Christopher Halliwell

Christopher Halliwell, notorious double child murderer convicted in 2012, faces yet another trial

Retrial ordered after Halliwell abuses the course of justice

On November 9, 2022, the High Court in London, England ordered a new trial for the notorious double child murderer Christopher Halliwell. The 58-year-old was convicted in 2012 of murdering 20-year-old Sian O'Callaghan and 22-year-old Becky Godden, two women who disappeared within months of each other in 2003 and 2005 respectively. Due to Halliwell’s conviction, he received a full life sentence with the possibility of parole after serving 25 years.

However, a new turn of events has unfolded with the emergence of evidence that suggests Halliwell had abused the course of justice during his 2012 trial. This evidence includes allegations that Halliwell had attempted to intimidate witnesses and that he had planted false evidence in an attempt to discredit the prosecution's case.

The gruesomeness of Halliwell’s crimes

Halliwell's history of offending is nothing short of gruesome. In the case of O'Callaghan, he abducted her from the Suju Nightclub in Swindon, Wiltshire, on March 19, 2003. He then drove her to a secluded location in Uffington, Oxfordshire, where he raped and murdered her. Halliwell then dumped her body in a field, where it was found three weeks later by two dog walkers.

In the case of Godden, Halliwell picked her up in his taxi in Swindon on January 2, 2005. He then drove her to Ramsbury, Wiltshire, where he again raped and murdered her. Halliwell then buried her body in a shallow grave in an abandoned quarry, where it was discovered three months later by a group of hikers.

Halliwell was finally arrested in 2011 after a partial DNA match was found on O'Callaghan's body. He was subsequently charged with the murders of both women and was found guilty by a jury in 2012.

Halliwell’s attempt at abusing the course of justice

During Halliwell's 2012 trial, there were allegations that he had attempted to intimidate witnesses. These allegations included claims that he had threatened witnesses and that he had offered them money to change their testimony.

There were also allegations that Halliwell had planted false evidence in an attempt to discredit the prosecution's case. These allegations included claims that he had planted a knife at the scene of O'Callaghan's murder and that he had planted a pair of gloves at the scene of Godden's murder.

The ordering of a retrial

The High Court in London ordered a retrial for Halliwell after reviewing the evidence of his alleged abuse of the course of justice. The court found that there was a "real possibility" that the jury in Halliwell's 2012 trial had been misled by the false evidence that he had planted.

The retrial is expected to begin in January 2023. Halliwell will remain in custody until then.