The Pembrokeshire Murders: Catching the Bullseye Killer

by Steve Wilkins

  He went on to say that he and a colleague entered the wood on the Little Haven side of the stile through ferns onto what appeared to be a defined path. Mike explained how he had stepped down off the coastal path onto a lower level and how ferns had been pulled down to hide the access. He described how he had made his way into the undergrowth past two fox or badger holes and how he then walked straight down towards the cliffs via a path possibly made by an animal. About twenty yards down this path he cut across to his left, through the undergrowth, where he came upon an open area of leaf mould and bluebell leaves. To his right he could see some blue coloured articles on the ground and now the smell became more pungent. He moved forward and saw, through the leaves and undergrowth, what appeared to be a leg. He called to his colleague because he thought that he had found the Dixons. He moved more branches to discover the bodies of Peter and Gwenda Dixon. Gwenda was lying face down in the direction of the sea. Peter’s fully clothed body was also face down. Gwenda was partially covered with fern debris. A whole fern had been uprooted by her right thigh. He concluded by explaining that they then left the bodies and returned to the coastal path and had walked past a leather boot as they did so. They headed back towards Little Haven and conferred with Chief Superintendent Don Evans in the lay-by below the junction at Talbeny. There was an eerie silence in the courtroom as the Judge adjourned for lunch. Not that anyone in the room had much of an appetite after hearing such horrific details.

  It was going to be a long ten weeks listening to such devastating evidence and witnessing the effect it had on people’s lives. However back in our room I could always rely on DS Gareth ‘Rambo’ Rees to lighten the mood. Mr Gerard Elias had inadvertently left his barrister’s wig unattended. Without a second thought Gareth tried it on and surprised us all with his performance as a QC. He didn’t wear it for long before hastily returning it for fear he would be caught by the real Queen’s Counsel.

  That afternoon, the former Home Office Pathologist Professor Bernard Knight gave evidence. This distinguished gentleman had had the unfortunate task of conducting the post-mortem examination of both Peter and Gwenda. His evidence was to the point and went uncontested as he explained the wounds, marks and bruises discovered on both bodies. Again sitting at the front of the court were Tim and Julie and the rest of the Dixon family. Professor Knight’s evidence concluded what had been a long day before the judge dismissed the court. The following morning the jury visits would begin, bringing a huge logistical challenge for Dyfed Powys Police. Fortunately the team had spent many hours preparing. Glyn would accompany the jury and deliver an agreed script at each designated point. Inspector Gareth Thomas and Sergeant Martin Vaughan had managed the police resources and logistics for this visit, which covered an area the size of Cheshire. This would be an opportunity for the jury to see the professionalism of the police; it had to be right.

  The first day would see the police escort leave Swansea Crown Court with the judge, jury, and court ushers, followed in hot pursuit by defence counsel, prosecuting counsel and crown prosecutors. Those who didn’t form part of the main entourage at times struggled to keep up with the police motor-cyclists. One poor prosecutor in particular had to drive flat out in his very small Ford Fiesta. Fortunately everyone arrived safely at the Ocean Café Bar and Restaurant in Broad Haven where they were well looked after, for which we will be eternally grateful. After a short break the escort left for Little Haven and the coastal path. They were shown the location where the Dixons’ tent had been pitched in 1989 and then after a short drive the group left the coach to walk to the coastal path. Sea mist was hanging over the area, which made their route even more precarious. As Glyn led the party, the Judge commented on how close to the edge the path was. Glyn replied, “Don’t worry M’Lord. If you should slip, I’ve been instructed to jump before you to soften your fall.” I had indeed told Glyn that in the case of a disaster, save the one with the wig and the red robe! Fortunately for Glyn this amused his Honour and everyone came back safe and well. The route from the coastal path down to the scene had been equipped with temporary wooden steps by the National Park, which allowed the jury safe passage to the exact area where Gwenda and Peter had been discovered. They stood in absolute silence with their heads down almost like they were paying their respects. A map had been mounted on a board to show the jury the location of the bodies and clothing. They again stood quietly studying the map and the scene, trying to piece it all together. After a few questions they had seen enough and made their way back to the coach.

  It had been a very sobering experience in such a beautiful place. The afternoon provided a tour of the cash machines used to take money from the Dixons’ account in Pembroke, Haverfordwest and Carmarthen. The jury were also shown the close proximity of the jewellers in Pembroke to the cash machine where Peter Dixon’s card had been used. We all retired that evening extremely satisfied that we had portrayed Dyfed-Powys Police in a professional manner and done both the families and victims proud.

  The second day started with the same dash across West Wales. The coach drove past the location of a number of Cooper’s burglaries before arriving at Scoveston Park. There the jury wandered around the outer yard and were shown the location where Richard Thomas’ blood had been found in the outbuildings and where his Rover car had been abandoned. As they walked down the long driveway Glyn gave a running commentary identifying the key locations. The front door was opened to reveal a very grand hallway and large staircase; this had also been altered during the restoration. The jury were asked to remove their footwear as they examined the premises. Two at a time they climbed the staircase to inspect the half landing where Richards’s body had been discovered. This now beautifully restored mansion was in stark contrast to what had been discovered on that cold December night. Again a very subdued jury left the house and got back into the coach ready for the visit to 34 St Marys Park, the property that had held so many secrets about Cooper’s life. This again had been renovated and was now a far cry from the eerie grey house that was once Cooper’s home. The house, grounds and hedgerows were shown to the jury and a huge poster-size map of the area and plans of the original site assisted them.

  By now they must have had a feeling for the area and from here they were taken to the Sardis robbery location and Cooper’s escape route, highlighted with the orange fluorescent markers. These markers showed the location where, following the Sardis robbery, items like the sawn off shotgun, gloves and balaclava were discovered. Again the jury went on foot to walk the route taken by Cooper as he made the short journey to his house. That evening I had suggested to the team that we meet for a quick beer at the Cleddau Bridge Hotel, situated on the other side of the river some two miles from the scene. As I turned into the elevated car park of the hotel I looked across the river towards the village of Neyland and Sardis. I laughed out loud. I could see quite clearly a bright orange florescent marker, still glowing in the distance in the middle of a hedgerow.

  After two days of chaperoning the jury around Pembrokeshire we were back in the courtroom. Dyfed-Powys Police was congratulated that morning for the professional manner in which the two-day visit had been conducted; Glyn also received a personal thank you for his expertise as guide. Later that day the courtroom was to echo the sounds of the hit TV show Bullseye, as the jury watched the footage recorded in 1989 of Cooper participating in the television quiz show. It was played in order to show the jury how closely Cooper resembled the man in the artist’s impression. It clearly demonstrated what Cooper looked like less than a month before he executed the Dixons. The matching images had been compiled with the assistance of ITV graphic designer Tina Williams. The defence barrister clearly misunderstood what Tina had actually been asked to do and while she was giving evidence started to question her about what he described as the highly technical facial mapping equipment he assumed she must have used to match Cooper’s profile. A very confused looking Tina responded that she had simply jogged the pictures along frame by frame until she
found the best match, in much the same way that you might freeze frame a DVD. She told the court, “I have no facial mapping equipment.” It wasn’t long after this that the bemused Mr Evans sat back down in his seat realising his error. The Bullseye footage was an extremely significant piece of evidence that made a huge impact.

  In the afternoon a local woman by the name of Jennifer Phillips gave evidence. She stated that whilst working on the potato harvest, she met a man called John Cooper who lived at in Jordanston. She believed that it was in 1983 and that Cooper had been a casual worker at Jordanston Farm. She had described Cooper as a man who bragged about what he had done with the money he had won from gambling. When she first met him he was living in a caravan at Johnston and later moved to the house owned by Mike Richards. She went on to say that there would be general conversation between everyone but on one particular occasion she distinctly remembered Cooper talking about Richard and Helen Thomas of Scoveston Park. She knew Richard and Helen, and she made some sort of comment to Cooper about how good they were to her. John had replied with words similar to, “Richard’s a nice old boy, he lets me go down to Scoveston and get logs”. This was evidence that Cooper had a clear knowledge of Scoveston and the Thomases, something he had always denied.

  The day was concluded with the evidence of Jane Mather who described the afternoon of Thursday 29 June 1989 whilst she was working in Main Street in Pembroke. She said, “I noticed a strange, odd-looking man standing outside Lloyds bank. He had a bike with him. He looked as if he’d just got off it and was standing very close to it. The bike was facing in the direction of Lamphey. I would describe the bike as looking old, well worn with straight handlebars. I would describe the man as follows: He was about 5 feet 10 inches tall and medium build; he looked to be about middle to late thirties; his hair was straight, collar length and going grey; his face looked long but not drawn; it was red looking either from cycling or from the sun; he looked a bit unshaven scruffy looking. He was wearing a dark coloured short-sleeved tee shirt with I think a collar and some buttons at the collar. He was wearing shorts or ‘cut-off’ trousers that were about four inches above the knee. I think they were blue. I am not sure what he was wearing on his feet. In his hand he had what looked to be a Kwik Save plastic carrier bag; it was red and white in colour. He had the top of the bag twisted around his hand; the bag looked to be just under half full.” The jury listened to Mrs Mather, while giving Cooper the occasional glance, almost as though they were comparing him now to her description of twenty-three years before.

  We were finished for the weekend. Two weeks had passed by so quickly but on our return on the Monday it would be the turn of Timothy and Julie Dixon to give evidence. It is always distressing when a family are expected to give evidence in such tragic circumstances, but all agreed that both Timothy and Julie would have made their parents extremely proud in the way that they presented themselves. Timothy reliving the moments when he realised his parents were missing and Julie describing how she holidayed in Cyprus at the time. Their spell in the witness box was short and both the prosecuting and defence counsels respected their loss.

  It was a short session that day after the judge adjourned, giving counsel time to prepare for the start of the Milford Haven witnesses the following day. Video statements of complainants involving serious sexual offences taken by the police are admissible as evidence at a trial. This video evidence, recorded as far back as 1996, was played to the jury. Everyone in the courtroom was captivated, listening to these children as they described the events of that March evening. These were living victims providing evidence of Cooper’s monstrous behaviour.

  In the afternoon the defence required the two female victims who were subjected to the sexual assaults to present themselves in the witness box so they could be cross-examined. Screens were put in place, as is normal in such circumstances, to protect their identities, and the press were asked to leave the courtroom. Both Jayne and Susan had shown tremendous courage in attending court and had been fantastically supported by Helen Coles and Donna Thomas, but even so, the modern day court is still in the dark ages when it comes to facilities for such witnesses. They had to sit in a side office with few home comforts. The screens used to provide anonymity from the court were broken so they had to be leant against the witness box, making them feel like caged animals.

  Both girls cried throughout the questioning as they were asked to recount the horrific events. The defence repeatedly asked the rape victim if in fact she had been raped; a question that we felt seemed a little strange considering Cooper denied ever being there; why was it so important to try and cast doubt on her ordeal if the attacker was somebody else? The courage of these victims was also recognised by the Dixon family and by Mr and Mrs James, cousins of Richard and Helen Thomas. They were visibly moved by the account and the dignity of Jayne and Susan, as indeed we all were.

  Thursday 14 April 2001, and Cooper’s son Adrian was called to Swansea Crown Court, and was allowed special measures because he felt so intimidated and threatened by his father. Adrian gave his evidence via video link from a separate room outside the courtroom. He provided stark revelations about how he had seen his father leaving the house with the sawn-off shotgun slung across his chest under his jacket. Cooper grunted at the back of the court calling Adrian a liar as his son gave his evidence. Adrian continued to disclose how he had seen items like jewellery, shotgun cartridges and other items in his father’s shed and larder. There was no love lost between Cooper and his son, and Adrian painted a picture of a life of fear and violence at the hands of his father. He also recognised the clip used to fasten the lanyard PH/2A on to the murder weapon, the sawn-off double-barrelled shotgun PH/2, as a clip fastener for a dog lead, previously owned by Cooper. It was significant that his own son felt it was necessary to give an insight into life with his father and clearly this was the reason that Cooper felt it necessary to discredit his son at every opportunity. He knew that Adrian could provide significant evidence about his habits and link him to certain firearms. After all he was one of the few people who had seen him disappearing into the night. Under pressure, it was suggested by Mark Evans QC that Adrian was a liar. “No! Do you really think that I want to be here today?” he snapped.

  In the afternoon Sergeant Teleri Bowen, a former scenes of crime officer, nervously stood in the witness box and awaited the questions from Mr Evans. Teleri, during the exhibit review stage, had rebagged the shorts which had proved such a wealth of damning evidence. She told Mr Evans, “I removed the handkerchief from the right side pocket and examined it. During the examination an apparent hair strand was recovered and separately placed in a sterile pot. There appeared to be brown-coloured staining on the handkerchief. The handkerchief and fluff were placed and sealed in a separate paper bag. The shorts were then returned to the original bag and sealed. The hair and handkerchief, which had both been placed into separate packages, were placed in a separate paper bag with the original shorts and packaging.”

  Mr Evans seized the moment and spent several minutes questioning Sergeant Bowen about the fluff, to the bewilderment of the prosecuting team. Mr Evans insisted that the fluff had been lost during this repackaging stage and the re-opening of the bag at LGC’s laboratory. He laboured the point so much that the judge decided to adjourn for an hour to give both parties an opportunity to agree on the whereabouts of the fluff. We retreated to our rooms and examined the photographs provided by LGC and Teleri. Comparing the two it was quite easy to see that the fluff had not in fact disappeared but merely changed position. Back in the courtroom, the ‘bit of fluff’ saga was brought to an end with both parties agreeing on its whereabouts.

  Someone who will always be remembered for having played a major part in the capture of John Cooper, although reluctant himself to take such credit, is ex-PC Mark (the bark) Jenkins, the dog handler. He established a web of routes from Scoveston, Sardis and a number of the burglaries scenes back to 34 St Marys Park. To say that he was extremely nervous i
n giving this evidence would be an understatement and in his thirty years service he had managed to avoid such an experience. However, now retired, he stood in the witness box wearing his suit, and gave an excellent account of the evidence that ultimately lead to the arrest of Cooper in 1998

  Scenes of crimes officer Kenneth John Greenish, better known as KJG, and whose initials appeared on almost all crime reports written in Pembrokeshire was the final witness of the day. As one of the leading scenes of crime officers John had a great deal of experience and expertise. Like Dr Watson from Sherlock Holmes he would gladly attend a scene and within seconds give you a full synopsis of the circumstances surrounding the death. He was in court to give evidence explaining which exhibits he had re-packaged due to their condition. There followed another attempt by the defence to challenge the condition of the exhibits and to advance the potential cross contamination theory.

  Our fourth week in court facilitated the experts Ian Johnson and Thomas Warlow (who were the prosecution’s firearms experts) and Andrew Sweeting, a forensic scientist. All these witnesses were from the Forensic Science Service (which closed in March 2012). In addition the jury heard from Graham Morris, the retired Managing Director of Eley Hawk.

  Dr Philip Avenell, our DNA expert from LGC, became involved in a challenge from the defence by their expert Mr Hodge about blood found on the shorts. Mr Hodge suggested that the blood had been rehydrated and transferred onto the shorts from another exhibit, which had housed the wet blood of Peter Dixon. Mr Hodge described how he had conducted such an experiment in the window of his bathroom and had observed such a transfer. Dr Avenell quickly demolished his home experiment and explained to the Jury that the rehydration theory could be largely discounted by the continuity work we had done. At no stage had any blood exhibits been stored with the shorts and therefore at no stage could such circumstances exist. Dr Avenell had conducted the same experiments under proper scientific conditions and rehydration could only occur in certain, highly unlikely circumstances and only within a short window of opportunity. Their possible defences were being slowly dismissed one by one and in a very measured and professional way. Dr Avenell was also able to compliment the team on the way they had handled exhibits which in turn gave him confidence in the integrity of the material.