Murder of Colette Aram
Encyclopedia
The murder of Colette Aram concerns Colette Aram, a 16-year-old trainee hairdresser who was abducted, raped and strangled as she walked from her home to her boyfriend's house in Keyworth
, Nottinghamshire
, on 30 October 1983. The murder was the first case to be featured on the BBC
television series Crimewatch
when it began in 1984. However, despite receiving over 400 calls as a result of the programme, Nottinghamshire Police
were unable to catch the killer, and it was not until 2008 and following advances in forensic technology that police were able to develop a DNA profile of the suspect. Paul Stewart Hutchinson was finally charged with the murder in April 2009. He initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea to guilty on 21 December 2009 and was sentenced to life imprisonment on 25 January 2010. Following his sentencing, Crimewatch ran a recap of the murder and investigation on BBC TV on 27 January 2010 exposing several inaccurcies reported in the press about his background, notably a lie about being a psychology graduate.
Police launched a murder investigation, and on 7 June 1984 the murder of Colette Aram was the first case to be featured on the newly launched BBC
television series Crimewatch
, a programme which reconstructs major unsolved crimes with a view to gaining information from members of the public. As a result of the appeal, police received 400 tip-offs and were able to eliminate 1,500 suspects from their enquiries. However, the killer remained at large. The case was featured for a second time on Crimewatch's 20th anniversary show in 2004.
In 2008 advances in forensic technology allowed Nottinghamshire Police
to put together a DNA profile of the killer, and officers appealed for members of the public to come forward with the names of suspects who could then be DNA tested using a mouth swab. A similar appeal had been made in the hunt for the M25 rapist
and had proved successful.
Police received more than 100 calls from members of the public.
It was the arrest of Hutchinson's son, Jean-Paul, in June 2008 on a motoring charge which provided the link to the killer. In the UK, DNA swabs are routinely taken from all who are arrested.
for the murder of Colette Aram. Colette's mother Jacqui Kirkby said Hutchinson's sentencing brings some relief, but the family now need to know why Colette was killed - a question Hutchinson refused to answer. On 11 October 2010, Hutchinson was found unconscious in his cell at Nottingham Prison. He died in an ambulance on the way to hospital. It is believed he took an overdose of medication but a post mortem examination was inconclusive.
Keyworth
Keyworth is a village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England. It is located about 6 miles southeast of the centre of Nottingham...
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, on 30 October 1983. The murder was the first case to be featured on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television series Crimewatch
Crimewatch
Crimewatch is a long-running and high-profile British television programme produced by the BBC, that reconstructs major unsolved crimes with a view to gaining information from the members of the public. The programme is usually broadcast once a month on BBC One...
when it began in 1984. However, despite receiving over 400 calls as a result of the programme, Nottinghamshire Police
Nottinghamshire Police
Nottinghamshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the shire county of Nottinghamshire and the unitary authority of Nottingham in the East Midlands of England. The area has a population of just over 1 million....
were unable to catch the killer, and it was not until 2008 and following advances in forensic technology that police were able to develop a DNA profile of the suspect. Paul Stewart Hutchinson was finally charged with the murder in April 2009. He initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea to guilty on 21 December 2009 and was sentenced to life imprisonment on 25 January 2010. Following his sentencing, Crimewatch ran a recap of the murder and investigation on BBC TV on 27 January 2010 exposing several inaccurcies reported in the press about his background, notably a lie about being a psychology graduate.
Disappearance and investigation
Colette Aram left her home in Normanton Lane, Keyworth, shortly after 8pm on 30 October 1983 to walk the one and a half miles to her boyfriend's house. She was usually collected by her boyfriend, but his car was off the road. She was last seen at about 8.10pm turning into Nicker Hill where she stopped to talk to a group of friends, and witnesses reported hearing a woman screaming followed by a car driving off at speed shortly afterwards. The alarm was raised when she did not arrive at her boyfriend's house, and after a series of frantic phone calls, police were called at 10.30pm to help family and friends search for Colette. Her naked body was found dumped in a field about a mile and a half from where she had been abducted at 9am the following morning. She had been raped and strangled.Police launched a murder investigation, and on 7 June 1984 the murder of Colette Aram was the first case to be featured on the newly launched BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television series Crimewatch
Crimewatch
Crimewatch is a long-running and high-profile British television programme produced by the BBC, that reconstructs major unsolved crimes with a view to gaining information from the members of the public. The programme is usually broadcast once a month on BBC One...
, a programme which reconstructs major unsolved crimes with a view to gaining information from members of the public. As a result of the appeal, police received 400 tip-offs and were able to eliminate 1,500 suspects from their enquiries. However, the killer remained at large. The case was featured for a second time on Crimewatch's 20th anniversary show in 2004.
In 2008 advances in forensic technology allowed Nottinghamshire Police
Nottinghamshire Police
Nottinghamshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the shire county of Nottinghamshire and the unitary authority of Nottingham in the East Midlands of England. The area has a population of just over 1 million....
to put together a DNA profile of the killer, and officers appealed for members of the public to come forward with the names of suspects who could then be DNA tested using a mouth swab. A similar appeal had been made in the hunt for the M25 rapist
Antoni Imiela
Antoni Imiela is a British rapist and paedophile of German and Polish origin, found guilty of the rape of nine women and girls, and the kidnap, indecent assault, and attempted rape of a 10-year old girl...
and had proved successful.
Police received more than 100 calls from members of the public.
It was the arrest of Hutchinson's son, Jean-Paul, in June 2008 on a motoring charge which provided the link to the killer. In the UK, DNA swabs are routinely taken from all who are arrested.
Arrest of suspect
A man, Paul Stewart Hutchinson, aged 50, was arrested and charged with the murder in April 2009. Hutchinson entered a plea of not guilty on 5 October but changed his plea to guilty at a pre-trial hearing on 21 December 2009.Sentencing and death
On 25 January 2010, Stewart Hutchinson was jailed for life with a minimum of 25 years at Nottingham Crown CourtNottingham Crown Court
Nottingham Crown Court, or more formally the High Court of Justice and Crown Court, Nottingham is a Crown Court and High Court of Justice in Nottingham, England.-Description:...
for the murder of Colette Aram. Colette's mother Jacqui Kirkby said Hutchinson's sentencing brings some relief, but the family now need to know why Colette was killed - a question Hutchinson refused to answer. On 11 October 2010, Hutchinson was found unconscious in his cell at Nottingham Prison. He died in an ambulance on the way to hospital. It is believed he took an overdose of medication but a post mortem examination was inconclusive.
See also
- Antoni ImielaAntoni ImielaAntoni Imiela is a British rapist and paedophile of German and Polish origin, found guilty of the rape of nine women and girls, and the kidnap, indecent assault, and attempted rape of a 10-year old girl...
, who was caught using a similar DNA profiling method - Murder of Hannah FosterMurder of Hannah FosterThe murder of Hannah Foster is a British murder case where a 17-year-old student was raped, strangled and murdered after a night out in Southampton in March 2003. Foster was murdered by an Indian Sikh immigrant Maninder Pal Singh Kohli...