The Pembrokeshire Murders: Catching the Bullseye Killer
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It was a privilege to have met such wonderful people during this investigation, in particular the victims of the Milford Haven attack and the families of Richard and Helen Thomas and Peter and Gwenda Dixon. Their dignity and strength was truly amazing and their support was unwavering. The conversations and discussions I had with Tim, Keith and Julie always left me with a feeling of total admiration for them as a family. Peter and Gwenda would be very proud of the people they have grown to be. I also had the pleasure of meeting members of the Thomas family, Angela, Robert and Richard James who are good Pembrokeshire people. Sadly, shortly before the court case, ‘Maria’ one of the Milford Haven victims passed away and never saw justice. She had never really recovered from the ordeal. This book is dedicated to her and the rest of the victims and family members.
Dramatis Personae
Detection Team
Steve Wilkins: Detective Chief Superintendent – Senior Investigating Officer
Debbie Chodecka: File team – researcher
Colin Clark: Detective Sergeant – Interview Co-ordinator
Helen Coles: Family Liaison
Sue Groves: HOLMES Team
Lynne Harries: Acting Detective Chief Inspector – Deputy Senior Investigating Officer, Management Team
Anne Hetherington: HOLMES Team
Fred Hunter: Detective Constable – Family Liaison
Olly James: Detective Constable
Andy John: Detective Superintendent-Deputy – Senior Investigating Officer, March to November 2006
Nigel John: Detective Constable – Researcher, HOLMES Team
Glyn Johnson: Detective Inspector – Management Team, File preparation
Janet Jones: HOLMES Team
Nigel Jones: Detective Constable – Interview Team
Paul Jones: Detective Sergeant – File preparation
Barry Kelly: Acting Detective Sergeant – Disclosure co-ordinator
Dafydd Llywellyn: Principle Analyst
Helweyn Lovatt: File Team
Steve Mears: Detective Chief Superintendent – Forensic Management Team
Emma Owens: Analyst
Liz Reed: Analyst
Gareth Rees: Detective Sergeant – Interview team, File preparation
Mark Roach: Detective Constable
Stephen Rowe: Detective Constable – Researcher
Donna Thomas: Family Liaison – file team
Gareth Thomas: Inspector
Glan Thomas: Crime Scene manager – Management Team
Sharon Thomas: Admin Support
Martin Vaughan: Sergeant
Dyfed Powys Police
Ian Arundale: Chief Constable, Dyfed Powys Police
Terrence Grange: Chief Constable, Dyfed Powys Police
Andy Edwards: Deputy Chief Constable – Chair Gold Group
Nick Ingram: Assistant Chief Constable, Dyfed Powys Police – Chair of Gold Group
Dean Richards: Chief Superintendent – Pembrokeshire Division Commander
Rhian Davies-Moore: Head of Communications, Dyfed Powys Police
Sian George: Press Officer
Sharon Reynolds: Press Officer
Paul Bethel: Major Crime Review Team
David Davies: Retired Chief Superintendent
Derek Davies: Retired Detective Superintendent
Don Evans: Retired Chief Superintendent
Aldwyn Jones: Retired Chief Superintendent
Clive Jones: Retired Detective Chief Superintendent
Chris James: Retired Detective Chief Inspector
Euros Lewis: Superintendent – Public Protection Co-ordinator
Jeff Thomas: Retired Detective Chief Superintendent
Des James: SIO Advisor for National Police Improvement Agency
Martyn Lloyd Evans: South Wales Police Major Crime Review Team
Dr O.G. Williams: Home Office Pathologist
Prof Bernard Knight: Home Office Pathologist
Justice System
Justice John Griffiths Williams KT: Trial Judge
Gerard Elias QC: Chief Prosecuting Lawyer
David Elias: Junior Counsel for Prosecution
Mike Jones: Junior Counsel for Prosecution
Mark Evans QC: Defence Counsel
Alistair Munt: Junior Counsel for Defence
Tom Atherton: Head of Crown Prosecution Service Complex Case Unit
Grenville Barker: Disclosure Lawyer for Crown Prosecution Service
LGC Forensics
Dr Phil Avenell: Forensic Scientist
Dr Angela Gallop: Forensic Scientist
April Robson: Fibre Expert
Roger Robson: Fibre Expert
The Cooper Family
Patricia Cooper: wife of John Cooper
Adrian Cooper: son of John Cooper
Teresa Cooper: daughter of John Cooper
Philip Cooper: brother of John Cooper
Wayne Cooper: nephew of John Cooper
Victims of Cooper’s Crimes
Helen Thomas: victim of Scoveston Park Murders
Richard Thomas: victim of Scoveston Park Murders
Gwenda Dixon: victim of Coastal Path Murders
Sheila Clark: victim of Sardis robbery
Maria, Jane, Susan, Steven and Peter are fictitious names of the victims of the Milford Haven robbery and rape and sexual assaults.
Peter Dixon: victim of Coastal Path Murders
Julie Dixon: daughter of Peter and Gwenda Dixon
Tim Dixon: son of Peter and Gwenda Dixon
Keith Dixon: brother of Peter Dixon
The Authors
Steve Wilkins retired in September 2012 as Detective Chief Superintendent and Head of Crime for Dyfed Powys Police. A career detective for 30 of his 33 years. Steve received seven commendations for major crime investigations. Operation Ottawa was recognised on a national basis in 2011 and received the ACPO Homicide Working Group award for best investigation: the investigation was described as “one of the finest investigations in British policing history”. Steve was also seconded to the National Criminal Intelligence Service as Head of Region for the North West and South East of England. He has been involved in a number of high profile investigations including the murder of Kirsty Jones, a back packer from Wales who was killed in Thailand.
For nearly twenty years Jonathan Hill has been the main presenter of ITV News in Wales. As an award winning journalist he has covered some of the biggest news stories in Wales from the Gleision mining disaster to April Jones. Jonathan has an interest in crime reporting and presented the popular ITV series Crime Secrets for almost a decade. Jonathan is also Editor of English Language Programmes at ITV Cymru Wales and is responsible for over seeing a range of programmes from the current affairs series Wales This Week to the consumer show The Ferret. Jonathan spent four years working on the television version of The Bullseye Killer which won a BAFTA(Wales) for Best Current Affairs. This is his first book.
Helen Thomas (top left). The fire meant that there were very few good quality images of the Thomases. Richard Thomas (top right) was a private man; he probably disturbed Cooper when he returned to Scoveston Park Farm, seen here burned out in 1985.
Peter Dixon. An active man who we believed put up a fight, and probably caused a rib injury to Cooper.
Gwenda Dixon. After blasting her to death we were certain that Cooper had stolen her spare shorts from her rucksack.
In 1989 Detective Chief Superintendent Clive Jones released this artist’s impression (right) of the suspect using Peter Dixon’s cash card in Haverfordwest. The picture of Cooper (left) is a still from footage of his appearance on Bullseye, within months of the Dixon murders
Top. Four different images of the same pair of shorts, stolen from Gwenda Dixon and found at Coopers house. The shorts provided a wealth of evidence. Bottom. Cooper kept the tools of his trade in his shed. Fibres recovered from floor sweepings connected him to the Sardis robbery and the Ottawa offences.
mbrokeshire Murders: Catching the Bullseye Killer