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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Christopher Halliwell admits Sian O'Callaghan murder | Christopher Halliwell admits Sian O'Callaghan murder |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A taxi driver has pleaded guilty to the murder of Sian O'Callaghan who went missing after visiting a nightclub in Swindon in March last year. | A taxi driver has pleaded guilty to the murder of Sian O'Callaghan who went missing after visiting a nightclub in Swindon in March last year. |
| Christopher Halliwell, 48, of Ashbury Avenue, sexually assaulted the 22-year-old office worker and stabbed her in the head and neck. | Christopher Halliwell, 48, of Ashbury Avenue, sexually assaulted the 22-year-old office worker and stabbed her in the head and neck. |
| Her body was found days later near the Uffington White Horse in Oxfordshire. | |
| Halliwell was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court to life in prison with a minimum term of 25 years. | |
| Miss O'Callaghan had left the Suju nightclub at 02:53 GMT on 19 March for the short journey home. | Miss O'Callaghan had left the Suju nightclub at 02:53 GMT on 19 March for the short journey home. |
| The court heard Halliwell had been cruising around Swindon that night deliberately looking for a victim. | |
| He had switched off the radio inside his vehicle which allowed colleagues at his taxi company to know where he was. | He had switched off the radio inside his vehicle which allowed colleagues at his taxi company to know where he was. |
| Visited body | Visited body |
| After leaving the nightclub, Miss O'Callaghan walked past the Goddard Arms on High Street in the Old Town area and got into Halliwell's taxi. | After leaving the nightclub, Miss O'Callaghan walked past the Goddard Arms on High Street in the Old Town area and got into Halliwell's taxi. |
| He drove his victim to Savernake Forest, near Marlborough in Wiltshire, where he killed her. | He drove his victim to Savernake Forest, near Marlborough in Wiltshire, where he killed her. |
| About 400 people helped police search the forest, where a signal from her mobile phone had been picked up soon after she was last seen. | About 400 people helped police search the forest, where a signal from her mobile phone had been picked up soon after she was last seen. |
| A £20,000 reward to help find her was offered by an anonymous donor. | A £20,000 reward to help find her was offered by an anonymous donor. |
| Using CCTV, police identified Halliwell through the number plate on his car and he was put under surveillance. | Using CCTV, police identified Halliwell through the number plate on his car and he was put under surveillance. |
| He made four visits to where Miss O'Callaghan's body was hidden in the 24 hours after her abduction. | He made four visits to where Miss O'Callaghan's body was hidden in the 24 hours after her abduction. |
| By the early hours of 21 March Halliwell had moved the body from Savernake Forest to the spot where it was later found. | By the early hours of 21 March Halliwell had moved the body from Savernake Forest to the spot where it was later found. |
| 'Raw pain' | 'Raw pain' |
| He then attempted to cover his tracks by cleaning his car and burning his seat covers. | He then attempted to cover his tracks by cleaning his car and burning his seat covers. |
| Halliwell was also captured on CCTV at a petrol station with posters about Miss O'Callaghan's disappearance in the rear windows of his taxi. | Halliwell was also captured on CCTV at a petrol station with posters about Miss O'Callaghan's disappearance in the rear windows of his taxi. |
| He was arrested on 24 March outside an Asda store in Swindon after buying a quantity of drugs. | He was arrested on 24 March outside an Asda store in Swindon after buying a quantity of drugs. |
| Police feared he was about to take his own life. | Police feared he was about to take his own life. |
| When Miss O'Callaghan's body was discovered five days after she went missing, her father Mick spoke of the family's "raw and overwhelming" pain. | When Miss O'Callaghan's body was discovered five days after she went missing, her father Mick spoke of the family's "raw and overwhelming" pain. |
| Her body had been found face down and naked from her waist to her ankles. | |
| Forensic examinations found Miss O'Callaghan's blood in the rear of Halliwell's car | Forensic examinations found Miss O'Callaghan's blood in the rear of Halliwell's car |
| Miss O'Callaghan's family were in court to see Halliwell plead guilty. | Miss O'Callaghan's family were in court to see Halliwell plead guilty. |
| A victim impact statement from her boyfriend Kevin Reape, which was read in court, said his heart had been "ripped out" and his life "destroyed". | A victim impact statement from her boyfriend Kevin Reape, which was read in court, said his heart had been "ripped out" and his life "destroyed". |