IT is probably the single
most vital and conclusive
piece of evidence
in any murder
investigation.
The recovery of a victim's body
will determine how and when that
person was killed and the injuries
they have suffered.
But how do detectives prove someone
has been murdered and secure
a conviction when the body of a
missing person has never been
found - and is unlikely to ever be
recovered?
It was the situation facing officers
investigating the "disappearance"
of 32-year-old Southampton
mum-of-five Belinda Gibson in
February 2002.
Theman leading the inquiry, then
Det Insp Jason Hogg, knew in the
very early days that she had been
murdered at the hands of her husband
- but proving it and getting
David Gibson and his father Leslie
before the courts on a murder
charge was to take a further twoand-
a-half years.
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"It is one of very few cases nationally
that has seen a conviction without
a body," said Det Chief Insp
Hogg, who works in Hampshire's
major crime department.
"We had to prove that beyond
doubt Belinda Gibson was dead.
David Gibson
That involved building up a picture
of her life, looking at who she contacted,
the phone calls shemade, the
people she regularly spoke to, the
shops she visited.
We could see quite clearly
that after a certain date -
the weekend of February
16-18 - that contact had
stopped. She had basically
disappeared off
the radar."
As part of the massive
investigation
every single Belinda
Gibson listed in the
country was contacted.
"We had to make sure
she wasn't living somewhere
else as herself. We
checked all the databases,
such as the NHS, DVLA,
the AA. There were
many places we
had to check
with and
w e
h a d
to find out how possible it was to
change a name and how that
process works.
"We had to consider that maybe
Belinda Gibson just went away and
never wanted to be found - that was
David Gibson's line.
"He said that she had told him she
wanted to go away - that she needed
a break from him and the kids.
"He told us she had come back a
week later just to take some
things, that she hadwanted
to check thingswereOK."
A search of the home
they shared together
provided no clues and no
forensic evidence.
David Gibson had
never reported his
wife missing but police
were alerted after a
woman heard third-hand
how he had told his neighbour
Annamari Weeks that
he would kill his wife.
"His daughter
r e a l i s e d
t h i n g s
we r e
missi
n g
i n
the house. That was David Gibson
moving things around, trying to
get rid of the evidence. There was
not a trace of her, which backed up
the thought she was murdered on
that day."
As the murder enquiry progressed
andwith still no idea where
Belinda's body may be, officers
worked against a Presumption of
Death chart - a document which
lists every enquiry that needs to
take place to support the thought
that someone is dead.
Det Chief Insp Hogg said: "We
would have done anything and listened
to any idea that would help us
track Belinda down. Every unidentified
body in theworldwas checked
out by us at the time, just to prove it
wasn't Belinda.
"Eventually that proof of death
chartwas accepted by the defence at
court. It was agreed that Belinda
Gibson was dead - it was two-and-a
-half years on."
In July 2004 at Winchester crown
Court, David Gibson, then 33, of
Purvis Gardens, Sholing, and Leslie
Gibson, 66, of Mortimer Road,
Merry Oak, were jailed for life.
It was put that Gibson senior
helped his son suffocate the former
hairdresser and then dump
Belinda's body in the Solent, off
the Needles, weighted down with
concrete.
After the conviction David Gibson
dramatically admitted to disposing
of the body, but denied killing her.
"He thought he had committed the
perfectmurder. He had done a lot of
research and planned how it was
going to work.
"I didn't believe a word David
Gibson said from the beginning. He
was a liar, someone who told lies to
people in his day-to-day life. His
motive, I think, was that he didn't
want to be with her anymore.
"Infuriatingly I don't think
Belinda's family will ever get to
know exactly what happened to her
or where her body was dumped.
What they do know is who killed
her and when.
"This is possibly the best investigation
I'veworked on, or everwill. It
showed me that there is no such
thing as a perfectmurder.
"Nomatter how well someone can
plan, how good their witnesses are,
how strong their alibi is - every
murder can be detected it's just
down to getting that little bit of
luck."
Posted by: andrew, netley abbey on 1:30pm Tue 12 Feb 08
hey i am a foster child and 3 children of belinda gibson came to our foster home in 2002 i just wanted to say how sorry i feel for them it must be dreadful knowing their mother may have been murdered by their DAD!! and grandad!!
hey i am a foster child and 3 children of belinda gibson came to our foster home in 2002 i just wanted to say how sorry i feel for them it must be dreadful knowing their mother may have been murdered by their DAD!! and grandad!!
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