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| Scott Pritchard murder: How killer Tunmore confessed | Scott Pritchard murder: How killer Tunmore confessed |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Late on a Tuesday night in July a woman walked into a police station and confessed to a brutal murder committed 14 years earlier. How had police missed her and why did she come forward? | Late on a Tuesday night in July a woman walked into a police station and confessed to a brutal murder committed 14 years earlier. How had police missed her and why did she come forward? |
| Karen Tunmore's appearance was completely out of the blue. Police had never even talked to her about Scott Pritchard's death, let alone considered her a suspect. | Karen Tunmore's appearance was completely out of the blue. Police had never even talked to her about Scott Pritchard's death, let alone considered her a suspect. |
| On duty that night, Northumbria Police Det Ch Insp John Bent was contacted by the front desk. | On duty that night, Northumbria Police Det Ch Insp John Bent was contacted by the front desk. |
| "It's 11 o'clock at night and you get a call saying somebody's come in to confess to a murder that's 14 years ago," he said. | "It's 11 o'clock at night and you get a call saying somebody's come in to confess to a murder that's 14 years ago," he said. |
| "Your initial thoughts are: 'really?'" | "Your initial thoughts are: 'really?'" |
| Scott Pritchard, 19, had been subjected to a "particularly savage attack", Det Ch Insp Bent said. | Scott Pritchard, 19, had been subjected to a "particularly savage attack", Det Ch Insp Bent said. |
| On a chilly January evening in 2004 he was found with serious head injuries outside his home in Lindsay Close, Sunderland. He died in hospital. | On a chilly January evening in 2004 he was found with serious head injuries outside his home in Lindsay Close, Sunderland. He died in hospital. |
| A year later his father Robert Stacey was accused of his murder, but after spending 16 weeks on remand, the case was later dropped when the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said there was no "realistic chance" of a conviction. | |
| Mr Stacey had a heart attack just days before Tunmore was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 17 and half years. | Mr Stacey had a heart attack just days before Tunmore was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 17 and half years. |
| In a Victim Personal Statement read out at the sentencing of Tunmore at Newcastle Crown Court, Mr Stacey said people continued to shout abuse at him, even though he was cleared. | |
| He said at times he had been scared to walk around Sunderland city centre "for fear of being accused of a crime I did not commit". | |
| Mr Pritchard's mother Kathleen said: "Losing your son is hard enough, but not knowing the reason why made coming to terms with Scott's death so much more difficult. | Mr Pritchard's mother Kathleen said: "Losing your son is hard enough, but not knowing the reason why made coming to terms with Scott's death so much more difficult. |
| "Every night for more than 10 years I went to sleep knowing his killer was out there, who was refusing to come forward and allow the family closure. | "Every night for more than 10 years I went to sleep knowing his killer was out there, who was refusing to come forward and allow the family closure. |
| "Now, with his killer behind bars, we finally have some kind of justice for Scott and hope he can rest in peace knowing the person who did this is no longer walking the streets." | "Now, with his killer behind bars, we finally have some kind of justice for Scott and hope he can rest in peace knowing the person who did this is no longer walking the streets." |
| 'Chilling detail' | 'Chilling detail' |
| The inquiry to find Mr Pritchard's killer was "extensive", but despite being periodically reviewed it got nowhere until Tunmore, now 36, decided to walk into Middle Engine Lane police station and confess. | The inquiry to find Mr Pritchard's killer was "extensive", but despite being periodically reviewed it got nowhere until Tunmore, now 36, decided to walk into Middle Engine Lane police station and confess. |
| Police announced there had been a breakthrough. New information had come to light, they said, but little did anyone know this new information was Tunmore's own confession. | Police announced there had been a breakthrough. New information had come to light, they said, but little did anyone know this new information was Tunmore's own confession. |
| Detectives had to ask themselves whether she really had brutally beaten Scott Pritchard and, if so, why she had decided to hand herself in. | Detectives had to ask themselves whether she really had brutally beaten Scott Pritchard and, if so, why she had decided to hand herself in. |
| They "spent an awful lot of time" interviewing her and checking out the "chilling level of detail" she was able to give, Det Ch Insp Bent said. | They "spent an awful lot of time" interviewing her and checking out the "chilling level of detail" she was able to give, Det Ch Insp Bent said. |
| "There's nothing that we've been able to unearth that says it wasn't her." | "There's nothing that we've been able to unearth that says it wasn't her." |
| Her reason for coming forward, the force said, was she could no longer live with the guilt of what she had done. | Her reason for coming forward, the force said, was she could no longer live with the guilt of what she had done. |
| Det Ch Insp Bent said: "Karen Tunmore had to live with her horrifying secret for 14 years and was finally overcome by guilt. She clearly could not live another day with the needless death of a teenager on her conscience. | Det Ch Insp Bent said: "Karen Tunmore had to live with her horrifying secret for 14 years and was finally overcome by guilt. She clearly could not live another day with the needless death of a teenager on her conscience. |
| "More than 1,600 statements were taken, 4,000 documents produced and around 300 police officers were involved in the case. | "More than 1,600 statements were taken, 4,000 documents produced and around 300 police officers were involved in the case. |
| "Police have done everything possible to be satisfied that Karen Tunmore is the killer. When interviewed by officers, she revealed a number of details about the murder that were not public knowledge and could only have been known by somebody present on the night of Scott's death." | "Police have done everything possible to be satisfied that Karen Tunmore is the killer. When interviewed by officers, she revealed a number of details about the murder that were not public knowledge and could only have been known by somebody present on the night of Scott's death." |
| But why was she missed by the original police investigation? | But why was she missed by the original police investigation? |
| Scott Pritchard owed money to a member of local gang the Hendon Mad Dogs who, in turn, owed money to Tunmore. | Scott Pritchard owed money to a member of local gang the Hendon Mad Dogs who, in turn, owed money to Tunmore. |
| Hendon is minutes from Scott Pritchard's house, but Tunmore lived 15 miles away in Killingworth. Her only link was the gang member. | Hendon is minutes from Scott Pritchard's house, but Tunmore lived 15 miles away in Killingworth. Her only link was the gang member. |
| On 7 January, she and the gang member drove to Sunderland to get the money, taking a baseball bat for protection but with no intention of assaulting Mr Pritchard, she told police. | On 7 January, she and the gang member drove to Sunderland to get the money, taking a baseball bat for protection but with no intention of assaulting Mr Pritchard, she told police. |
| "When Scott appeared not to have money to pay to her associate, she says she saw red and she lashed out with the baseball bat," Det Ch Insp Bent explained. | "When Scott appeared not to have money to pay to her associate, she says she saw red and she lashed out with the baseball bat," Det Ch Insp Bent explained. |
| "It's perhaps not unsurprising that it was never detected because her link to Scott was so tenuous." | "It's perhaps not unsurprising that it was never detected because her link to Scott was so tenuous." |
| Tunmore would only tell police the gang member's name was Steve and that he had dark hair and a lateral scar on the left side of his head. | Tunmore would only tell police the gang member's name was Steve and that he had dark hair and a lateral scar on the left side of his head. |
| A witness at the time had reported seeing two men just before the attack. | A witness at the time had reported seeing two men just before the attack. |
| Police now believe this could have been Tunmore and "Steve". | Police now believe this could have been Tunmore and "Steve". |
| "The way she was dressed and her appearance - she could have easily been mistaken as a male," Det Ch Insp Bent said. | "The way she was dressed and her appearance - she could have easily been mistaken as a male," Det Ch Insp Bent said. |
| He still wants to talk to Steve, "but everything that Tunmore has said indicates that she was the one responsible for delivering those blows". | He still wants to talk to Steve, "but everything that Tunmore has said indicates that she was the one responsible for delivering those blows". |