Serial killer police search garden
Police investigating the background of serial killer Peter Tobin have today begun to search gardens of two properties in Brighton, one of which belongs to a housing association.
Specialist search teams are using ground-penetrating radar at 152 Marine Parade, Brighton where the triple-murderer lived in the 1980s to see if there is evidence of any further victims. A second private property is also being searched.
Brighton Housing Trust have organised counselling and offered alternative living arrangements for the residents of the block of flats, six of which overlook the garden.
Andy Winter, chief executive of Brighton Housing Trust, said: ‘We’ve got a well developed critical incident procedure in place to deal with situations such as this. We made sure that staff were in place before the story broke this morning, and we’re working with family liaison officers to ensure that residents are offered the right support.
‘This is a distressing time for those living in the flats, and we’ve made sure there are empty properties available if people feel they want to move. There are also staffed rest centres set up for people to talk to staff or just escape for a while.’
The property, which contains twenty seven flats, was not owned by BHT when Peter Tobin was a resident.
Mr Tobin, 63, was convicted of strangling 18-year-old Dinah McNicol last December, and told he would die in jail. The former church handyman was already serving life terms for the murders of 15-year-old Vicky Hamilton and Angelika Kluk, 23.
Under Operation Anagram, all police forces in England and Wales were asked to conduct background enquiries to identify any potential victims by examining outstanding missing persons, abductions and rapes, and cross-referencing them with Mr Tobin’s chronology.
As a result, the two addresses in Brighton were identified and there was enough intelligence to warrant searches of the back gardens.
A police spokesperson said: ‘We are making every effort to minimise disruption and have appointed resident and community liaison officers for each address, offering regular updates and street briefings to keep those affected informed and to ensure that they can go about their day-to-day business as unhindered as possible.
‘We have also offered reassurance to the owners and occupants of other premises in Brighton & Hove where Peter Tobin resided that their properties will not be searched.’
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Readers' comments (3)
gordon thompson | 12/07/2010 3:30 pm
Is there any real need to do this? I appreciate that families may need closure - but he is already in jail for life so what will be gained by looking for more stuff. If we need to save cash isn't this work which could be left alone? I would rather cut funds for this than other things which will impact upon living people.
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Anonymous | 12/07/2010 4:09 pm
Gordon - I expect there is a need to do this... they are looking for bodies, not 'stuff'.
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Only One | 13/07/2010 2:42 pm
Gordon - your sympathy has brought a tear to my eye. I'm sure the families of those missing don't really care what happened to them, it was so long ago now can't they just move on? There's no need for closure, or even to lay them to rest with respect, rather than being left in some back garden (if that is the case). Some blokes in jail, it's all OK, nothing to see, move along. Good grief, it even costs money to find victims.......
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