South Wales Police said in a statement: "The decision to carry out a forensic review does not constitute a reopening or reinvestigation of the murders, nor does it demonstrate any lack of confidence in the conviction of Morris and the subsequent case reviews. The finger of suspicion fell on Stuart Lewis, his police officer brother Steve and Steves wife Alison Lewis, who was having an affair with Mandy. It is also an account of what seems a miscarriage of justice. A gold chain that he wore turned up at the murder sitein effect, the only evidence against him, other than his bad character and reputation for violence. Further, an eyewitness had seen him, or someone who looked like him, on the street near the crime scene, around the right time, and gave such a good description that the police artist composite resembled him, or his identical twin brother, strongly. Detective Carey said: "The outcome of the forensic assessment and completion of further actions have not established any information that undermines the conviction of Morris. It also investigates the enduring repercussions of the crime. One, a chronic alcoholic, was angry because Morris had refused to have sex with her, which, given his typical conduct, must have been doubly wounding; and another, a man, was annoyed because Morris had boasted in the pub that he would be able to pullhave sex withthe witnesss girlfriend without difficulty. Is climate change killing Australian wine? The Clydach Murders, by John Morris, a retired lawyer, is first-rate, as gripping an account of a crime as one is likely to read. The murders of the four family members in Kevin Road sparked a large and complex police investigation. As for Alison Lewis, she testified that she had first arrived at Kelvin Road at 9 AM, about five hours after the fire started. After waiting, wondering, they thought at last the 12-month murder probe might be drawing to a close when police made three arrests. "This case has been looked at and looked at and looked at and explored, and I'm puzzled that people can't see Morris for what he is," he said. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? "The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has been informed.". All four women had been beaten in the head with a piece of lead piping that had become somewhat of a toy to the young girls, who liked to twirl it around like a baton. The force is also requesting material which has previously been forensically examined by the CCRC as part of the new process. At first, he denied that the chain was his, though he acknowledged the lie a few days before his first trial, three years later. Mandys mother Doris Dawson was also a victim. "I really welcome the news that South Wales Police have agreed to carry out an independent review of the forensic evidence," he told BBC Wales. Twenty years on, the Clydach killings remain horrificand contested. The man convicted of the Clydach murders has died in prison, it has been confirmed. He is pictured here in 2000, David Morris, convicted of the murder of three generations of a family, Mandy Powers and her daughters Katie and Emily, Mandy was found battered to death with her mother and children, Doris Dawson was also murdered in the house, David Morris' daughter, Janiene Morris (left), and his sister Debra, Debra and David Morris were close as children, Alison Lewis, who was arrested in connection with the murders, Forensic officers search the back garden of the house on Sunday, 27 June, 1999 where four members of the same family were murdered. A judge has ruled that an appeal on behalf of a man found guilty of murdering four members of the same family, should go ahead. He tells Sky News: "The headlines were obsessed with Alison because she was a black belt, she was a Welsh rugby international, she'd been a police officer - all those things were tantalising for journalists. He said: The evidence identified at the outset to exonerate myself was lost, unobtainable, or destroyed. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Hania Aguilar loved purple and science. His new story was that he had visited Power for sex two days before the murders, and it was then that the chain had come off. ", Clydach murders: Blood-stained sock links David Morris to scene of killings, police say, David Morris was sentenced to life imprisonment for the Clydach murders. Phillips, who has previously worked on the documentaries Barrymore: Body In The Pool and Leaving Neverland, hopes his new series will finally address "what really happened that night in the summer of 1999 in Clydach". You can read here how the shadow of the horrific crime has refused to life from the village. David Morris killed three generations of the same family in the village of Clydach in 1999. Morris's trial in 2006 heard he had a sexual relationship with Ms Power and was fuelled by drink and drugs when he went on a killing spree in June 1999. Filmed over a period of 12 months, Murder in The Valleys re-examines the murders of three generations of the same family. Murder In The Valleys follows the ensuing year of re-examination. A blood-stained gold chain found at the crime scene had led police to Morris, with paint found on the jewellery matching paint used on kitchen cabinets at his flat. David then sexually assaulted Mandys body. No doubt at all. But his family, and a growing number of supporters, believe someone else is to blame for the deaths. He is serving a 32-year sentence. VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line, Why an Indian comedian is challenging fake news rules. You can imagine the fear and paranoia that was happening where people were worried about who could have committed these murders. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. Among the evidence was a blood-soaked sock police believe was used as a glove, and a gold chain that appeared to have been pulled off the killer in a fight with Mandy. During his initial interview, he said the gold chain wasn't his, but was similar to one he had broken about two weeks later while working on a building site. "There are so many unanswered questions in this case that need to be addressed. The Clydach murders: a full timeline. The new evidence emerged after the force appointed an independent senior investigating officer and forensic laboratory to oversee a forensic review of the case material following a request from Morris's representatives last year. First, Morris was never seen in or near the vicinity of Mandy's home by any witnesses that evening. But the forensic evidence strongly suggested that Powers mother was the first to be killed, while the other victims-to-be were out of the house, only to be slaughtered on their return. "Notwithstanding the fact that Morris has been convicted based on the overwhelming evidence against him, South Wales Police has shown a commitment to providing evidence-based answers to the issues which have been raised about this case over many years. 2023 BBC. THE CASE: The worst mass murder in South Wales criminal history was also the most grotesquely savage. It's added the incomplete mixed Y-STR result is "as expected as if Morris had contributed to it". "Due to the advancement of forensic technology we may now be in a position to answer some of the questions which have been raised about forensic issues in this case.". What the unusual mass murder verdict means for a man who killed three women in Knoxville. David Morris . The Clydach Murders, by John Morris, a retired lawyer, is first-rate, as gripping an account of a crime as one is likely to read. He said: It is too late to fully exonerate my name. "For 12 months, there were no arrests. Sky Crime's new true-crime series, Murder In The Valleys, takes a deep dive into a 22-year-old case which many believe resulted in a wrongful conviction. It is also an account of what seems a miscarriage of justice. Read about our approach to external linking. His family dismissed the findings and vowed to clear his name. To bolster this claim, the police produced a small-time drug dealer, who said that he had sold Morris amphetamines shortly before the murders. Mrs Dawson was killed as she lay in her bed, and the killer lay waiting for the others to return home. Since most British criminals have committed five to ten times as many crimes as those for which they have been charged, he had doubtless caused others much misery. She was also a black belt in karate, which she put into practice one day when a Welsh boxing champion objected to her same-sex canoodling in a pub. At the time, he was a father to two daughters, and was living with his girlfriend, and didn't want to be found out as a cheater. Former Inspector Stuart Lewis was held in a cell for four days, interviewed 26 times and suspended for four years after being arrested in connection with one of the worst crimes in British legal history. I do not necessarily read them, though I always intend to do so: and good intentions are, of course, an important component of the moral life. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. The Kidnap and Murder of Lynda Spence: What happened and was her body ever found? A forensic review of evidence linked to the brutal murders of a family of four more than 20 years ago has been agreed. No doubt many factors are to blame, but the total evaporation of religious belief must have played some part. A review of issues relating to the conviction of David Morris for the murders of Mandy Power, her two daughters Katie and Emily and her mother Doris Dawson in Clydach in 1999 has led to significant findings as a result of analysing key forensic evidence. David Morris was jailed for the murder of Mandy Power . "Those sort of things don't really happen in those sort of communities - close-knit, industrial communities," he says. But the judges ignored this evidence in their charges to the jury, giving credence to her alibi: that she was in bed with her husband, Stephen, at the time of the murders. A year before her arrest, Alison's lover Mandy Power had been found dead along with Mandy's mother Doris and daughters, Katie, 10, and Emily, aged eight. Circumstantial evidence also implicated Alison Lewis, including her jealousy and capacity for violence and her awareness that her lover was still seeing men. "In my view, as the independent senior investigating officer, the new findings from the samples taken from the sock support the existing evidence that originally convicted him.". Alison Lewis has spoken to a new documentary about her arrest over the deaths of Mandy Power, her mother Doris and daughters Katie and Emily. Morriss way of removing the threat, on this view, would be to kill Power, and then the witnesses to the initial murder. It took seven years before someone was convicted for the crimesand then, it was possibly the wrong man. But . That is never going to happen. (Incidentally, when hostilities broke out between them, he would retire for a time to his Winter Palace, a flat rented from the council. The team at Five Mile Films have meticulously re-examined the case and bring fresh scrutiny to the historic inquiry, in a richly thought-provoking and gripping series.. At the time, Alison was involved in a torrid affair with Mandy Power. Photo: It took seven years for Britains criminal-justice system to convict someone for the grisly murders of Mandy Power, her children, and her elderly mother. Queen Charlotte review: A Bridgerton triumph, Michelle Yeoh stars in trailer for new Poirot film, EastEnders announces eating disorder story for Ben, I'm a Celebrity airs trial twist for new campers. Read about our approach to external linking. But he was in his late thirties, had not been in trouble for some years, and appeared to earn his living as a laborer. Alison herself had been in the police force but had been invalided out on disability after witnessing an upsetting suicide. But no one has ever said what evidence there is against me, Stephen and Stuart, apart from hearsay, gossip, rumours and lies. What happened was absolutely horrendous - you can't begin to understand the [Power] family's pain and suffering. The review, which was being overseen by Devon and Cornwall Police, was then expected to move on to look at forensic issues also challenged in the documentary. Even more astonishingly, at neither trial was he called as a witness to explain his behavior. Due to the brutality of the murders, South Wales Police were under enormous pressure to find and convict Mandy's murderer. Murder On 13 Reasons Why. "Our thoughts remain with the families and those affected by this case and acknowledge the significant impact it continues to have on them," it added. But the police were clearly reluctant to pin the blame on their ownnamely, one or both Lewis twins, or Alison, a former police officer. . Another possible motive was that Power threatened to expose him to his girlfriend Jewell, supposedly a close friend of hers. "HMP Long Lartin prisoner David Morris died on August 20," a Prison Service spokesman said. I completely understand it but what I didnt understand is why it was always put onto us.. Campaigners had spent years calling for his release, casting doubt on the integrity of the original investigation. The former Welsh women's rugby international, and ex-policewoman, had been arrested over the brutal killings of three generations of the same family - and a "baying, screaming" crowd was waiting for her. We tried the Indian curry house Wrexham owner Ryan Reynolds said was the best in Europe, 'They are superb - a perfectly crisp outside gives way to a soft, golden inside, which is both fragrant and flavourful. An accused MS-13 gang member has been arrested in Holiday, Florida, and charged in what the sheriff described as a "demonic" murder of an Uber Eats delivery driver whose remains were found . were also investigated, but subsequently did not undermine the case against Morris, police said. People are entrenched in their views about who did it.". Ms Power and her daughters were battered repeatedly with a fibreglass pole, which the children used to play with, and Ms Power's body was sexually assaulted. He always maintained his innocence. A BBC documentary in 2020 questioned the safety of the conviction after it featured interviews with two potential witnesses. University lecturer and journalist Brian Thornton, one of the founders of the Crime and Justice Research Centre at the University of Winchester, has studied the Clydach murders for a decade. But South Wales Police have refused to release the report regarding the DNA to his defence team, which despite his death in August 2021, is continuing to fight for his exoneration. Following Morris's death this summer, his family gave permission for a blood sample to be taken from him so the tests could be carried out. 2 years ago. ", Fresh doubts over Clydach murders conviction, Convicted Clydach murderer 'an easy target', MP calls for review of Clydach murders conviction, Professor casts doubt on Clydach murders conviction, Police speak to 'new witnesses' after murder doc, Forensic review agreed for 1999 murders evidence, Russia launches missile attacks on Ukraine, Air strikes pound Sudan capital as truce extended, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo dies. The evidence against the Lewises was more compelling, though not probative. Clydach murderer of three generations of the same family in the Swansea Valley village in 1999, Dai Morris' cause of death is still questionable after he died on Friday (August 20, 2021) in prison at the age of 59. Mandy Power, her daughters Katie and Emily and her mother Doris Dawson, were bludgeoned to death at their home in Clydach, near Swansea in June 1999. In the early hours of Sunday, June 27, 1999, the bodies of Dorris Dawson, 80, her daughter Amanda Power, 34, and her granddaughters Katie, 10, and Emily, 8, were found in their burned out home in Kelvin Road, Clydach, Wales. For some inexplicable reason, and in complete dereliction of duty, he left the site, returned to the police station, and did nothing, except telephone someone on a publicand therefore unrecordedphone. The drug dealer was awaiting a trial of his own, however, and it is not impossible that the police offered him a deal in exchange for his testimony. Because he refuses to admit his guilt, he remains subjected to the prison regime with the least comforts and privilegesand he will remain so until he acknowledges his guilt. Many will still believe there is no smoke without fire.. ST. LOUIS COUNTY Two people are dead after an apparent murder-suicide in north St. Louis County. Morris had no alibi for his whereabouts at the time of the murders, and frequently changed his story when questioned. "I became the devil," she tells a new documentary. He was convicted of the murders for a second time in 2006, after an earlier conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal, and was jailed for a minimum of 32 years. Is climate change killing Australian wine? The police were, at minimum, grossly incompetent, gaining a doubtful final conviction after seven years, only after ignoring the obvious while pursuing mares nests. 'I became the devil': Trauma of woman wrongly suspected of murdering an entire family in Clydach, Alison Lewis features in a new documentary about the Clydach murders. Former builder David "Dai" Morris - who claimed he had a fling with Mandy - was eventually convicted of the murders and spent 22 years in jail before his death in August last year. Why would Morris have done this? Morris' sister and aunt spoke with WalesOnline in September 2021 you can read the interview here. Now a Sky Crime documentary re-examines the murders. Morriss first trial ended with his conviction, but it was quashed when it emerged that his solicitor (in England and Wales, the lawyer preparing the case instructs the advocate, who pleads it in court, the two functions being separated) was acting not only for Morris but for the three Lewises, the only other suspects in the case. The murderer bludgeoned Mandy Power, 34, to death in her home on Kelvin Road. They were preparing to have a life together. But perhaps the most significant feature of the story, at least to me, is what appears to be the total moral collapse of at least part of Welsh society. Former Inspector Stuart Lewis was held in a cell for four days and says the way his own force dealt with the murder inquiry has ruined his life. The vicious death sparked one of the most expensive and extensive investigations in the history of the South Wales police. He said the announcement was "hugely significant". However, in a 2021 review, DNA on a blood-stained sock confirmed Morris or at least a close family member on his paternal side was at the scene of the crime. Despite the evidence placed against him by the prosecution, and his double conviction, there is an equal amount of evidence to suggest Morris was not guilty of the crimes. On Nov. 5, 2018, the 13-year-old disappeared from her mobile home park in Lumberton in a case that gripped her home of Robeson County . The true story behind Netflix's The Nurse, What Sins of Our Mother leaves out of true story, What Netflixs Boston Marathon doesn't address, Who was David Koresh? Forensic review agreed for 1999 murders evidence, Fresh doubts over Clydach murders conviction, Police speak to 'new witnesses' after murder doc, Russia launches missile attacks on Ukraine, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo dies, Air strikes pound Sudan capital as truce extended. David Morris was tried twice for murder after his first conviction was quashed. She was having an affair with Mandy at the time of the murder and Stuart was the first senior officer on the scene of the crime. The inquiry was the largest and most complex murder investigation ever undertaken by a Welsh police force. David Morris, 59, killed three generations of the same family in the Swansea Valley village in 1999. In particular, those who lost three generations of the same family and have had to revisit those painful memories time and time again over the last two decades. Alison and Stephen had been arrested for the murders a year after the crime, but eventually released for lack of evidence. Sky News talks to a maker of the series, Murder In The Valleys, which takes a forensic look at the biggest homicide investigation in Welsh history. The jury in the Clydach murder retrial has been told they will never forget what were described as the worst murders Wales has ever seen. Morriss relationship with Jewell was volatilethe euphemistic expression for violence commonly employed when a couple exercises little self-controland he feared her reaction on discovering his infidelity. . Either it was true, in which case it suggested something about the morality of the eventual victim, as well as her attitude toward her elderly mother; or, if untrue, it suggested that Morris thought that it would have no effect on peoples view of him because, around here, everyone behaved like this. Due to your consent preferences, youre not able to view this. I was remanded in custody for four days, interviewed on 26 occasions and suspended for four years., In a statement given exclusively to the Mirror, Stuart says he believes police officers made a catalogue of errors fuelling speculation his family was responsible for the tragedy. Several witnesses testified that, the night before the murders, they had seen Morris in a pub, wearing his gold chain. And one should remember that a man with a criminal record is not therefore a murderer, even when a murder takes place near to where he lives. David Morris was found guilty of murdering an entire family of four including two young . Stephen Lewis's identical twin brother, Stuart, was also investigated at the time of the murder. Police found the man and woman following a 9 a.m. welfare check Sunday at an apartment in the . No one thought that an outsider had committed the murderers. But after the documentary aired, South Wales Police said no information had been provided that undermined Morris's conviction. The Powers family maintain to this day, given the evidence they've seen in court, that Morris is the man responsible for the death of Dorris, Mandy, Katie and Emily. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. whether it's definitive proof or if it wouldn't stand up in court). "She had the trauma of the murder and then she was a suspect.". Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? However, this ruling was later overturned on appeal due to a conflict of interest by a defence solicitor. She played the viola. However he was convicted again during a retrial in 2006 and was sentenced to life imprisonment. We have already shared the findings from Operation Dolomite with the Criminal Cases Review Commission to complete the due process and demonstrate transparency. David Morris killed three generations of the same family, Mandy Power and her daughters, Emily and Katie, were murdered in their home in 1999, Doris Dawson was found murdered in her bed, A number of fires were lit in the home after the murders, Although Emily and Katie Power were murdered, an expert previously said their mother was the main target, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. City Journal is a publication of the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research (MI), a leading free-market think tank. It's way too rough and steep', Discovery a huge hint to what the planet was like millions of year ago and if live veer flourished on our near neighbour, DWP explains the 57 health conditions that qualify you for over 400 a month in attendance allowance, Millions of people are entitled to the money, Woman punched, scratched, and bit stranger who told her off for kicking bins, The victim said he had an anxious wait for the results of blood tests to see if he had caught any diseases as a result of the bite, Warning to motorists that they should never drive for less than three minutes, Woman fumes over Lidl store towering above her garden, The retired nurse said a Wickes DIY store is doing similar, blocking the sun and warmth. The investigation, named Operation Dolomite, was led by detectives Steve Carey and Ian Ringrose and police forensic expert David Lloyd from Devon and Cornwall Police. BBC News. What accounts for this collapse? As someone trained in forensics, moreover, she would know better how to clean up a crime scene than would Morris, who, according to some, had neither the intelligence nor the knowledge to do a good job of it. I loved being with her and everything about her made me happy.. He remained to continue drinking. Indian officials wife distraught as his killer is freed. "The police and the family of Mandy Power 100% think David Morris is guilty and would like this to go away. The man convicted of the Clydach murders has died in prison, it has been confirmed. His legal representatives made a request to South Wales Police in November, following the airing of a BBC Wales Investigates programme on the conviction of Mr Morris, asking for various items of evidence to be released for further investigation by their forensic scientists. The prosecution claimed David was fuelled by drink and drugs when he went on the killing spree. She told the four-part TV documentary: Who would want to believe that somebody in their family is capable of that? During that trial, the prosecution produced evidence via phone records proving he was at home at the time he claimed to be sleeping with Mandy. The intruder also murdered Mandys daughters Katie, 10, and Emily, eight. According to Lewis, they had made love three times the day before, though if the victim had showered thoroughly, as she habitually did several times a day because of the psoriasis from which she suffered, the DNA would not have been present. The family had been bludgeoned to death with a pole in an "orgy of savagery", prosecutors said, before their house was set on fire in June 1999. Chief Sub Editor Despite attempts to resuscitate him, he was confirmed dead a short time later. Just as alarming was the lack of probity of Morriss first lawyer, who imposed a condition on the barrister representing the client in court that he was not to adduce evidence that could implicate or cast suspicion on any of the Lewises.