Charlene Downes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 25 March 1989[1] |
| Disappeared | 1 November 2003 (aged 14) Blackpool, Lancashire, England |
| Status | Missing for 21 years and 12 days Presumed deceased |
| Died | c. 1 November 2003 |
| Nationality | British |
| Description | White, 155 cm (5 ft 1 in), slim, straight shoulder-length brown hair, blue eyes[3] |
| Parents |
|
| Website | www |
| Reward | £100,000[4][dead link] |
Charlene Elizabeth Caroline Downes (born 25 March 1989) disappeared on 1 November 2003, when she was 14, from her home town of Blackpool, a seaside town in north-west England. Downes was last seen in an area of the town centre that contained several takeaway and fast-food units. Lancashire Constabulary, the police force investigating her disappearance, believe that she was murdered within hours of the last sighting.[5][dead link]
Two men were tried in May 2007—one for Downes' murder, the other for helping to dispose of her body—but the jury failed to reach a verdict. A re-trial was scheduled, but in April 2008 the accused were released because of concerns about the evidence compiled by Lancashire Constabulary.[6]
The trials brought to light what Julie Bindel described in The Guardian in May 2008 as "endemic child sexual abuse" in the town.[7] The police believe that, for a protracted period before her disappearance, Downes had been the victim of child sexual abuse at the hands of one or more men.[7][8] They interviewed 3,000 people and found that she and other girls in the area had been "swapping sex for food, cigarettes and affection",[7] a form of child sexual exploitation known as localised grooming. It is thought that 60 local girls may have been targeted.[9]
On 1 August 2017, a 51-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murdering Downes and was released two days later. He is no longer under investigation.[10][11] A £100,000 reward remains on offer for information leading to the conviction of her killer(s) or the recovery of her body.[5][12]
- ^ Downes, Karen (2018). Sold in Secret. London: Blink Publishing. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-788-70098-6.
- ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007
- ^ "Fears for teenager missing a year". BBC News. 29 October 2004.
- ^ "Twenty years on and police still searching for vulnerable teenager's killer". November 2023.
- ^ a b "Charlene Downes", Lancashire Constabulary.
- ^ "IPCC concludes managed investigation into reasons behind collapse of Charlene Downes trial" Archived 1 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Independent Police Complaints Commission, 15 October 2009.
- ^ a b c Bindel, Julie (30 May 2008). "Beyond the pleasure beach". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ "Man cleared over Charlene murder". BBC News. 9 April 2008.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Battersby27Dec2011was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Charlene Downes: Murder arrest in missing Blackpool girl probe", BBC News, 1 August 2017.
- ^ "Charlene Downes: Man released in 2003 missing girl murder probe", BBC News, 3 August 2017.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
BBCrewardwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).