parole.
42:27Spending the rest of
42:28his life in jail is
42:29exactly what he
42:30deserves.
42:31He's killed two
42:32people.
42:33There's nowhere better
42:35for him than behind
42:37bars.
42:38Ten months later, on
42:40the 18th of January
42:412012, Baxendale returned
42:44to court after launching
42:46an appeal against his
42:47conviction and sentence.
42:50In due course, he did
42:52appeal his convictions,
42:53but the evidence had been
42:55overwhelming, and there
42:57was nothing fundamental
42:58that happened during the
42:59course of his trial, which
43:00meant that his conviction
43:01should be overturned.
43:04In 2014, Baxendale appealed
43:08his conviction once more.
43:11The judges had allowed in
43:14the trial the evidence of
43:15his previous conviction in
43:17Spain to be allowed before
43:19the jury.
43:21Baxendale's defense team
43:23seized upon that and said,
43:26well, that means that the
43:27jury were not entirely clear
43:29that he'd never done anything
43:30before.
43:31In other words, it's
43:32prejudiced their opinion of
43:33him.
43:34But the judge did not agree,
43:37and the whole life sentence
43:39was upheld.
43:41Baxendale remains in prison.
43:45He's never expressed any
43:47remorse for brutally
43:48murdering Sarah.
43:52Sarah Thomas was a mother,
43:54mother to three children.
43:55Three children she would
43:57never see grow up.
43:59It's a real tragedy.
44:01Sarah Thomas could never
44:03have known who Baxendale
44:05truly was when he came into
44:08her flat for a drink that
44:10day.
44:13Baxendale was clearly a
44:15genuinely evil and violent
44:19man.
44:20Superficially, he could be
44:21charming.
44:22He could win people over.
44:24He had a good way with
44:25people, but if he was
44:27rejected, if he was told
44:29something he didn't like,
44:30he could snap.
44:33I think Baxendale was
44:35always going to be a
44:37danger to anyone that
44:39upset him.
44:40I think he would have
44:41remained a homicide risk for
44:44his entire life.
44:51Sarah Thomas had never met
44:54Baxendale before.
44:57Behind the calm exterior was
45:00a man with a dangerous
45:01temper and a history of
45:03killing.
45:05David Baxendale could switch
45:08from charming and composed to
45:10a dangerous predator in an
45:12instant.
45:13It was this unpredictable
45:15brutality and utter disregard
45:18for the consequences of his
45:20actions that makes David
45:22Baxendale one of Britain's
45:24most evil killers.
45:27Baxendale.com.
45:39Baxendale.com.
45:43Baxendale.com.
45:54Baxendale.com.
45:55Baxendale.com.
45:56Baxendale.com.
45:56You
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