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CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews 24 Hours In Police Custody: The Butcher Of Suburbia: Armchair sleuths will have cracked this case before the first ad break…

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If I continue to be disrespectful towards all actors on television, it’s likely that I will meet a violent end. What I don’t desire in such a situation is for the case to be handled by real estate professionals.

However, as depicted in the two-part documentary 24 Hours In Police Custody: The Butcher Of Suburbia, this is the manner in which the Bedfordshire police conducted themselves upon visiting a woman’s residence who was reported missing.

As a police officer arrived at the dormer bungalow in Fairfield during last Sunday’s episode, he couldn’t help but think it resembled an old chapel, since lodger Scott Paterson had mentioned that his 74-year-old landlady, Annette Smith, hadn’t been seen for six weeks.

The officer remarked, “It’s quite large, isn’t it?” as recorded by his body camera. He was surprised to find, “There’s also a second floor.

Channel 4 has a keen interest in topics related to houses and real estate, but it would be best if the police’s serious crime unit refrained from conducting property tours, leaving that task to Phil and Kirstie instead.

Law enforcement agencies grant movie production teams access to their ongoing investigations as it helps boost their public image. They believe that effectively resolving complex murders demonstrates their efficiency, commitment, and relentlessness.

However, with an abundance of such programs now available, audiences often grasp the hints ahead of the initial commercial break, giving the impression that investigators might be lagging behind in their pursuit.

As police officers from Bedfordshire examined the property for possible modernization, us armchair detectives had already noticed a striking inconsistency in the lodger’s account.

Did Paterson assert that Annette didn’t come back after preparing a rather large suitcase for a getaway with a companion, yet the house appeared almost completely empty? What size was that bulky suitcase?

It seemed evident that Paterson hadn’t anticipated the old woman coming back, given that even her bed linens were missing. Telling the investigators about his confusion, Paterson could hardly have appeared more unconvincing if he had claimed the woman was kidnapped by extraterrestrials.

Surprisingly, the police asked him to leave under the assurance that they would contact him if Annette appeared. It wasn’t until three months passed, when Paterson was arrested for driving under the influence, that they started to doubt the harmless appearance of the solitary lodger.

Later on, the federal authorities in Bedfordshire took up some traditional methods of investigation. It was found that emails supposedly penned by Annette were sent from her residence, several weeks following her disappearance. Additionally, her jewelry continued to appear at a web-based gold buyer offering cash for goods.

It took a detective constable asking an apparent question for certain guilt to be confirmed. In essence, they pondered if the person was accountable for Annette Smith’s demise.

Paterson took a dramatic pause before confirming, after a brief moment, that indeed he was the one who had taken her life, cut up her body, and discarded the pieces in various public trash cans.

Eagerly seeking additional admissions, the lead investigator inquired, “Is there any similar action you might have taken previously?

After a prolonged silence, Paterson responded, “I don’t have an immediate answer for that.” The detectives appeared content with his non-response, suggesting they found no cause for further inquiry. Essentially, there was no need to linger any longer.

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2025-07-01 03:05

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