The Peterborough Evening Telegraph

The timeline of a terrible tragedy

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July 16: Bernadette Walker tells her mum Sarah Walker she was sexually abused by Scott Walker

July 17:

After she made the allegation­s, Bernadette goes to stay with her grandparen­ts in Werrington, arriving at 10pm, and going to bed at around 1am. Her phone remains at her home in Century Square.

July 18:

10.25am: Scott Walker leaves to pick Bernadette up, leaving the Century Square house Around 10.40am: Scott Walker arrives at lock-up garages in Montagu Road. 10.49am: Scott Walker arrives at Bernadette’s grandparen­ts home in Werrington. While he was out of the house, there was activity on Bernadette’s Facebook account and an email account.

11.06am: Scott Walker left the home with Bernadette in his Mercedes car. Between 11.16am and 11.23am: Scott Walker’s phone activates cell sites in the Gunthorpe area of Peterborou­gh. During that time his phone recorded he took 410 steps.

11.23am: Scott Walker’s phone disconnect­s from the network for one hour and 31 minutes. During this time Sarah Walker tries to call Scott Walker 12.54pm: Scott Walker’s phone reconnects to the network. The first call he makes is to Sarah Walker – a call that lasts for nine minute and 16 seconds. Ten seconds after the call ended, Sarah Walker messaged her boyfriend, Chris O’Connell, to say Bernadette had ‘ran off.’ Half a minute after that, there was a log into Bernadette’s Gmail account at Century Square, with a password being changed, with the password referencin­g Chris O’Connell and his birthday. At 1.07pm, Sarah Walker’s Google searched for a log-in for a Hotmail account, and at 1.14pm, there was activity on an Instagram account belonging to Bernadette.

At 1.24pm there was more activity on Bernadette’s Instagram account, as a message was sent to a friend saying: ‘Hi, it’s me, I ran away. I don’t want to be in trouble for lying.”

During the afternoon, text messages are sent between Bernadette and Sarah Walker’s phone, with cell site data placing both phones at Century Square. The messages read: Bernadette’s phone: “Can you forgive me?”

Sarah Walker’s phone: “Of course I can darling. Please come home.” Bernadette’s phone: “Will I be in lots of trouble?”

Sarah Walker’s phone: “No, we can forget this happened.” The message from Bernadette’s phone replied she was going to stay at a friend’s home, with a reply from Sarah Walker’s phone asking her to come home, and saying ‘I just want a cuddle.’ 1.49pm: There was a password change on Bernadette’s Hotmail account – again using the same password with ‘Chris’ included. An email from Microsoft confirming the password change said the change had been validated using Sarah Walker’s mobile phone number.

Just before 2pm, Sarah Walker phoned Scott Walker, with a call lasting for three minutes and 49 seconds, before the call ends – but restarts seven seconds later, lasting a further 12 minutes and 35 seconds. During that call, Bernadette’s phone was disconnect­ed from the network. 2.30pm: Scott Walker arrives back at the Montagu Road garages. 2.50pm: Scott Walker returns to Century Square 6.16pm: Scott and Sarah’s phones both leave Century Square, and Bernadette’s phone reconnects to the network, and goes with them, with the journey taking them through Westwood.

6.28pm: A purchase is made at the Spar in Hampton Court, Westwood, using Sarah Walker’s account – with a phone top-up voucher, Sim card and milk being bought.

The top-up is then used on Bernadette’s phone.

Shortly afterwards, Scott Walker called Bernadette’s phone – with the call left open for 33 seconds.

6.54pm: Bernadette’s phone was disconnect­ed from the network, and Scott and Sarah Walker leave the area of the shop.

July 19:

2.36am: Scott Walker leaves Century Square, and arrives at the Montagu Road garages at 2.47am: While there he made 172 steps in 10 minutes.

3am Scott Walker’s phone leaves the garages. Cell site data shows it travelled to Gunthorpe. At 3.08am: eight steps were recorded on Scott’s phone, and the phone was connected to a cell site in Gunthorpe for almost two hours and 20 minutes, from 3.06am until 5.23am. 5.37am: Scott Walker returns to the garages.

6.20am: Scott goes to McDonalds, before returning home by 6.35am.

3.23pm: A message was sent from Bernadette’s phone to Sarah Walker’s phone. At the time Scott Walker’s handset was located at the lock-up on Montagu Road, while Sarah Walker’s phone was at a friend’s home on Padholme Road. Bernadette’s phone was located in the Westwood area of the city near the prison. The message said: “I don’t know what to do, but I will be soon, when I am ready. I really want us to delete messages too. I will tell you more later.” Bernadette’s phone then disconnect­ed from the network. Scott Walker admitted sending the message

A message from Sarah’s phone replied at 4.27pm: “OK, I’ve deleted everything. What do you want to tell me x”

July 20:

12.27am: Scott and Sarah Walker’s phones are located at the Montagu Road garages, with the phones leaving five minutes later.

12.37am: An average speed camera picks up Scott Walker’s Mercedes on the A16 heading northbound away from Peterborou­gh.

12.42am: Both Scott and Sarah Walker’s phones connect to the Crowland Water Tower’ cell site. 12.43am: Sarah Walker’s phone disconnect­s from the network. 12.44am: Scott Walker’s phone disconnect­s from the network. 12.54am: Bernadette’s phone connects to cell sites in Cowbit. During the time when Bernadette’s phone was switched on, a number of messages were sent from it.

The first message was sent to Sarah Walker.

The message said: “For God’s sake, what the hell mum, stop messaging my friends. I swear you tell anyone else I lied I will tell them I don’t have my phone, I’ll tell everyone dad has got it.

I’m OK.”

Messages were also sent to friends of Bernadette’s from her handset.

One sent to one friend said: “You can leave me alone too.” Another sent to another friend started a conversati­on between the two. Bernadette’s phone: “Please leave me alone.” Friends’s phone: “Bernadette – please go home.” Bernadette’s phone: “Everyone hates me now.”

Friend’s phone: “I don’t, your mum doesn’t.” Bernadette’s phone: “You should.”

Friend’s phone: “Well I don’t because I care about you.” Bernadette’s phone: “I’m OK.” The friend sent a message asking who she was with, and a reply came back telling him no. The friend said: “OK, that’s fine. Your mum loves you so much and she really really misses you.” Bernadette’s phone: “Stop messaging people about me. I’ll throw my phone. Leave me alone.” Friend’s phone: “Are you serious?” Bernadette’s phone: “Yeah.” Friend’s phone: “I just want you to go home.” Bernadette’s phone: I know.”

A message from the friend said that she had: ‘scared everyone’.

The reply from Bernadette’s phone said: “I don’t care. Sorry, got to go, they don’t know I actually have my phone.”

At 1.28am, the last message was sent from Bernadette’s phone, which said: “I don’t know what to do, keeping my options open. K, bye.”

1.29am: Bernadette’s phone is disconnect­ed from the network. It never reconnects, and has never been found. 1.49am: Scott Walker’s car spotted on A15 at Glinton. 3.30am: Sarah Walker’s phone reconnects to the network at Century Square. 4.08am: Scott Walker’s phone reconnects to the network at Century Square.

July 21

1.31am: Sarah Walker uses the web chat function on Cambridgsh­ire Police’s website to ask for advice about a missing teenager 3.20am: Sarah Walker calls police on 101 to report Bernadette missing

July 22:

7.40pm: Sarah Walker posts an appeal on Facebook for help to find Bernadette.

July 23:

The Peterborou­gh Telegraph runs a missing person appeal to help try and find Bernadette.

September 10:

Scott Walker is arrested on suspicion of sexual assault on a child and controllin­g and coercive behaviour. He is later arrested on suspicion of kidnap.

September 11:

Scott Walker is arrested on suspicion of murder.

He is interviewe­d by police five times between September 10 and September 13, making no comment.

September 12:

Police confirm a ‘no body’ murder investigat­ion has been launched.

September 14:

Scott and Sarah Walker are charged with the murder of Bernadette Walker.

They appear at Peterborou­gh Magistrate­s’ Court that day.

September 15: Searches of the Montagu Road lock-up garages are started by police

September 16:

Scott and Sarah Walker appear before Peterborou­gh Crown Court.

September 17:

More searches take place.

September 22:

A second week of police searches takes place..

October 1:

The search for Bernadette returns to Peterborou­gh.

November: Searches continue for Bernadette.

November 26:

The search moves back to the Century Square house.

November 30:

Scott and Sarah Walker appear at The Old Bailey.

Scott Walker is charged with murder and perverting the course of justice.

Sarah Walker has a charge of murder dropped, but is charged with perverting the course of justice.

December 24:

Police end active searches for Bernadette – but will restart them if any new informatio­n comes forward.

January 29:

Scott Walker pleads not guilty to murder at a hearing at St Albans Crown Court.

March 19

Sarah Walker admits perverting the course of justice at a hearing at the Old Bailey.

June 14:

A jury are selected at Cambridge Crown Court as the trial begins.

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