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The Investigation

Crime Files

The Investigation

“In his own mind – he was doing them a favour” David Holmes – Criminal Psychologist

Operation Minstead was set up in 1998 and was the largest and most controversial investigation that Britain had ever seen. DNA evidence found in 1992, matched with DNA evidence found at a crime in 1998, but disappointingly, no link was found on the DNA National Database.

In 2001 Detective Superintendent Simon Morgan took charge. There were already 73 cases linked to the Night Stalker. Looking through the case notes he realised that the perpetrator had a distinctive method. From flattened grass found in the victims’ gardens, police could see that the Night Stalker was prepared to wait for hours until he knew for certain that the victim had gone to bed.

He’d attack by carefully and quietly removing the whole window in one piece to gain entry, moving any ornaments away from window sills to avoid making noise as he entered. He’d switch off the electricity supply at the mains, cut telephone wires and unscrewed light bulbs around the house. He also mobile phones above cupboards, making them harder to find.

The brutality of his attacks on the elderly left the police with little to go on. Most victims were so traumatised; they were unable to recall any details. It was left to behavioural profilers to help shine some light. They detected that he must have worked with the elderly at some point, as he used similar techniques when lifting and moving his victims. They also worked out that he must have worked at night as his comings and goings didn't arouse suspicion. In nearly every case the police were astounded at just how clean and tidy he was. It was believed the person they were hunting must have had an obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

In order to move forward with the case, the police decided to use a pioneering new technique called Ancestral DNA profiling. It proved the man they were looking was of Caribbean descent, allowing them them to reduce their number of suspects by several thousand.

In 2007 the police saw the Night Stalker’s pattern of behaviour changing. He became more focused on stealing money. More importantly his careful planning was beginning to falter, and mistakes were being made.