Nicola Payne’s disappearance made into a documentary
NICOLA Payne’s disappearance has been turned into a documentary entitled ‘The Never Ending Murder.’
The investigative true crime series about the disappearance of the Coventry teenager is set to be released across the UK and Ireland next year.
It may also be seen across the world as it has been confirmed Signature Entertainment that is has acquired the global rights to the series. It was made by Fulwell 73, Studiopow and Picnik Entertainment.
The documentary re-examines the tragic story that still haunts the city more than 30 years after the new mum disappeared in broad daylight back in 1991. The investigation to find her has been one of the biggest in West Midlands Police Force’s history.
Having carried out many searches and arrests of multiple people in connection with her disappearance, there has been no breakthrough in finding her. It has been reported that the doc-series includes interviews with family and friends, including her father John Payne and eldest brother Nigel Payne, as well as those closely involved with the case.
Retired detective Malcolm Ross and Martin Slevin, both of whom were lead investigators at one time, are also set to feature.
The documentary has been produced by Bedworth-born Kevin Proctor, who directed The Butternut Squash Gang in: Lapushka! That was filmed in his hometown and starred Maxine Peake.
Elizabeth Williams, Signature’s director of acquisitions, said Nicola’s disappearance is an important story to be told. “We are proud to be partnering with Picnik, Studiopow and the award-winning Fulwell
73 team on this important true crime documentary about Nicola Payne, whose case has been unsolved for decades,” she said.
“This is an opportunity to shed light on what happened and hopefully bring closure to her loved ones. We expect the global audience response to be significant.”
Fulwell 73 director Leo Pearlman added: “The importance we all feel in telling this story and bringing it back to the forefront of debate in this country cannot be overestimated. We must all ask ourselves whether in the 30 plus years since Nicola’s murder anything has truly changed.
“This is a film of huge importance and one that we hope makes us all question our society. Above all else we are extremely grateful to Nicola’s family for their bravery in sharing their story with us.”
Last year, Nicola’s family held a vigil for her, to mark 30 years since her disappearance. Friends and family gathered on the path she would have walked on to get home the night the 18-year-old was last seen: December 14, 1991.
Nicola’s parents could not attend the vigil due to poor health, but her brother Paul said they would ‘never give up’ looking for her. “We will never ever stop looking - never ever give up,” he said.
“I need to get my sister back for my mum and dad who are struggling with health.
“I would appeal to people’s hearts, but if they had a heart they would have come and said something by now.”
Anyone with information about Nicola’s disappearance can contact West Midlands Police on 101 or via its Live Chat between 8am and midnight, or alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit www. crimestoppers-uk.org
HUNDREDS of motorists have been involved in collisions and 19 people have been killed on Coventry and Warwickshire’s roads in the last year as the UK has come through the pandemic.
During 2019, the year before the coronavirus pandemic, there were 1,680 collisions in Coventry and Warwickshire, including 37 fatal accidents.
During 2020 - when the roads were much quieter than normal due to the impact of Covid-19 restrictions, the number of collisions fell by 26%, and there were 16 fewer fatal collisions. That equates to a rate of around 17 fatal collisions for every 1,000 road traffic accidents in 2020 - down from 22 per 1,000 collisions in the year before the pandemic.
In 2021, as lockdown restrictions eased and normal traffic levels began to return to the roads, there were 1,276 collisions - 2% higher than the previous year, but a drop of 24% from before the pandemic. Last year’s figures include 19 fatal collisions - which means that for every 1,000 road traffic collisions in Coventry and Warwickshire last year, 15 involved a fatality.
Across the UK as a whole, there were 101,087 collisions last year, including 1,474 that resulted in at least one death. That works out at a rate of around 15 fatal collisions for every 1,000 road traffic accidents, down slightly from the previous year, but up from the pre-pandemic rate of 14 per 1,000 collisions.
As a result of collisions on Coventry and Warwickshire’s roads last year there were 19 deaths and 1,655 casualties. The previous year there were 21 deaths, while 37 people lost their lives in 2019.
Nationally, there were an estimated 1,558 reported road deaths in 2021 - 98 more than the previous year, but 194 fewer than in the year before the pandemic.
When compared to the number of miles collectively driven by motorists over the past year, that equates to around five fatalities per billion miles driven - 1% higher than in 2019, but 4% lower than in 2020.
RAC road safety spokesperson Simon Williams said: “While the overall number of road deaths is down on pre-pandemic levels, the fatality rate per billion miles driven has increased suggesting little progress is being made in making our roads safer. We urge the government to publish its updated road safety plan which focuses on both improving car safety - including mandating technology such as intelligent speed assist in new cars - as well as measures to tackle poor driving standards and illegal behaviour behind the wheel.”
Analysis by the Department for Transport shows that fatalities among pedal cyclists increased from 2019 to 2020 - probably due to more people taking to their bikes during lockdown but then fell in 2021. Among car drivers and their passengers, pedestrians, and motorcyclists, the opposite was true with more fatalities last year than in 2020, but fewer than before the pandemic.
Last year 1,216 fatal accidents involved cars, 322 involved motorcycles, 207 HGVS, 194 LGVS, 117 pedal cycles and 34 involved a bus or a coach. More than three times as many men (1,211) were killed in road accidents in 2021 than women (347).
The highest number of deaths among men was in those aged between 30 and 49 (357 fatalities), while among women it was the 70 and over age bracket (106 fatalities).
The data also shows that the biggest increase in fatalities among men was in the 17 to 29 age range (up 19% to 334 from 2020); while among women, it was the 50 to 69 age group (up 20% to 84 fatalities).
Last year 46 fatalities were of children, including 16 girls (20% fewer than in 2020) and 30 boys (6% fewer).
A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: “The number of road deaths has decreased by 11% compared with pre-pandemic levels, however, we are not complacent, and continue working tirelessly to improve road safety.
“Every death or serious injury on our roads is a tragedy and we recently announced we will create a Road Safety Investigation Branch to look closely at what needs to change to save lives.”