How a group of rookie policewomen caught one of England's most wanted men
This week I was lucky enough to win a Royal Television Society award for my film 'Decoy.' Below you can watch - for free - the documentary about this female-led, dangerous, daring covert operation.
The idea came from America. It was outlandish, far-fetched… and desperate.
But in the city of Bristol, England, police were at the end of their tether.
It was 1979 and for nearly two years a man had been attacking women, seemingly at will, as they walked home from bars and clubs.
The assaults were life-changing for the women. And he seemed to get more violent with each one. Detectives linked seven attacks to one man.
Survivors gave a good description of the monster: a tall man with a handlebar moustache and a Northern accent.
Detectives had tried everything in the policing toolbox: high-visibility patrols, publicity campaigns and covert operations. They’d looked up every murderer and sex attacker who they knew had been released from prison and was living in society.
Nothing.
A young probationary officer, Christopher Gould, saw a documentary about ‘agent provocateur’ tactics used by American police.
He suggested it to his bosses who said ‘yes.’
Every young female officer was asked to take part. There weren’t many of them.
Twelve women volunteered. they were all aged between 18 and 23. They agreed to walk Bristol’s Whiteladies Road - the main strip near the attacks.
The decoys would be watched by teams of observation officers hiding in the shadows.
In four short episodes ‘Decoy’ tells the story of this unique undercover unit and the risks these officers took with their own safety.
Three of the women - Michelle Leonard, Steph Bearden and Sally Defazio - recount what it was like walking the streets knowing this attacker might strike at any moment.
The film describes how the plan finally worked - on its final night. It reveals the terrifying choice one young officer had to make: should she put her own life at risk? Or put her own safety first and allow other women to be attacked?
And it reveals the sinister secret of a man leading a murderous double-life.
If you want to watch the whole film in a single sitting, you can see it here:
The films are all © ITV News. These links are for viewing purposes only and may not be downloaded, re-edited or re-broadcast.
COMING UP!
On Tuesday May 2, I’ll be releasing my latest podcast episode. It’s free to everyone, but there will be extra material available for paid members: more video interviews and visuals from inside one of the craziest police raids I’ve ever heard about.
If subscribing is for you, please do click here:
The episode after that will be just for paid subscribers. It’ll be out in mid-May. And we’ll be going back in time to learn about the man who has a strong claim to be the world’s first detective.
Eugène-François Vidocq (1775-1857) established Paris’ Sûreté. This inspired both England’s Scotland Yard and later the FBI. He also revolutionised covert policing, set up card indexing systems and developed fingerprinting and ballistics.
Before becoming a master detective, he was a convict.
But Vidocq was also a huge inspiration for some of crime fiction’s biggest characters: Sherlock Holmes, Edgar Allen Poe’s August Dupin and Arsène Lupin.
His story is incredible and I will be featuring an interview with his biographer. Please do subscribe if this interests you.
Thanks for reading,
Best wishes,
Rob