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Britains Almost Perfect Murders S01E08
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00:01The perfect murder, the unsolvable crime, does it really exist?
00:07In a TV first, we reveal the cutting-edge technology now used by British police to join the dots
00:15and reveal new evidence in all homicide investigations.
00:19I'm Tim Tate. I've been an investigative journalist for almost 50 years.
00:26I'm Sam Robbins and I'm a criminal intelligence analyst.
00:30For over 20 years, I've worked alongside detectives on major murder investigations.
00:34Together, in this new series, we are going to discover the fatal mistakes
00:39which prevented the perfect murder from ever being committed.
01:12MUSIC CONTINUES
01:19Whether William Mottishead had an innate streak of aggression,
01:25or whether he had it knocked into him
01:27in the notoriously violent atmosphere of Britain's Borstels,
01:34as a young offenders institute, as we would now term them, is unclear.
01:38What is clear is he began offending in an appallingly violent way.
01:48William Thomas Mottishead is, without doubt,
01:53one of the most violent, vicious and dangerous criminals
01:56in the history of the United Kingdom.
02:01William Thomas Mottishead was a largely unremarkable individual
02:07who committed extremely violent sexual offences against women,
02:12particularly vulnerable women, and those who were older.
02:15And he was someone who would not have stopped defending
02:20had he not have been caught.
02:22He was described, rightly described, by one police officer as
02:26pure evil, sadistic and brutal.
02:31Him choosing these victims and inflicting incredible levels
02:36of violence on them, it makes him an absolutely despicable human being.
02:45Sam, as you put together this chart, the timeline,
02:49and then the association chart, what's the most important thing
02:54that stuck out to you straight away?
02:56So this is a particularly disturbing case
02:59and I've dealt with terrible sexual offences in my career
03:04and this most certainly stands out
03:07as one of the worst cases that I've ever seen.
03:12Let's start with what we know about William Mottishead.
03:17Where was he operating and when did he start?
03:20So he was operating in the north of England
03:24and it was over a significant period of time.
03:29William Thomas Mottishead was born in Manchester in 1946.
03:35He was a criminal from a very young age.
03:38His first recorded criminal conviction was when he was 12 years old.
03:44By the age of 12 years, he appears before the courts
03:47for offences of dishonesty, stealing,
03:51and over the next two to three years,
03:54that behaviour, that pattern of dishonesty repeats itself.
04:01Moved on to start from last days to, as that was then now theft,
04:06to burglaries.
04:09By the age of 14, he appears before the court
04:12and he is sentenced to a detention order,
04:15a juvenile detention order,
04:17which today we would call an approved school
04:20or certainly many years ago it was known as Borstel.
04:24And so his criminal history, if you like,
04:27really begins in earnest.
04:35Borstel's, or approved schools of that era,
04:38conditions in them?
04:40Um, very, very rough indeed.
04:42So he would have been mixing with children
04:44who also displayed delinquent behaviours.
04:48It could be anything from ABHs, GBHs, fire setting,
04:53which you quite often see with young offenders.
04:55There's not necessarily a lot of love and care
04:58and support and guidance is being given.
05:00It's probably more of the punishment
05:02in order to try and knock it,
05:05knock that sort of behaviour out of them.
05:07So the stick, not the carrot?
05:08Most definitely the stick, not the carrot.
05:10It would have been, I, my guess is
05:11it would have been very harsh conditions indeed.
05:16In 1962, he was released
05:19and he found work as a casual labourer.
05:21It was the start of an adult life
05:24in which he would drift between dead-end jobs
05:28with periods of unemployment
05:30and rarely rising above the poverty level.
05:36By the age of 23,
05:39Mottishead had committed his first violent offence.
05:43And it's the violence that is really important
05:45when we talk about him.
05:48He attacked a woman who was known to him, a friend.
05:51They had some sort of disagreement.
05:53And for no reason whatsoever,
05:55he punched her straight in the mouth,
05:57causing an injury to her lips and her jaw.
06:02And for that, he appeared before the courts
06:04on a charge of actual bodily harm.
06:09But when it comes to court,
06:11it appears that that wasn't taken seriously.
06:14No.
06:15And once again,
06:17something that will become a pattern
06:19in this particular case
06:20is the level of punishment
06:22that Mottishead receives
06:24for really very serious offending.
06:27So lenient was the punishment for this.
06:31He pleaded guilty to ABH
06:32and was given a £45 fine.
06:35Nothing more?
06:36Nothing more.
06:37No incarceration, just a fine.
06:43The criminal minds, the funny thing,
06:45they don't see anything wrong
06:47in what they're doing at the time
06:48and they don't really see
06:49why other people should bother.
06:51And a lot of them think the police,
06:53because of a lot of bad press
06:55that they get every now and then,
06:57are not really bothered
06:58and they're not efficient enough
07:01to catch them
07:02so they'll keep on offending,
07:05as in the case with Mottishead.
07:08How quickly does he move on from that
07:12to what would become his motif of offending?
07:16It's a very, very quick escalation.
07:21And by 1969, July through to November 1970,
07:26he's worked out that elderly women
07:28are a lot easier to attack and overpower
07:32in order to satiate his sexual desires.
07:35There's a calculation going on here.
07:38There's a calculation with all of this offending.
07:40There's a very clear pattern of planning.
07:43So he's a predator.
07:48We see his offending behaviour
07:51really escalate as he matures.
07:54So he begins with quite innocuous offences,
07:57such as burglary,
07:58but then the home invasions become
08:00about attacking women
08:02who are within that space.
08:04So the fact that he starts offending
08:08at a very young age,
08:09the fact that those offences
08:11become much more violent
08:13as he escalates,
08:14he enjoyed it.
08:16He wanted to feel power over his victims.
08:19He planned his crimes quite meticulously
08:21in terms of geographical location
08:23and victim choice.
08:28Between July 1969 and November 1970,
08:32he forced his way
08:34into a succession of homes.
08:36Sometimes he pretended to be a police officer
08:38and attacked the women living there.
08:48He's arrested for a total of 12 offences
08:52and he's sentenced to a substantial sentence
08:55of 10 years' imprisonment
08:57for offences of assault,
08:59wounding,
08:59actual bodily harm,
09:01and wounding with intent
09:02and burglary.
09:05Importantly,
09:06all the offences
09:08had an element
09:09of a sexual motive
09:10and that's really important
09:12when we look at
09:13Motter's Head
09:14as an offender,
09:15as a dangerous criminal.
09:18At the time,
09:20there were no treatment programmes
09:22for sex offenders
09:24in British prisons.
09:25Such official policy
09:27as existed,
09:28and it was minimal,
09:30was predicated on the belief
09:32that somehow you could punish
09:34repeat sex offenders
09:36out of their pattern of behaviour
09:39and that they would emerge
09:41reformed
09:42and would never attack people again.
09:44It is nonsense.
09:47And Motter's Head proved this.
09:54By the age of 32,
09:56he is sentenced to life imprisonment,
09:59the longest term possible,
10:01for four offences of burglary,
10:03during which he entered
10:04the premises of elderly women
10:06and tried to attack them.
10:08And on one occasion,
10:10he uses a garden spade
10:11to enter the house
10:12and threatens the elderly victim
10:15with the implement.
10:17For that offence,
10:18as I say,
10:19he's sent away for life,
10:21but he appeals against his sentence
10:24and his sentence is reduced
10:26to eight years imprisonment
10:28by the courts.
10:30It would be a fair question to ask,
10:32was that an error of judgment,
10:33a grave error of judgment
10:35by the judiciary
10:36when you think of
10:38what was to follow
10:39in respect of his offending?
10:43That judicial leniency
10:46would, in time,
10:48have fatal consequences.
11:06William Motter's Head
11:08was given a life sentence,
11:11but he appealed
11:12against the severity
11:13of that sentence,
11:14and a judge reduced it
11:17to eight years.
11:19within five,
11:21Motter's Head
11:21would be out on parole.
11:26It's such a significant reduction.
11:28I was shocked
11:29when I read that.
11:30Do you think
11:30that's a tipping point
11:31in the case,
11:32or should have been?
11:33Yes.
11:34Yeah, it should have been.
11:35He isn't being treated
11:36as a sexual offender.
11:38It feels like
11:38he's being treated
11:39more as a burglar,
11:41a violent burglar.
11:43From your knowledge
11:44and your experience,
11:46how unusual is it
11:47for police forces
11:48not to take
11:50sexual crimes
11:51against women
11:52seriously
11:53in that period?
11:54Yeah, I think very sadly
11:56back then
11:57it was fairly common.
11:59On the day of release,
12:00he breaks into
12:01a young lady's home
12:02this time
12:03and assaults her.
12:05Police are made aware
12:07and they arrive in time
12:08for him to be found
12:09at the scene,
12:10and he assaults
12:11a police officer.
12:13Is this just somebody
12:14with anger control issues
12:16or is this
12:16some deeper pathology?
12:18I think it is
12:19very much the case
12:20it is a deeper pathology
12:21that those five years
12:22spent in prison
12:23has been pent up
12:25to the point
12:25where the minute
12:26he comes out
12:27there has to be a release
12:29and the fact
12:30that the police officer
12:31arrives was not
12:32going to stand
12:32in his way.
12:33He was willing
12:34to assault a police officer
12:36in order to try
12:37and evade capture.
12:39He's just come out
12:40from life
12:42down to eight years
12:43served five.
12:44Yes.
12:44He commits
12:45a serious offence
12:47on the day
12:49he's released.
12:49Yes.
12:50What does he get?
12:51So he is
12:53indicted
12:54with two counts
12:55of burglary
12:55and two counts
12:56of assault
12:57obviously one
12:57for the female
12:58and one
12:59for the police officer
13:00and also
13:01resisting arrest
13:02and he's given
13:03an 18-month
13:04suspended sentence
13:05for that.
13:09He was given
13:10a suspended sentence.
13:12Now this is
13:13for aggravated burglary
13:14and given his
13:15previous convictions
13:16it's a fair question
13:17to ask by
13:18the public
13:19is
13:20was that a far
13:21too lenient
13:22sentence
13:22because in essence
13:24he walked free
13:25from the court
13:26and again
13:27within a short time
13:28he's again
13:29committing burglaries
13:31at the homes
13:32of elderly people.
13:34His living standards
13:36are very poor
13:36and he's described
13:38as an unkempt individual.
13:40He frequented pubs
13:41and any sort
13:42of interaction
13:43with young women
13:44was rebuffed
13:45pretty quickly
13:46and this undoubtedly
13:48formed part of
13:49the core
13:50of his offending
13:52and his criminal
13:53violent behaviour
13:54that was to follow.
13:56He did have
13:58a living girlfriend
13:59but we see
14:00that one of the most
14:01violent assaults
14:02actually took place
14:03following an argument
14:04with his living partner
14:06and it's almost
14:07as if that was
14:08a reaction
14:09against
14:10the frustrations
14:11that he felt
14:12with his partner.
14:14What do you think
14:16was driving
14:17Marta said?
14:18It was
14:19most certainly
14:20his need
14:21to offend sexually.
14:23Need or choice?
14:25Need.
14:25Hmm.
14:27His defence
14:28is that
14:29he has impulses
14:30that he cannot control
14:31which is
14:32a ridiculous statement
14:33to make.
14:34Obviously you can control
14:35but the drive
14:37it's so high
14:39in this case
14:40of offending
14:40that I
14:41you very rarely
14:43see offending
14:44of this nature.
14:45These days
14:46alarm bells
14:47would ring
14:47very very early on
14:49because
14:49you'd have the
14:51statements from people
14:52that would give you
14:53behaviours that you'd
14:54be looking for
14:55to know that
14:56you've potentially
14:56got a serial offender
14:58on your hand.
14:58And in those
14:59serial offences
15:02looking forward
15:03to December
15:04Christmas Day
15:05Yes
15:061983
15:07Yes
15:08there appears
15:09to be what I
15:10would recognise
15:11as a trigger.
15:12For a few
15:13of these offences
15:14you can most certainly
15:15see the trigger
15:16of alcohol
15:17combined with
15:19rowing
15:19with
15:20either a partner
15:21or that he
15:23approaches
15:24a younger person
15:25and is rebuffed
15:26by them
15:26a younger female
15:27and is rebuffed.
15:28And when he's rebuffed?
15:30And when he's rebuffed
15:31angry
15:32he reacts angrily
15:34not necessarily
15:35to the women
15:36who rebuff him
15:37but he certainly
15:38then goes out
15:39and that anger
15:40is taken out.
15:44It's very likely
15:45that he chose
15:46to target elderly
15:47and vulnerable women
15:48because they were
15:49an easy target
15:50they would be
15:51easy to overpower
15:52they would be
15:54someone who
15:55he would feel
15:55that he had
15:56extreme dominance
15:57over
15:58they were
15:59usually people
16:00who lived alone
16:01even though
16:02often that these
16:03were women
16:04who lived
16:04in supported housing
16:06they were
16:07very easy
16:09targets
16:10as victims
16:10they also lived
16:12close to his house
16:13so he was able
16:14to make an escape
16:16in reasonable time
16:18without being apprehended
16:20many times.
16:26On Christmas morning
16:281983
16:29William Mottased
16:30had a row
16:31with his live-in girlfriend.
16:33He resorted
16:35to his usual pattern.
16:37He stormed
16:38out of the house
16:39and went out
16:40looking for a victim
16:41on whom he could
16:43take out
16:43his anger.
16:49Florence Kelsall
16:51was 75.
16:54She'd never married
16:55and by 1982
16:57she was living
16:58in sheltered
16:58accommodation
16:59in Bagley Moor
17:00Sale.
17:02She was
17:03by and large
17:04healthy
17:05and happy
17:05and she was
17:06very proud
17:07of her little bungalow
17:08and an on-site
17:09warden
17:10and a security
17:11alarm
17:11made her feel safe.
17:16William Mottased
17:17hammered
17:18on the door.
17:21She opened
17:22the door
17:22and Mottased
17:24pounced.
17:26He pushed her
17:28back into the hallway
17:29beat her
17:30brutally
17:32stripped her
17:34and raped her.
17:40Causing
17:40unbelievable injuries
17:42bruising
17:44swelling
17:44fractures
17:45to her jaw
17:46to her face
17:47and sexually
17:49assaults her.
17:50So much so
17:51that
17:52she was put
17:54into hospital
17:54for quite a
17:55considerable time
17:56and she never
17:58returned to her
17:58home
17:59and in fact
18:00was unable
18:00to live
18:01an independent
18:02life
18:02after that.
18:05Florence
18:06passed out
18:07during this
18:09ordeal.
18:10When she came
18:11to
18:11she found
18:12herself
18:13completely
18:14naked
18:15covered
18:16in bruises
18:17her face
18:18her cheek
18:19her eye socket
18:21had been broken
18:24and whoever
18:26had done this
18:27had left
18:28deep bite marks
18:30in her breast.
18:39the biting
18:40I think is
18:41very significant
18:42it's very
18:43violent
18:43in this way
18:45and these
18:45are women
18:46who are in
18:46their 70s
18:47and 80s
18:48and he
18:48is a fully
18:49grown adult
18:50male in
18:50his late 30s
18:51that level
18:52of trauma
18:53that was
18:53inflicted
18:54on his
18:54victims
18:55makes him
18:55an incredibly
18:56dangerous
18:57individual.
18:59he uses
19:00violence
19:01as an
19:01overkill
19:02he doesn't
19:03need
19:03in this
19:03situation
19:04to be
19:05quite as
19:06violent
19:06and aggressive
19:06he enjoys
19:08that
19:08he enjoys
19:08that power
19:09but he only
19:11ever seems
19:11to really
19:12do this
19:12with people
19:13who are
19:13very vulnerable
19:14and susceptible
19:15to his
19:16advances.
19:18people like
19:19him
19:19belong to
19:20an almost
19:21entirely
19:21different
19:22category
19:22of offenders
19:23because of
19:24the victims
19:24he has
19:25chosen
19:25subjects them
19:27to an
19:27incredibly
19:28violent
19:29and often
19:30sustained
19:30sexual assault
19:31that puts
19:33him
19:33in an
19:34extremely
19:35dangerous
19:35category
19:36of sexual
19:36offenders
19:37he is
19:38someone
19:38who
19:38absolutely
19:39would not
19:40have stopped
19:40had he not
19:41have been
19:41caught
19:45so
19:45what's head
19:46certainly
19:46has a high
19:47level
19:47of psychopathy
19:48in his
19:49kind of
19:49MO
19:50and the way
19:50that he's
19:51developed
19:51over time
19:52he's shown
19:53no remorse
19:54he's shown
19:54no regards
19:55for society's
19:56rules
19:57he has a
19:57long history
19:58of offending
19:59and certainly
20:00his crimes
20:01are starting
20:01to escalate
20:02and he's
20:03getting enjoyment
20:04out of what
20:04he's doing
20:05and they're
20:06becoming more
20:07frequent
20:07and more
20:07violent
20:08as time
20:08is going
20:08on
20:11greater
20:12Manchester
20:12police
20:13went over
20:14the house
20:14went over
20:16all the evidence
20:17with a tooth
20:18comb
20:18but this
20:19was 1983
20:20it was just
20:22at the infancy
20:23of DNA
20:25testing
20:28in the 1980s
20:30we did not
20:31have the
20:32national DNA
20:33database
20:34which is
20:34effectively
20:35a library
20:36of DNA
20:37profiles
20:38from
20:38individuals
20:39and
20:39unsolved
20:40crimes
20:41in today's
20:42context
20:42it is
20:43a powerful
20:44investigative
20:45tool
20:46that we
20:46can use
20:47to try
20:49and identify
20:49the potential
20:50source
20:51of an
20:52unknown
20:52DNA
20:53profile
20:54and in
20:55this case
20:56of course
20:57we're dealing
20:58with body
20:59fluids
20:59semen
21:00saliva
21:00and in
21:03a contemporary
21:03sense
21:04those would
21:05be subjected
21:05to DNA
21:06testing
21:07the DNA
21:08profile
21:09would then
21:10be loaded
21:11permanently
21:12onto the
21:13national DNA
21:14database
21:14and it would
21:16be regularly
21:17checked
21:18against anyone
21:19who might
21:20have caused
21:21to be on
21:22that database
21:23case
21:24in this case
21:24in the 1980s
21:26that tool
21:27wasn't available
21:28so although
21:29they may have
21:31known that
21:32the source
21:33of the body
21:34fluids
21:34is likely
21:35to be the
21:36same individual
21:37without something
21:39to compare it
21:40to
21:40then they were
21:42essentially
21:42just results
21:44that sat
21:45on a shelf
21:46waiting for
21:48an individual
21:49to be brought
21:50to their
21:50attention
21:54he leaves
21:55Kelsol
21:56in a pretty
21:57dreadful state
21:58he does
21:59her life
22:00has changed
22:00forever
22:01at that point
22:03she's hospitalised
22:04with injuries
22:05that she receives
22:07at much of
22:08his hands
22:08and from that
22:10point on
22:11when she leaves
22:12hospital
22:12she has to
22:12go into
22:13full-time care
22:14I found
22:15it very very
22:16hard to read
22:17the statements
22:18and the information
22:19that we managed
22:20to obtain
22:20on this case
22:21it is really
22:23horrific
22:23offending
22:25but Mottishead
22:26isn't caught
22:27for this
22:28he's not caught
22:29and you know
22:30this plays into
22:31him planning
22:33and offending
22:34in an area
22:34that he knows
22:35and that he's
22:36well versed with
22:37so for this
22:38particular case
22:39he did
22:40literally walk
22:41away
22:43having got away
22:45with the attack
22:46on Florence Kelso
22:48I'm of the opinion
22:50and he thought
22:50he would never
22:51get caught
22:51he thought
22:52it was
22:53untouchable
22:54that he could
22:54just stay
22:55in the same area
22:56and keep being
22:56persistent
22:57in trying to attack
22:58him
22:58and nobody
22:59would really
22:59want to find him
23:00that nobody
23:01care about
23:02the age
23:03of the victims
23:04I think he
23:05actually believed
23:06that they probably
23:07wouldn't survive
23:08to give evidence
23:09against him
23:10in the future
23:13William Mottishead
23:14had most likely
23:16got away with it
23:17he was in the wind
23:19and feeling safe
23:35this is
23:36December 1983
23:38you've got
23:39a vicious assault
23:41and a rape
23:42on an elderly woman
23:43an area
23:45where
23:45a man
23:46who has
23:47from what you
23:48pointed out here
23:50a litany
23:51of offences
23:52for exactly that
23:54what this case
23:55plays into
23:56quite nicely
23:57is to
23:58show the benefit
23:59of analysis
24:00so analysis
24:01isn't just used
24:03for major crimes
24:04and big murders
24:07or big organised
24:07crime groups
24:08analysis is used
24:10on everyday offences
24:13so offences
24:14such as burglary
24:15and car crime
24:16and one of the
24:18jobs of an analyst
24:20is to look for patterns
24:21so they'll look
24:22for patterns
24:23of behaviour
24:23whether that is
24:24vehicle offences
24:26or burglaries
24:28and should this
24:30have happened today
24:31I believe
24:32that this series
24:33of offending
24:34would have been
24:34picked up by an analyst
24:35a lot earlier
24:36than it was
24:37in 1980s
24:45for almost nine months
24:47modest head
24:48remained at large
24:49the police
24:50despite
24:51numerous investigations
24:53failed to trace
24:54the culprit
24:55and he was allowed
24:56to carry on
24:57with his offending
25:00he is someone
25:01he is someone
25:01who wants
25:02power
25:03and dominance
25:04and control
25:04but doesn't have
25:06that in his
25:06normal life
25:07he maintained
25:09some types
25:10of normal relationships
25:12but often worked
25:13dead end jobs
25:14he was someone
25:15who didn't really
25:16do anything
25:16that was very
25:17remarkable in his life
25:18and having these
25:20periods where
25:21he exerted
25:22such dominance
25:23and power
25:24and control
25:24over these victims
25:25would have given him
25:27a real taste
25:28of what it could
25:29have been like
25:30if he was someone
25:31more than he
25:32ended up being
25:33someone who he
25:34wanted to be
25:39on the night of friday
25:41september the 28th
25:421984
25:44william mottershead
25:45went out drinking
25:46he went to a local
25:48pub and sat fair
25:49sinking beers
25:50alone
25:51at some point
25:52before the night
25:53ended he spotted
25:54a pair of sisters
25:56they were out
25:57for a night
25:58of pleasure
25:58in the local pub
26:01mottershead
26:01approached them
26:02and tried to pick
26:03them up
26:06they weren't
26:07interested
26:08and they rebuffed
26:09him
26:09it infuriated
26:11mottershead
26:12and whenever
26:14he fell into
26:16that kind of rage
26:17he did
26:18what he always
26:19did
26:19he went
26:21looking
26:22for a victim
26:25he attempted
26:26to enter
26:27three separate
26:28homes
26:29occupied by
26:30elderly ladies
26:31living alone
26:32the same modus operandi
26:34or method
26:34if you like
26:35that would continue
26:37throughout his
26:37criminal history
26:39but on each occasion
26:41although he tried to
26:42fool if you like
26:44the occupants
26:44that he was a police officer
26:46he was prevented
26:47from entering
26:48and the police were called
26:49and he made off
26:50into the darkness
26:54with all the calls
26:56coming in
26:56to the police station
26:58about a man
26:59trying to break
27:00into the bungalows
27:03the uniform department
27:04deployed as many officers
27:06as were available
27:07to search the area
27:08and visit
27:09the three other
27:11attempted burglars
27:12and interviewed
27:13the people
27:18mottershead
27:19didn't go far
27:21he traced his steps
27:23to Bagley Lane
27:26the home of Lily Morris
27:28the former home
27:30of Florence Kelsall
27:36Lily Morris
27:37had been married
27:38she had four children
27:40her husband died
27:42in 1973
27:44and then
27:45due to
27:46having a
27:47hip operation
27:48she felt
27:50herself a burden
27:51on her two sons
27:52who she was living with
27:53and moved into
27:54sheltered accommodation
27:55in the Sailmore area
27:59mottershed
28:00startled Lily
28:01towering over her
28:03you can only imagine
28:05how that must have felt
28:06the terror
28:07of an elderly lady
28:09seeing a stranger
28:10standing in the dark
28:11looking over her
28:15mother's head
28:17he was assaulting her
28:19getting on top of her
28:21telling her
28:22he wanted to have sex
28:22with her
28:23but the unusual thing
28:24was that he kept saying
28:26he was going to give her
28:27the same
28:27as he gave
28:30Florence Kelsall
28:30which is a woman
28:32that was assaulted
28:32the same way
28:33in that bungalow
28:34the year before
28:38mother's head knew
28:40that premises
28:41that house
28:42and the inside of us
28:43because he had been there
28:44before
28:44he mercilessly
28:46beat
28:47Lily
28:48about the head
28:49and face
28:49kicking and punching her
28:52fracturing her jaw
28:53fracturing her cheekbones
28:54fracturing her arm
28:56and leaving her bleeding
28:58and distraught
28:59on the floor
29:00of the bedroom
29:01thankfully
29:02she was able
29:03at some point
29:04to grab the alarm cord
29:06that was hanging in
29:07near her bed
29:10while one of the policemen
29:11was at a house
29:13that had been
29:14attempted burglars
29:15another call came in
29:16for an assault
29:19and it was the assault
29:20on Lily Morris
29:24when the police got there
29:25the mobile warden
29:27was in attendance
29:28when the warden
29:29attended the first time
29:30to the alarm cord
29:31Potter said
29:33slammed the door
29:34in his face
29:35and escaped
29:36through the back window
29:36at his point of entry
29:39well it was clear
29:40from the facial injuries
29:42on Lily
29:43she was naked
29:44on the bed
29:45that she'd been
29:46both sexually assaulted
29:48and violently assaulted
29:49she had extensive bruises
29:51into her head
29:51and her body
29:52and she had
29:53back marks
29:55on her breast
29:58it was evident
29:59from the scene
30:00and from her injuries
30:02that whoever it was
30:03was a determined
30:04violent man
30:05and then taking into account
30:07that there'd been
30:08a series of attempted
30:09burglars
30:10for over an hour
30:11and a half
30:11in the area
30:12he'd obviously been
30:14determined
30:14to what he was going to do
30:16because he knew
30:17he'd been seen
30:17he knew people
30:19were going to call
30:20the police
30:20but he still persisted
30:22in what he wanted to do
30:24pretty much anyone
30:25who considers committing
30:26a crime
30:27obviously knows
30:28that there are people
30:29there who are going
30:29to be either watching them
30:31trying to catch them
30:32and to some extent
30:33there is a certain
30:34level of arrogance
30:35and belief in yourself
30:37that you are
30:38able to pull this crime off
30:40whether it's a burglary
30:42or fraud
30:42or a murder
30:43or whatever it could be
30:44so certainly in these situations
30:46we find that people
30:47at odds with the police
30:48and even when they are
30:50being investigated
30:51and shown the evidence
30:52against them
30:53they still aren't willing
30:54to admit that they've
30:55been caught
30:56because they have this
30:57self-belief
30:58this arrogance
30:58that they have got away
30:59with these things
31:00probably on previous occasions
31:02and that they're going
31:02to do it again
31:06two night detectives
31:07were on the way
31:08to the scene
31:09when they saw
31:10Motta's Head
31:11walking down the road
31:14it was completely wet
31:16through
31:16though it was only
31:17lightly raining
31:18at the time
31:19so it had obviously
31:20been about for a while
31:21and they noticed
31:22that he had what appears
31:23to be bloodstaining
31:24on his forehead
31:26and a cut to his hand
31:28his explanation
31:30was that it fell over
31:31they arrested him
31:32on suspicion
31:33and took him
31:35and took him to
31:35altering him
31:36police station
31:37where he was detained
31:39awaiting
31:41examination
31:41by a police surgeon
31:45he showed no signs
31:47of remorse
31:47at all
31:48during the interview
31:50initially
31:51denying it was him
31:55one of the things
31:56that struck me
31:57reading the case files
32:00was Motta's Head's reaction
32:03in that first interview
32:06at this point
32:07Lily Morris
32:08is still alive
32:10what is Motta's Head's
32:12attitude
32:13and what does he say
32:15he fabricates
32:17an entire story
32:18about having an argument
32:21with one of his male friends
32:22in a pub
32:23and he decides
32:24that he's going to go
32:26and stay with his parents
32:27for the evening
32:28so he starts to
32:29give this whole account
32:31of that he didn't have
32:33enough money
32:34to get the bus
32:35so he starts to walk
32:36and that he then thinks
32:38that there's a house
32:38that he could maybe sleep in
32:40so he finds a screwdriver
32:42you know
32:42the fabrication
32:43of this story
32:44is immense
32:47until police start
32:48to provide evidence
32:49to suggest
32:50that they know
32:51that that's not the case
32:52and here's what's happened
32:53at which point
32:55Motta's Head
32:56then reverts
32:57to the
32:58I'm so ashamed
32:59of what I've done
33:00yes I did break in
33:01into that elderly lady's house
33:03and assault her
33:04he doesn't say
33:05that he rapes her
33:07I'm so ashamed
33:08you know
33:09I can't control
33:10I can't control
33:11my sexual urges
33:14when he was arrested
33:15he actually stated
33:17to police
33:17that he couldn't control
33:18his sexual urges
33:19but the level of planning
33:21that we see in these crimes
33:22really suggests otherwise
33:23he was quite meticulous
33:25around the victim choice
33:28he was meticulous
33:30around the geographical location
33:32of his victims
33:33and although he wasn't
33:35a particularly intelligent individual
33:37the planning that went
33:39into these crimes
33:40demonstrate that it wasn't
33:41a urge that he wasn't
33:44able to control
33:45it was something which
33:46he really really
33:48thought about
33:51eventually
33:52he admitted it
33:54but he didn't want
33:54to talk about details
33:55he always said
33:57I'm ashamed
33:58I don't want to talk about that
34:00and then he kept saying
34:01is she dead
34:03and then he mentioned
34:04the previous assault
34:06on Florence Kelso
34:08and he mentioned her
34:10by name
34:12it was in the same house
34:13the same MO
34:14the injuries
34:16were a mirror
34:17of each other
34:18and all throughout
34:19he wouldn't openly
34:21admit what he was doing
34:23but he wouldn't deny it
34:25all he would say is
34:26she's telling the truth
34:30as one would expect
34:32for the horrendous attacks
34:34on the women
34:35he was charged
34:37with first of all
34:39rape
34:40indecent assault
34:41aggravated burglary
34:42etc
34:45all he said
34:46I'm ashamed
34:46but there wasn't
34:47any remorse or sorrow
34:48he was more worried
34:50that she would die
34:51which if
34:52he hadn't been disturbed
34:54during the assault
34:56I think would have been
34:57the likely outcome
34:59because
35:01within a month
35:02of the assault
35:03and the injuries
35:04that it inflicted on her
35:06that the medical
35:07people could
35:09were unable to repair
35:10she died
35:15but even then
35:16Moteshed could have
35:17got away with him
35:18Lily Morris
35:20had a heart condition
35:21and this could have
35:22resulted in Moteshed
35:24getting away
35:24with her murder
35:25because in court
35:27his lawyers
35:28would have claimed
35:28she died
35:29from a pre-existing condition
35:34but thankfully
35:36both pathologists
35:37both the defense pathologist
35:40and the prosecution pathologist
35:42agreed
35:42that she died
35:44from the brutal injuries
35:46inflicted upon her
35:47by Moteshed
36:10he was re-interviewed
36:13by the police
36:14but this time
36:15not on a charge
36:18of assault
36:19or GBH
36:20but for suspected murder
36:26Lily has managed
36:27to give a full statement
36:29there's a heartbreaking account
36:31actually by her daughter
36:32who sees her in hospital
36:34and Lily essentially knows
36:36that she's dying
36:37it's heartbreaking to read it
36:39Lily's statement
36:40is really detailed
36:42in terms of the language
36:43and the behaviours
36:45that Moteshed uses
36:46and it's absolutely
36:47to her credit
36:48that she was
36:49willing and able
36:51to make that statement
36:52but she does
36:53actually then die
36:54from the injuries
36:55that are inflicted on her
36:58and the information
37:00is delivered
37:00so Moteshed
37:01had been remanded
37:02by that point
37:03and the police officers
37:04visit him in prison
37:05to deliver the news
37:07yeah this is a murder case
37:09now
37:09yes
37:09yes
37:13we interviewed him
37:14in prison
37:14and told him
37:15he was going to be charged
37:16with murder
37:17his attitude changed
37:18it wasn't him anymore
37:20that had done it
37:21he'd broken the house
37:22to steal
37:23the person
37:25who came
37:26which was the warden
37:28he said
37:29he did it
37:29after I broke up
37:30got out of the house
37:31again
37:31and slammed the door
37:32in his face
37:34he had ample evidence
37:36we actually
37:38completed like
37:39a timeline
37:40of everything
37:41he'd done
37:41so that they could
37:42build up
37:43a case where
37:44he was determined
37:46to break into
37:47our house
37:48for an old lady
37:48and attack them
37:51everything was
37:52the same systematically
37:53for the assaults
37:54on both women
37:55and they built
37:56the pattern of it
37:59I'd obtained
38:00a full witness statement
38:01from Lily
38:02which is unusual
38:03that you've got a statement
38:05from a deceased
38:06which
38:09detailed the attack
38:10on her
38:10all the time
38:12and
38:13that
38:14we tried to get
38:16admitted in evidence
38:18but then we couldn't
38:21unlike today
38:22in 1984
38:23you couldn't include
38:24a statement
38:25from a dead person
38:26in a trial
38:27without specific consent
38:29from the judge
38:32and at the trial
38:33he denied it was him
38:34throughout
38:36when I asked
38:37why
38:38he'd signed
38:39a statement
38:40and wrote
38:41the endorsement
38:42at the bottom
38:43himself
38:43that it was his statement
38:45and a true account
38:46he said
38:47due to the police
38:49assaulting him
38:50in the cells
38:51that he made
38:52the confession
38:53which
38:54the jury
38:56didn't accept
38:59in July 1984
39:01at Manchester Crown Court
39:03after a four-day trial
39:05Mottershead
39:07was convicted
39:08of murder
39:12the judge
39:14when he sentenced
39:16Mottershead
39:16he immediately
39:18gave him
39:18a life sentence
39:19with a minimum
39:21of 30 years
39:22but
39:24he actually
39:25marked the file
39:26that he should never
39:27be released again
39:28because he saw him
39:29as a public danger
39:31and he openly said
39:32that
39:32you will be a danger
39:34to the public
39:35and especially
39:36elderly women
39:37throughout your life
39:41although it's just
39:42a judge's comment
39:43we can only hope
39:44that he
39:44William Mottershead
39:46in fact
39:47will spend the rest
39:48of his life
39:48and never be released
39:54looking back
39:55over all of this
39:57I mean
39:58what you've laid out
39:59is a criminal career
40:02that escalates
40:04and escalates
40:06by and large
40:08with impunity
40:09yes
40:09how
40:10in your experience
40:12can that
40:14have happened
40:15so
40:16this case
40:17is a classic
40:19if you were to read
40:20a textbook
40:20of escalating
40:22sexual offending
40:23it would look like this
40:26but for me
40:27it goes to show
40:28that
40:28Mosheed
40:29had really
40:31seriously offended
40:32early on
40:32in his career
40:33and had never
40:35been dealt with
40:36properly
40:37by the judicial system
40:38and for him
40:40that gave him
40:40the licence
40:41to carry on
40:43offending
40:44and increase
40:45the way
40:47that he offended
40:48there's now
40:49a belief
40:50that in prison
40:53sexual offenders
40:54like this
40:54receive
40:55some form
40:56of treatment
40:57some form
40:57of intervention
40:58to interrupt
40:59their cycle
41:01of their behaviour
41:01there wasn't
41:03any of that
41:04during this period
41:05was there
41:05no
41:06no
41:06none whatsoever
41:09my guess is
41:10that the times
41:10that he did
41:11go to prison
41:12he was just
41:13allowed to mingle
41:14with the rest
41:15of the prison population
41:16in amongst those
41:18would have been
41:18sexual offenders
41:19and once you get
41:21sexual offenders
41:22together
41:22what do they like
41:23to do
41:23they like to talk
41:24about sexual offending
41:26and so they
41:27reinforce themselves
41:28exactly
41:31Marta Shedd
41:32has by all accounts
41:33never shown
41:33any remorse
41:34for the crimes
41:35that he's committed
41:36and that's not
41:37untypical
41:38of extreme
41:39sexual predators
41:40they
41:41have
41:42absolutely
41:42no consideration
41:43for their victims
41:44it's all about
41:45their own
41:45gratification
41:46their own
41:47end result
41:48their own
41:49wish to feel
41:51power
41:51and to feel
41:52that dominance
41:52over their victims
41:55in terms of
41:56rehabilitation
41:56I think it'd be
41:57quite problematic
41:58to try and address
41:59a lot of his
42:00behaviours
42:00not only are they
42:01quite extreme end
42:03of human behaviour
42:04in terms of
42:05their sadistic nature
42:06and the blatant
42:07disregard
42:08for the
42:09for the victims
42:10and the outcomes
42:11of his crimes
42:12it's also become
42:13quite ingrained
42:14in his personality
42:15he sees himself
42:16as somebody
42:17who is
42:18at odds
42:19with the law
42:20at odds
42:20with society's values
42:21he's quite an angry
42:23person
42:24and to try and
42:25change those patterns
42:27of behaviour
42:27although not impossible
42:28we find that
42:30trying to alter
42:30those things
42:31through rehabilitation
42:33programmes
42:33is quite difficult
42:34to do
42:36I have no doubt
42:37in my mind
42:38that had this case
42:39have happened
42:40recently
42:41that it would
42:42have been
42:43investigated
42:44and he would
42:45have been
42:46identified
42:46much quicker
42:47apart from
42:49the biological
42:50side of the
42:51investigation
42:52in this context
42:53we would have
42:54a much more
42:54sophisticated
42:55digital platform
42:57around this case
42:59it's very difficult
43:00to evade detection
43:02it's very difficult
43:03not to be seen
43:04when we are
43:06committing these types
43:08of offences
43:09because of CCTV
43:11because of our
43:12fascination
43:14with digital technology
43:16and it places
43:17a different net
43:19around this type
43:20of investigation
43:23what is
43:24the big
43:26take away
43:27in terms of
43:28Mottishead
43:28and his offending
43:29and punishment
43:31the repeating
43:32pattern that you see
43:34that Mottishead
43:35can offend
43:36in a very
43:37very serious nature
43:38he's arrested
43:40he's arrested
43:41relatively quickly
43:42but the punishment
43:43does not match
43:45the offence
43:46the fact
43:47that the punishment
43:48is so lenient
43:50for such serious
43:51offences
43:53almost reinforces
43:54the behaviour
43:54he thinks
43:55that he can just
43:56carry on
43:56and actually
43:57if he spends
43:58a few months
43:58in prison
43:59so what
44:00he's probably
44:00mixing with people
44:01that share
44:02some of his views
44:03he felt invincible
44:04I think so
44:06I think so
44:06I think
44:08the judicial system
44:09really has to
44:11stop and ask
44:12itself here
44:13if they contributed
44:14to this pattern
44:15of offending
44:16by not
44:19enforcing
44:19as strict
44:20as punishment
44:21as they could
44:22have done
44:22and not
44:23taken violence
44:24against women
44:25seriously
44:26enough
44:27has allowed him
44:28to go on
44:29and offend
44:31in such a horrific
44:33manner
44:33was it always
44:35going to end
44:35in murder?
44:36it didn't need to
44:37it's a cycle
44:39of offending
44:41and actually
44:42if you can break
44:43that cycle
44:43and as you say
44:44if there were
44:45appropriate
44:45sexual offenders
44:47treatments
44:47in prison
44:48which there
44:49weren't
44:50potentially
44:51that cycle
44:52could have been
44:52stopped
44:53but in this case
44:54yes it was
44:55always going to
44:56end in murder
44:58to what extent
44:59do you think
45:00he thought
45:01he'd got away
45:02with the perfect
45:04murder?
45:05you know
45:05he was caught
45:06very quickly
45:07after that
45:08but the fact
45:09that he's got
45:10the absolute
45:11front
45:12to go back
45:13to an address
45:14where he
45:14so seriously
45:16injured
45:17and assorted
45:18an elderly lady
45:20shows his
45:21total
45:22disregard
45:23for
45:24the law
45:25the judicial
45:26system
45:26and most
45:27importantly
45:28for his
45:29elderly
45:30vulnerable
45:30victims
45:31essentially
45:32he thought
45:33I got away
45:35with it there
45:35I'll get away
45:37with it here
45:37yes
45:42William Mottishead
45:44remains
45:45behind bars
45:47and probably
45:48will do so
45:49until he dies
45:56I believe
45:57that he thought
45:58he wouldn't get
46:00caught
46:00because he hadn't
46:0112 months before
46:02got caught
46:03for the assault
46:04on Florence Kelso
46:06and he thought
46:07he was capable
46:08of doing
46:08the perfect crime
46:09and in this case
46:11that crime
46:12was murder
46:12well
46:40I can see
46:42how
46:42in this case
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