Set in both the 1970s and. Watch Now . The prime suspect for Sandra's death was the last person who saw her. [11] Although they occurred nearby, at the time the murders of Hughes and Floyd were not linked to the similar murder of Newton. In the summer of 1973, three 16-year-old girls were strangled and killed, leading to the country's biggest murder hunt. Sandra Newton, who was also 16, had been found murdered and her body dumped near a disused Tonmawr colliery. Confrontation, celebration and confetti: Photos of the week, Oscar-winning Banshees pub opens for real, Gods, goatskins and drums: Morocco's mystical musicians, Armageddon: The 3,000-year-old city behind the biblical story. According to Wales Online, Burry Port, Llandarcy and Neath Valley were also used alongside Port Talbot. [5] Christine later testified that Kappen was physically abusive towards her and would rape her every two weeks. Filters. [11], Police hoped that advancements in DNA testing would help solve the murders, and in 1998 there was a significant development when a profile of the killer's DNA was isolated via testing on the clothing of Hughes and Floyd. What is Steeltown Murders about? The locations where Kappen's known victims were found near Port Talbot, and the proximity to Maureen Mulcahy's unsolved murder It is not known if Kappen ever killed again after September 1973, but he remains a suspect in the unsolved murder of Maureen Mulcahy, aged 23, in February 1976. [6] The murders created a sense of fear in the community over whether the attacker would strike again. [18], Police also reexamined the 1973 disappearance of nine-year-old Christine Markham from Scunthorpe,[21] after learning that Kappen had worked as a lorry driver in Scunthorpe and had lived in lodgings in the Humberside area soon after the girl vanished. TV drama BBC Steeltown Murders: First look at crime drama based on real life Port Talbot case Stars of Gavin & Stacey, Life on Mars, The Pembrokeshire Murders and more star in a Welsh. For the sake of everyone, finding the truth was really important.". Steeltown Murders true story: Serial killer Joseph Kappen and what happened to him, Man fighting for his life after being shot inside car in Doncaster as three men arrested, New Wowcher mystery deal could see you get a Lay-Z spa or garden furniture set for 19.99, Celebrities rush to support Holly Willoughby after tragic family death. [6] However, in the days after the killings, Kappen's car was logged as being on the road by police carrying out stop and check operations. The Briton Ferry teen, who had also been hitchiking, had been raped and choked to death with her own skirt and left in a culvert under a road. In 1973, Joseph Kappen killed . In 2002, Kappens body was exhumed and forensic testing proved him to be the murderer. The key to cold case work is having material left to work with, you see.". The girls had gone missing after leaving nightclubs in small towns in South Wales. In the early 1970s no-one had heard or really used the phrase serial killer, but that was exactly what they were looking for. For the latest TV and showbiz news sign, Scott Arthur as DCI Paul Bethell in Steeltown Murders. But scientists had come up with another trailblazing way of using DNA to catch the murderer. The team were not yet done with the late doorman - who was known to some on the force as a habitual petty criminal with a violent temper. She had her life taken away from her, her future taken away from her. DNA taken from the bodys femur and teeth proved a full match. There were so many areas where the killer could have come from. Police believed she had tried to hitchhike her way home. The four-part drama and accompanying documentary starts on Monday on BBC One and will be available as a box set on BBC iPlayer. Over the phone from Chepstow Dr Dark would give DCI Bethell the news he never thought he'd hear - The Saturday Night Strangler had been caught, albeit from beyond the grave. Joseph Kappen died in 1990. Joe Kappen was found to have brutally murdered three teenage girls in south Wales following a 30-year hunt for their killer. More than 150 police officers had chased hundreds of leads on the so-called Saturday Night Strangler and all had gone nowhere. His identity was not known until 30 years after the last murder, thanks to advancements in DNA testing technology. [6] In the 2023 BBC documentary that accompanied the Steeltown Murders series about the case, it was claimed that the Kappen case was the first in the UK in which a deceased suspect was exhumed in order to ascertain their guilt this is in fact inaccurate as a deceased suspect had been exhumed in the Bible John case in 1996 for DNA testing, although he was subsequently found not to have been the perpetrator. It was higher than in 91.9% U.S . It got very mouldy and mice had also nibbled away many index cards. [21] However serial child abductor and killer Robert Black remains the prime suspect in the Markham case. That meant exhuming Kappen's body, which would be the first time that a suspect would be exhumed in the UK to prove guilt. Crime rate in Slaton, TX The 2020 crime rate in Slaton, TX is 356 (City-Data.com crime index), which is 1.4 times greater than the U.S. average. I will explore every route possible to make sure my daughter does not get adopted. ", "Dark Land: Hunting the Killers. [11][6] It appeared that one girl had attempted to escape from her attacker and had made it yards from the road near to where her father had worked, but had been caught by her attacker and killed. Read more: Steeltown Murders true story: Serial killer Joseph Kappen and what happened to him. It premiered on 15 May 2023 on BBC One , with all episodes immediately available on BBC iPlayer . TV Steeltown Murders: BBC confirm start date for true crime about Port Talbot serial killer Joseph Kappen The murder of three young women remained unsolved for 30 years. [5] Ten days after their nuptials, Kappen was sent to prison for burglary. Read more: BBC Steeltown Murders: First look at crime drama based on real life Port Talbot case. The BBC's new series Steeltown Murders stars Gavin & Stacey 's Steffan Rhodri and Life On Mars' Philip Glenister as leads in the 2023 crime drama. The teenagers were all lured into his car near Port Talbot, South Wales, on separate Saturday evenings in 1973. . Free . In 2002, Kappens body was exhumed and forensic testing proved him to be the murderer. [6] The Port Talbot steelworks employed 13,000 men, all of whom had to be considered as potential suspects. [11] In January 2001 the Llandarcy murders were reconstructed on BBC One's Crimewatch. Crime rate in Slaton, Texas (TX): murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, auto thefts, arson, law enforcement employees, police officers, crime map. [18] He also observed that police still had tapings from Mulcahy's body and clothing at the time taken to search for fibres, and these could now be examined for DNA if the police chose to. ", Armageddon: The 3,000-year-old city behind the biblical story. There is no need for adoption when a child comes from a loving family', The hidden beach only accessible by steep steps with brilliant views of Tenby, Monkstone beach is a true hidden gem only accessible by a steep set of 150 steps. That decision turned out to be vital as, in 1998, a scientific breakthrough would once again throw light on the case. [5], Kappen was known to regularly pursue local teenage girls during the marriage, with his job as a bouncer giving him an opportunity to interact with them. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Made on location in and around the real areas the crimes took place, Steeltown Murders used the M4 corridor including Port Talbot, Burry Port, Llandarcy and the Neath Valley. 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The murders of its title, which were committed in Llandarcy and Tonmawr near Port Talbot in 1973, remained unsolved until 2002 when, thanks to new DNA evidence, it was proven they had been committed by a lorry driver and sometime bouncer, Joseph Kappen, who had died of lung cancer in 1990. Many feared detectives would never find the killer known as the "Saturday Night Strangler" - but 30 years on, he was found in the most unlikely place. BBC drama Steeltown Murders charts the cold case investigation into the rapes and murders of three teenage girls in the Port Talbot area of Wales, near Swansea. It reveals how the police missed catching the killer the first time around, and how, three decades later, advancements in forensic science helped to identify a serial killer who thought he had taken his secrets to the grave. Firstly, semen stains on Geraldine and Pauline's clothing were isolated to show they matched that of the same man - but the person was not on the recently opened DNA database. Can France prevent tensions igniting again? To get the latest Celeb & TV news straight to your inbox, you can sign up for our newsletter here. At the time, Newtons death was not linked to Hughes and Floyds. Philip Glenister from Life on Mars and Gavin & Stacey's Steffan Rhodri lead the cast as DCI Paul Bethell and Phil 'Bach' Rees, with their younger selves played by . Thirty years on, can DCI Bethall find the serial killer who terrorised 1970s Port Talbot? [6][11] The three-day working week imposed by the British government on everyone across the country, as a result of an energy shortage, further reduced the resources of the enquiry and hampered the investigation. 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"This was a ground breaking technique, the first time it's ever been done in the UK and possibly the world - and from there, the new investigative tool now known as familial DNA was developed.". Forensic DNA examination at nearby Morrison hospital in Swansea proved Kappen was the killer of all three girls, after almost three decades. But I will fight until my last breath. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Tissue extracted from his femur and teeth were a complete match, thus determining his guilt and finally getting justice for his victims. [5][6] In 2002 the body was exhumed from Goytre Cemetery on the outskirts of Port Talbot, with it being said by witnesses that a thunderstorm suddenly passed over as the exhumation began and that a large thunderclap was heard when the ground was first dug up, suggesting to them that they had "unearthed evil". This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. [5], On Saturday 14 July 1973 Sandra Newton, aged 16, went missing after a night out in Briton Ferry. In 1973, Joseph Kappen killed three young women in Port Talbot, South Wales, but it wasn't until 2001 that detectives were able to catch the killer. That was her boyfriend, but he maintained his innocence and was never charged. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Kappen's identity was not discovered until 30 years after he committed the last murder, thanks to advancements in DNA technology testing when his son was arrested for car theft. [5] He went on to accumulate over thirty convictions for car theft, petrol theft, burglary and assault, and spent years in and out of prison. It stars Philip Glenister and Steffan Rhodri as detectives investigating the real-life murders committed by Joseph Kappen in Port Talbot in South Wales. Made on location in and around the real areas the crimes took place, Steeltown Murders used the M4 corridor including Port Talbot, Burry Port, Llandarcy and the . How serial killer Joseph Kappen was exposed as the Saturday Night Strangler The new BBC miniseries is based on the real-life death of three teenagers in. He became the prime suspect after police looked at the DNA of his son, Paul, a car thief whose DNA was already on file. Dr Colin Dark, of Chepstow-based Forensic Science Services, who came to the case in 1990, said: "Much of it went into storage at Sandfields police station in Port Talbot where, because of the damp conditions, it turned to mush. Video, Armageddon: The 3,000-year-old city behind the biblical story, Fred West ruled out as suspect in woodland murders, 'My sister was so much more than how she died', 'Significant' new lead in 1993 murder inquiry, Detective hopes TV show reopens triple-murder case, Three murders - unsolved but never forgotten, Dutch government collapses over asylum row, BBC star 'accused of paying teen for explicit photos', Wire creator seeks leniency in actor overdose case, UK discourages cluster bombs use in Ukraine - Sunak. Their key witness had seen the girls leaving Swansea that night, getting into a light coloured Morris 1100 being driven by a man. Kappen's confirmed victims were all 16-year-old girls whom he lured into his car on Saturday evenings in Briton Ferry and Swansea respectively. Painstaking passport, driving licence and criminal record checks followed, leading to 353 men, one as far away as New Zealand, being tested. Season 1: 8 episodes", "Steeltown Murders: How a DNA-first caught a serial killer 30 years on", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joseph_Kappen&oldid=1162257156, In 2016 another documentary on the case was released on, This page was last edited on 27 June 2023, at 23:57. [18] As soon as Kappen had been identified in the 1973 cases, detectives announced their intention to speak to Mulcahy's family. [11], The outcome of the case created hopes of solving other unsolved historical murders through DNA testing, and South Wales Police subsequently embarked on DNA screening in order to solve the murder of Lynette White, which was subsequently solved in 2003 when Jeffrey Gafoor was convicted of the killing. The four-part BBC series switches between the 1970s and early 2000s, is described as a portrait of a town dealing with the repercussions of an unsolved case three decades on, and asks if justice can ever truly be found. This would have disproved this claim, but without a computerised system for cross-referencing, this fact was not noticed by detectives at the time. He grew up in the industrial town Port Talbot which was dominated by the large steelworks. The investigation was reopened and the killer was eventually found, Sign up to our free email alerts for the top Celebs & TV stories sent straight to your e-mail. Kathryn Williams 13:48, 9 MAY 2023 Scott Arthur as 1973's DCI Paul Bethell A brand new Welsh-made, true crime drama is coming to BBC One this May, Steeltown Murders. The first incident took place in . It wasnt until 2001 that DNA testing was able to identify Newtons killer as the same as Hughes and Floyds. Both investigations were linked in the early 2000s by an emerging crime-solving tool, when South Wales Police started reopening cold cases hoping DNA could finally bring killers to justice. BBC One's new Philip Glenister crime drama Steeltown Murders is based on the true story of Port Talbot serial killer Joseph Kappen, who killed three teenagers. Steeltown Murders is based on a real-life Port Talbot case in which detectives strive to catch the killer of three young women in 1973 and will air on BBC One later this spring. "Geraldine was a fantastic girl. "But after all of those years, she can finally rest in peace now.". Read about our approach to external linking. [5] In 1964 Kappen attempted to force himself on a 15-year-old schoolgirl in his Sandfields housing estate, but she escaped. Using archive and first-hand accounts from the officers, scientists and relatives of the victims, Steeltown Murders: Hunting a Serial Killer tells the extraordinary inside story. [18][8][11] Mulcahy was similarly strangled after a Saturday night out, being found dead the following morning on wasteland very close to the Sandfields estate, where "Saturday Night Strangler" Kappen was living at the time.

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steeltown murders port talbot

steeltown murders port talbot