Mother told police daughter ‘had run off before’

A MOTHER who reported her teenage daughter missing to police told a 101 call handler the photography student had “run off before”, a murder trial has heard.

Bernadette Walker was last seen alive on July 18 last year when Scott Walker, whom she called her father but was not her biological father, collected her from her grandparents’ house in Peterborough, Cambridge Crown Court heard.

The 17-year-old had claimed Mr Walker, 51, had sexually abused her “over a number of years” and prosecutors allege he killed her to “prevent her pursuing her allegations of sexual abuse any further”. Her body has not been found, despite police searches.

Scott Walker is then accused of forming an “unholy alliance” with Bernadette’s 38-year-old mother Sarah Walker to mislead investigators, sending messages from Bernadette’s phone and social media accounts to claim that she ran away, Lisa Wilding, QC, prosecuting, said.

The court heard that Scott and Sarah Walker’s phones were located in the vicinity of a lock-up garage in the early hours of July 20.

Scott Walker’s Mercedes Vaneo was captured on an ANPR camera travelling north from Peterborough on the A16 at 12.37am, then both Scott and Sarah’s mobile phones disconnected from the network within a minute of each other at 12.43am and 12.44am, Ms Wilding said.

She said that Bernadette’s phone connected to several cell sites covering the Cowbit area of Lincolnshire between 12.54am and 1.30am.

Scott Walker denies Bernadette’s murder. He also denies four counts of perverting the course of justice and Sarah Walker denies two counts of perverting the course of justice.

The trial continues.