A former detective involved in the initial investigation into the disappearance of Charlene Downes has come forward with a startling claim. He says he received a credible tip in 2014 that named her alleged killer, but he never discovered what action police took with the information.
The Informant's Chilling Account
Harry Court, speaking to the Charlene: Somebody Knows Something podcast, stated that he received a phone call eleven years after the 14-year-old vanished from Blackpool on 1 November 2003. The call was from a trusted informant who had provided reliable information on other cases.
This informant alleged that his contact was ready to testify. The account was that a man, already known to police and linked to a criminal network in Blackpool, had killed Charlene after sexually abusing her with two other men. The informant's contact claimed that during a drug-fuelled session involving group sex, Charlene panicked, screamed, and ran out of the property. The man in question allegedly followed her and strangled her to death.
Court, who had retired by this time, found the information credible and immediately passed it to a contact within Lancashire Police.
Promises Made and Broken
The former detective told podcast host Nicola Thorp that the informant's contact was willing to give King's evidence, meaning he would testify in court in exchange for immunity from prosecution.
Court alleged that his police contact promised to interview those implicated and, due to the sensitivity of the information, vowed to visit Court personally to provide an update. He never heard back from his colleague.
When the podcast later inquired with Lancashire Police about this specific tip, the force responded simply, stating: 'This is known to us and has been investigated.'
A Case Marred by Loose Ends
This is not the first time this unnamed individual has been connected to the case. Mohammed Raveshi, who was charged with Charlene's murder but saw the case against him collapse in 2008, had previously complained that this same man visited him in prison and threatened to kill him.
Host Nicola Thorp, who grew up in Blackpool near Charlene's family, said there are many 'loose ends' like this hanging over the investigation. She questions whether the tip was untrue or if police simply hit a dead end, a question that remains unanswered due to the opacity of the legal process and classified reports.
Despite a £100,000 police reward for information, no one has ever been brought to justice for the murder of Charlene Downes. The fifth episode of Charlene: Somebody Knows Something, which examines the failures of the Lancashire Police investigation, is available now.
