BBC Crimewatch ‘horror’ cases that ‘stuck’ with hosts during show’s 40-year history

Crimewatch has made it to its 40th anniversary, and the hosts – both past and present – have reflected on the cases that have stuck with them.

The BBC show, currently presented by Rav Wilding and Michelle Ackerley, has achieved incredible things over four decades.

When including Crimewatch Roadshow and Crimewatch Live, 700 programmes have been broadcast. During those episodes, 7000 police appeals have been featured and throughout its run, every police force has been involved. This has led to many criminals being brought to justice.

Their on-air appeals and reconstructions have been synonymous with the series, and they’ve been used to try to solve some of the most prolific cases.

This has included the murder of Julie Dart (1991), the Stephanie Slater kidnapping (1992), the murder of James Bulger (1993), the Lin and Megan Russell murders (1996), the murder of Sarah Payne (2000), the M25 sex attacker (2002) and the murder of 7-year-old Toni-Ann Byfield (2005).

For the hosts, there have been certain cases that have stuck with them the most.

Nick Ross

One of the most prolific and difficult Crimewatch cases was the murder of presenter Jill Dando in 1999.

Dando’s body was found on the doorstep of her Fulham home around 15 minutes after she was shot. In 2001, someone was convicted of the murder, but it was appealed in 2008 and overturned. The case remains unsolved.

Nick Ross, who anchored the series between 1984 and 2007, said nothing compares to the tragedy.

‘None can compare with the tragic irony and horror of the programmes in 1999 when I found myself writing and presenting appeals about my co-presenter, Jill Dando,’ the 77-year-old told the BBC.

Kirsty Young

For Kirsty Young,who was on the series between 2008 and 2015, it is the disappearance of Claudia Lawrence that has stuck in her mind.

Police believe Lawrence was murdered, but her body has never been found.

‘Claudia Lawrence, the chef from York who went missing in 2009 has always stayed with me. The case has never been solved and no trace of Claudia has ever been found,’ Kirsty, 55, explained.

‘Her father’s pain and desire for answers was etched in his face as we spoke.’

Sian Lloyd

Georgia Williams was just 17 when she was murdered by her college friend Jamie Reynolds. Reynolds hung Williams with a rope in a sexually motivated attack.

During Sian Lloyd’s two-year tenure until 2015, she covered the ‘disturbing’ Williams case which has ‘remained’ with her.

‘I was following the case and we were able to share important information on Crimewatch. It was shortly after this appeal that Georgia’s body was found in woodland in north Wales,’ said Sian, 66.

‘Jamie Reynolds was later convicted of her murder and sentenced to a whole life term. It was a very disturbing case and was such a huge loss for Georgia’s family, which I will never forget.’

Reynolds was sentenced to a whole-life term in prison.

Jacqui Hames

Detective Constable and Crimewatch Presenter Jacqui Hames contributed to the series between 1990 and 2006.

When asked to disclose the case that has remained with her the most, she referenced the kidnapping of Stephanie Slater, which she says ‘encapsulated’ what Crimewatch was aiming to do.

In one episode, Stephanie, who was held in a wooden box inside a bin for eight days, gave ‘a very moving interview’. The Detective then provided outstanding lines of enquiry he was pursuing.

‘Watching was the ex-wife and son of the perpetrator – Michael Sams – who rang in to identify him. I remember speaking to his ex-wife a year or so after we featured the case, (and after his conviction for the abduction and the murder of Julie Dart) she described how seeing all the information presented together immediately enabled her to identify him, how fearful she and her son were about going to the police, and the impact the whole case had had on her and her family,’ she recalled.

‘Whilst it’s always important to remember the victims in these cases, the ripple effect of terrible crimes extends in other directions as well.’

Slater died at age 50 in 2017. Sams remains in prison.

Fiona Bruce

Fiona Bruce, 60, presented Crimewatch for seven years before departing in 2007. Rather than one particular case, it’s the ‘unspeakable violence’ against female victims ‘who often didn’t survive it’ that stays with her.

‘Whenever one of the men who perpetrated those awful crimes was caught, it was a massive boost. I could probably still recite chapter and verse of quite a few of those crimes, I don’t think they’ll ever leave me,’ she stated.

Rav Wilding and Michelle Ackerley 

The current hosts of Crimewatch Live, Rav, 46, and Michelle, 40, also didn’t specify one case.

Rav shared that he is most impacted when victims of crime come into the studio.

‘This is always, not only powerful, but very emotive as we see and hear their raw emotion,’ he explained.

Michelle echoed his viewpoint, adding: ‘There is no one case but what really does stick with me is the impact covering these cases can have on the victims.

‘I’ve interviewed many people over the years and to give individuals the chance to be heard and to spread their message to a wider audience is incredibly powerful.

‘To be a part of that support for families, helping to provide answers and sometimes much needed closure is a hard thing to put into words,’ she concluded.