1 00:00:02,403 --> 00:00:05,723 [narrator] Every 90 seconds, someone is reported missing. 2 00:00:05,803 --> 00:00:07,963 Many return to their families. 3 00:00:08,043 --> 00:00:11,563 But for others, something has gone seriously wrong. 4 00:00:12,123 --> 00:00:14,323 {\an8}A 17-year-old girl has gone missing. 5 00:00:15,403 --> 00:00:17,603 Well, I try and look at the last place that they were, 6 00:00:17,683 --> 00:00:19,443 see if we've got any CCTV of them. 7 00:00:19,523 --> 00:00:22,203 [narrator] She's pregnant. And her mum's desperate to find her. 8 00:00:22,283 --> 00:00:26,083 Jayden was hopeful that a baby would cement their relationship 9 00:00:26,163 --> 00:00:27,883 and actually make them a lot happier. 10 00:00:27,963 --> 00:00:30,683 [narrator] What happens in the police investigation that follows… 11 00:00:30,763 --> 00:00:34,363 It's not unusual for teenage girls to have that troubled background. 12 00:00:34,443 --> 00:00:36,963 And, yeah, she would have disagreements with her family. 13 00:00:37,043 --> 00:00:39,683 [narrator] What happens to the family at its heart… 14 00:00:39,763 --> 00:00:42,003 She had made absolutely no contact whatsoever, 15 00:00:42,083 --> 00:00:43,283 which was unusual. 16 00:00:43,363 --> 00:00:45,963 They then do a report for a missing persons. 17 00:00:46,283 --> 00:00:47,963 And that's when I started to panic. 18 00:00:48,043 --> 00:00:52,043 Jayden had gone missing previously. Uh, and on each of those, 19 00:00:52,123 --> 00:00:56,243 within 24 to 48 hours, she had made some form of contact. 20 00:00:56,523 --> 00:00:59,603 [narrator reading] 21 00:01:03,123 --> 00:01:05,723 [speaking indistinctly] 22 00:01:05,803 --> 00:01:12,443 [woman] Jayden was quirky, annoying, funny, beautiful. 23 00:01:12,523 --> 00:01:14,363 [laughing] 24 00:01:14,443 --> 00:01:17,483 {\an8}She could be your best friend, 25 00:01:17,563 --> 00:01:19,083 {\an8}your worst enemy. 26 00:01:19,283 --> 00:01:22,523 {\an8}But 99.9% of people loved her. 27 00:01:23,163 --> 00:01:26,123 She was my best friend and not only my daughter. 28 00:01:27,683 --> 00:01:30,163 She was the youngest of three. 29 00:01:30,843 --> 00:01:33,083 Uh, she has two older siblings, 30 00:01:33,163 --> 00:01:34,923 an older sister and a brother. 31 00:01:35,963 --> 00:01:39,563 From the time she could talk, it was what, where, why, when. 32 00:01:39,643 --> 00:01:41,843 Yeah, she was a law unto herself, to be fair, 33 00:01:41,923 --> 00:01:43,283 when she was little. 34 00:01:44,243 --> 00:01:47,123 I was with their dad for 18 years, on and off. 35 00:01:47,203 --> 00:01:49,763 The relationship was a hard one. 36 00:01:50,043 --> 00:01:53,563 He was an abuser, not just mentally, but physically, too. 37 00:01:53,643 --> 00:01:55,563 I did my best with all three of them. 38 00:01:55,643 --> 00:01:59,083 They went to any group that they ever wanted to join, 39 00:01:59,163 --> 00:02:00,563 never went without, to be fair. 40 00:02:00,643 --> 00:02:05,563 But I think they saw a lot of nasty things growing up 41 00:02:05,643 --> 00:02:07,883 that, obviously, as an adult, 42 00:02:07,963 --> 00:02:12,523 you try to protect your children from, but you can't 100%. 43 00:02:12,603 --> 00:02:13,923 Sometimes it was hard. 44 00:02:14,003 --> 00:02:18,523 But I wouldn't change having them three ever, you know. 45 00:02:18,603 --> 00:02:21,883 They were my life, and, uh, even now they still are. 46 00:02:21,963 --> 00:02:24,963 [piano music playing] 47 00:02:26,643 --> 00:02:29,683 I left after spending 13 hours of abuse 48 00:02:29,763 --> 00:02:33,923 being spat at, punched, kicked, dragged about by my hair. 49 00:02:34,443 --> 00:02:35,803 Jayden was seven. 50 00:02:37,043 --> 00:02:40,003 He got custody in the family courts 51 00:02:40,083 --> 00:02:43,243 because I wasn't allowed to bring up the domestic violence. 52 00:02:43,643 --> 00:02:46,723 We used to ring each other every other night. 53 00:02:46,803 --> 00:02:50,443 And I'd arrange to meet her in her dreams 54 00:02:50,523 --> 00:02:52,963 any place in the world that she'd pick. 55 00:02:53,923 --> 00:02:55,363 And at eight o'clock every night, 56 00:02:55,443 --> 00:02:58,083 we'd blow each other three kisses out the window 57 00:02:58,163 --> 00:03:00,163 and catch 'em, no matter what. 58 00:03:01,563 --> 00:03:05,323 That's how it was. I had them as often as I could. 59 00:03:05,963 --> 00:03:08,843 Uh, it was hard, and it was heartbreaking taking 'em back, 60 00:03:08,923 --> 00:03:10,203 I used to hate it. 61 00:03:10,283 --> 00:03:11,963 [pensive music playing] 62 00:03:12,043 --> 00:03:13,963 When she first started being naughty, 63 00:03:14,043 --> 00:03:18,843 it was things like drinking and smoking at school or out with her friends. 64 00:03:18,923 --> 00:03:22,043 [narrator] One of these friends is Jake Blakeley. 65 00:03:22,123 --> 00:03:24,683 Jayden and Jake's friendship was like any others. 66 00:03:24,763 --> 00:03:26,563 He'd come round my house. 67 00:03:26,643 --> 00:03:28,083 They'd mess about. 68 00:03:28,163 --> 00:03:29,763 On one of his birthdays, 69 00:03:29,843 --> 00:03:33,043 I've got a picture of him stood in my sitting room 70 00:03:33,123 --> 00:03:35,403 with her on his shoulders going like that, yeah? 71 00:03:35,483 --> 00:03:36,923 They were mates. 72 00:03:37,483 --> 00:03:40,443 [narrator] Jake has an older brother, Ben. 73 00:03:40,523 --> 00:03:44,083 I remember her seeing him outside the local shops. 74 00:03:44,163 --> 00:03:47,043 And I was with her, and he was like, "All right, Jade?" 75 00:03:47,123 --> 00:03:49,683 as he walked past and, you know, pushing his bike. 76 00:03:49,763 --> 00:03:51,083 And I was like, "Who's that?" 77 00:03:51,163 --> 00:03:53,643 She goes, "Ah, don't worry about him. He's just a rat. 78 00:03:53,723 --> 00:03:56,323 It's Jake's brother. He's just a weirdo." 79 00:03:56,403 --> 00:03:58,163 Thought nothing of it. 80 00:03:58,243 --> 00:04:00,243 And then he, obviously, started hanging round 81 00:04:00,323 --> 00:04:02,043 with the group of younger kids, 82 00:04:02,123 --> 00:04:05,323 drinking with 'em and smoking with 'em, and all that sorta stuff. 83 00:04:06,403 --> 00:04:09,363 And, uh, I kinda realized that she liked him. 84 00:04:09,443 --> 00:04:11,123 [narrator] In 2012, 85 00:04:11,603 --> 00:04:14,963 16-year-old Jayden starts a relationship with Ben. 86 00:04:15,363 --> 00:04:19,083 He was very well-mannered, um… "Yes. Please. Thank you." 87 00:04:19,603 --> 00:04:23,123 Nothing outta the ordinary, to be fair, a bit strange-looking. 88 00:04:23,203 --> 00:04:25,603 And I thought it was a bit odd that he liked my daughter. 89 00:04:25,683 --> 00:04:27,763 Oh, it was definitely odd that she liked him. 90 00:04:27,843 --> 00:04:29,923 But you can't help who ya like. 91 00:04:35,483 --> 00:04:38,883 [narrator] Within just a few months, the relationship between Jayden and Ben 92 00:04:38,963 --> 00:04:41,323 comes to the attention of the police. 93 00:04:42,483 --> 00:04:45,763 [man] The initial relationship was very loving. 94 00:04:45,843 --> 00:04:49,003 {\an8}And he was very doting of her, but as time progressed, 95 00:04:49,083 --> 00:04:51,003 {\an8}he became very controlling. 96 00:04:51,083 --> 00:04:53,643 {\an8}Um, he became aggressive towards her. 97 00:04:53,723 --> 00:04:56,163 Jayden's family were initially approving of Ben, 98 00:04:56,243 --> 00:04:58,963 uh, but they noticed a change in Jayden's behavior. 99 00:04:59,043 --> 00:05:03,323 And we were starting to realize that, actually, she had been the victim 100 00:05:03,403 --> 00:05:05,723 of him taking photographs of her 101 00:05:05,803 --> 00:05:07,883 while she was naked, coming out of the shower. 102 00:05:07,963 --> 00:05:10,523 And that was a matter that she had reported to the police, 103 00:05:10,603 --> 00:05:12,243 and that the police were investigating. 104 00:05:12,323 --> 00:05:16,923 {\an8}Jayden split up with him, uh, around the 21st of November. 105 00:05:17,003 --> 00:05:20,643 {\an8}Then, on the 25th of November, he wanted to get back together with her. 106 00:05:20,723 --> 00:05:22,083 She had refused. 107 00:05:22,163 --> 00:05:24,363 But then he'd threatened to put these videos… 108 00:05:24,443 --> 00:05:27,563 Upload these videos of her, these intimate videos of her, 109 00:05:27,643 --> 00:05:30,163 with a view that, once that had been done, 110 00:05:30,243 --> 00:05:32,083 um, she would kill herself 111 00:05:32,163 --> 00:05:34,683 because she would be so upset and distressed about it. 112 00:05:34,763 --> 00:05:38,163 It wasn't long before his true identity come out. 113 00:05:38,243 --> 00:05:41,203 But he was seeing other girls as well behind Jayden's back, 114 00:05:41,283 --> 00:05:44,043 so he was flitting from one girl to another, 115 00:05:44,123 --> 00:05:45,323 and he'd have one girl 116 00:05:45,403 --> 00:05:47,283 that'd give him money for drugs and food, 117 00:05:47,363 --> 00:05:50,803 another girl that would give him money for clothes and things. 118 00:05:50,883 --> 00:05:54,003 And Jayden was the girl, the go-to girl, 119 00:05:54,083 --> 00:05:56,323 that would do the naughty things with him. 120 00:05:56,403 --> 00:05:59,723 So, like, jumping the trains nicking, um, luggage, 121 00:05:59,803 --> 00:06:01,323 and stuff like that. 122 00:06:01,403 --> 00:06:03,643 [uneasy music playing] 123 00:06:03,723 --> 00:06:05,643 [Chris] Ben Blakeley, particularly in relation 124 00:06:05,723 --> 00:06:07,683 to his previous relationships with females, 125 00:06:07,763 --> 00:06:11,443 he had a history of coercive controlling behavior towards them. 126 00:06:11,843 --> 00:06:14,883 {\an8}Coercive control is done 127 00:06:14,963 --> 00:06:19,403 {\an8}to maintain control over somebody as much as possible, 128 00:06:19,483 --> 00:06:24,963 and even to, uh, create a situation of subjugation. 129 00:06:25,043 --> 00:06:27,083 [Chris] A number of the females that we spoke to 130 00:06:27,163 --> 00:06:28,723 had also been assaulted by him. 131 00:06:28,803 --> 00:06:31,123 When he did lose his temper, he was very violent, 132 00:06:31,203 --> 00:06:34,803 and he would grab them round the throat and punch them. 133 00:06:34,883 --> 00:06:38,763 A person who exerts coercive control, 134 00:06:38,843 --> 00:06:40,843 that extra level of control, 135 00:06:40,923 --> 00:06:44,483 is quite a distinct type of person. 136 00:06:44,563 --> 00:06:46,363 It's not the kind of thing really 137 00:06:46,443 --> 00:06:49,323 that just anybody is gonna end up doing. 138 00:06:49,403 --> 00:06:52,843 It's somebody who for some reason 139 00:06:53,283 --> 00:06:55,323 needs that amount of control 140 00:06:55,403 --> 00:06:58,963 or feels entitled to that amount of control. 141 00:06:59,043 --> 00:07:02,203 [Sam] She'd gone from a glitter kid, 142 00:07:02,283 --> 00:07:05,923 um, loving dresses and high heels and make-up 143 00:07:06,003 --> 00:07:07,243 and all that sorta thing. 144 00:07:07,323 --> 00:07:10,483 It wasn't until she got with him, that all that stopped. 145 00:07:10,563 --> 00:07:12,403 She stopped being a girly girl. 146 00:07:12,483 --> 00:07:16,283 She wore baggy tracksuit pants, 147 00:07:16,363 --> 00:07:22,323 uh, trainers, oversized jumpers, you know, all that sorta stuff. 148 00:07:22,403 --> 00:07:26,603 [narrator] The change in Jayden's behavior affects every part of her life. 149 00:07:26,683 --> 00:07:28,163 [Sam] She'd gone missing from school. 150 00:07:28,243 --> 00:07:33,203 So school had rung police on numerous occasions to try and find her. 151 00:07:33,283 --> 00:07:35,563 Basically, she was a pain in their backside, 152 00:07:35,643 --> 00:07:38,563 keep going missing, me keep reporting her. 153 00:07:38,643 --> 00:07:41,283 Um, and even to the point where I got sick of it. 154 00:07:41,363 --> 00:07:43,123 [Nikki] She's a young girl growing up. 155 00:07:43,203 --> 00:07:45,323 You know, it's not unusual 156 00:07:45,403 --> 00:07:48,043 for teenage girls to have that troubled background. 157 00:07:48,123 --> 00:07:51,283 Um… And, yeah, she would have disagreements with her family. 158 00:07:51,363 --> 00:07:54,403 Um, but they were just sorta disagreements. 159 00:07:54,483 --> 00:07:58,523 And then her and her family would always get back together, 160 00:07:58,603 --> 00:08:01,363 and, you know, resolve any issues that they had. 161 00:08:02,923 --> 00:08:04,363 [Chris] She became more withdrawn. 162 00:08:04,443 --> 00:08:07,323 She also became quite difficult around the family. 163 00:08:07,403 --> 00:08:10,963 And there were a lot of arguments about her relationship with Ben, 164 00:08:11,043 --> 00:08:14,403 which culminated in her, uh, actually leaving the family home 165 00:08:14,483 --> 00:08:17,323 and moving into One Foot Forward in Oxford. 166 00:08:18,523 --> 00:08:21,003 [narrator] One Foot Forward is a hostel set up 167 00:08:21,083 --> 00:08:24,963 to help young people who become homeless, like Jayden. 168 00:08:25,723 --> 00:08:28,763 [Sam] Took 'em a couple of weeks to get her out of her shell. 169 00:08:28,843 --> 00:08:33,003 And they then realized that she was a nice girl, you know, 170 00:08:33,082 --> 00:08:34,443 that she'd had it a bit hard. 171 00:08:34,523 --> 00:08:38,483 And I was trying to help them help her. 172 00:08:38,563 --> 00:08:39,722 She didn't wanna come back 173 00:08:39,803 --> 00:08:42,683 'cause she didn't wanna bring any more crap to my door with Ben. 174 00:08:42,763 --> 00:08:46,243 What became clear was that he was very controlling of Jayden, 175 00:08:46,323 --> 00:08:50,083 um, and he had given her instructions not to leave her room. 176 00:08:50,163 --> 00:08:52,403 She wasn't allowed to speak to any men. 177 00:08:52,483 --> 00:08:54,363 She wasn't allowed to have access to her phone. 178 00:08:54,443 --> 00:08:57,243 In fact, he'd stolen her mobile telephone, 179 00:08:57,323 --> 00:08:59,963 and he had control of her social media accounts. 180 00:09:00,043 --> 00:09:03,643 The level of control was so serious that he had actually instructed her 181 00:09:03,723 --> 00:09:06,483 that if she wanted to go to the toilet, she had to stay in her room. 182 00:09:06,563 --> 00:09:09,523 And that resulted in her urinating into containers within the room, 183 00:09:09,603 --> 00:09:11,963 so that she didn't have to leave her room. 184 00:09:13,403 --> 00:09:16,403 [pensive music playing] 185 00:09:16,483 --> 00:09:20,083 [narrator] Out of the blue, Jayden calls her mum, Sam. 186 00:09:20,563 --> 00:09:21,683 [Sam] I'd missed the calls. 187 00:09:21,763 --> 00:09:22,643 And she just kept… 188 00:09:22,723 --> 00:09:23,763 "Mum, ring me now. 189 00:09:23,843 --> 00:09:26,283 I've got something important to tell. You gotta ring me back," 190 00:09:26,363 --> 00:09:27,683 which I did. 191 00:09:27,763 --> 00:09:30,603 And then it was like a 10-minute conversation of what's wrong. 192 00:09:30,683 --> 00:09:33,683 "Is it Ben?" "Have ya run outta money?" "Are you in trouble?" 193 00:09:33,763 --> 00:09:34,963 "No, I'm pregnant." 194 00:09:36,683 --> 00:09:39,603 [Chris] I think Jayden was hopeful that Ben would now settle down, 195 00:09:39,683 --> 00:09:41,643 that he would stop being violent towards her, 196 00:09:41,723 --> 00:09:43,683 that he would be less controlling, 197 00:09:43,763 --> 00:09:46,963 and that, actually, a baby would cement their relationship 198 00:09:47,043 --> 00:09:48,603 and actually make them a lot happier. 199 00:09:49,123 --> 00:09:51,963 And, to be fair, I was proper chuffed because 200 00:09:53,643 --> 00:09:56,123 I could hear the happiness in her voice. 201 00:09:57,363 --> 00:10:00,443 It wasn't an ideal situation for her to be in, 202 00:10:00,523 --> 00:10:04,163 because I knew that if she stayed with him, 203 00:10:04,243 --> 00:10:05,563 she'd have lost the baby. 204 00:10:05,643 --> 00:10:09,083 The baby would've been put on an at-risk list straightaway. 205 00:10:09,163 --> 00:10:10,683 So they would have monitored her 206 00:10:10,763 --> 00:10:13,923 through social services, the police, and everything. 207 00:10:14,003 --> 00:10:15,563 And I think he knew that 208 00:10:15,643 --> 00:10:18,483 because he'd already lost two children beforehand. 209 00:10:18,563 --> 00:10:21,083 He had two other women that had babies by him. 210 00:10:21,163 --> 00:10:22,843 He wasn't allowed to see any of them. 211 00:10:23,843 --> 00:10:24,963 She loved kids. 212 00:10:25,043 --> 00:10:27,483 And that's… I think that's what she wanted. 213 00:10:27,563 --> 00:10:29,643 She wanted to love something 214 00:10:29,723 --> 00:10:32,523 and something to love her unconditionally. 215 00:10:32,603 --> 00:10:35,843 And I think that's what she thought she'd have got from a baby. 216 00:10:37,163 --> 00:10:39,723 [uneasy music playing] 217 00:10:42,483 --> 00:10:46,083 [narrator] Jayden and her mum arrange to meet up in town. 218 00:10:46,163 --> 00:10:49,883 [Sam] The last time I saw her was outside One Foot Forward. 219 00:10:50,123 --> 00:10:53,283 We went to the pub in Oxford city. 220 00:10:53,363 --> 00:10:56,283 I brought her a coke. I think I had a coffee. 221 00:11:00,483 --> 00:11:02,283 {\an8}Talked about her being pregnant. 222 00:11:04,363 --> 00:11:06,603 Um, I gave her £15. 223 00:11:07,763 --> 00:11:10,483 I kissed her on the steps, cuddled her. 224 00:11:11,883 --> 00:11:15,323 I said, "Please come home. I'll look after ya. You're having a baby." 225 00:11:15,403 --> 00:11:17,723 And she said, "No, I don't wanna come home. 226 00:11:17,803 --> 00:11:20,523 I don't wanna bring any more trouble to your door, Mum." 227 00:11:21,603 --> 00:11:23,403 [narrator] December, 2013, 228 00:11:24,523 --> 00:11:28,803 17-year-old Jayden Parkinson is pregnant with Ben Blakeley's baby. 229 00:11:29,443 --> 00:11:31,843 She's living in a hostel for young people, 230 00:11:31,923 --> 00:11:34,923 despite her mum, Sam, wanting her to come home. 231 00:11:35,003 --> 00:11:38,603 {\an8}The Wednesday morning, I got a call from One Foot Forward 232 00:11:38,683 --> 00:11:40,803 {\an8}asking if Jayden was with me. 233 00:11:41,843 --> 00:11:43,163 She hadn't been. 234 00:11:43,283 --> 00:11:46,803 They then got off the phone, obviously, did what they had to do, 235 00:11:46,883 --> 00:11:48,723 then rung me back and said, 236 00:11:48,803 --> 00:11:53,723 "We've had to now phone the police and do a report for a missing persons." 237 00:11:53,803 --> 00:11:56,203 And that's when I started to panic. 238 00:12:00,843 --> 00:12:05,043 {\an8}I put out missing posters with the Missing People charity. 239 00:12:05,123 --> 00:12:08,643 I was putting out appeals on Facebook, on Twitter. 240 00:12:08,723 --> 00:12:11,763 Anything I could do I was sharing. 241 00:12:11,843 --> 00:12:14,403 [Chris] Jayden's family were very concerned about her. 242 00:12:14,483 --> 00:12:17,563 And also, her immediate family had done a lot of work with her friends. 243 00:12:17,643 --> 00:12:20,923 {\an8}She had quite a large network of friends, 244 00:12:21,003 --> 00:12:23,523 {\an8}which, in fairness, she'd become detached from 245 00:12:23,603 --> 00:12:26,003 {\an8}because, of course, Ben had been controlling her. 246 00:12:26,363 --> 00:12:30,123 But they were, uh, speaking to her friends about where she may have gone, 247 00:12:30,203 --> 00:12:32,363 and where she'd gone in the past with Ben. 248 00:12:32,723 --> 00:12:35,563 As far as I was concerned, I knew something wasn't right 249 00:12:35,643 --> 00:12:38,563 because I knew she was looking forward to seeing me Friday. 250 00:12:39,523 --> 00:12:41,083 [Nikki] When someone goes missing, 251 00:12:41,163 --> 00:12:43,243 we'll try and look at the last place that they were, 252 00:12:43,323 --> 00:12:45,883 see if we've got any CCTV of them there. 253 00:12:45,963 --> 00:12:48,163 {\an8}And we were aware from CCTV, 254 00:12:48,243 --> 00:12:51,723 {\an8}from investigations and witnesses at One Foot Forward, 255 00:12:51,803 --> 00:12:54,163 that she had gone to meet Ben that day. 256 00:12:56,883 --> 00:12:58,603 She met him on the Cowley Road in Oxford 257 00:12:58,683 --> 00:13:01,363 {\an8}where they then traveled to Oxford Station. 258 00:13:01,443 --> 00:13:04,163 {\an8}And there's CCTV of them walking 259 00:13:04,283 --> 00:13:08,403 through the railway station at Oxford and through the barriers. 260 00:13:12,243 --> 00:13:14,883 We know that they then got a train to Didcot. 261 00:13:16,403 --> 00:13:18,203 And just after four o'clock 262 00:13:18,283 --> 00:13:21,403 is the last known sighting of Jayden on CCTV, 263 00:13:21,483 --> 00:13:23,723 where she's seen to go through the barriers 264 00:13:23,803 --> 00:13:26,083 at Didcot railway station, followed by Ben. 265 00:13:29,003 --> 00:13:31,683 Her mum was really distressed about Ben Blakeley. 266 00:13:31,763 --> 00:13:33,563 She had her suspicions about him. 267 00:13:35,883 --> 00:13:40,083 He was quite a violent, controlling, and intimidating individual 268 00:13:40,163 --> 00:13:42,763 who had assaulted Jayden in the past. 269 00:13:42,843 --> 00:13:45,443 [uneasy music playing] 270 00:13:47,443 --> 00:13:49,483 [Chris] The Major Crime Unit became involved, 271 00:13:49,563 --> 00:13:52,163 uh, after Jayden'd been missing for just over a week. 272 00:13:52,243 --> 00:13:55,323 I looked back over the circumstances of her disappearance 273 00:13:55,403 --> 00:13:56,643 and also the fact 274 00:13:56,723 --> 00:13:59,763 that she had made absolutely no contact whatsoever with her family, 275 00:13:59,843 --> 00:14:02,963 which was unusual because Jayden had gone missing previously, 276 00:14:03,043 --> 00:14:04,603 uh, and on each of those, 277 00:14:04,683 --> 00:14:06,843 within 24 to 48 hours, 278 00:14:06,923 --> 00:14:09,963 she had made some form of contact either on social media, 279 00:14:10,043 --> 00:14:11,603 or she'd actually called her mother. 280 00:14:13,363 --> 00:14:18,683 It's hard because you don't know if they need you, 281 00:14:18,763 --> 00:14:20,203 if they're hurt, 282 00:14:20,283 --> 00:14:23,683 if they're being held by somebody. 283 00:14:23,763 --> 00:14:26,803 I couldn't sleep. I was running on empty. 284 00:14:26,883 --> 00:14:28,923 It was like I was in a daze. 285 00:14:29,003 --> 00:14:32,083 "Where is she? Where is she? I gotta do my best to find her. 286 00:14:32,163 --> 00:14:34,403 I need to find my daughter." 287 00:14:38,243 --> 00:14:40,003 [Chris] When I picked up the investigation, 288 00:14:40,083 --> 00:14:42,483 Ben had been arrested on suspicion of kidnapping Jayden. 289 00:14:42,563 --> 00:14:45,043 He'd been interviewed about that and denied it, 290 00:14:45,123 --> 00:14:47,043 and he'd then been released on bail. 291 00:14:47,123 --> 00:14:49,963 I asked the police officers on the investigation 292 00:14:50,043 --> 00:14:52,963 to start looking at what we would call aspects of proof of life. 293 00:14:53,043 --> 00:14:55,723 So these are about 30 or 40 different things, 294 00:14:55,803 --> 00:14:57,603 a checklist that we would go through. 295 00:14:57,683 --> 00:15:00,803 And this checklist derives from the fact that it's virtually impossible 296 00:15:00,883 --> 00:15:05,883 for an adult particularly to go missing and not leave any trace of their existence 297 00:15:05,963 --> 00:15:07,003 if they are alive. 298 00:15:07,083 --> 00:15:10,203 So they would be things like financial records, 299 00:15:10,283 --> 00:15:13,443 things like use of social media, 300 00:15:13,523 --> 00:15:16,403 use of technology, use of mobile phones. 301 00:15:16,483 --> 00:15:18,163 There's lots of things that we can do 302 00:15:18,243 --> 00:15:20,923 to try and show the last proof of life that we had. 303 00:15:21,003 --> 00:15:23,803 And the last proof of life that, um, we had 304 00:15:23,883 --> 00:15:28,483 was her at Didcot train station with, um, Ben Blakeley. 305 00:15:29,003 --> 00:15:31,563 This was now gonna be a murder investigation, 306 00:15:31,643 --> 00:15:33,443 you know, a week or so down the line. 307 00:15:33,523 --> 00:15:35,963 The SIO, Chris Ward, then makes a decision 308 00:15:36,043 --> 00:15:38,963 that we're now going to arrest him for murder. 309 00:15:39,043 --> 00:15:41,803 And I remember them coming round to me and saying… 310 00:15:43,043 --> 00:15:46,323 "You're gonna hear on the news and in the papers 311 00:15:46,403 --> 00:15:48,243 that we've arrested him 312 00:15:48,683 --> 00:15:51,003 on suspicion of murder without a body." 313 00:15:52,883 --> 00:15:55,483 I was then explained to that 314 00:15:56,203 --> 00:15:58,363 how it works with the police, 315 00:15:58,443 --> 00:16:01,843 how that after the first 24 hours 316 00:16:01,923 --> 00:16:04,243 is the most important time to find somebody, 317 00:16:04,323 --> 00:16:07,003 and after that they don't hold out much hope. 318 00:16:07,083 --> 00:16:08,683 [uneasy music playing] 319 00:16:08,763 --> 00:16:11,683 And that I was to prepare myself for finding the body. 320 00:16:12,483 --> 00:16:13,763 [sniffles] 321 00:16:15,403 --> 00:16:18,083 Sam's reaction was, "I knew it. I just knew." 322 00:16:18,163 --> 00:16:20,123 And I think, um… 323 00:16:20,203 --> 00:16:23,283 Well, from what she was saying to me, as a mother, she knew. 324 00:16:23,923 --> 00:16:27,523 [Chris] When Ben was arrested on suspicion of murdering Jayden, he was very quiet. 325 00:16:27,603 --> 00:16:30,523 He said absolutely nothing. So he didn't answer any of the questions. 326 00:16:30,603 --> 00:16:31,963 Just after 10 p.m., 327 00:16:32,043 --> 00:16:37,163 {\an8}there's a CCTV capture of Ben leaving Didcot railway station 328 00:16:37,243 --> 00:16:38,203 {\an8}on the 3rd. 329 00:16:38,283 --> 00:16:42,523 {\an8}And what's evident on that CCTV is there's no sign of Jayden. 330 00:16:46,123 --> 00:16:48,483 [narrator] As the investigation unfolds, 331 00:16:48,563 --> 00:16:51,883 police receive information from a local taxi driver. 332 00:16:52,403 --> 00:16:54,683 He explained to police officers 333 00:16:54,763 --> 00:16:59,763 that he had collected a man from a dirt track in Didcot 334 00:16:59,843 --> 00:17:01,563 at about one o'clock in the morning. 335 00:17:01,643 --> 00:17:04,963 That person had a large suitcase, blue suitcase, 336 00:17:05,243 --> 00:17:07,162 which was described as being covered in mud. 337 00:17:07,243 --> 00:17:08,963 And it was very, very heavy. 338 00:17:11,803 --> 00:17:15,243 And the taxi driver was now concerned that that suitcase 339 00:17:15,323 --> 00:17:18,443 and the circumstances in which he collected that man 340 00:17:19,083 --> 00:17:20,683 were very suspicious. 341 00:17:20,763 --> 00:17:24,243 He couldn't lift it on his own, and got the taxi driver to help him. 342 00:17:24,323 --> 00:17:27,923 And the taxi driver commented that it was really heavy. 343 00:17:28,003 --> 00:17:29,803 And he said, "Yeah, my bird's kicked me out. 344 00:17:29,883 --> 00:17:32,443 It's everything I own. It's all my worldly goods." 345 00:17:32,683 --> 00:17:33,923 It was my Jayden. 346 00:17:37,043 --> 00:17:39,483 [Chris] That taxi was booked in a false name. 347 00:17:39,563 --> 00:17:42,763 Uh, but we were able to do some very quick telephone work, 348 00:17:42,843 --> 00:17:44,123 and we established very quickly 349 00:17:44,203 --> 00:17:47,843 that that call had been made from Ben Blakeley's mobile phone. 350 00:17:48,803 --> 00:17:51,283 [eerie music playing] 351 00:17:51,363 --> 00:17:54,963 [narrator] The taxi driver's statement means police concentrate their search 352 00:17:55,043 --> 00:17:59,043 near a building known locally as the Spooky Barn. 353 00:18:00,003 --> 00:18:04,963 The barn itself is situated, um, at the end of a track near a field. 354 00:18:05,043 --> 00:18:08,163 It's, um… It's quite dilapidated. 355 00:18:08,243 --> 00:18:12,083 Uh, there was evidence within the barn of people drinking alcohol, 356 00:18:12,163 --> 00:18:15,643 discarded cans and, uh, various things, 357 00:18:15,723 --> 00:18:18,683 which suggested that it was somewhere where teenagers congregated, 358 00:18:18,763 --> 00:18:21,843 and they would meet to drink alcohol. 359 00:18:21,923 --> 00:18:23,963 So we started to search that area. 360 00:18:24,043 --> 00:18:27,923 And in particular, we used police search dogs… 361 00:18:28,003 --> 00:18:28,883 [dog barks] 362 00:18:28,963 --> 00:18:32,163 who were specifically trained to detect body scent from dead bodies. 363 00:18:32,243 --> 00:18:37,043 And the first thing they detected was the scent of body on a serviette, 364 00:18:37,483 --> 00:18:41,003 uh, which had been discarded in the field by the barn. 365 00:18:41,083 --> 00:18:43,443 And they also indicated into the barn 366 00:18:43,523 --> 00:18:47,123 that a body had been present within the barn recently. 367 00:18:48,283 --> 00:18:53,763 [narrator] December, 2013, 17-year-old Jayden Parkinson is missing. 368 00:18:53,923 --> 00:18:57,563 Police have arrested Ben Blakeley on suspicion of murder. 369 00:18:57,643 --> 00:19:00,443 They prepare Jayden's mum, Sam, for the worst, 370 00:19:00,523 --> 00:19:02,523 and are searching for a body. 371 00:19:02,603 --> 00:19:04,043 Having had this indication 372 00:19:04,123 --> 00:19:07,083 {\an8}from the police search dogs at the Spooky Barn, 373 00:19:07,163 --> 00:19:10,003 {\an8}we contacted a forensic archaeologist. 374 00:19:10,083 --> 00:19:12,123 {\an8}[man] The first steps for me in a case like this 375 00:19:12,203 --> 00:19:14,203 {\an8}is to try to get as much information as possible 376 00:19:14,283 --> 00:19:18,803 {\an8}about the area that the police are interested in, so in this instance, 377 00:19:18,883 --> 00:19:21,243 {\an8}looking at the landscape around the village of Upton 378 00:19:21,323 --> 00:19:22,963 {\an8}to try to understand it better. 379 00:19:23,883 --> 00:19:25,283 I… I would use aerial photographs. 380 00:19:25,363 --> 00:19:28,803 I'd use current maps, um, and historic maps, 381 00:19:28,883 --> 00:19:30,923 so trying to build up layers of information 382 00:19:31,003 --> 00:19:34,243 that start with, um, the geology, 383 00:19:34,323 --> 00:19:38,283 so what rock types are present there, what soil is overlying them, 384 00:19:38,923 --> 00:19:43,283 um, how has the area been used in the past both historically and recently. 385 00:19:44,683 --> 00:19:48,203 So we had a location of the taxi pick-up. 386 00:19:48,283 --> 00:19:52,963 And from that lane, which then goes out east into the farmland, 387 00:19:53,043 --> 00:19:55,563 those other areas become more apparent. 388 00:19:56,163 --> 00:19:58,843 We sampled around the barn and into the woodland, 389 00:19:58,923 --> 00:20:01,043 and then looped back round again on ourselves, 390 00:20:01,123 --> 00:20:04,123 trying to capture as much of the parameters, that scene, as possible. 391 00:20:06,083 --> 00:20:09,203 [Chris] The forensic archaeologist in this case is very important 392 00:20:09,283 --> 00:20:12,603 because they can give expert opinion 393 00:20:12,683 --> 00:20:16,043 on areas of land that have been disturbed, 394 00:20:16,123 --> 00:20:18,923 and the most likely place 395 00:20:19,003 --> 00:20:23,043 that somebody would then start to dig to… to bury somebody. 396 00:20:24,523 --> 00:20:26,043 [narrator] Police want to be sure 397 00:20:26,123 --> 00:20:29,643 that Ben Blakeley was the person who traveled in the taxi 398 00:20:29,723 --> 00:20:31,283 with the blue suitcase. 399 00:20:31,363 --> 00:20:33,403 Officers carried out house-to-house inquiries. 400 00:20:33,483 --> 00:20:37,643 One of the houses they knocked on was Ben and Jake's grandmother. 401 00:20:37,723 --> 00:20:41,043 Ben had come into her house a few days before. 402 00:20:41,123 --> 00:20:43,003 He was very agitated. 403 00:20:43,083 --> 00:20:44,843 He said he needed a suitcase. 404 00:20:45,163 --> 00:20:46,403 Uh, he took a suitcase, 405 00:20:46,483 --> 00:20:49,003 having emptied the contents of it onto the floor, 406 00:20:49,123 --> 00:20:51,043 uh, and he had come back some hours later, 407 00:20:51,123 --> 00:20:55,003 and he had dumped that suitcase in her shed. 408 00:20:55,083 --> 00:20:57,483 And it was covered in mud. And that's where it currently was. 409 00:20:57,563 --> 00:20:59,723 And… And that's the suitcase that I believed 410 00:20:59,803 --> 00:21:02,003 Jayden's body had been concealed within the suitcase, 411 00:21:02,083 --> 00:21:05,083 and that he… Ben had used that in order to move her body. 412 00:21:07,683 --> 00:21:09,803 [uneasy music playing] 413 00:21:09,883 --> 00:21:13,603 [narrator] Police get an unexpected call from a member of the public. 414 00:21:14,363 --> 00:21:17,283 -[Chris] A lady phoned up and said… -[phone beeping] 415 00:21:17,363 --> 00:21:20,643 "Ben's brother lives with me," so that's Jake Blakeley. 416 00:21:20,723 --> 00:21:22,683 "He's living with me. He's lodging with me. 417 00:21:22,763 --> 00:21:28,203 He has just told me that he has discarded and… and secreted clothing 418 00:21:28,283 --> 00:21:29,803 for his brother." 419 00:21:29,883 --> 00:21:32,883 And she thought that was very suspicious, so she contacted us. 420 00:21:32,963 --> 00:21:36,123 He was arrested on suspicion of Jayden's murder as well, 421 00:21:36,203 --> 00:21:40,083 and he was also interviewed, and during his interview, he said nothing. 422 00:21:40,163 --> 00:21:42,523 As well as that, we now had witnesses that had seen 423 00:21:42,603 --> 00:21:47,363 both Jake and Ben on mountain bikes 424 00:21:47,443 --> 00:21:49,883 around about the 9th of December. 425 00:21:49,963 --> 00:21:51,843 And they were described as being covered in mud, 426 00:21:51,923 --> 00:21:53,563 this thick clay mud. 427 00:21:53,643 --> 00:21:55,123 So I suspected now that… 428 00:21:55,203 --> 00:21:57,563 That even if Jake had not been involved in Jayden's murder, 429 00:21:57,643 --> 00:22:03,163 that he knew where she was or had a very good idea where she was. 430 00:22:03,363 --> 00:22:07,323 The evidence we gathered at this stage, we still hadn't found Jayden's body, 431 00:22:07,403 --> 00:22:10,803 there was still no sign that Jayden was alive, 432 00:22:10,883 --> 00:22:12,723 the Crown Prosecution Service took the decision 433 00:22:12,803 --> 00:22:15,883 to charge Ben and Jake with Jayden's murder, 434 00:22:15,963 --> 00:22:17,843 even though we hadn't found her body. 435 00:22:19,363 --> 00:22:21,803 [narrator] Determined to find Jayden's body, 436 00:22:21,883 --> 00:22:23,523 the police stop at nothing. 437 00:22:24,323 --> 00:22:27,483 [Chris] So another significant, um, line of investigation was, 438 00:22:27,563 --> 00:22:31,123 um, we used the RAF resources 439 00:22:31,203 --> 00:22:34,323 to fly over some of these key areas. 440 00:22:34,403 --> 00:22:35,963 And what we were looking for 441 00:22:36,043 --> 00:22:38,923 was any sign that there had been recent soil disturbances 442 00:22:39,003 --> 00:22:41,723 because we believed that Jayden had been buried, 443 00:22:41,803 --> 00:22:44,563 that was because of the mud, 444 00:22:44,643 --> 00:22:47,563 we'd found some spades at the grandmother's house as well, 445 00:22:47,643 --> 00:22:49,683 which had this thick clay mud. 446 00:22:49,763 --> 00:22:54,003 So we commissioned the Royal Air Force to do some aerial photography, 447 00:22:54,083 --> 00:22:58,723 so that we could see if there was any areas of disturbed soil. 448 00:22:59,403 --> 00:23:01,563 They identified ten areas. 449 00:23:01,643 --> 00:23:06,043 And the forensic archaeologists looked through each of those areas. 450 00:23:06,123 --> 00:23:09,603 Significantly, one of those areas was St Mary's Church 451 00:23:09,683 --> 00:23:12,083 in the cemetery where, um, 452 00:23:12,163 --> 00:23:15,043 there were some foot patterns around one of the graves. 453 00:23:15,123 --> 00:23:16,363 [bell tolls] 454 00:23:16,443 --> 00:23:19,083 [narrator] Then there's proof that the Didcot churchyard 455 00:23:19,163 --> 00:23:21,603 was their prime search location. 456 00:23:22,243 --> 00:23:25,603 When Jake was charged with the murder of Jayden, he broke down. 457 00:23:25,683 --> 00:23:30,123 He had a consultation with his solicitor, and he handwrote a note. 458 00:23:30,203 --> 00:23:34,643 So the note said basically that, as far as Jake was aware, 459 00:23:34,723 --> 00:23:39,243 the body of Jayden Parkinson was buried in his Uncle Alan's grave, 460 00:23:39,323 --> 00:23:42,963 which was in the cemetery of St Mary's Church in Didcot. 461 00:23:47,123 --> 00:23:48,843 [Chris] In the early afternoon, 462 00:23:48,923 --> 00:23:51,203 I'd arranged for Jayden's family to be told 463 00:23:51,283 --> 00:23:53,083 that we had some significant information 464 00:23:53,163 --> 00:23:57,243 and that we were going to begin work within the graveyard, 465 00:23:57,323 --> 00:24:00,403 um, in the hope that we may be able to find Jayden. 466 00:24:00,483 --> 00:24:03,203 You'd expect a grave that had been occupied for some years 467 00:24:03,283 --> 00:24:06,763 to be grassed over, but it still had clods of soil on the top, 468 00:24:06,843 --> 00:24:09,603 as if it would have been recently excavated. 469 00:24:09,683 --> 00:24:14,683 So the first thing we would do is erect a mobile tent around that. 470 00:24:14,763 --> 00:24:18,323 That's so that police officers and the forensic archaeologist could work 471 00:24:18,403 --> 00:24:24,323 without being filmed to respect the privacy of, uh, Jayden's body, 472 00:24:24,403 --> 00:24:26,243 should Jayden's body be within there. 473 00:24:26,563 --> 00:24:30,123 [Karl] During excavation, you find a range of different, uh, evidence types. 474 00:24:30,203 --> 00:24:34,483 In this instance, we had green leaves that were mixed into the fill. 475 00:24:34,563 --> 00:24:37,603 That gives you confidence to say this has been disturbed recently. 476 00:24:37,683 --> 00:24:38,963 Any leaves that had been green 477 00:24:39,043 --> 00:24:41,123 that would've fallen when the uncle was buried 478 00:24:41,203 --> 00:24:43,043 would long since have decomposed. 479 00:24:43,123 --> 00:24:46,083 We had toolmarks that were present in the side of the grave. 480 00:24:46,163 --> 00:24:50,123 They were extremely crisp and fresh, extremely deep, 481 00:24:50,203 --> 00:24:52,283 um, and looked like they'd been delivered 482 00:24:52,363 --> 00:24:54,603 with very high energy behind a… a tool. 483 00:24:55,083 --> 00:24:59,283 At a depth of something like 40 to 50 centimeters, 484 00:24:59,363 --> 00:25:03,323 the fill of the soil that we were excavating became looser. 485 00:25:03,403 --> 00:25:09,523 And then, uh, we can see the skin of Jayden's body visible. 486 00:25:10,483 --> 00:25:13,643 [Chris] Her legs had been tied up towards her back, 487 00:25:13,723 --> 00:25:17,403 and secured with her underwear. 488 00:25:17,483 --> 00:25:23,043 Um, and that body, we were convinced by that stage, was Jayden. 489 00:25:30,123 --> 00:25:32,483 [Nikki] We went and had to tell her, obviously, 490 00:25:32,563 --> 00:25:34,443 that we believed that we'd found Jayden. 491 00:25:34,523 --> 00:25:39,483 {\an8}But even then, you know, we knew, she knew, but it was just… 492 00:25:39,563 --> 00:25:42,283 {\an8}We still have to wait for that confirmation and stuff. 493 00:25:42,963 --> 00:25:45,683 {\an8}The day they said, "We think we've found her," 494 00:25:46,643 --> 00:25:49,003 {\an8}I remember collapsing in my house. 495 00:25:50,043 --> 00:25:53,443 And that was it. My body, my head just switched off. 496 00:25:55,923 --> 00:25:57,803 [pensive music playing] 497 00:25:59,083 --> 00:26:00,883 The grave, to look at, 498 00:26:00,963 --> 00:26:03,603 you would not have thought her body was there 499 00:26:03,683 --> 00:26:08,923 because they'd taken the topsoil off separately, dug down, 500 00:26:09,003 --> 00:26:11,963 and they'd distributed the extra soil that accounted for her body 501 00:26:12,043 --> 00:26:13,483 around the graveyard. 502 00:26:14,683 --> 00:26:18,243 I remember going to see the church and all the flowers outside. 503 00:26:18,323 --> 00:26:19,883 [bell tolls] 504 00:26:20,723 --> 00:26:24,323 I got to the gate of the church, and I remember going to the policemen. 505 00:26:24,403 --> 00:26:27,323 And they took their hats off to me. [sniffles] 506 00:26:30,683 --> 00:26:32,123 And said it was their… 507 00:26:32,203 --> 00:26:34,883 It was their pride to be able to stand over her, 508 00:26:34,963 --> 00:26:36,403 looking after her. 509 00:26:38,363 --> 00:26:39,723 [sobbing] 510 00:26:40,443 --> 00:26:43,723 And I could see in their eyes they were hurt. 511 00:26:43,803 --> 00:26:45,283 They were upset. [sniffles] 512 00:26:46,643 --> 00:26:47,803 And… 513 00:26:48,803 --> 00:26:53,803 I'll never forget how grateful I am to them. 514 00:26:54,123 --> 00:26:57,723 How they made, in her death, more respect 515 00:26:57,803 --> 00:27:01,323 than he ever showed her in her life and even in her death. 516 00:27:04,403 --> 00:27:06,603 [inhales deeply and exhales] 517 00:27:06,683 --> 00:27:08,483 Looking at the results of the postmortem, 518 00:27:08,563 --> 00:27:11,963 it was clear that Jayden had been asphyxiated. 519 00:27:12,043 --> 00:27:14,683 Um, there were marks on her neck. 520 00:27:14,763 --> 00:27:16,523 And those marks were, more than likely, 521 00:27:16,603 --> 00:27:19,123 as a result of Ben Blakeley strangling her. 522 00:27:21,723 --> 00:27:24,163 [Nikki] She was pregnant. She did decide to leave him. 523 00:27:24,243 --> 00:27:26,923 And then, uh, that was the catalyst. 524 00:27:27,003 --> 00:27:28,883 It's just dreadful, you know, what happens. 525 00:27:28,963 --> 00:27:31,123 Someone so young and beautiful, 526 00:27:31,203 --> 00:27:34,603 and, you know, just starting her life, is taken away. 527 00:27:35,283 --> 00:27:38,443 She was worried that she's gonna have this baby, 528 00:27:38,523 --> 00:27:41,963 um, she'll never be free of Ben Blakeley, and she wanted to be free of him. 529 00:27:42,683 --> 00:27:46,723 They found her bracelet that we both have matching of. 530 00:27:47,403 --> 00:27:49,243 That was found in a tree. 531 00:27:49,803 --> 00:27:51,883 Ben had taken all her clothes off of her… 532 00:27:52,763 --> 00:27:54,083 [gulps] 533 00:27:54,163 --> 00:27:58,843 Every bit apart from a vest and a pair of knickers, 534 00:27:58,923 --> 00:28:02,803 and he tucked her feet in the back of her knickers. 535 00:28:03,883 --> 00:28:05,923 He didn't want her found, ever. 536 00:28:08,203 --> 00:28:13,083 He wanted to hold that over the family for as long as he could, I think. 537 00:28:14,403 --> 00:28:17,003 But I'm glad the police didn't give him the satisfaction. 538 00:28:17,083 --> 00:28:20,683 I'm glad they found her. I can never say thank you enough. 539 00:28:23,363 --> 00:28:25,683 [narrator] As Jayden's next of kin, 540 00:28:25,763 --> 00:28:29,083 her mum, Sam, still has a harrowing responsibility. 541 00:28:29,163 --> 00:28:33,083 I remember going to the JR Hospital, being sat in the waiting room, 542 00:28:33,163 --> 00:28:35,803 the smell, the color of the room, 543 00:28:35,883 --> 00:28:38,403 and I remember walking through the door with my head down, 544 00:28:38,483 --> 00:28:40,963 knowing she was there, and I couldn't look at her. 545 00:28:42,403 --> 00:28:44,003 I couldn't look at her. 546 00:28:44,083 --> 00:28:47,203 If I did, it meant it was real. 547 00:28:47,283 --> 00:28:50,043 And I looked up. And it was my Jayden. 548 00:28:53,563 --> 00:28:56,843 She looked like she was asleep. [sobbing] 549 00:28:57,003 --> 00:28:58,763 And I knew she wasn't. 550 00:29:00,963 --> 00:29:04,923 The only things that were visible was her face and her arms. [sniffles] 551 00:29:05,003 --> 00:29:09,323 {\an8}And I had to look at the tattoo and say, "Yes, that's my daughter." 552 00:29:09,803 --> 00:29:11,923 {\an8}[eerie music playing] 553 00:29:12,003 --> 00:29:17,203 [narrator] Charged with Jayden's murder, Ben and Jake Blakeley await trial. 554 00:29:17,363 --> 00:29:20,003 Her mum, Sam, is grieving. 555 00:29:20,563 --> 00:29:22,883 [Sam] You don't know whether you're coming or going. 556 00:29:22,963 --> 00:29:24,963 Life is just whizzing past. 557 00:29:25,043 --> 00:29:29,323 {\an8}And you're just stuck in that one moment in time. 558 00:29:29,403 --> 00:29:32,563 {\an8}I was stuck on the day that I identified her body. 559 00:29:32,883 --> 00:29:34,963 That's where I was stuck. 560 00:29:35,043 --> 00:29:39,683 And I kept seeing it over and over and over again. 561 00:29:40,283 --> 00:29:42,643 And we got Jayden's body back, 562 00:29:43,523 --> 00:29:46,683 the week before my birthday, which is the 1st of February, 563 00:29:46,763 --> 00:29:48,323 I was gonna have her buried then. 564 00:29:48,403 --> 00:29:50,043 And everybody talked me out of it. 565 00:29:50,123 --> 00:29:54,803 And she was buried on the 8th of February instead in Kent. 566 00:29:54,883 --> 00:29:56,203 The reason I took her to Kent 567 00:29:56,283 --> 00:29:59,203 was because I didn't want him or any of his family 568 00:29:59,283 --> 00:30:01,443 being able to go to her grave 569 00:30:01,523 --> 00:30:03,523 'cause I knew if it was in Kent, it's too far. 570 00:30:03,603 --> 00:30:06,163 They gotta go out the way to go there. 571 00:30:06,243 --> 00:30:08,883 She had a memorial in Didcot. 572 00:30:09,243 --> 00:30:11,763 The church was full to bursting. You couldn't get in. 573 00:30:11,843 --> 00:30:15,563 There was people stood outside and at her funeral the same. 574 00:30:16,363 --> 00:30:19,643 It was that packed. She was loved and missed. 575 00:30:24,563 --> 00:30:26,243 She had a purple coffin. 576 00:30:27,163 --> 00:30:30,843 She had toys from my nieces and nephews in her coffin. 577 00:30:30,923 --> 00:30:33,363 Her friend gave her an engagement ring. 578 00:30:33,443 --> 00:30:35,443 She had the necklace that I bought her. 579 00:30:36,163 --> 00:30:39,363 {\an8}[voice shaking] And now she's buried with her great grandma. 580 00:30:40,003 --> 00:30:42,723 {\an8}[uneasy music playing] 581 00:30:43,923 --> 00:30:46,643 [narrator] As preparations for the trial continue, 582 00:30:47,323 --> 00:30:49,683 Ben Blakeley contacts the police. 583 00:30:50,283 --> 00:30:54,243 {\an8}Um, as we're approaching the trial, we get some information from the prison 584 00:30:54,323 --> 00:30:57,843 {\an8}that Ben has admitted killing Jayden. 585 00:31:00,443 --> 00:31:02,883 We then received a letter from Ben, 586 00:31:02,963 --> 00:31:07,963 uh, setting out that he was involved in Jayden's death, 587 00:31:08,043 --> 00:31:09,763 it wasn't deliberate, 588 00:31:09,843 --> 00:31:12,363 they had had an argument whilst they were on a bridge, 589 00:31:12,443 --> 00:31:16,243 which we identified as a bridge which was near, 590 00:31:16,323 --> 00:31:19,803 uh, where the taxi had picked this mysterious person up. 591 00:31:19,883 --> 00:31:22,523 That mysterious person was, of course, Ben Blakeley. 592 00:31:22,603 --> 00:31:25,043 He admitted that he had buried her body there, 593 00:31:25,123 --> 00:31:27,043 and kept the body there for some days 594 00:31:27,123 --> 00:31:32,563 until, um, he then returned and moved her body to the grave. 595 00:31:33,123 --> 00:31:36,603 Um, but he was very clear that he was very remorseful, 596 00:31:36,683 --> 00:31:38,043 he'd tried to resuscitate her, 597 00:31:38,123 --> 00:31:40,843 but he believed she'd died because she'd fallen off the bridge. 598 00:31:40,923 --> 00:31:42,443 Looking at the footbridge, 599 00:31:42,523 --> 00:31:45,043 of course this bridge was inches from the ground. 600 00:31:45,123 --> 00:31:47,843 You didn't need to be an expert to look at that and decipher the fact 601 00:31:47,923 --> 00:31:49,603 that you could easily fall off there. 602 00:31:49,683 --> 00:31:51,803 You wouldn't have caused yourself any form of injury. 603 00:31:51,883 --> 00:31:54,723 And, of course, the postmortem results were consistent 604 00:31:54,803 --> 00:31:57,523 with her being asphyxiated, with strangulation marks around her neck. 605 00:31:57,603 --> 00:32:00,483 There was no significant head injuries. 606 00:32:00,563 --> 00:32:02,203 I think he realized the game is up, 607 00:32:02,283 --> 00:32:05,483 we were going to be able to prove that he had killed Jayden, 608 00:32:05,563 --> 00:32:10,563 and he was now using these excuses to justify her death, 609 00:32:10,643 --> 00:32:13,243 and to remove himself from any criminality. 610 00:32:13,323 --> 00:32:16,163 [pensive music playing] 611 00:32:16,243 --> 00:32:19,003 [narrator] Police and the Crown Prosecution Service 612 00:32:19,083 --> 00:32:23,283 are determined that Ben Blakeley doesn't get away with murder. 613 00:32:23,363 --> 00:32:25,803 [Sam] I was there every day, bar one day. 614 00:32:25,883 --> 00:32:30,643 We had Jayden's friends there, family, my sisters, my dad. 615 00:32:31,363 --> 00:32:34,923 Um, we were told not to cry, 616 00:32:35,123 --> 00:32:36,643 not to look at the jury, 617 00:32:36,723 --> 00:32:39,523 not to look at Ben or Jake, not to comment, 618 00:32:39,603 --> 00:32:42,083 not to huff, puff, or cry. 619 00:32:42,603 --> 00:32:47,083 While the whole trial was going on, we had to sit there and suck it all up. 620 00:32:48,483 --> 00:32:52,003 [Nikki] Ben's demeanor during the court, he just wasn't bothered, 621 00:32:52,083 --> 00:32:54,123 didn't seem to be bothered. He had no remorse. 622 00:32:54,203 --> 00:32:57,843 {\an8}He stood in the dock, and he had no respect. 623 00:32:57,923 --> 00:33:01,803 {\an8}And I think that was the thing. He had no respect for anybody or anything. 624 00:33:01,883 --> 00:33:03,763 {\an8}He just didn't care. 625 00:33:04,083 --> 00:33:05,963 It was like a circus. 626 00:33:06,043 --> 00:33:08,963 The whole time that we were sat in the courtroom, 627 00:33:09,043 --> 00:33:11,363 waiting for the jury or the judge to come up, 628 00:33:11,443 --> 00:33:13,923 him and his brother would be sat there laughing 629 00:33:14,003 --> 00:33:16,483 and fist-pumping each other and having a good old chat. 630 00:33:16,563 --> 00:33:20,363 Soon as it'd say, "Stand up for the judge," or the jury, 631 00:33:20,443 --> 00:33:23,043 them two would be separate. 632 00:33:24,003 --> 00:33:27,203 [Nikki] In court he'd said he'd assaulted her. 633 00:33:27,283 --> 00:33:31,603 We knew by now that he'd been assaulting her and controlling her, 634 00:33:31,683 --> 00:33:34,043 and being aggressive towards her. 635 00:33:34,123 --> 00:33:36,563 And he'd tried to strangle her before. 636 00:33:36,643 --> 00:33:39,923 He was saying, "I've had my hands round the throat of previous girlfriends. 637 00:33:40,003 --> 00:33:42,403 They haven't died. Why should this be any different?" 638 00:33:42,483 --> 00:33:45,603 Of course, the family were listening to this, and they were very upset. 639 00:33:45,683 --> 00:33:47,683 [eerie music playing] 640 00:33:49,323 --> 00:33:51,603 [Nikki] And on this occasion, he'd done exactly the same. 641 00:33:51,683 --> 00:33:54,003 He'd put his hands around her neck, um, 642 00:33:54,083 --> 00:33:57,363 but he said he thought she was joking when she fell to the floor. 643 00:33:57,443 --> 00:34:01,003 When he was cross-examined by the prosecution barrister, 644 00:34:01,083 --> 00:34:04,123 he got very defensive, he got very agitated, 645 00:34:04,203 --> 00:34:05,563 he got very angry, 646 00:34:05,963 --> 00:34:08,242 and he got very abusive. 647 00:34:08,323 --> 00:34:11,123 Frequently, the judge had to stop the trial 648 00:34:11,202 --> 00:34:12,843 so that he could compose himself. 649 00:34:12,923 --> 00:34:15,963 He was swearing and shouting, 650 00:34:16,083 --> 00:34:19,123 and being aggressive towards the prosecution barrister. 651 00:34:19,202 --> 00:34:22,963 And, in fact, what he was actually doing was showing his true colors. 652 00:34:23,762 --> 00:34:26,403 Jake was very quiet in comparison to his brother, 653 00:34:26,483 --> 00:34:28,323 very meek, very mild. 654 00:34:28,403 --> 00:34:31,202 I'd pretty much formed the impression from his behavior 655 00:34:31,282 --> 00:34:33,363 that he was scared of Ben. 656 00:34:33,443 --> 00:34:36,003 {\an8}A lot of my role in giving evidence 657 00:34:36,083 --> 00:34:39,403 {\an8}is to paint as clear a picture as possible for a jury 658 00:34:39,483 --> 00:34:42,603 on the basis that I will have spent an extended period of time 659 00:34:42,682 --> 00:34:45,843 within that really important location, on that scene. 660 00:34:45,923 --> 00:34:50,163 [Chris] The forensic archaeologist was able to link the mud on the spade 661 00:34:50,242 --> 00:34:52,563 to mud in the field. 662 00:34:52,643 --> 00:34:54,722 He was able to link the mud on the suitcase 663 00:34:54,803 --> 00:34:57,163 to the thick clay in the field as well. 664 00:34:57,243 --> 00:34:58,523 And, um… 665 00:34:58,603 --> 00:35:02,123 And determine how long it had taken to dig the grave. 666 00:35:02,763 --> 00:35:06,643 [Sam] Ben was calling all the female witnesses, 667 00:35:06,723 --> 00:35:09,603 slags, crackheads, whores, 668 00:35:11,243 --> 00:35:12,963 saying they were liars. 669 00:35:14,003 --> 00:35:17,763 He threatened to punch our QC, Richard Latham, 670 00:35:17,843 --> 00:35:22,003 because, uh, Richard Latham had asked him to look at him 671 00:35:22,083 --> 00:35:23,203 while he was talking to him. 672 00:35:23,283 --> 00:35:26,443 And he told him to F off, and he'd punch him in the face 673 00:35:26,523 --> 00:35:28,563 if he didn't get out of his face. 674 00:35:28,963 --> 00:35:32,683 The girls that he'd had babies with beforehand 675 00:35:32,763 --> 00:35:35,483 had to give evidence behind a screen. 676 00:35:35,563 --> 00:35:37,963 They were that terrified to be seen in court. 677 00:35:38,043 --> 00:35:40,603 Yeah, he… he was a pig, 678 00:35:40,683 --> 00:35:45,363 and he stood there so smug in that courtroom, 679 00:35:45,443 --> 00:35:47,163 and he did the Hitler sign to me. 680 00:35:47,243 --> 00:35:50,163 And the courtroom erupted, and it all went mental. 681 00:35:50,243 --> 00:35:55,243 And from then on, I knew he was… He was the cause of it all. 682 00:35:56,123 --> 00:35:59,243 To him, it was notoriety. 683 00:35:59,763 --> 00:36:01,443 He was famous for something. 684 00:36:01,523 --> 00:36:04,603 Even if it was something so heinous as what he'd done, 685 00:36:04,683 --> 00:36:05,883 he thought he'd done good. 686 00:36:08,763 --> 00:36:14,843 They played the CCTV of her and him at Oxford Station 687 00:36:16,123 --> 00:36:17,923 going through the barriers. 688 00:36:18,443 --> 00:36:20,803 She's always six paces behind him. 689 00:36:21,683 --> 00:36:23,243 Then they show her and him… 690 00:36:25,403 --> 00:36:26,443 in Didcot. 691 00:36:28,723 --> 00:36:32,523 He walked her to her death that night, to the field, 692 00:36:32,603 --> 00:36:35,243 knowing full well that, wherever he took her, 693 00:36:35,323 --> 00:36:38,043 what he did would not be heard or seen. 694 00:36:38,923 --> 00:36:41,203 He only covers her body that night 695 00:36:41,283 --> 00:36:44,723 with brambles and a bit of a tree, I think. 696 00:36:46,003 --> 00:36:50,603 He's then picked up on CCTV going back to Reading. 697 00:36:51,683 --> 00:36:53,443 [pensive music playing] 698 00:36:55,603 --> 00:36:57,683 [Chris] So the trial lasted nearly six weeks. 699 00:36:57,763 --> 00:36:59,803 At the end of the conclusion of that, 700 00:36:59,883 --> 00:37:04,403 uh, Ben Blakeley was convicted of murdering Jayden Parkinson. 701 00:37:05,403 --> 00:37:10,003 Jake Blakeley had already pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice, 702 00:37:10,083 --> 00:37:13,443 that is, that he had lied to the police during the murder investigation, 703 00:37:13,523 --> 00:37:15,723 and he'd also disposed of some clothing, 704 00:37:15,803 --> 00:37:18,283 but he was found not guilty of being involved 705 00:37:18,363 --> 00:37:23,083 in the disposal of her body at the graveyard in Didcot. 706 00:37:24,763 --> 00:37:29,443 Ben Blakeley received a 20-year minimum tariff for the murder. 707 00:37:29,523 --> 00:37:33,083 And Jake Blakeley received three years for perverting the course of justice. 708 00:37:33,923 --> 00:37:36,443 At the time, this was the first case in the country 709 00:37:36,523 --> 00:37:41,043 where a murder victim had been, uh, secreted 710 00:37:41,123 --> 00:37:42,923 within a pre-existing grave. 711 00:37:43,683 --> 00:37:47,883 He got a minimum of 20 years in the end before he can go for parole. 712 00:37:48,563 --> 00:37:50,123 He's done five. 713 00:37:50,203 --> 00:37:51,723 I've got 15 years left. 714 00:37:53,203 --> 00:37:55,643 My granddaughters are gonna be of an age at that point. 715 00:37:55,723 --> 00:37:57,403 My grandsons are. 716 00:37:57,843 --> 00:38:01,483 And I fear for them, I do, 'cause he's got all that time 717 00:38:01,563 --> 00:38:03,843 to sit in there plotting, thinking. 718 00:38:03,923 --> 00:38:07,323 And I know he will, because I know how twisted he is. 719 00:38:07,403 --> 00:38:10,523 It was the hardest job I've ever done, definitely. 720 00:38:12,563 --> 00:38:14,563 I think it's really important that 721 00:38:14,643 --> 00:38:17,923 if you are going through violence like this… 722 00:38:18,003 --> 00:38:21,283 It doesn't need to be violence. It can be emotional control. 723 00:38:21,403 --> 00:38:24,803 But if there is that element of control there, there is help out there. 724 00:38:24,883 --> 00:38:27,403 And I think it's, um… Just need looking. 725 00:38:27,483 --> 00:38:29,643 You've got to start thinking of your safety. 726 00:38:29,723 --> 00:38:31,123 Putting things in place. 727 00:38:31,203 --> 00:38:33,843 There are people, there are organizations that will help. 728 00:38:35,283 --> 00:38:37,363 I do believe, and… 729 00:38:37,963 --> 00:38:39,963 I suppose as a family, we still believe, 730 00:38:40,043 --> 00:38:42,523 that even if it hadn't have been then, 731 00:38:42,603 --> 00:38:44,803 it would've been sooner or later. 732 00:38:46,283 --> 00:38:48,043 I know there won't be a day that goes by, 733 00:38:48,123 --> 00:38:50,443 from conversations that I've had with her in the past, 734 00:38:50,523 --> 00:38:52,203 that she doesn't think about Jayden. 735 00:38:54,003 --> 00:38:57,763 I belong to a group that no one ever wants to belong to, 736 00:38:57,843 --> 00:39:00,643 that we don't get a choice in joining. [sniffles] 737 00:39:01,163 --> 00:39:05,683 {\an8}You don't ever think anything like this will happen to your kid. 738 00:39:07,243 --> 00:39:09,083 [sniffling] 739 00:39:11,283 --> 00:39:15,603 [sighs] I haven't got a life. I exist from day-to-day. 740 00:39:17,123 --> 00:39:20,163 What haunts me the most is identifying her body, 741 00:39:21,043 --> 00:39:23,483 and wondering what went through her mind 742 00:39:24,163 --> 00:39:25,963 when he was killing her. 743 00:39:26,043 --> 00:39:28,843 Was she hoping, 744 00:39:28,923 --> 00:39:32,643 wanting her mum to be there to save… save her? 745 00:39:33,643 --> 00:39:36,683 And I wasn't. [crying] 746 00:39:38,483 --> 00:39:43,243 Did she think, "I don't wanna die. I'm having a baby. I wanna be a mum"? 747 00:39:45,643 --> 00:39:47,723 [exhales] That's what haunts me. 748 00:39:47,803 --> 00:39:51,883 Every day that I get up, I wake up wishing I hadn't, 749 00:39:51,963 --> 00:39:54,363 and I go to bed hoping I don't. 750 00:39:55,043 --> 00:39:57,283 [uneasy music playing] 751 00:40:18,403 --> 00:40:21,403 {\an8}[dramatic music playing]