Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00 The format of today's case is a bit different from ones we have previously covered on Truly
00:12 Criminal.
00:13 As part of this episode, we travelled to film on location and talked to people connected
00:17 to the case.
00:18 We have done this episode in collaboration with Naomi Channel from The Real Podcast.
00:23 Naomi is an award-winning television producer and her podcast is head and shoulders above
00:27 the rest.
00:29 She seeks the truth, asks the difficult questions, and treats the stories with the empathy and
00:33 respect they deserve.
00:35 So if you want to listen to a deep dive on this case, complete with interviews from various
00:39 people, please go and listen to Real.
00:42 This case is a complex one, with many people involved, many lines of inquiry, and more
00:47 questions than answers.
00:49 Although the case we are talking about today took place in Blackpool in the north-west
00:53 of England, our story actually begins in the Midlands city of Coventry.
00:58 Coventry is a remarkable city with an extraordinary past, notable for its cathedral that was bombed
01:03 during the Second World War, as were huge swathes of the city.
01:07 The spirit of the people and the determination to rebuild meant that Coventry was named as
01:10 a city of peace and reconciliation.
01:13 It put its mark on the musical map too, being the centre of the music phenomenon that swept
01:17 through the 70s.
01:19 Two-tone, with bands like The Special seeing considerable success.
01:24 Our story begins in 1989, when on the 25th of March, Karen Downes and her husband Robert,
01:30 known as Bob, welcomed their daughter, Charlene.
01:33 Charlene was their third child.
01:35 She had two older sisters, Rebecca, known as Becky, and Emma.
01:39 Charlene was later followed by the youngest of the Downes children, and the only son,
01:44 Robert.
01:45 Charlene was described as a music and animal lover, someone who was close to her siblings,
01:50 with a cheeky and funny side.
01:52 Bob and Karen had married on the 2nd of May 1987 at a church in Hillfields, just north
01:58 of Coventry's city centre.
02:00 Hillfields is one of the more deprived areas of the city, with antisocial behaviour and
02:04 crime being common problems.
02:06 Life in the Downes household could be described as chaotic or dysfunctional, and run-ins with
02:11 the police and social services would happen.
02:13 Those who knew the couple made allegations that Bob was addicted to alcohol, and could
02:18 show serious levels of violence and aggression towards his children.
02:21 A court document from 1989 showed that the family had been under investigation by social
02:26 services and West Midlands Police, and it was found that a convicted rapist had had
02:31 three-year-old Emma in their car without supervision, and had also been in the Downes family home.
02:37 Bob was given the advice that the person in question should not be allowed into the family
02:41 home again, but this didn't happen, and Bob continued to have drinks with the individual
02:45 in the pub.
02:46 The police conducted a video interview with Emma in the hope it would unveil something
02:50 more, but she disclosed nothing.
02:52 She would later move out of the family home, and in 1993 moved in with her grandfather
02:56 and his wife.
02:59 After Emma moved back to the family home in 1997, allegations of sexual assault were made
03:03 against a family friend, allegations also made by Charlene.
03:08 The friend was allegedly trusted by the family to take the children to school in the morning,
03:12 and a report from social services states that it was believed Karen and Bob were aware of
03:16 the abuse, but failed to act.
03:19 When Charlene was nine years old, an allegation was made that a friend of her parents had
03:24 forced themselves on her.
03:26 Now at the risk of the children being removed from the home and taken into the care of social
03:29 services, and the potential prosecution for neglect, in 1999 the family moved out of Coventry
03:36 and up north to Blackpool.
03:42 For many, Blackpool brings back memories of the illuminations, arcades and ice creams
03:47 on the beach.
03:48 During the day, the piers, promenade and beach are full of tourists looking for some time
03:53 away.
03:54 Home to the Blackpool Tower and the Tower Ballroom, many a famous face has performed
03:59 in the town, everyone from Frank Sinatra to the Beatles.
04:03 Thousands of people visit Blackpool every year during the summer months and tourist
04:07 season, especially for the illumination switch on.
04:12 But behind the bright lights lies a very different town.
04:17 A large proportion of those who live there live in deprived areas, and it is the sixth
04:21 most deprived authority in England.
04:23 There are high amounts of unemployment, and the death rate of those who die from alcohol-related
04:28 deaths is the highest in England.
04:30 There are also high levels of poverty, and the town is the twelfth poorest area in the
04:34 whole country.
04:36 As concerns over the welfare of the children continued to grow, Charlene, Emma and Becky
04:41 were placed in foster care after they said they no longer wanted to be at home.
04:45 This placement did not last for an extended period of time, and the children were returned
04:50 to the house.
04:51 In 1999, Becky Downs alleged that her father was violent and social services said they
04:56 were going to take it to court to try and obtain a prosecution.
04:59 By the end of 1999, the children were put on the 'at-risk' register, and it was
05:04 reported that domestic violence was present in the home.
05:07 One of Charlene's friends, Martin, said he not only saw Bob's violence, but also
05:11 predators at the Downs house.
05:14 By early 2000, at the age of 11, Charlene was staying at different homes and told the
05:19 workers from social services that she was being beaten by her parents, showing them
05:23 bruises.
05:27 In March of that year, Charlene's school began to raise concerns that she was failing
05:30 to attend classes and wasn't coming to school.
05:33 Her parents said they didn't know where she was, as she stayed with many different
05:36 people.
05:37 A few months later, in June, Charlene was examined by the hospital, and based on what
05:42 it found, it was suspected that she was the victim of sexual abuse.
05:47 She made the allegation that her father had become violent and thrown her across the room.
05:51 Following this, she disappeared for two days.
05:55 Over the course of a 12-month period, Charlene would make 13 visits to a sexual health clinic
05:59 with her grandmother.
06:01 She had bruising on her body, including her inner thigh.
06:04 Social services spoke to Bob about their concerns, that Emma had been seen with older men in
06:09 the family home, and Bob later moved out to appease those from social services.
06:14 He moved to Buchanan Street in September, and took Charlene and her brother Robert out
06:19 of the care of social services and against the wishes of the authorities.
06:24 As 2001 rolled around, social services suspected that a male was in the family home and sharing
06:30 a bed with Charlene.
06:32 In April of that year, there were more allegations made by Becky and Charlene regarding Bob's
06:37 excessive drinking and the men he used to bring to the house and the inappropriate sexual
06:41 advances these men would make.
06:45 Charlene allegedly told a social worker that one of her father's friends had touched her
06:48 inappropriately.
06:50 When health visitors made a visit to the family home in August, Charlene was found in bed
06:55 with a much older man, as she counted some money, but Bob and Karen said he was just
07:00 a family friend.
07:02 One month later, Becky would move out.
07:05 For a period of 15 years, 16 men who had committed a variety of offences against minors had access
07:12 to the family homes, both in Coventry and in Blackpool.
07:16 Bob and Karen denied letting predators stay at their home.
07:21 Bob would drink at various pubs in and around Blackpool.
07:24 During one of his visits to the pub, he met a man called Ray Monroe, and he invited him
07:29 back to the house.
07:31 Ray Monroe would end up staying at the property.
07:33 Monroe is a convicted sex offender with four counts of sexual assaults against young girls,
07:38 and he was sentenced to four and a half years in prison.
07:41 Karen and Bob said they were unaware of this and only found out when the details came out
07:45 in court.
07:46 They said they believed he had raped an ex-girlfriend, information which did not stop them from allowing
07:51 him into their home.
07:54 One of Bob's friends, Glenn, claimed he saw Bob invite various men from the pub back to
07:58 his house, and that he had seen Charlene sitting on Monroe's lap.
08:03 He said he voiced his concerns about seeing this and said that it wasn't right.
08:07 In 2003, Charlene visited a walk-in health centre three times.
08:11 Karen claimed to be unaware of Charlene going to the health clinic and also unaware of the
08:16 predators staying in her home.
08:18 Despite moving to a different part of the country, it seemed that not much had changed
08:23 and family life was still fractured and difficult.
08:28 The 3rd of November, 2003.
08:30 "Hi, it's Charlotte, what can you say?
08:33 We've just received a 999 call on your phone, is there a problem?"
08:35 "My daughter's been missing since Saturday night, the docs have been back by now but
08:36 she hasn't returned.
08:37 She came down to see me at work.
08:38 I said, 'Oh, I'll see you later, mum.'
08:39 She went off with her friend and I've not seen her since."
08:40 "What's your call?"
08:41 "Charlene.
08:42 Charlene, dad."
08:43 "Can you give me a description, please?"
08:44 "She's got shoulder length, dark brown hair.
08:45 She's got a fringe as well."
08:46 "What was she wearing?"
08:47 "She had a black jumper on.
08:48 We're like, 'Oh, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe
08:49 on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her,
09:12 she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got
09:33 a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe
09:57 on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her,
10:26 she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got
10:50 a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe
11:18 on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her,
11:46 she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got
12:15 a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe
12:44 on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her,
13:13 she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got
13:37 a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe
14:05 on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her,
14:33 she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got
15:01 a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe
15:29 on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her,
15:58 she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got
16:27 a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe
16:57 on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her,
17:22 she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got
17:46 a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe
18:14 on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her,
18:42 she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got
19:09 a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe
19:38 on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her,
20:06 she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got
20:33 a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe
21:01 on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her,
21:29 she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got
21:56 a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe
22:23 on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her,
22:52 she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got
23:19 a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe
23:47 on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her,
24:14 she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got
24:42 a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe
25:11 on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her,
25:40 she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a
26:06 fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her,
26:34 she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a
26:59 fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her,
27:25 she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a
27:54 fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her,
28:23 she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her, she's got a fringe on her.
28:25 In 2016, a cold case team was brought on board to examine Charlene's case,
28:30 and they found CCTV that had previously not been released to the public.
28:34 It showed Charlene and Becky walking on the day Charlene had gone missing.
28:38 It was released to the public in November of that year to try and generate any new leads,
28:43 and a crime watch appeal was issued again on the 13th anniversary of her going missing.
28:48 In 2017, Karen and Bob Downs sued Lancashire Police over their handling of their daughter's case,
28:53 and the CCTV footage.
28:56 August 2017, an arrest was made. A man was taken into custody on suspicion of the murder of Charlene
29:05 Downs. Nigel had worked as a chef, and a restaurant he worked at in Blackpool appeared on an episode of
29:11 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, Clubway 41. Nigel Lloyd had attacked two 15-year-old girls in Blackpool
29:18 in 2001 and 2003. He was convicted of these in 2017 and sentenced to 64 months, more than five
29:25 years, in prison. The flat Nigel was living in overlooked the alleyway Charlene would often be
29:31 seen in, and where she had allegedly been on the night she disappeared. Tyne said she knew Nigel
29:37 Lloyd and referred to him as a 'creep'. He also knew Charlene and her family. He was released
29:43 after two days without charge, and no charges have ever been filed against him in relation to
29:48 Charlene's disappearance. In November 2018, Bob and Karen appeared on the Jeremy Kyle Show,
29:56 a controversial British talk show where guests would appear to resolve conflicts,
30:00 take lie detector tests and DNA tests. There would be frequent confrontations and arguments on stage.
30:07 Bob Downs later said they had appeared on the show to discuss Charlene's case,
30:11 but it quickly devolved into talking about their marriage and marital problems.
30:14 Also that year, Karen Downs released a book called Sold in Secret,
30:20 talking about Charlene and her disappearance.
30:22 In 2021, Charlene's brother Robert tragically passed away. He was found in a pool of blood by
30:32 Bob on the 4th of December at 11.30pm, a few hours before he had complained he felt unwell.
30:38 His family said he had been left deeply affected by the disappearance of his sister,
30:43 and had never been able to properly process or recover from it. At an inquest, it was ruled he
30:47 had died of an accidental drugs overdose. It also came out that Bob and Karen did not call the
30:53 ambulance for three hours. They said after finding him, they had fallen into a state of panic and
30:59 anxiety. The ambulance wasn't called until nearly three o'clock in the morning. In November the
31:06 following year, Charlene's friend Tyne died at the age of 32. An inquest found her death was drug
31:13 related. In 2023, the case was reopened by the Leeds Trinity University cold case unit, teamed
31:22 up with Renee in the hopes of finally solving Charlene's case. Renee said "our main aim is to
31:27 review Charlene's case and see where the failings are and go out to get new evidence." Blackburn
31:34 Uni also approached us to undertake a large child sexual exploitation project for the whole of
31:39 Lancashire to find out the scale of the problem and where children are being failed. Bob and Karen
31:47 said they have been verbally abused and taunted by locals after it came out that Raymond Rowe
31:52 and other predators had stayed at their house. Bob again asserted he didn't know Raymond Rowe
31:57 was a paedophile. They remain living in Blackpool. Unfortunately, Charlene's story is not unique.
32:04 There are a plethora of young people who constantly fall through the cracks and the people that should
32:09 be there to catch them aren't. An internal police report would state that 11 takeaway shops in
32:14 Blackpool town centre had been involved in sexually exploiting young girls. As reported by the BBC,
32:20 the Times newspaper conducted an investigation that found the police initially had 100 people
32:25 of interest due to how many people were believed to be abusing and exploiting Charlene. And that
32:31 brings us to today. Today marks the 20th anniversary of Charlene's disappearance and
32:41 there are still more questions than answers. The investigation into what happened to her is one of
32:46 the longest running in Lancashire with two and a half thousand statements being taken and more than
32:51 three thousand people being spoken to. This is about getting justice for a 14 year old girl.
32:57 She was someone who had already gone through so much in such a short period of time and the least
33:02 we can do is continue to fight for her. As Renee said, Charlene was failed by everyone that should
33:09 have kept her safe. The police, social services, they all let her down. We're trying to build a
33:15 legacy and fight for real justice for her so she can be remembered for something positive.
33:20 It is our hope that those who know more will come forward with the truth.
33:25 Her whereabouts will finally be made known and justice will be served. If you have any
33:32 information relating to the disappearance or whereabouts of Charlene Downs, please contact
33:37 Lancashire Police.
33:39 [Music]