Newsquest investigations editor Mark Williams-Thomas has uncovered new evidence in a 30-year-old murder case including an alleged confession by a key suspect.
Following a four-year probe, Williams-Thomas has put his findings into a two-part podcast about the baffling case of Nicola Payne, an 18-year-old mum who went missing in Coventry in December 1991.
Prior to joining Newsquest, Williams-Thomas was known for his work exposing Jimmy Savile’s prolific paedophilia in the ITV exposure documentary, ‘The Other Side of Jimmy Savile’, which prompted hundreds of other unheard victims to come forward and many offenders caught decades later for their crimes.Now in a new two-part podcast ‘The Unsolved Murder of Nicola Payne’ Williams-Thomas presents significant new evidence in the case.
He said: “My aim with this investigation and podcast was to provide closure to John, a grieving father at 78, and Owen, a son without memories of his mother. I bring forward new and credible information about the case, including an alleged confession by a key suspect.”
Nicola disappeared while walking the short distance from her boyfriend’s house to her own family home in Potters Green, Coventry, leaving her seven-month-old baby Owen with partner Jason Cooke. Despite one of the largest search operations in British history, involving helicopters, dogs, divers, and more than 100 officers, Nicola has never been found.
You can see Williams-Thomas confront the key suspect here.
And listen to the podcast here:
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here