Investigation into murder is to be shown in documentary
FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF VICTIM HOPE IT CAN RAISE AWARENESS OF STALKING
Reporter THE murder investigation of Alice Ruggles is to be re-told in an ITV documentary with Sir Trevor McDonald.
Trimaan Dhillon was jailed for life with a minimum of 22 years after he was convicted of murdering Alice - his ex-girlfriend - in a jealous rage.
Dhillon harassed and stalked the 24-year-old Northumbria University graduate after she ended their relationship, leaving her a nervous wreck.
A trial heard how Dhillon slit Alice’s throat from ear to ear in “one final act of dominance and control” after climbing through a window into her flat in Gateshead last October.
In the aftermath of their loss, her family set up the Alice Ruggles Trust which aims to raise money for good causes and provide training and education about issues such as stalking.
According to a post on the trust’s website, a documentary about the murder investigation is to air in the autumn.
It read: “By sheer coincidence, Northumbria Police’s Homicide and Major Enquiry Team led by DCI Lisa Theaker were being filmed for an ITV documentary when the call about Alice came in.
“Their actions over the ensuing minutes and hours will now form the focus of a special programme, Alice’s Story, currently planned to be screened in the autumn of 2017. “Alice’s family and friends support the making of this programme and believe that the documentary can only help to raise awareness of the circumstances of Alice’s death and draw attention to some of the warning signs that, if better heeded, could perhaps have prevented it.” Alice’s family went on to thank the police for their “extraordinary work”, which resulted in Dhillon’s conviction. Alice, originally from Leicester, had come to the North East to study at Northumbria University and later took a job at Sky in Newcastle. Speaking outside court after Dhillon was jailed for life, Alice’s mum Sue said “justice had been done”. She added: “We will live the rest of our lives knowing that Alice should have been here with us, wondering what she would have become, imagining all the people she would have continued to affect with her infectious sense of humour and her sheer love of life. We miss her so much.”
Alice’s parents have called for Northumbria Police to have more training on how to deal with stalkers following the death of their daughter.
The force said it has carried out an investigation into the case, which is currently being reviewed by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).