- 1 day ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:01A fatal fall from 80 feet off a bridge into an ice-cold river in the middle of the night.
00:09We could see scoff marks on the pipe as if someone had been trying to cling on for their life
00:15before falling to their death.
00:18A young student's life cut short.
00:21You never expect a child to go early. It's like torture.
00:27Was it simply a bizarre accident?
00:30What he witnessed was John almost doing a backflip over the railings and disappearing into the water.
00:40Or murder.
00:42Unless he was punched with the force of someone like Popeye, then he could not go over accidentally.
01:11Our son, John Chip, was born on the 11th of March 1986 in Castletown, which is an area in Sunderland.
01:23He was a lovely baby. He was bright. He walked early at 10 months. He was always fun.
01:30He was very thoughtful, very loving, very friendly with everybody. And he just loved life.
01:39Mine and John's relationship was a really good one. We were very close. Our John was the older one. He
01:46was two years older than me.
01:48He was always there for us. He would always stick up for us. He would always fight me corner. And
01:53we had some great times together.
01:55Like many young people in Sunderland, John loved football.
01:59Even before he could walk properly, he was kicking the ball around.
02:04He loved to follow Sunderland Football Club. He was a seasoned ticket holder.
02:10We used to go out and play football together. And he was great at football. So he just used to
02:14take the ball past me all the time.
02:19John also shared his father's love of racing pigeons.
02:23He used to love coming down, sitting with the birds, helping his dad basket the birds and train the birds.
02:37We enjoyed our family holidays and we went to the Dominican Republic as a family.
02:42The holiday was great. I had a right laugh. I was 15 at the time. He would have been 17
02:46and we just bonded. It was great.
02:50I'd class him as the perfect brother. I don't think I could have asked much more from him.
02:57He was very loving, very thoughtful. Always tell you he loved you and put his arms around you. We couldn't
03:03have asked for anything better.
03:06Situated in the northeast of England, John's home city of Sunderland is famous for more than its football club.
03:13We've got a fabulous coastline, lots of historic things, good shopping centres. It's a really, really nice area to live.
03:23It's a city that former Detective Superintendent Ian Sharpe policed for a decade during his 30 years of service.
03:32The city of Sunderland is a typical busy city centre, built around the River Weir, the Deep Gorge River, ideal
03:41for shipbuilding.
03:42And one of the oldest bridges crossing the river is the Queen Alexandra Bridge.
03:54By 2004, John Chip had finished school and was preparing for his next stage in life.
04:01John was enrolled in college to do a BTEC in public services.
04:06I think he wanted to be either a fireman or a police officer.
04:10John turned 18 on March 11th, 2004, and a week later, on Thursday, March 18th, another friend was celebrating their
04:19big day.
04:20When John finished work, he called in to see his dad at the pigeon loft.
04:27And he just says, Dad, do you mind if I go out?
04:30I said to them, don't get too much to drink.
04:35Make sure you stick together and make sure you come home together.
04:41Went out with about a big smile on his face as he used to, excited to go and have a
04:45drink with his friends.
04:47I didn't get home until after John had gone out.
04:51We had our evening meal, settled down for the evening, went to bed, and John wasn't in.
04:58It wasn't until the following morning that we both realised he hadn't come home.
05:05And that's when alarm bells start to ring.
05:08It was not like him at all.
05:12He hadn't even phoned or left a message to say he was all right.
05:17I had to get to work that Friday morning, but I think during the whole day, both of us tried
05:24his mobile phone numerous times.
05:27He didn't answer.
05:29The day had passed, and we just thought he might have been partying at a friend's house or whatever.
05:35When I came back from work on Friday evening, that's when we reported him missing to the police.
05:46They wanted a photograph of him.
05:50John always played five-a-side football at Nissan Car Factory Sports Club on a Friday.
05:57We went there, and he wasn't there.
05:59You get that feeling you know there's something wrong, desperately wrong.
06:06Just a good feeling that you know it's going to turn out bad.
06:14It was just like he disappeared off the earth.
06:17Meanwhile, police were rapidly escalating their inquiries into John's disappearance.
06:23He was reported missing Friday the 19th of March to my colleague, Detective Sergeant Chris Sabenga.
06:30We get many reports of missing from homes.
06:34This one was more unusual.
06:37The family were distraught and frantic.
06:41Chris Sabenga contacted the family immediately to seek clues and help from them.
06:47He began inquiries around the mobile phone to see if there was any response from that,
06:52and then began to review CCTV footage from the town centre to see if they could pick up John Chip.
07:02CCTV in its early stages was very grainy and bad quality,
07:07but they were able to pick up John Chip in the town centre at around 11.30.
07:15He'd been out drinking and was very drunk and had been spoken to by police officers in the town centre
07:22who told him to behave and get himself on his way home.
07:28Further CCTV footage was reviewed,
07:31and he was able to pick up John running home quite fast from the city centre
07:38along towards the Queen Alexandra Bridge.
07:42Another male was seen about two minutes ahead of him going onto the bridge
07:47before John ran onto the bridge.
07:50The last movements of John entering the bridge from the south side
07:54was just after midnight at about quarter past midnight.
07:58That takes us into the early hours of Friday the 19th of March.
08:04So we know that he went onto the Queen Alexandra Bridge from the south side
08:09trying to get home on the north side,
08:12but he never came over the other side of the bridge.
08:15He wasn't seen again.
08:17The worst-case scenario was that he'd fallen from the bridge somehow,
08:23an 80-foot drop.
08:25A fall from the bridge of 80 foot onto the water
08:29would certainly knock you out unconscious immediately.
08:34It's similar to hitting concrete.
08:35The weather at the time was rough
08:38and a cold water temperature from the North Sea.
08:42The chances of survival from an 80-foot drop onto the river
08:46are very slim indeed.
08:57In the days after John Chip went missing on March 18th, 2004,
09:03possibly having suffered a fatal fall
09:05from the Queen Alexandra Bridge in Sunderland,
09:09police and family grew increasingly concerned for his safety.
09:13You felt powerless.
09:15You don't know where to start looking.
09:18You don't know what to do.
09:20It's awful, absolutely awful.
09:23While police pieced together John's last known movements,
09:27John's father, George,
09:29continued to do everything he could to find his son.
09:33I just couldn't sit back and just sit in the house.
09:36I just had to be out there looking.
09:40I went down to the river
09:41because we used to walk the dog down the river.
09:43I searched the allotments where I've got the pigeons.
09:49I never give up.
09:51I went out looking every day.
09:54I always had it in my head that he was going to show up.
09:56He's somewhere.
09:57He's just being an idiot.
09:59Just come home, John.
10:01Investigators, led at this point by Detective Sergeant Chris Sabenga,
10:05were desperate for more information.
10:08Chris Sabenga was in close contact with the family
10:12and he urged the family to make a press appeal
10:15for further witnesses to come forward.
10:19The Sunland Football Club,
10:21they were very happy to put an appeal out
10:24at their home game that weekend.
10:26I was asked if I would do a local radio interview.
10:32Probably one of the most traumatic ones
10:34was doing the press conference
10:37where people's cameras are clicking as you walk in a room.
10:42There are a number of reasons
10:44why the police might choose to hold a missing person appeal.
10:47The first one might be
10:49that they are looking out for people who might be witnesses
10:51without even realising that they witnessed anything.
10:55There is the added benefit in a way
10:57that doing this appeal is really highlighting
10:59to the victim's family
11:01that they are doing as much as they can.
11:04A missing person's appeal
11:06can have the added bonus
11:08of putting pressure on people
11:09who either know information
11:11or is aware of someone else being involved
11:13because it can start to feel like those walls are closing in.
11:16So it can encourage people who know something
11:19to come forward.
11:21Police investigations at this point
11:23centered around searching the riverbanks,
11:26the marine section of Northumbria police were involved
11:30underwater search unit, divers were involved.
11:34But it is difficult
11:35because of the fast-flowing tide and the deep silt.
11:39But almost two weeks since his disappearance,
11:43there was still no sign of John.
11:45The police are struggling to find any clues or evidence.
11:49The bridge has been searched and analysed.
11:52There are no signs of any struggle or assault or any blood.
11:56So there is no typical crime scene
11:58to start a murder inquiry.
12:01Meanwhile, the local community rallied
12:03to support John's family.
12:06I had people knocking on our door with flowers.
12:10Some people I didn't even know.
12:13I started to feel like we lived in a flower shop.
12:16But you almost feel like
12:19your life's not your own at that time
12:21because you just go through motions.
12:25Other than your grief and your frustration
12:28of not having anything to do or any news,
12:32you function and that's all.
12:35In late March 2004,
12:37two weeks after John went missing
12:40from the Queen Alexandra Bridge,
12:42police received a call
12:43which was quickly brought to the attention
12:45of Detective Superintendent Ian Sharp.
12:48A phone call comes in from a member of the public
12:52who happens to be a family friend
12:55of a man named Christopher Weldon.
12:58The witness told us that he'd been out drinking
13:01with Christopher Weldon and the wives.
13:05There'd been a lot of alcohol consumed.
13:08Weldon's wife took the car keys from Weldon
13:11and told him he was not capable of driving.
13:16Weldon objected to that.
13:18There was an argument
13:18and he stormed off in a huff
13:20stating he was going to go to the Queen Alexandra Bridge
13:23and throw himself off.
13:28The witness told us that
13:30he'd been talking to Christopher Weldon
13:33and he said,
13:35you never guess what's happened.
13:36I went to the Queen Alexandra Bridge
13:39and as I was standing there,
13:41a young lad came running across
13:43and he's gone over the side of the bridge.
13:48The witness urged Weldon to go to the police
13:51but Weldon refused.
13:54So that witness came to the police
13:57and gave us that information
13:59and at that point,
14:01myself and Steve Barron
14:03became involved in a homicide inquiry.
14:10The witness had quite a tale to tell
14:12and I think we were all very surprised
14:16when he came forward.
14:19Weldon had said,
14:21this young lad come running towards us
14:23and he started to fight with us
14:25and during that fight,
14:27that young lad has somehow gone over the bridge.
14:31Weldon hadn't done anything.
14:32He hadn't left the bridge
14:34and contacted the emergency services
14:36and actual fact he'd left the bridge,
14:38phoned a friend and got a lift home.
14:40The witness was willing
14:42to give that evidence in court.
14:45So now we have what we would refer to
14:47as a key and significant witness
14:49and now we are very much leaning towards the fact
14:53that what's happened on the bridge
14:56is John has come across Christopher Weldon.
14:59There's been some form of altercation
15:02and as a result of that,
15:04John's ended up in the river.
15:09Investigators were grateful
15:10that the witness had found the strength
15:12to come forward
15:13and report one of his own friends.
15:16He knows that if this turns out to be a murder
15:21and his friends found guilty of it,
15:23that he's going to go to jail for a long time.
15:28I'm sure he thought long and hard about it,
15:31but I'm also sure that he was hugely influenced
15:34by those appeals from John's parents.
15:38Armed with this new information,
15:40Detective Superintendent Ian Sharp
15:43moved quickly to detain his suspect.
15:46Christopher Weldon was arrested
15:48and placed in the cells overnight.
15:50He was originally arrested for an assault case
15:54because he'd already confessed
15:56to being in a fight on the bridge
16:00with a younger man.
16:02So the arrest for assault was appropriate
16:06because we did not have a dead body.
16:10With Christopher Weldon in detention,
16:13awaiting interview at Sunderland Police Station,
16:16astonishing new information about their suspect
16:18quickly came to light
16:20regarding an incident that happened just 10 days
16:23before John Chip disappeared.
16:26We found out that Christopher Weldon had been a passenger on a ferry.
16:32That ferry travelled from Amsterdam to North Shields.
16:36And what we knew was that Weldon was on that boat
16:39with a number of friends.
16:41We also knew that there was a 35-year-old German man
16:45called Frank Conrad on the ferry.
16:48We know that on that ferry trip
16:50there'd been an argument
16:51between Weldon and Frank Conrad.
16:54And when the ferry docked in North Shields,
16:57Mr Conrad was not on board.
17:01Mr Conrad, at some point during that journey,
17:05had gone overboard and entered the North Sea.
17:08We know that Weldon was interviewed by police
17:11about a week before John Chip went missing.
17:15So, when Weldon is arrested in relation to John's disappearance,
17:21he's already a part of an investigation
17:23in relation to Frank Conrad's missing episode from the ferry.
17:27Frank Conrad's body was never found.
17:30And although Weldon was never charged,
17:32police were struck by the similarities between the cases.
17:36We have two reports of men going into water
17:43under circumstances that are not understood
17:47and not explained.
17:49And both investigations now involve Christopher Weldon.
17:57It's important to note that Weldon never had
18:00any criminal charge associated with the ferry incident.
18:03However, that incident will have meant
18:05that Weldon was aware that someone went overboard,
18:09was missing, and no criminal charges were brought.
18:12And that does then pose the question that,
18:15did that give Weldon a kind of sense of self-assurance,
18:19a confidence, that he then felt he didn't need to go to the police
18:22when he knew that John had gone over the bridge,
18:25because he knew that no information had been found
18:28in relation to the ferry incident,
18:30so why would this be any different?
18:32For Detective Superintendent Ian Sharp,
18:35this was a unique and challenging case.
18:38As a detective superintendent and senior investigating officer,
18:43I'd investigated many murders,
18:45which normally begin with a crime scene,
18:49a dead body, forensic scientists,
18:52pathologists, blood splash patterns,
18:55and lots of clues to help you get started.
18:58This was a unique case because we had none of that,
19:01and we were pinning our hopes on an interview strategy
19:05to see what clues we could pick up from Christopher Weldon.
19:08So it was important to talk to him
19:11and find out exactly what happened on the bridge.
19:21With 18-year-old John Chipps still missing
19:25after an altercation on Queen Alexandra Bridge in Sunderland,
19:29police needed to establish
19:31whether he had accidentally fallen into the river below
19:34or if he had been pushed.
19:36While their number one suspect
19:38was in the cells awaiting interview,
19:40police informed John Chipps' family
19:43of Christopher Weldon's arrest.
19:46We had a visit from the CID.
19:50But the information, what we got,
19:53we didn't really want to hear
19:55because it was all bad.
19:58It was pure shock.
20:00We still didn't have John.
20:02We still didn't know the true facts behind what had gone on.
20:06You just want to know where he is and why.
20:11As well as prompting Christopher Weldon's arrest,
20:14the call made by his friend
20:16also led Detective Superintendent Ian Sharp
20:19to re-examine the scene of John Chipps' suspected fatal fall.
20:24When we got information
20:25that an altercation had taken place
20:29between Weldon and John Chipp on the bridge,
20:32we examined closely a pipe
20:34that ran alongside the barrier of the bridge
20:37and we could see scuff marks on the pipe,
20:40like finger marks being dragged down the pipe
20:43as if someone was trying to hold on before falling.
20:47It was gut-wrenching.
20:49It was terrible to think that someone
20:50had been trying to cling on for their life
20:52before falling to their death.
20:55Seeing those finger marks on that pipe
20:58certainly tied in
21:00with Weldon's first confession to his friend
21:04that an altercation had took place
21:05and a boy had gone over the side of the bridge.
21:09What we now had to try and understand was,
21:13was that an accident
21:14or was he deliberately thrown over the bridge?
21:18Ian and his team knew that interviewing Christopher Weldon
21:22would be key to understanding
21:24what really happened on the bridge.
21:27Weldon's version of events
21:29is that he is there
21:30because he is contemplating taking his own life.
21:35He says that he sees a young man running towards him
21:39and that that young man begins to assault him.
21:44Weldon describes that he somehow stumbles
21:48and his arms flail upwards
21:51and in doing so,
21:53he catches John somehow
21:55and John is propelled backwards
21:58over the railings and into the water.
22:03Video interviews now are very commonplace,
22:06but back then they weren't.
22:08It was difficult to picture in your mind
22:10exactly what you were saying
22:12and to establish was this an accident or not.
22:16I knew at that point
22:17the Crown Prosecution Service
22:19would think there was reasonable doubt
22:20so I decided on a new tactic
22:23to go to the gymnasium
22:25and set up a volleyball net
22:27at the same height of the bridge barrier
22:30and to get Weldon to reconstruct
22:34and tell us exactly what had happened,
22:36only this time video recorded
22:39to see if what he was saying
22:41was indeed possible.
22:44We set it at a height of 4 feet 2 inches,
22:47which is exactly the same height as the bridge barrier.
22:52And we essentially said to Weldon,
22:56can you show us what this looked like?
22:59And what he described was being knocked back
23:02during this attack
23:04and he lost his balance.
23:06His arm flew in the air,
23:09made contact with John,
23:10and what he witnessed was John
23:13almost doing a backflip
23:16over the railings
23:17and disappearing into the water.
23:19That's the version he was sticking to.
23:22He was defending himself.
23:23He was the victim.
23:25And this young boy had somehow
23:27gone over headfirst
23:29over the side of the bridge
23:31and had fallen to his death.
23:33I'm thinking to myself
23:35from a common sense perspective,
23:38I don't know if that's possible.
23:40The difficulty now was convincing the CPS
23:43to charge a murder charge,
23:47given that we did not have a dead body.
23:50To help convince the Crown Prosecution Service
23:53to charge Weldon with murder,
23:55they decided to enlist the help
23:57of pathologist Jim Sunter
23:59and explain to him
24:00the circumstances of the altercation.
24:03We said,
24:04if this young man has gone off the bridge
24:06in these circumstances,
24:08what's the likelihood
24:09of him surviving an impact with the water?
24:13And what Dr Sunter said was,
24:15I'm convinced that that young man
24:18would not have survived that fall.
24:20You simply haven't yet recovered his body.
24:22The next thing we asked him about was,
24:25what did he think about the account
24:27that Christopher Weldon had provided?
24:29He immediately said,
24:30no, that's impossible
24:32because your centre of gravity
24:33is down where your hips are.
24:35The barrier rail is set at four foot two,
24:39shoulder height,
24:40for a safety reason.
24:42And unless he was punched
24:45with the force
24:46of someone like Popeye,
24:49then he could not go over accidentally.
24:53We got a very early statement
24:55from the pathologist at that point
24:57to support the theory
24:59that John Chip had been deliberately
25:01pushed over the bridge.
25:03And this was murder,
25:04not accident.
25:09Even without a body,
25:11the evidence gathered by Ian and Steve
25:13was enough to convince
25:15the Crown Prosecution Service.
25:17On Thursday, April 1st, 2004,
25:20they authorised a charge of murder
25:23against Christopher Weldon,
25:24and he was remanded in custody
25:26to appear at Houghton the Spring Magistrates' Court
25:29the following morning.
25:31Meanwhile, Ian and Steve visited John's family
25:34to tell them that Weldon
25:36was now being charged with their son's murder.
25:39I don't recall exactly
25:41what my reaction was,
25:44because it's not happiness.
25:47You never expect a child to go early.
25:51It's like torture.
25:53We still didn't have John.
25:57All I wanted was to know
26:00where my son was
26:01so I could lay him to rest.
26:06Often we talk about
26:07the significant impact on families
26:09when a loved one is murdered.
26:11But it can be worse
26:12when there is no body
26:14to grieve over,
26:15because there's this constant
26:17back-of-the-mind thought
26:18of what if they're just missing?
26:20What if they turn up?
26:21Because there's no evidence
26:22physically yet
26:24that that can't happen.
26:27The underlying priority
26:29for the family and for us
26:31was to recover John Chip's body
26:33and give the family
26:35some peace of mind.
26:36And we made a promise
26:38that we would do everything
26:40humanly possible
26:41to recover John's body.
26:43While police frogmen
26:45continued to search the River Weir,
26:47investigators made
26:48another breakthrough in the case.
26:51A witness came forward
26:53and she described
26:54entering the bridge
26:55from the north side
26:56and she encountered
26:58a big man
26:59who we now know
27:00as Christopher Weldon.
27:01she walked past
27:03the big man
27:04and as she walked
27:06towards the south side
27:07she saw
27:08what she says
27:09is a young boy
27:10running onto the bridge.
27:12It is important
27:14that she places
27:15both of them together
27:16on the bridge
27:17at quarter past midnight.
27:18That was the last sighting
27:21of John Chip.
27:22As investigations continued
27:24so did the search
27:26for John Chip's body.
27:27It's important
27:28because that body
27:30will tell us
27:31a story.
27:32For example,
27:33was John alive
27:35when he hit the water
27:36or was he killed
27:37on the bridge first
27:38and then thrown over?
27:40John could have had
27:42a suicide note
27:43on his body
27:43which would indicate
27:45that he killed himself
27:47rather than being
27:48thrown from the bridge.
27:50The officers
27:51from the
27:52Northern Rear Police
27:52Marine Unit
27:53undertook hours
27:55and hours
27:55of searching
27:57in the river
27:58we are in the most
27:59arduous of circumstances.
28:02We had a friend
28:03that had a small
28:05small boat
28:06for a couple of days
28:08we went up
28:09and down the river
28:09the same river
28:10as the police
28:11so they were
28:12on the south side
28:14we were on
28:15the north side
28:16but we had no joy
28:18it was nigh on
28:19impossible really.
28:23On April 15th
28:252004
28:26almost a month
28:27after John Chip
28:28had fallen
28:28from the Queen
28:29Alexandra Bridge
28:30and two weeks
28:31after Christopher Weldon
28:33had been charged
28:33with his murder
28:34the search for John's
28:36body came to an end.
28:38A dog walker
28:40at Hilton
28:41a couple of miles
28:42up the river
28:43saw a body
28:44floating
28:47in the river
28:48and contacted
28:48the police
28:50the marine section
28:52recovered
28:53the body
28:54from the river
28:54and brought it
28:55back to the dock
28:57at Sunderland
28:58where myself
28:59and Steve Barron
29:00were waiting.
29:01John's mobile phone
29:02and as I recall
29:03his wallet
29:04were still in his pocket
29:05so that indicated
29:08that it was John
29:09and you could see
29:11that it was
29:11it was John
29:13albeit he was
29:14formally identified
29:15through DNA
29:17inquiries.
29:19John's body
29:21was sent to
29:21pathologist
29:22Jim Sunter
29:23for a post-mortem
29:24while Detective
29:25Superintendent
29:26Ian Sharp
29:27passed on the news
29:28to John's family.
29:30They just gave us
29:31that information
29:32and made sure
29:33we were okay
29:34but I think
29:35they knew
29:35that we needed
29:37to be on our own
29:38and I think
29:39we just hugged
29:40and cried
29:41part in sadness
29:42but also
29:45relief
29:46that at least
29:47we knew
29:48where he was
29:49and we could
29:50finally
29:52have some
29:53closure.
29:55I was in school
29:56actually
29:56I was in a lesson
29:58and
29:59the two
30:00teachers
30:01come in
30:01and took me
30:02out of the lesson
30:04I thought
30:05I was in trouble
30:06and they put us
30:07in the car
30:08but they didn't
30:08see a word
30:09it was just silence
30:10and then they
30:11took us home
30:11and
30:13that's when
30:15I got
30:15told
30:16that the body
30:17had been found
30:18and then
30:19when the teachers
30:20had gone
30:22I just burst
30:23burst into tears
30:24and I just jumped
30:25off the stairs
30:26and just give me
30:27mum and dad
30:27a big cuddle
30:30While John's
30:31family were left
30:32to process the news
30:34a post-mortem
30:35gave investigators
30:36more information
30:37about what had
30:38happened to him
30:39the night he fell
30:40from the bridge
30:41He had not
30:42been stabbed
30:43before going over
30:44from the side
30:45of the bridge
30:46John had
30:47water in his lungs
30:48which means that
30:49when John
30:51entered the river
30:52he was still breathing
30:54Pathologists said
30:55he would have
30:56been knocked
30:56unconscious
30:57immediately
30:59and when he
31:00went under
31:00the water
31:01he took a
31:02gulp
31:02of breath
31:03and water
31:04entered his lungs
31:05the cause of death
31:06was given
31:07as drowning
31:09the property
31:10was still
31:10on the body
31:12so he wasn't
31:12robbed on the bridge
31:13and nothing else
31:15to give us any indication
31:17to give us any indication
31:17that something else
31:18had happened on the bridge
31:19other than an altercation
31:21and being bundled
31:22over the side
31:24and into the river
31:25whilst he was alive
31:27trying to put together
31:29a motive for John's murder
31:30I think it's clear
31:32that Christopher Weldon
31:34is standing on that bridge
31:35with serious troubles
31:37on his mind
31:38he'd just been interviewed
31:40about a ferry death
31:42he'd had an argument
31:44with his wife
31:44he was drunk
31:46he'd gone to the bridge
31:47and he told people
31:49he was going to kill himself
31:50he didn't kill himself
31:52and killed someone else instead
31:57After weeks of turmoil
31:59John Chip's parents
32:00were finally able
32:01to begin preparing
32:02for his funeral
32:03and his father George
32:05was determined
32:06that John finished
32:07the journey
32:08he started
32:08the night he died
32:10I was told
32:12that they wouldn't
32:13be bringing him home
32:14but I demanded
32:16he come home
32:17I says he was
32:19on his way home
32:20he wanted to get home
32:21I wanted to bring him home
32:24they brought him to the house
32:27and we had John
32:29in the house
32:30overnight
32:32obviously in his coffin
32:34that was such a relief
32:36I felt much much better
32:40just having him there
32:42for that night
32:43that was probably
32:45the best sleep
32:45I'd had for weeks
32:47Finally
32:48on May 12th
32:492004
32:50John Chip
32:52was laid to rest
32:53The funeral
32:54was absolutely massive
32:56couldn't get everyone
32:57in the church
32:57outside the church
32:58the streets
32:59was just packed
33:00it was
33:00it's the biggest funeral
33:01I've ever
33:02I've ever seen
33:03it was unbelievable
33:04the amount of turnout
33:05for him
33:05the street
33:06was lined by hundreds
33:08of neighbours
33:10friends
33:12it was very moving
33:16it was an amazing occasion
33:19but a very sad one
33:20you can't believe
33:22that an 18 year old
33:24that still lived at home
33:26could have
33:27an effect on
33:29so many people's lives
33:41on June 15th
33:422004
33:43Christopher Weldon
33:45appeared in court
33:46at a plea hearing
33:47for pushing
33:48John Chip
33:48to his death
33:49from the Queen
33:50Alexandra Bridge
33:51in Sunderland
33:52it was the first time
33:54John's parents
33:54came face to face
33:56with the man
33:57accused
33:57of killing
33:58their son
33:59I remember thinking
34:02bizarrely
34:02he's not a monster
34:04I don't know
34:05whether you think
34:06somebody is
34:07that does such a
34:09horrific
34:10thing
34:11to another human being
34:14can look
34:15normal
34:15I'd just seen
34:17him as evil
34:19I couldn't see
34:21him as anything else
34:22after pleading
34:24not guilty
34:24Christopher Weldon
34:26was remanded
34:27until November
34:272004
34:28when he went
34:30on trial
34:30for the murder
34:31of John Chip
34:32to disprove
34:34Weldon's version
34:35of events
34:35the prosecution
34:37wanted to show
34:38the jury
34:38a visual interpretation
34:39of what must have
34:41happened
34:41on the bridge
34:42in the run-up
34:44to the trial
34:45we considered
34:46another new tactic
34:47of doing
34:48a computer
34:49reconstruction
34:50the defense
34:51didn't like it
34:52because it was
34:52prejudicial
34:54and because
34:56it wasn't
34:56admitted in evidence
34:57that caused
34:59the judge
35:00to instruct
35:00the jury
35:01to attend
35:02the bridge
35:03it is very rare
35:05that a jury
35:05will physically
35:06go and visit
35:07a crime scene
35:07location
35:08the whole court
35:09process is supposed
35:10to be very secular
35:11very kept
35:12within closed walls
35:14now it can be
35:15really helpful
35:15for the jury
35:16to help contextualize
35:18the scene
35:19specifically in this case
35:20they need to understand
35:22the physicality
35:23the physical possibility
35:24of Weldon's claim
35:26that John
35:27has just accidentally
35:28almost fallen
35:29over the side
35:29of this bridge
35:30and so
35:31this visit
35:32to the bridge
35:32is going to have
35:33had to be
35:34extremely well planned
35:36and mapped out
35:37to be able
35:37to go ahead
35:39over 20 years later
35:40former detective
35:42inspector
35:43Steve Barron
35:43revisited the bridge
35:45to retrace
35:46the jury's steps
35:47we wanted the jury
35:49to see what this
35:50looked like
35:50a 4 foot 2 railing
35:53and to get over here
35:54you're going to have
35:55to climb over
35:56or you're going to have
35:57to be manhandled
35:59and thrown over
36:01and we wanted the jury
36:02to understand
36:03what an 85 foot drop
36:05looks like
36:05because that's what
36:06we've got from
36:07here into the river
36:09coming here
36:10and seeing this footpath
36:11made the jury
36:12think about the account
36:13that Weldon had given
36:14and ultimately
36:16that just demonstrated
36:18that Weldon's account
36:19was totally fanciful
36:23the defense claimed
36:24that John's death
36:25was an accident
36:26and that he
36:28had attacked Weldon
36:29defense
36:30were making John
36:32out to be
36:33an unpleasant
36:35individual
36:36that John was
36:37looking for a fight
36:40and that's
36:42hard to listen to
36:44as a mother
36:45whose son
36:46had been murdered
36:46in his defense
36:48Weldon also came up
36:50with an unexpected
36:51tactic
36:52incredibly
36:53as part of
36:54the defense
36:55strategy
36:56they introduced
36:57evidence
36:59about
36:59the ferry
37:00incident
37:01the week before
37:03John going missing
37:03where Frank Conrad
37:05had been reported
37:07missing
37:07presumed
37:09having gone
37:10overboard
37:10and the jury
37:12heard
37:12that Weldon
37:14had been
37:15on the ferry
37:16when this had
37:17happened
37:17that he'd been
37:18interviewed by
37:18the police
37:19it seems
37:20extremely unusual
37:21that Weldon's
37:22defense attorney
37:23would decide
37:23to bring up
37:24a case
37:25where Weldon's
37:25been questioned
37:26in relation
37:27to a potential
37:28crime
37:28in very similar
37:30circumstances
37:30to the one
37:31that he's
37:31now on trial
37:32for
37:32there are a couple
37:34of reasons
37:34that they might
37:35have decided
37:35to do this
37:36though
37:36this is a
37:37relatively small
37:38local community
37:39people are going
37:40to have heard
37:40about Weldon
37:41being questioned
37:42in relation
37:43to this prior
37:43case
37:44so they maybe
37:45thought it's
37:45better to
37:46officially introduce
37:47it to record
37:48and control
37:50the narrative
37:50in relation
37:51to it
37:52additionally
37:53they're trying
37:53to use this
37:54to paint
37:55Weldon
37:55as this
37:56victim
37:56who's being
37:57falsely accused
37:58and has had
37:58these run-ins
37:59a couple
38:00of times
38:00now
38:01ultimately
38:02though
38:02I think
38:02it backfires
38:03because actually
38:04it just goes
38:05to show
38:06that this
38:06is the type
38:07of person
38:07who's
38:08at least
38:09been suspected
38:10of being able
38:11to show
38:11this level
38:12of extreme
38:13violence
38:13before
38:14and not even
38:15very long
38:15ago
38:16on Wednesday
38:17December 1st
38:192004
38:20the jury
38:21returned
38:21their verdict
38:22the jury
38:23came back
38:24with a majority
38:25of 10 to 2
38:26that Weldon
38:27was guilty
38:28of John's
38:29murder
38:30but do you
38:31know what
38:32we don't win
38:34we don't
38:35have our son
38:36back
38:36and never will
38:37do
38:38so yes
38:39there is
38:39some happiness
38:40and elation
38:41on one part
38:42but equally
38:45that sadness
38:46is still there
38:48Christopher Weldon
38:49was given
38:50a life sentence
38:51with a recommendation
38:52of 15 years
38:54in prison
38:54minus the 8 months
38:56he'd already
38:56spent on remand
38:59in my opinion
39:00it wasn't a fair
39:02it wasn't a fair
39:03sentence
39:03I pictured him
39:05as
39:06coming out
39:07at 42
39:08he's still got
39:09a lot of years
39:10to enjoy life
39:11and I just
39:12didn't
39:13think the
39:14sentence
39:15was long enough
39:16from a
39:17professional
39:17perspective
39:19sentencing
39:20guidelines
39:21are there
39:21for judges
39:23to
39:24understand
39:25and implement
39:26and on that
39:28basis
39:2915 years
39:30was
39:31entirely
39:32appropriate
39:33but had
39:34John been
39:36my boy
39:36and somebody
39:37murdered him
39:38I would want
39:39them to go
39:39to jail
39:40for the rest
39:40of their life
39:41after the jury's
39:43guilty verdict
39:44the judge
39:45acknowledged
39:45Ian
39:46Steve
39:46and Detective
39:47Sergeant
39:48Chris Sabinga's
39:49roles
39:49in what had
39:50been a tragic
39:51and unique
39:52case
39:53the judge
39:54formally
39:55commended
39:56Ian
39:56and he
39:58commended
39:58Chris
39:59and myself
40:01for our
40:03efforts
40:03in supporting
40:04Ian
40:05leading the
40:06investigation
40:06at the end
40:08of the trial
40:08Ruth
40:09gave me
40:11a thank you
40:11card
40:12and a bottle
40:12of whiskey
40:13getting a hug
40:14from Ruth
40:15was more
40:15important
40:16than the
40:17commendation
40:18with Weldon
40:19serving time
40:20in Northumberland
40:21prison
40:21John's family
40:23faced the
40:23challenge
40:24of life
40:24without
40:24their beloved
40:25son
40:26and brother
40:26you just
40:27have to
40:28try and
40:29move on
40:30I don't think
40:30any of us
40:31wanted to
40:32celebrate
40:33Christmas
40:34that year
40:34did we
40:34we actually
40:36felt guilty
40:37enjoying
40:38ourselves
40:38trying to
40:39enjoy
40:39ourselves
40:40at the time
40:41I was very
40:42young
40:42and I didn't
40:43realise how
40:43much
40:44losing my
40:45brother
40:45had affected
40:46us
40:46I think
40:47it changed
40:48my life
40:48drastically
40:49for the worst
40:50really
40:50because I've
40:51grew up
40:51without a
40:52brother
40:52I'll never
40:53be able
40:53to be an
40:53uncle
40:54stuff like
40:55that
40:55in the
40:57spring
40:57of 2019
40:58over 14
40:59years after
41:00Christopher Weldon
41:01was sentenced
41:01for the murder
41:02of John
41:03Chip
41:03he became
41:04eligible
41:04for parole
41:05you are
41:07given the
41:08choice
41:08whether you
41:10want to
41:10deliver
41:11an impact
41:12statement
41:12at that
41:14parole
41:14hearing
41:15and we
41:16decided
41:16that's
41:16what
41:17we
41:17wanted
41:17to
41:17do
41:19but
41:19Weldon
41:20refused
41:20to attend
41:21the
41:21family's
41:21statement
41:22reading
41:22I thought
41:24he was
41:24just a
41:24coward
41:24he took
41:26our son
41:26away
41:27from us
41:27and he
41:28couldn't
41:28come
41:29and face
41:30us
41:30he didn't
41:31have
41:31the guts
41:31despite
41:33not being
41:33able to
41:34talk
41:34directly
41:34to
41:35Weldon
41:35Ruth
41:36read
41:36the
41:36family's
41:37impact
41:37statement
41:38in which
41:39Ruth
41:39described
41:39how
41:40losing
41:40John
41:41had
41:41affected
41:41the
41:41family
41:42John
41:43was a
41:44much
41:44loved
41:44son
41:45brother
41:46grandson
41:47nephew
41:47cousin
41:48and friend
41:51the anguish
41:52that we
41:52all feel
41:53at his
41:53pointless
41:54death
41:54is indescribable
41:56and it is
41:58very hard
41:58to put it
41:59into words
42:00our son
42:01Mark
42:01was only
42:0215 years
42:03old
42:03when John
42:04was murdered
42:06he often
42:06speaks of
42:07his brother
42:07affectionately
42:08and becomes
42:10upset and
42:10angry
42:11that John
42:12is no
42:12longer
42:13with us
42:13my husband
42:15George and
42:15I are
42:16still haunted
42:17by John's
42:18death
42:20no parent
42:21should have
42:22to experience
42:23the tragic
42:23death of a
42:24child
42:25especially
42:26in such
42:26awful
42:27circumstances
42:31John's
42:32parents
42:32requested
42:33the parole
42:33board
42:33keep Weldon
42:34locked up
42:35but having
42:36served his
42:36sentence
42:37Weldon's
42:38parole
42:38was granted
42:39and he
42:40was released
42:40under
42:41license
42:41in December
42:422019
42:44I
42:45wish he
42:46was still
42:46behind bars
42:47however
42:48I won't
42:49allow it
42:50to eat
42:52me up
42:52and
42:53niggle
42:54away
42:55in my
42:56head
42:56and I
42:57need to
42:57fill it
42:58with
42:58much nicer
42:59things
42:59than
43:00thinking
43:01about
43:02him
43:03over
43:0420
43:04years
43:04since
43:05John's
43:05death
43:05his
43:06memory
43:07lives
43:07on
43:07through
43:07his
43:08family
43:08and
43:08friends
43:09we
43:10go out
43:10for his
43:10memory
43:11we
43:11sometimes
43:12get together
43:13with the
43:13lads
43:13like all
43:14his
43:14close
43:14friends
43:15at the
43:16time
43:16are all
43:16my
43:17like some
43:18of them
43:18are my
43:19best
43:19friends
43:19now
43:21in
43:22memory
43:22of
43:23John
43:23we
43:24decided
43:25to
43:25raise
43:25money
43:25for
43:26the
43:26guide
43:27dogs
43:27for
43:27the
43:27blind
43:27we
43:28have
43:29managed
43:30to
43:30raise
43:30over
43:31£22,000
43:32we
43:33have
43:33named
43:34a dog
43:34after
43:35him
43:35we
43:36had
43:36a
43:36black
43:36Labrador
43:37called
43:37Chippy
43:38my
43:38oldest
43:38son
43:39who
43:39was
43:3913
43:39he
43:40is
43:40actually
43:40called
43:41John
43:41Chip
43:41I
43:41named
43:42him
43:42after
43:42my
43:43brother
43:43in
43:44memory
43:44of
43:44him
43:45John's
43:46old
43:46comprehensive
43:46school
43:47we
43:48decided
43:48to
43:49set
43:49up
43:49a
43:50subject
43:50award
43:50in
43:51art
43:51in
43:52his
43:52memory
43:54we
43:54would
43:54like
43:55John
43:55to
43:56be
43:56remembered
43:57as
43:58a
43:59young
43:59ginger
44:01headed
44:01young
44:02man
44:03who
44:04loved
44:05life
44:05loved
44:06his
44:07sport
44:07loved
44:08his
44:09animals
44:10I
44:11would
44:11like
44:11our
44:11John
44:12to
44:12be
44:12remembered
44:12as
44:13a
44:13fun
44:14outgoing
44:15very
44:15kind
44:16polite
44:16lovely
44:17person
44:18that's
44:19exactly
44:19who
44:19he
44:19was
44:20he
44:20was
44:21a
44:21much
44:21loved
44:21child
44:24and
44:24we
44:25want
44:25his
44:25memory
44:25to
44:26continue
44:37he
44:43he
44:53he
45:03Gracias por ver el video.
Comments