Mother battles for truth about her daughter’s death

Warning: You may find this report distressing

Seven days ago, 48-year-old taxi driver Christopher Halliwell, pleaded guilty to the murder of Sian O’Callaghan, and was sentenced to life in prison. But the judge ruled that Halliwell could not be tried for the murder of Becky Godden-Edwards, even though he had led police to her body buried in a field, because the officer present had not reminded him of his rights. That officer has since been suspended pending an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Karen Edwards has asked the police to see Halliwell in prison, to see if she can elicit a fresh confession:

“I would ask him why he murdered my daughter? When he murdered my daughter? And I would want to know how he murdered my daughter? Somebody would say to me why do you want to know how? Because it’s haunting me.”

Becky, who would have been 30 earlier this year, had last been seen by her family over eight years ago.

Drug abuse

When Becky disappeared she was already living a troubled life, despite her family’s efforts to help her.

Bullied at school, she had begun mixing with drug users. By 17 she was already dependent on heroin. Her mother describes how she resorted to desperate measures to try to wean her off the drug:

“I went out and bought heroin. Becky was with me, I had all the contacts – via Becky – and I would ring them up, and I would go and buy the heroin, much against my son and my husband’s disgust .. because she needed it, and rather than her go out and get it – anything could have happened to her – so rather than that, I would go and get it . And then I knew how much she was having and I could control it.”

But despite repeated efforts to get her off drugs – including booking her into a residential drugs clinic – Becky would leave home and disappear for weeks, sometimes months, without calling.

Karen last saw Becky in December 2002. For years her search for her daughter was fuelled by rumoured sightings. Until the news of the discovery of a second body as well as that of Sian O’Callaghan. Karen says that she knew straight away it was her daughter:

“Call it mother’s instinct.. I was here and the breaking news was on the tv and my instant words to Charlie, was ‘I think the second body’s Becky.'”

Steve Fulcher, the police officer who broke the rules but found her body and is now suspended, should be reinstated says Karen:

“Without that man, I would have never, ever got my daughter back. In my eyes he’s a hero and he’s being punished for doing his job.”