Catch up TV

Series 5: 5. Cold Case Convictions

The first case in this episode starts in 1993, in Reading, Berkshire, when the body of David Watkins is discovered, lying face down in remote woodland. The father of two young boys had been shot, execution-style, when an apparent drug deal went wrong. \n\nWhen police quickly arrest a suspect, he pleads not guilty at trial a year later and ultimately walks free, with the knowledge that the double jeopardy law, which prevents suspects from being retried, will protect him. The law was overturned in 2005. \n\nFast forward over two decades later, and the case is reopened. This time, expert witness, fibre analyst Tiernan Coyle, is drafted in to re-examine evidence found in the suspect’s car, and at the retrial, justice is finally served. The programme includes interviews from BBC’s Sima Kotecha and John Price KC. \n\nThe second case on the programme looks at one of the most serious miscarriages of justice in British history. \n\nIn 1986, the body of 22-year-old Teresa de Simone is found in her car outside a pub in Southampton. She had been raped and strangled. Investigators collect biological material but are only able to specify the offender’s blood type. A year later, police are stunned when Sean Hodgson, a petty thief and prison inmate, confesses to killing her. He later retracts his confession but is found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. After serving 26 years, he reaches out for help to prove his innocence. \n\nWith the technology of DNA analysis now available, detectives seek the expertise of forensic science consultant Dr Colin Dark. His work not only proves that Hodgson is an innocent man, but using groundbreaking familial DNA analysis, he also identifies the real killer. The programme includes fascinating interviews with crime scene manager Martin Chudley and forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes.

Source: BBC 1