"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.". 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. His identity was not known until 30 years after the last murder, thanks to advancements in DNA testing technology. In 2002, Kappens body was exhumed and forensic testing proved him to be the murderer. But I will fight until my last breath. Painstaking passport, driving licence and criminal record checks followed, leading to 353 men, one as far away as New Zealand, being tested. Joseph raped and murdered the three teenage girls Sandra Newton on July 14, and Geraldine Hughes and Pauline Floyd just over two months later on September 16. Biden defends sending cluster bombs to Ukraine, US allies voice unease at cluster bombs for Ukraine, Zelensky visits Snake Island as war enters 500th day. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. [18] However forensic expert Dr Colin Dark told a BBC programme about the unsolved case in 2020 that there would now be opportunities to look for DNA if the police examined the existing material, pointing out that Kappen had a very rare element of DNA that would allow him to be implicated or eliminated from the case possibly even with only a partial DNA profile from the remaining physical evidence, which the police had still kept. [12], Around this time there was media speculation linking serial killer Fred West to the murders as he once worked in Llandarcy, but this was swiftly ruled out by police after the DNA was checked. [5] Kappen was listed as suspect number 200, and detectives visited what they believed to be his address in Port Talbot in August 2001 but they discovered that he had died of lung cancer in June 1990, although his former wife, who had divorced him in 1980, still lived there. [17], 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. It took two DNA-firsts to find the man who had struck fear into south Wales. Helen Fear 3. Detectives were determined to be absolutely certain that Kappen was the killer so the families of the three girls could have some sort of closure. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. In the summer of 1973, three 16-year-old girls were strangled and killed, leading to the country's biggest murder hunt. [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. "It was a horrible night and just as we got to Kappen's coffin, there was a clap of thunder," recalled Dr Dark. 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. [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. "We started to think was it possible that we could use the idea that crime can run in families," said Dr Dark, whose team was continually checking the sample with new profiles on the ever-growing DNA database. It was higher than in 91.9% U.S . Detectives needed to go to the top for permission and seek the home secretary's approval. Companion documentary to the BBC drama Steeltown Murders. The murder of 23-year-old Maureen Mulcahy, whose body was discovered by a man walking his dog having been throttled to death on nearby waste ground in Port Talbot in 1976 has also been linked to the cases but never been proved. In the BBC drama Paul will be played by Phillip Glenister, while Steffan Rhodri is Phil Bach Rees and actor Gareth Bale plays his own uncle Geraint. Steeltown Murders also filmed in some well-known South Walian landmarks such as the Kardomah Caf in Swansea, the Naval Club in Sandfields and The Royal British Legion Club in Port Talbot. Marshals serving a warrant on a man living on High Street found him dead after hearing a shot when they knocked on his door, WFMZ has reported. A scene from Steeltown Murders. The Kappen case has featured in a number of television programmes: This page is not available in other languages. It was a hideous crime which left two families in mourning and an entire community in fear of where its perpetrator might strike next. Read about our approach to external linking. [11], However, one of the men who was investigated as part of enquiries concerning the Austin 1100 was Kappen, who owned that model of vehicle. Read more: Steeltown Murders true story: Serial killer Joseph Kappen and what happened to him. That meant exhuming Kappen's body, which would be the first time that a suspect would be exhumed in the UK to prove guilt. It wasnt until 2001 that DNA testing was able to identify Newtons killer as the same as Hughes and Floyds. Trainspotters tuning into Steeltown Murders have pointed out a mistake contained in an episode of the show. Set in both 1973 and the early 2000s, Steeltown Murders centres on the hunt to catch the killer of three young women in the Port Talbot area and the remarkable story of how - in the first. It premiered on 15 May 2023 on BBC One , with all episodes immediately available on BBC iPlayer . However, in the early 2000s a DNA swab matched the DNA of a car thief, but the thief was only seven years old at the time of the murders. Instead their bodies were discovered the next day dumped in Neath Port Talbot woodland having been raped and strangled. Set in both the 1970s and early 2000s, the BBC series is an account of how three murders in south Wales were solved almost 30 years after they had been committed. Pressure builds on S Korea to send Ukraine stockpiled ammo. But scientists had come up with another trailblazing way of using DNA to catch the murderer. With this development, investigators were able to convince family members of Kappen to provide swabs for DNA. Thirty years on, can DCI Bethall find the serial killer who terrorised 1970s Port Talbot? 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. He raped them all and then strangled them to death. All three were driven to rural locations where they were subsequently raped, then killed by strangulation. [14][15] Kappen is also considered the first documented serial killer in Welsh history. Something went wrong, please try again later. The first episode of Steeltown Murders premiered on BBC One at 9pm on Monday 15th May 2023. The brand new BBC real-life drama is from the people behind The Pembrokeshire Murders, Keep up to date with the latest stories with our WalesOnline newsletter. 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. Tissue extracted from his femur and teeth were a complete match, thus determining his guilt and finally getting justice for his victims. 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. "My beautiful friend. Sandra's body was found two days later in a culvert. 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. 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. With this development, investigators were able to convince family members of Kappen to provide swabs for DNA. Then, in September, Geraldine Hughes and Pauline Floyd were found dead in woodland in nearby Llandarcy after hitchhiking their way home from a night out in Swansea. His team went to unprecedented lengths and used ground-breaking techniques to finally crack the case. Across several months in 1973, the Port Talbot area of Wales was shaken by the chilling murders of three young women, who all went missing after going on nights out in the area. [18] Witness testimony points to Kappen having abducted her in a manner similar to the 1973 murders. Sign up to our free email alerts for the top Celebs & TV stories sent straight to your e-mail. All the episodes will be available to stream, though, on iPlayer after the first episode airs on May 15. BBC's new crime drama will show how the revolution of DNA testing solved the case, when in the late 1990s police reopened the investigation into Hughes and Floyd, after advancements in DNA testing meant the killers DNA was isolated from their clothing. In 1973, the bodies of three teenage girls were found dumped near the steel town of Port Talbot. Steeltown Murders is set in the Port Talbot area in 1973 and the early 2000s and tells the remarkable story of how the murders of three young women in the area were finally solved almost 30 years later with the help of groundbreaking DNA evidence. "It was the feeling that evil had been identified, it sent shivers down my spine.". [5] In 1964 Kappen attempted to force himself on a 15-year-old schoolgirl in his Sandfields housing estate, but she escaped. Currently you are able to watch "Steeltown Murders . The teenagers were all lured into his car near Port Talbot, South Wales, on separate Saturday evenings in 1973. . Back on the case of Geraldine and Pauline, it was one of Dr Dark's workmates who would then provide the masterstroke which crucially saw the net tighten further- what if a relative or child of the killer was on the national database? Kappen is also suspected of committing a fourth murder in February 1976. 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. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Read about our approach to external linking. True story of Steeltown Murders' Port Talbot serial killer Joseph Kappen (Image: Wales Online) In 1973, Joseph Kappen killed three young women in Port Talbot, South Wales, known as the Steeltown Murders, but it wasn't until 2001 that detectives were able to catch the killer in a shock DNA twist. BBC Ones new Philip Glenister crime drama Steeltown Murders is based on the true story of Port Talbot serial killer Joseph Kappen, who killed three teenagers. "[5], After the findings, Kappen's former wife Christine Powell, who had previously insisted that Kappen was innocent, stated that "our first thoughts are with the families of the victims. Yes, Steeltown Murders dramatises the story of the devastating impact of three unsolved murders on a close-knit community over a 30-year period. 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. 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. Steeltown Murders filmed where the killings actually took place, in and around the Port Talbot area. It got very mouldy and mice had also nibbled away many index cards. [22] After he was finally imprisoned in 1994, police announced their suspicions that Black had committed a number of other murders and their intention to investigate him for murders including Markham's. The friends, who worked together in a factory, had gone missing as they hitched a lift home from a night out at the the Top Rank nightclub in Swansea. 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. I will explore every route possible to make sure my daughter does not get adopted. Nearly 30 years on, a small team of detectives led by Bethell was tasked with finding the killer. Although only seven years old at the time of the Llandarcy murders, that unusual surname could mean only one thing - he was Joseph Kappen's son. He grew up in the industrial town Port Talbot which was dominated by the large steelworks. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. 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. "Our shortlist was based on the description of the individual, did the owner have a 1100 car and did they have previous convictions for violence or sexual offences," recalled Det Insp Bethell. [11] In January 2001 the Llandarcy murders were reconstructed on BBC One's Crimewatch. [5][6] In mid-1974 the investigation was scaled down. In September 1973, teenage factory workers Geraldine Hughes and Pauline Floyd left the Top Rank nightclub in Swansea together to try hitching a lift home. [5] He never stayed in employment for long and was described as a loner. Show more 10 months left. HD . But there was a problem getting a DNA swab from him when they knocked on his door. Kappen's family consistently denied that he could have been responsible for the murders and claimed he was innocent despite the evidence. [11] In 2000 the profile was uploaded to the DNA database to see if it matched any person arrested or charged since 1995 (the year in which DNA started to be taken from people arrested of crimes), although no match was made. [9] She was strangled with her own skirt and dumped in a ditch near a coal mine in Tonmawr. They never made it home. Despite hundreds of officers being involved in the investigation that saw thousands of men interviewed and hundreds of cars examined for evidence, the case went cold. [5] Fifty percent of an individual's DNA is inherited from each parent, so investigators believed that they could discover who the killer was by making a partial match between the killer's profile and that of any children they may have had. Celebrities have rushed to offer their support to This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby following the sad death of her mother-in-law, Sandra. The four-part drama and accompanying documentary starts on Monday on BBC One and will be available as a box set on BBC iPlayer. "Geraldine was a fantastic girl. The Kardomah is still a Swansea favourite. Steeltown Murders, Monday, May 15, 9pm, BBC1 and BBC iPlayer. It stars Philip Glenister and Steffan Rhodri as detectives investigating the real-life murders committed by Joseph Kappen in Port Talbot in South Wales. Thirty years on, can DCI Bethall find the serial killer who terrorised 1970s Port Talbot? It was a massive moment for us as investigators. Malcolm Pithers reports", "HTV relates Llandarcy inquiry; TELEVISION: Documentary focuses on 1973 murders", "Former detective reveals how police caught one of Wales' worst serial killers", "Evidence of Evil: The Saturday Night Strangler", "The Real Prime Suspect Episode 4: The Saturday Night Strangler", "Forensics: Catching the Killer. [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. POTTSTOWN U.S. Specifically, cast and crew were spotted at Swansea's Kardomah Caf, the Naval Club in Sandfields and The Royal British Legion Club in Port .
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