This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-25134428
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Colin Campbell guilty of Claire Woolterton 1981 murder | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A convicted killer has been found guilty of murdering and mutilating a 17-year-old girl in 1981. | A convicted killer has been found guilty of murdering and mutilating a 17-year-old girl in 1981. |
| Claire Woolterton's naked body was found by the River Thames in Windsor. She had been sexually assaulted and had her throat cut. | |
| Her murderer Colin Campbell went on to kill Deirdre Sainsbury in 1984, for which he is serving a life sentence. | Her murderer Colin Campbell went on to kill Deirdre Sainsbury in 1984, for which he is serving a life sentence. |
| Advances in DNA analysis helped convict Campbell, 66, of Miss Woolterton's murder 32 years after her death. | |
| The jury of four men and eight women at Reading Crown Court had been deliberating since Friday morning before convicting Campbell of murder by majority verdict. | |
| 'Very precious' | |
| The former travelling salesman, who lived in Acton, west London, at the time of the murder, told the court he could not remember the events of August 1981 or if he had ever met Miss Woolterton. | |
| Miss Woolterton's step-father Terry Pearce described her as a "lovely girl", who was "very precious" to the family. | |
| He said: "This feels as raw as it did 32 years ago. | |
| "Claire was a hard-working girl, who was very kind and would always help people. | |
| "She'd speak to anybody who needed help and did whatever she could for them." | |
| Nobody was arrested or charged with Miss Woolterton's murder during the original investigation. | |
| Thames Valley Police's Major Crime Review Team reopened the case in 2011. Advances in DNA analysis were able to find evidence of Campbell's profile from adhesive tapings taken from the body. | |
| By then, Campbell was serving a life sentence in prison, having been convicted of killing Ms Sainsbury, from Greenham, in December 1984. | |
| She was picked up in Campbell's car while hitchhiking on the South Circular Road in Roehampton. | |
| The 29-year-old's mutilated body was found close to Denham Golf Course the following morning. | |
| When asked why his DNA had been found on Miss Woolterton's body, he could not explain how it might have happened. | |
| 'Evil individual' | |
| "Everything flooded back when the case was reopened, it leaves you feeling quite raw and emotional inside," added Mr Pearce. | |
| "We didn't have many thoughts at first when it became clear Campbell was a suspect. As time has gone on, I actually despise him for what he did. | |
| "I think he's an evil individual and he needs putting away so he can't do it to anyone else." | |
| Pete Beirne, the principal investigator when the case was reopened said: "Hopefully a conviction will bring some comfort for the family. | |
| "It's been more than 30 years that they've had to live without knowing. | |
| "What we've managed to achieve today obviously won't bring Claire back, but hopefully it's a small comfort to them that Campbell has been in custody since 1984. | |
| "With the conviction we've now secured, he will remain there for the foreseeable future." |