Defence do not ‘accept or concede’ teenager is dead

Legal teams for the parents of missing Peterborough teenager Bernadette Walker have said they do not accept or concede the 17-year-old is dead. Bernadette was last seen on July 18 last year, when Scott Walker - known to her as dad but not her biological father - picked her up from her grandparents.

She had gone to stay with them after making allegations Scott Walker had sexually abused her. It is alleged Scott Walker murdered Bernadette after picking her up - but Bernadette’s body has never been found, and she has not been seen alive since July 18.

On Tuesday the court was told a number of checks were carried out by police to try and find out if Bernadette was alive or dead. DC Kelly Adams told the jury the enquiries were made in a number of areas - with health and medical, educational, financial, travel and phone and social media records checked. DC Adams said that records showed Bernadette’s last recorded appointment at her GP surgery was on May 7, 2020, her last appointment at her dentist was in July 2018 and her last optician’s appointment was in

December 2019.

She told the jury that an alert was placed at hospitals and her GP surgery on July 27, which would mean that if she was admitted, police would be notified - but no notifications have been received. Bernadette was a student at Peterborough Regional College, and up to lockdown, she had an attendance record of 96 per cent - but she has not attended since July 18.

There were no financial records for activity involving Bernadette since July 18, with checks made at the Department for Work and Pensions and HMRC.

Her passport was found at the family home at Century Square, and the Passport Office confirmed there were no reports of it being lost or stolen. Enquiries were made at the National Border Targeting Centre, but there were no records of Bernadette travelling. Checks were also made at homeless shelters, the YMCA and soup kitchens in the Peterborough area, and there were no records of Bernadette attending.

Her DNA was uploaded onto the National Missing Person

Database, and the National DNA Database, but there have been no matches. The court was also told there have been no CCTV sightings of her since July 18. Mitchell Cohen, representing Scott Walker, asked DC Adams if she had been looking for proof of life or proof of death during the investigation.

She said; “We were looking to establish whether Bernadette was alive or dead. The objective was to locate Bernadtte Walker.”

Mr Cohen said: “If she was not dead, she could not have been murdered.”

Mr Cohen pointed out there had been a large car rally in Peterborough on July 18, with hundreds of people attending from across the country. He asked if police had sent out reports to homeless shelters outside of Cambridgeshire. DC Adams said: “No, not that I am aware of.”

Mr Cohen said: “If Bernadette wanted to stay hidden, she could be anywhere in the UK. She could stay under the radar.” DC Adams said: “Indeed if she has smuggled her way out of the UK she could do that world wide.”