None of us know 100% that David Morris is innocent - the fact is, we will probably never know for certain what happened in Clydach that night. 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. The killer lit fires around the house in an attempt to hide the crimes. The force is also requesting material which has previously been forensically examined by the CCRC as part of the new process. Filmed over a period of 12 months, Murder in The Valleys re-examines the murders of three generations of the same family. After leaving the force he has been unable to find work because employers Google his name and discover he was linked to the Clydach murder probe. so when it happened it was like an atom bomb for the whole community . What is required is an open and transparent investigation to finally get to the truth of what happened. 6 Feb 2022. David Morris killed three generations of the same family in the village of Clydach in 1999. Morris was not a savory character. Hania Aguilar loved purple and science. "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. 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". Morriss family and supporters dismissed the new evidence as nonsense, and said their fight to clear his name will go on. Indian officials wife distraught as his killer is freed. He was convicted again at Newport Crown Court during a retrial in 2006 and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Alison and Steve were arrested on suspicion of murder, and Stuart on perverting the course of justice but all three were later cleared. The murders in Clydach 15 years ago were almost unimaginably brutal. Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, was convicted for the second time in 2006, there have been doubts cast over his conviction, Banana artwork in Seoul museum eaten by visitor, Explosion derails train in Russian border region, NFL player's daughter, aged two, drowns in pool, JP Morgan snaps up troubled US bank First Republic, Indian 'killer' elephant relocated to tiger reserve, Trump says 'great to be home' on visit to Scotland, Ding becomes China's first male world chess champion, Father tells how gunman opened fire on Texas home. Some locals still buy into the debunked theory that a former police woman, her husband and his twin brother carried out the killings. But on April 12, local police said they found Katie and her adoptive father shot to death in his pickup truck in New Milford, Conn . Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, 'Nothing to undermine' Clydach murders conviction, South Wales Police announced a review of elements of the case, the Crown Prosecution Service said no information had been provided, Explosion derails train in Russian border region, Banana artwork in Seoul museum eaten by visitor, Trump says 'great to be home' on visit to Scotland, NFL player's daughter, aged two, drowns in pool, JP Morgan snaps up troubled US bank First Republic, Father tells how gunman opened fire on Texas home, Indian 'killer' elephant relocated to tiger reserve. After being convicted once, Morris successfully fought for a retrial, and was convicted again. 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. 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. 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. A blood-stained sock found at a crime scene links the man convicted of the Clydach murders from 22 years ago, South Wales Police have said. The man convicted of the Clydach murders has died in prison, it has been confirmed. What happened was absolutely horrendous - you can't begin to understand the [Power] family's pain and suffering. What happened on the night of the murders in Clydach? 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. But the sole question should have been whether Morris had been proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and I do not see how anybody could have reached that emphatic conclusioneven if Morris was guilty. After her trauma, she went on to play womens rugby, a rough sport that the feminist lobby wants us to believe, or pretend to believe, is as good as the mens version; several times, she was selected to play for the Welsh international team. David 'Dai' Morris was . Mrs Dawson, who was 80, was killed as she lay helpless in her bed, and the killer laid in wait for the others to return home. He had a long string of criminal convictions and had served time in prison for acts of violence as well as of dishonesty. Ms Power and her daughters were battered with a fibreglass pole, which the children used to play with, and Ms Power's body was sexually assaulted. They said: "The loss and grief our family went through and continue to go through is heart-breaking and affects so many aspects of lives. David Morris, 59, killed three generations of the same family in the Swansea Valley village in 1999. Morris contends that, although tried twice, Dai Morris, the man convicted for the murders in 2006, is innocent. No doubt many factors are to blame, but the total evaporation of religious belief must have played some part. Labourer David Morris, also known as Dai, was twice convicted of the multiple killings but his family have maintained his innocence and continue to fight to clear his name after he died in prison aged 59 last August. 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. He claimed he spent that day getting drunk watching the rugby at a local pub, where he also had a row with his girlfriend who then stormed off home. Stuart, also a policeman, happened to be the first senior officer on the scene of the Powers murders. 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. He had spent the rest of his life maintaining his innocence and appealing his conviction. He is serving a 32-year sentence. The main chapel in the little city of Brecon is now a pharmacy, caring for the bodies instead of the souls of the local people. Morris said he did have sex with Mandy and asked for money for the chain, but only to affirm his innocence rather than hide his guilt. The man convicted of the Clydach murders has died in prison, it has been confirmed. 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. 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. But he was in his late thirties, had not been in trouble for some years, and appeared to earn his living as a laborer. The 1999 murders of the four family members in Kevin Road sparked a large and complex police investigation. Police have now said an examination of a sock, widely believed to have been used by Morris during the killings, identified the presence of a mixed Y-STR profile that links him or a male relative on his paternal side to the crime scene. In July the Crown Prosecution Service said no information had been provided by the potential new witnesses to undermine the conviction. It took the jury less than a day to find 27-year-old Desmon Paul Rhea guilty o f shooting and killing . During this first trial, he explained his lies about the chain not by a desire to avoid a murder conviction, but to conceal his affair with Power from his sexual partner, Mandy Jewell, a divorce with a young child, with whom he had lived for four years. "I feel for Alison. 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. "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. VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line. Clydach murders 'worst in Wales'. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? 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. David 'Dai' Morris was sentenced in 2002 for the murders of three generations of a family who were bludgeoned to death in their home in Clydach, Wales. 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. Morris states he left at 11.30pm and decided to stay at his parents, starting a potential five-mile walk through country roads to get to them. Many will still believe there is no smoke without fire.. A judge convicted him again at Newport Crown Court during a retrial in 2006 and David was sentenced to life imprisonment. They might have been telling the truth, of course, but if so, given the definite recollections of the other witnesses, it is hard to resist concluding that, whoever was guilty, at least one criminal conspiracy was taking place in this so-called close-knit community. He remained to continue drinking. The man convicted of the Clydach murders in the Swansea Valley died of natural causes in prison, a coroner has concluded. And, despite a local labourer being later convicted of the murders, they still have to deal with the fact that some locals in Clydach, near Swansea, still believe they are responsible for wiping out three generations of the same family. Morris, 59, collapsed and died by the medication hatch on Alpha wing in Long Lartin prison, Worcestershire, last August. 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. For a long time, the principal suspect or suspects were Alison Lewis and her husband, Stephen, a police officer in the area, and his identical twin brother, Stuart, also an officer. "I hope this now provides closure for those most affected by the murders," the police said in a video released on Twitter. 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. But the doubt surrounding the case means Stuart and his wife cant go out to a local restaurant without people pointing and sometimes verbally accusing him of involvement in the murders. Murder in the Valleys is a four part true crime series. An inquest into the death of the man convicted of the Clydach murders has been opened and adjourned. It took more than two years for South Wales Police to arrest Morris, with an 11-week court case securing him four life sentences. Certainly, the witnesses had axes to grind with him. 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. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. David killed Mandy as she lay in her bed, and then waited for the others to return home. An ex-police officer has claimed his own force botched a murder inquiry leading to unfounded rumours his family was involved in the killings of a mother, her two little girls and their grandmother. He battered Mandy, along with her children, with a fibreglass pole which the children used to play with. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Morris had also previously attacked someone, hitting him with a blunt instrument around the head, but it was later dismissed as the jury was persuaded he acted in self-defence. Not one of them has got one piece of evidence. Why would Morris, by now the accused, have made it up? 2023 BBC. Even more astonishingly, at neither trial was he called as a witness to explain his behavior. His DNA wasn't found on the gold chain either, however forensics determined there was 'brick dust and green paint chips' within the links. Firefighters found the bodies of Ms Power and the girls laid out on the landing when they came to tackle the blaze. "The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has been informed.". Following requests from his defence team, some items are to be examined by an independent forensic team. She said plans to upgrade her garden, part of her retirement after 38 years in the NHS, have now been put on hold, Bullet-riddled car pictured outside A&E after man arrives with gunshot wounds, The victim is suspected to recover from his injuries, 'Royally Big Portrait' of King Charles unveiled ahead of coronation, It is made up of thousands of images drawn by members of the public, Wales Rugby World Cup training squad announcement as Gatland names host of new players, Warren Gatland has named his preliminary World Cup training squad ahead of three summer warm-up Tests and two training camps, Today's rugby news as Gatland announcement to seal duo's fate and former Wales star quits Australia job overnight, The latest rugby headlines from Wales and beyond, MasterChef Australia judge Jock Zonfrillo dies aged 46, Wales star banned from representing country as 54 named, Warren Gatland has named a fascinating initial 54-man training squad for the Rugby World Cup, The traditional looking bungalow that's nothing like you expect it to be on the inside, Prepare for a feast for the eyes hiding behind that normal, white front door, MasterChef judge and renowned chef dies suddenly aged 46, Five men charged with alleged involvement in plot to bring people into the UK illegally, Five men have been charged with facilitating the entry or the attempted entry of people into the UK, Gatland announcement to seal duo's fate and former Wales star quits overnight, I asked Tenby locals if the town was just way too popular now - they all had the same reply. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? . It was also extremely earnest about educational effort. South Wales Police has confirmed an independent forensic review will take place of some of the evidence used to convict a man over the murders of three generations of the same family. Campaigners had spent years calling for his release. Firefighters were called to the scene at around 4am for a kitchen fire, but it was only during the recovery mission, once it was put out, that the murder scene was uncovered. Poppy Dixon, Director of Documentaries and Factual Commissioning at Sky, said: The Clydach murders remain one of the largest and most divisive investigations in Welsh history. South Wales Police said it hoped the review would help the family of the victims move on and "answer the questions posed by others once and for all". 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. Now, as the police review the evidence, this series examines a case that didnt just end with a man going to jail. Is climate change killing Australian wine? Many people lined the streets for his funeral you can see the pictures here. As an angry mob gathered outside a police station, Alison Lewis thought she was going to be killed. David Morris denies the 'massacre' of Mandy Power and her family. Police found the man and woman following a 9 a.m. welfare check Sunday at an apartment in the . They found a perfect substitute suspect in Morris, a man many believed capable of extreme violence. Clydach murders appeal goes ahead. First, Morris was never seen in or near the vicinity of Mandy's home by any witnesses that evening. 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. 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. "The police and the family of Mandy Power 100% think David Morris is guilty and would like this to go away. David Morris was jailed for the murder of Mandy Power and her two daughters, Katie and Emily, as well as her mother Doris Dawson, in 1999. This detail sounds true. Morris was convicted for the second time in 2006 and was initially given a whole-life sentence, which was reduced on appeal to 32 years. As for the prosecution, it is incumbent upon it to produce a fair caseand not to obtain a conviction, as it appears here to have done, by hook or by crook. Stuart studied for a law degree while suspended and returned to his duties with South Wales Police when all disciplinary matters against him were dropped. They might have sought to protect their own, or those whom they thought were their own; and it was obvious from the outset that, with such a clear conflict of interest, the South Wales Police should have handed over the investigation to another force. A BBC Wales Investigates programme in 2020 spoke to two potential new witnesses and South Wales Police announced a review of elements of the case in January 2021. A bid to again take his case to the Court of Appeal was rejected in 2018 by the Criminal Cases Review Commission. 2 years ago. A preliminary hearing in her case was set for April 23, 2018. "There are so many unanswered questions in this case that need to be addressed. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. Stephen proceeded to sue his employer, the South Wales Police, for wrongful detention, using the services of Morriss lawyer to do so at the same time the lawyer was representing Morris in the first trial. An ex-policewoman who was linked to the brutal murders of a family of four in Clydach has begun legal action against South Wales Police, her solicitor has confirmed. The Lewis family claims to have received more than 400 threats from supporters of the Free David Morris campaign. 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. Several witnesses testified that, the night before the murders, they had seen Morris in a pub, wearing his gold chain. Monday, 14 February, 2005. Recently, on a short trip to Tenby, the ancient walled town in southwest Wales, I bought a book about four gruesome murders that took place in the village of Clydach, not far away geographically, but very far socially, from Tenby. They said also that they had comforted her for her loss, knowing, as did many in the village, that she was carrying on with Mandy Power. 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. At first, he denied that the chain was his, though he acknowledged the lie a few days before his first trial, three years later. The police investigation was flawed from the outset, which resulted in [Stuart's] reputation and life being destroyed.. His trial 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. Can you imagine anybody saying I am the monster that did this? Read more:The most gripping true crime documentaries to watch in the UK after Murder By The Coast on Netflix. The jealous are not ever jealous for the cause, says Emilia in Othello. He said: "The advancement of forensic technology has provided the opportunity for evidence-based answers to some of the questions which have been raised about forensic issues in this case, along with other matters raised by the BBC Wales documentary. Is climate change killing Australian wine? He was convicted for the murders a second time in 2006 after an earlier conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal. Assistant Chief Constable David Thorne, of South Wales Police, said: 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. The South Wales Police have a reputation, not for making the punishment fit the crime, but for making the evidence fit the suspectin this case, perhaps without even believing the suspect guilty. Mrs Dawson was killed as she lay in her bed, and the killer lay waiting for the others to return home. The slaughter of three generations of the same family sparked the biggest criminal investigation in Welsh history. Filmmaker Owen Phillips, who went to school near Clydach at the time of the murders, said the early media focus on Alison was partly because of her "unorthodox" relationship with Mandy and her martial arts training, which included a black belt in karate. ", 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. 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. "It's not what we have asked for. It also investigates the enduring repercussions of the crime. He described the sex in some detail. Morris had no alibi for his whereabouts at the time of the murders, and frequently changed his story when questioned. Due to your consent preferences, youre not able to view this. The blunt instruments that her martial-arts training enabled her expertly to wield can produce injury or death, and it is noteworthy that, in all the multiple blows that the killer inflicted on the victims, not a single one struck the walls, ceilings, floors, or furniture, as one might expect if the killer was an enraged but amateur bludgeoner. But . Martyn Lloyd-Evans, senior investigating officer of the investigation, tells Murder In The Valleys he has "no doubt in his mind" about Morris being the killer. Assistant Chief Constable David Thorne, of South Wales Police, said the reinvestigation did not "demonstrate any lack of confidence in the conviction of Morris". Morris has always maintained his innocence, but a bid to take his case to the Court of Appeal was rejected as recently as 2018 by the Criminal Cases Review Commission. This was therefore to be their model. But they were possibly worse than incompetent. She carried on casual affairs with men, including one eventually found guilty of the murders: David Morris (no relation to author Morris). He spent 22 . She had so much to give and so much to live for. 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. Mandy Power, her daughters Katie and Emily and her mother Doris Dawson, were . A forensic review of evidence linked to the brutal murders of a family of four more than 20 years ago has been agreed. 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. Fresh doubts have been cast on the conviction of the man jailed for the horrific Clydach murders in 1999. By some credible accounts, Alison was jealous and domineering of her newfound partner, Mandy: not that she was faithful to herfar from it. Welsh society was long dominated by evangelical Christianity. What the unusual mass murder verdict means for a man who killed three women in Knoxville. 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. Accompanied by a good mint yoghurt sauce, bhajis don't get much better than this', Co-op, Amazon, Argos and eBay urgently recalling products over safety concerns, Products have been recalled due to the possible presence of allergens, bacteria, chemical toxicity and burns. Following a forensic review of the case material, the force revealed in October that a blood-stained sock found at a crime scene linked Morris to the murders. Image Via Netflix. Despite attempts to resuscitate him, he was confirmed dead a short time later. @luciabinding. In July 2021 the Crown Prosecution Service said no information had been provided by the potential new witnesses to undermine the conviction. 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. The alibi could hardly be weaker: two suspects backing each other up. The murderer bludgeoned Mandy Power, 34, to death in her home on Kelvin Road. 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. He also wanted a similar chain to evade suspicion that the one at the crime scene was his. Due to the brutality of the murders, South Wales Police were under enormous pressure to find and convict Mandy's murderer.