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Disappearance of Charlene Downes
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Disappearance of Charlene Downes
Charlene Elizabeth Caroline Downes (born 25 March 1989) disappeared on 1 November 2003, when she was 14, from the town of Blackpool, a seaside town in north-west England where she had lived. Downes was last seen in an area of the town centre that contained several takeaway and fast-food units. Lancashire Constabulary, the police force investigating her disappearance, believe that she was murdered within hours of the last sighting.
Two men were tried in May 2007—one for Downes' murder, the other for helping to dispose of her body—but the jury failed to reach a verdict. A re-trial was scheduled, but in April 2008 the accused were released because of concerns about the evidence compiled by Lancashire Constabulary.
The police believe that, for a protracted period before her disappearance, Downes had been the victim of child sexual abuse at the hands of one or more men. They interviewed 3,000 people and found that she and other girls in the area had been "swapping sex for food, cigarettes and affection", a form of child sexual exploitation known as localised grooming. It is thought that 60 local girls may have been targeted.
On 1 August 2017, a 51-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murdering Downes and was released two days later. He is no longer under investigation. A £100,000 reward remains on offer for information leading to the conviction of her killer(s) or the recovery of her body.
Downes was born in Coventry, West Midlands, on 25 March 1989. The family moved to Blackpool, Lancashire, in 1999.
She lived in Buchanan Street, Blackpool, with her parents—Karen and Robert Downes, a former soldier—as well as her brother and two sisters. Charlene attended St George's School, Blackpool. Although described in court as "well and happy", she had experienced a "chaotic" lifestyle after being expelled from school, frequenting the area around Blackpool's Central Promenade.
According to an internal police report, Downes was one of 60 girls in Blackpool, some as young as 11, who had been groomed by ethnic Pakistani men to carry out sex acts. The girls would be given food and cigarettes by the male employees of fast-food outlets in exchange for sex.
The Downes family had been known to the child protective agencies in Coventry, Walsall, and Blackpool, with services first investigating the family in 1989, the same year that Downes was born. The investigation found that Downes had been surrounded by sex offenders, many who had been invited into the home by her father, Robert. It was thought that at least 16 men with convictions of rape, assault and violence had visited the family home or stayed at the residence. Downes' parents claimed they were not aware of the convictions.
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Disappearance of Charlene Downes
Charlene Elizabeth Caroline Downes (born 25 March 1989) disappeared on 1 November 2003, when she was 14, from the town of Blackpool, a seaside town in north-west England where she had lived. Downes was last seen in an area of the town centre that contained several takeaway and fast-food units. Lancashire Constabulary, the police force investigating her disappearance, believe that she was murdered within hours of the last sighting.
Two men were tried in May 2007—one for Downes' murder, the other for helping to dispose of her body—but the jury failed to reach a verdict. A re-trial was scheduled, but in April 2008 the accused were released because of concerns about the evidence compiled by Lancashire Constabulary.
The police believe that, for a protracted period before her disappearance, Downes had been the victim of child sexual abuse at the hands of one or more men. They interviewed 3,000 people and found that she and other girls in the area had been "swapping sex for food, cigarettes and affection", a form of child sexual exploitation known as localised grooming. It is thought that 60 local girls may have been targeted.
On 1 August 2017, a 51-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murdering Downes and was released two days later. He is no longer under investigation. A £100,000 reward remains on offer for information leading to the conviction of her killer(s) or the recovery of her body.
Downes was born in Coventry, West Midlands, on 25 March 1989. The family moved to Blackpool, Lancashire, in 1999.
She lived in Buchanan Street, Blackpool, with her parents—Karen and Robert Downes, a former soldier—as well as her brother and two sisters. Charlene attended St George's School, Blackpool. Although described in court as "well and happy", she had experienced a "chaotic" lifestyle after being expelled from school, frequenting the area around Blackpool's Central Promenade.
According to an internal police report, Downes was one of 60 girls in Blackpool, some as young as 11, who had been groomed by ethnic Pakistani men to carry out sex acts. The girls would be given food and cigarettes by the male employees of fast-food outlets in exchange for sex.
The Downes family had been known to the child protective agencies in Coventry, Walsall, and Blackpool, with services first investigating the family in 1989, the same year that Downes was born. The investigation found that Downes had been surrounded by sex offenders, many who had been invited into the home by her father, Robert. It was thought that at least 16 men with convictions of rape, assault and violence had visited the family home or stayed at the residence. Downes' parents claimed they were not aware of the convictions.