Claudia/Halliwell: Commissioner Metcalfe Responds

Claudia/Halliwell: Commissioner Metcalfe Responds

by TIM HICKS

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Introduction

In my article Claudia: New Developments, I described how NYP has fixated obsessively on the belief that Claudia’s killer is one of her social circle and the investigation was completely contaminated with confirmatory bias towards this line of enquiry (which is now exhausted) to the exclusion of all other suspects, most particularly serial killer Christopher Halliwell.

Claudia Lawrence and Christopher Halliwell

Halliwell is currently serving a full life sentence for the 2003 murder of Becky Godden-Edwards and the 2011 murder of Sian O’Callaghan.

In particular, NYP issued CCTV showing a man behaving suspiciously near Claudia’s home on the day she disappeared. Footage can be seen here.

NYE reader Arrin Stoner has enhanced this CCTV which shows a man closely resembling Halliwell.

Enhanced CCTV image from NYE reader

showing a man closely resembling Halliwell outside Claudia’s home, provided to NYP by the NYE and ignored

Whilst I fully accept that the images could be flawed and have not been analysed by a forensic image technician, nevertheless in my view, in a case of this magnitude, all lines of enquiry should be followed up.

NYP has issued a statement that it is “unlikely” that Halliwell was in York at the material time, even though it has not been able to establish his movements. My article Claudia: Halliwell confirmed as a suspect covers the statement and the incredible mistakes it contains.

There has been no official statement saying that Halliwell has been eliminated as a suspect in the Claudia Lawrence investigation. Yet NYP is ignoring the CCTV images developed by the NYE and refusing to interview Halliwell in prison.

To try and force NYP to consider this evidence, I made formal complaints about the conduct of the investigation to the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire Zoe Metcalfe, -who is charged with holding the police to account.

The Complaints

From: Timothy Hicks
Sent: 21 April 2023 18:53
To: Information NYPCC (info@northyorkshire-pfcc.gov.uk)
Subject: Murder of Claudia Lawrence

Dear Commissioner Metcalfe,

Police Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe,
Office of the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire,
12 Granby Road,
Harrogate,
North Yorkshire,
HG1 4ST

Murder of Claudia Lawrence

Further to my e mail to you of the 15^th of April 2023, which has not been acknowledged and which you appear to be ignoring in accordance with your joint policy with the Chief Constable of proscribing me, I write to confirm that I have published an article on the latest statement from North Yorkshire Police on the Claudia Lawrence murder investigation, which is below for your information.

http://nyenquirer.uk/halliwell-confirmed-suspect/

Can also confirm that I have not received any response from Detective Superintendent Wayne Fox to my e mail of the 15^th of April 2023, which is below. Accordingly, please can you record a complaint against Detective Superintendent Fox for:

1. 1. Incivility: Failure to respond to correspondence.
   2. Failure to comply with College of Policing guidance on media relations.
   3. Failure to follow up all lines of enquiry in the Claudia Lawrence enquiry relating to the suspect Christopher John Halliwell, specifically: Enhanced CCTV images received from NYE reader Arrin Stoner.
   4. Failure to follow up all lines of enquiry in the Claudia Lawrence enquiry relating to the suspect Christopher John Halliwell, specifically: Correspondence from me with the same enhanced CCTV images.
   5. Failure to follow up all lines of enquiry in the Claudia Lawrence enquiry relating to the suspect Christopher John Halliwell, specifically: My e mail of the 15^th of April below.
   6. Failure to follow up all lines of enquiry in the Claudia Lawrence enquiry relating to the suspect Christopher John Halliwell, specifically: Failure to interview Christopher John Halliwell in prison over his whereabouts at the material time and to give him the opportunity of admitting or denying his involvement in the murder of Claudia Lawrence.
   7. Failure to follow up all lines of enquiry in the Claudia Lawrence enquiry relating to the suspect Christopher John Halliwell, specifically: Failure to review clothing found at a trophy store at Ramsbury Wilts, thought to have been taken from Halliwell’s victims to see if any of it can be matched to Claudia.
   8. Failure to follow up all lines of enquiry in the Claudia Lawrence enquiry relating to the suspect Christopher John Halliwell, specifically: Failure to review a series of sketches of locations made by Halliwell to see if they can be identified as the White Horse at Kilburn, or any other place where Claudia Lawrence’s body could be hidden.
   9. Issuing a media statement to the public which stated it was “unlikely” that Christopher Halliwell was in York at the time of Claudia Lawrence’s abduction, when this assertion has no basis in fact, because Halliwell’s whereabouts at the time are unknown.

Pending resolution of this complaint and the related complaint about Chief Constable Winward below, I would request that Detective Superintendent Fox is suspended from any further part in the Claudia Lawrence investigation and a senior officer from another force, preferably the Metropolitan Police is called in to perform a complete review the investigation and to lead it going forward.

Please can you also direct NYP to issue a statement clarifying the situation with the investigation and confirming clearly if Halliwell (a) has been eliminated as a suspect and how this has been achieved, or (b) remains a suspect.

I would welcome any media statement you, Chief Constable Winward or Detective Superintendent Fox would care to issue for publication in the NYE.

I look forward to your response in due course.

Yours sincerely,

Timothy Hicks

NUJ Membership Number WO15306

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Dear Commissioner Metcalfe,

Further to my e mail below, please can you record a complaint against Chief Constable Winward for pursuing a policy of proscribing me as a journalist. This policy has resulted in requests for media comment being ignored and information I have provided in connection with ongoing investigations being disregarded.

This is:

1. 1. Contrary to the College of Policing Guidance on Media Relations and Communications.
   2. Contrary to the Chief Constable’s duty to investigate crime. In particular the investigation into the murder of Claudia Lawrence.

I look forward to your response in due course.

Yours sincerely,

Dear Detective Superintendent Fox,

Murder of Claudia Lawrence

I read the statement below with great interest.

Statement in response to media coverage linking Wiltshire convicted murderer Christopher Halliwell to the Claudia Lawrence investigation | North Yorkshire Police

I would very much like to discuss the case with you, as there have been developments which you may not be aware of on the Halliwell investigation. However the joint policy of Chief Constable Winward and Police Fire and Crime Commissioner Metcalfe of proscribing me has meant that North Yorkshire Police has a policy of ignoring any information I provide to you and your colleagues. So there is no point in me forwarding any information to you.

Yours sincerely,

Timothy Hicks

I have not received a response to my complaint about Detective Superintendent Fox. However, I have now received Commissioner Metcalfe’s response to my complaint against the Chief Constable, which is below:

Commissioner Metcalfe’s response

From: Customer service [mailto:customerservice@northyorkshire-pfcc.gov.uk] Sent: 19 May 2023 15:29
To: Timothy Hicks
Subject: Complaint Assessment outcome – 0019

Dear Mr Hicks

Thank you for your patience in this matter I can now confirm that your complaint against the Chief Constable has been fully assessed.

Complaint Allegations

Further to my email below, please can you record a complaint against Chief Constable Winward for pursuing a policy of proscribing me as a journalist. This policy has resulted in requests for media comment being ignored and information I have provided in connection with ongoing investigations being disregarded. This is:

1. 1. Contrary to the College of Policing Guidance on Media Relations and Communications.
   2.  Contrary to the Chief Constable’s duty to investigate crime. In particular the investigation into the murder of Claudia Lawrence.

Assessment Outcome

North Yorkshire Police have confirmed that the Chief Constable for North Yorkshire Police has had no direct involvement in this matter and was not the decision maker therefore you are not eligible to make a complaint against the Chief Constable.

In terms of the concerns you raise you may wish to consider making a complaint against the Police force, if this is something you would like to consider could you please let me know by completing our online complaint form at: Thanks and complaints | North Yorkshire Police.

On receipt of this your complaint will be assessed by a member of the team. A range of steps can then be taken in accordance with the IOPC statutory Guidance Statutory guidance on the police complaints system (policeconduct.gov.uk) – for example, after working with your designated caseworker we may be able to resolve your complaint in a less formal but nevertheless thorough way, by means of a local resolution. This can be flexible and is often the quickest and most effective way to resolve a complaint. For more serious complaints, satisfying certain legal criteria, the Complaints and Recognition Team will refer the matter to North Yorkshire Police’s Professional Standards Department to carry out a formal assessment.

Kind Regards

M Ayres

Senior Customer Service Advisor

Office of the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire

A few observations

• Neither Chief Constable Winward nor Commissioner Metcalfe denies that their joint policy of proscribing the NYE is contrary to the College of Policing guidance on media relations. This has been ignored in the Commissioner’s response above.
• The Chief Constable is responsible for force policy. Chief Constable Winward personally imposed the media policy of proscribing the NYE as soon as she was appointed Chief Constable. This policy is now being used to ignore lines of enquiry in a murder investigation.
• Whilst I accept that the SIO is responsible for the day to day running of the investigation. That does not absolve the Chief Constable of responsibility as the Chief Officer commanding North Yorkshire Police. Chief Constable Winward has received evidence of misconduct in the investigation and has a duty to intervene. Instead she has used her media policy of proscribing the NYE to ignore it. This appears to me to be contrary to the College of Policing Code of Ethics requirements to “promote openness and transparency within policing and to the public” and to “challenge or take action against the conduct of colleagues which has fallen below the standards of professional behaviour”.

In summary, it is quite clear that my complaint above is valid, but has been ignored by the Office of the Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner, no doubt with the approval of Commissioner Metcalfe. NYP is refusing to follow up on all lines of enquiry in the Claudia Lawrence investigation and is routinely ignoring the ethical guidance from the College of Policing.

Commissioner Metcalfe receives a salary of £74,400 per annum and the taxpayer pays £1,435,000 per annum for her Office to hold the police to account and prevent these abuses. Yet she is supporting this misconduct by supressing complaints. Thereby avoiding her duty to intervene and hold the police to account.

The question has to be asked, does Commissioner Metcalfe represent value for money, or fulfil any useful purpose?

Right of Reply

If you are mentioned in this article and do not agree with the views expressed in it, or if you wish to correct any factual inaccuracy, please let me know using the letters@nyenquirer.uk email address and your views and a correction will be published if appropriate.

NYE Appeal for Information

Whenever the authors run an article on a cold case, the NYE always runs an appeal for information, to try to keep the case in the public eye and generate information.

Christopher Halliwell had a slim athletic build and spoke with a slight Swindon accent. He is pictured in the lead illustration in 2011, two years after the murder of Claudia Lawrence. You can see and hear him in the video here.

Did Halliwell offer you a lift in his minicab?

Did you know of Christopher Halliwell’s Father Alan Keith Halliwell who is believed to have lived in Huddersfield, York, Ampleforth and/or Oswaldkirk and who previously served in the RAF at Swindon and other locations?

Did you see Christopher Halliwell staying in a bed and breakfast or hotel along the A19, in Darlington, Middlesbrough, Scarborough, York or the North York Moors area?

Did you see Christopher Halliwell:

• Fishing at Scarborough?
• Fishing at Whitby?
• Fishing at Scaling Dam?
• Fishing at Sand Hutton Gravel Pits?
• Fishing at York University Lake?
• In York?
• At Ampleforth?
• At Oswaldkirke?
• At the Kilburn White Horse?
• At the Nag’s Head or the Acomb Hotel in York?
• In Middlesbrough?
• Fishing along the River Tees?
• On the North York Moors?
• In Darlington?

Any information would considerably assist our knowledge of Halliwell’s movements. So please contact the NYE in complete confidence using our email address: news@nyenquirer.uk if you think you can help.