To Colette, our lovely, happy and caring girl. Rest in peace our angel. No one can harm you now.
CONTENTS
Title Page
Dedication
Acknowledgements
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1 GROWING UP
CHAPTER 2 THE NIGHTMARE BEGINS
CHAPTER 3 THE AFTERMATH
CHAPTER 4 THE INVESTIGATION
CHAPTER 5 THE BREAKDOWN OF A MARRIAGE
CHAPTER 6 THE CASE GOES COLD
CHAPTER 7 A NEW LIFE IN GREECE
CHAPTER 8 THE CRIMEWATCH YEARS
CHAPTER 9 THE BREAKTHROUGH
CHAPTER 10 JUSTICE
CHAPTER 11 THE DOUBLE LIFE OF A KILLER
CHAPTER 12 CLOSURE
CHAPTER 13 THE STING IN THE TAIL
AFTERWORD
Copyright
There are many people I’d like to thank for their support over the years. Firstly, I’d like to say a huge thank you to all my family, particularly my son Mark and my mother Joyce. Also my gratitude goes to my brother Michael and sister-in-law Sue, and to all the family and friends who have helped and encouraged me over the years. Special thanks to those who had hoped to see justice be done but sadly passed away before this could happen.
My humble gratitude goes to my dear friend Sue Copley, who sat endlessly by my bed during those horrific early days and who has continued to support me throughout the rest of my life. Also my very dear friends Ann Carnegie Brown, Kay Woodhall and Val Woodford, who helped me keep my sanity in the early days of the murder inquiry.
To all the officers from Nottinghamshire police who worked tirelessly around the clock to catch Colette’s killer. But, most of all, my heartfelt thanks goes to now retired Detective Superintendent Kevin Flint for his compassion, patience and determination that one day the man responsible for taking my beautiful daughter’s life would be jailed. Kevin promised me that we would get our day in court and, thanks to him and his fantastic team, we did. There are not enough words to express my gratitude to you. You are a gentleman and I thank you sincerely from the bottom of my heart.
Kevin received the Queen’s Medal for Distinguished Service, presented to him by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace. It marked a fitting end to his 34 years’ service in the police force. Many people can sleep safer at night thanks to Kevin and his team.
Thank you also to all the forensic scientists who worked on Colette’s case over the many years that followed, particularly the brilliant Tim Clayton.
Finally to my very dear friend and ghostwriter Veronica Clark, for the empathy and respect that she has shown throughout the process of writing this book. Without her, none of this would have been possible. Not only have we written this book together, but I have also gained in her a lifelong friend.
It is often said that, without hope, you have nothing. I have written this book to give hope to those who find themselves in the same dreadful position that we did. I am talking about the families who have lost a loved one in the most callous and brutal way imaginable – murder.
We’ve all seen them – the grieving families on the TV, staring out from the court steps, weeping towards the cameras. They are captured forever on film as they try to come to terms with their deep loss. For onlookers it is sad, but not forever. Long after the cameras and journalists have packed up and gone away, those families must live with that grief for the rest of their lives.
Murder leaves a huge void in your heart and soul that can never be filled. The pain doesn’t get any easier; you just learn to live with it. Most families in this situation get their conclusion a year or so after an arrest is made. Most of the time and, in the case of murder, an arrest usually follows pretty quickly; in our case, it didn’t. We had to wait more than a quarter of a century for justice for my lovely daughter Colette. During that time, the grief not only destroyed us one by one, it also split up my family, cost me my marriage and at times threatened my sanity. You continue to mourn for your loved one, and being the one left behind is sometimes a very lonely place to be.
It was my intention to write this book to give hope to other families that have gone, or are going, through the hell that we have endured for 26 long years. I also want to tell people what really happens to the other victims – those left behind – in these situations. Murder doesn’t stop at the crime itself. By its very nature, it sends shockwaves through entire families, destroying everything in its path. This ripple effect hurts every single person it touches, most of all the immediate family. They will try, as we did, to piece their fragmented lives back together, but it’s almost impossible. Once those lives have been smashed to smithereens by the impact of murder, there is no turning back. Your life changes forever in an instant.
This book is about the impact of such a deep and sudden loss, and how I grieved for my beautiful daughter. But it is also a book of hope – how I always believed that the police would catch her killer. It is written in memory of my lovely daughter Colette. I hope that, by reading it, you will gain a valuable insight into what happens behind the doors of those grieving family homes up and down the country.
Colette’s murder was one of the biggest and longest manhunts that Britain has ever seen. At its peak the inquiry had over 50 detectives working on it, day and night. It was led by no less than four senior investigating officers with one common goal – to catch her killer.
It took 26 years, but the police finally got their man and I got my justice. This unique experience has taught me one thing – never to give up hope. At times, I felt like doing so, but I never did, for without hope you have nothing.
As I started to write this book, I thought of happy times and fond memories, but they were often overshadowed by bad ones. It was difficult to put pen to paper and recall happy memories but I knew that I must do so. When I see her smiling face, I don’t see Colette Aram the murder victim, I see Colette Aram my beautiful little girl. She had a smile that could light up a room, a wicked sense of humour and an infectious laugh. She wasn’t an angel, no one is, but she was deeply treasured – she was my lovely Colette.
I dedicate this book not only to Colette but also to my wonderful son Mark. Despite his own private torment, he has been a continuous support to me and his father Tony throughout those 26 years. We love you, Mark, and feel honoured to call you our son.
So, this book is for her. A tribute to Colette – a very special girl and loving daughter who we were blessed with and allowed to share 16 years of blissful life with. We all love and miss you, Colette, but this is for you, my love. This is our justice for Colette.
Here is my story.
It was 1961 – the beginning of the Swinging Sixties – and times were good. Elvis Presley was riding high in the charts and change was in the air. A teenage revolution was reverberating through society