Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Unbelievable failings by police, says Becky’s mum
BECKY Godden’s mother Karen Edwards said failings by officers investigating the murder of her daughter were “unbelievable”.
The police watchdog found officers missed crucial evidence which could have led to his conviction sooner.
Ms Edwards, of Nine Elms in Swindon, said she was “elated” with the outcome of the report and to have finally received an apology after she spent years campaigning to keep the case in the spotlight between 2011 and 2016, when killer Christopher Halliwell was eventually convicted for the murder.
She said: “There has been such a failure within Wiltshire Police. It is unbelievable.”
Speaking about the evidence missed, she said: “That evidence they had in 2016 when he was convicted, they had in their hands in 2011 – they chose not to hand it up.
“The fact they sat on that evidence is just wrong. When they said [in 2016] it was in the public interest – it was in the public interest because I was out there campaigning.
“When the chief constable tells the DI to ‘babysit’ a category A murder investigation, what they mean by that is ‘sit on it, she will go away eventually’.”
She added: “It’s just been unbelievable – I really should not have had to do that. The public should not have to do the job of the police.”