Woman unmasks dad as evil killer as she solves chilly case homicide of minor 30 years on
WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: The mutilated body of 17-year-old Melanie Road was found by a milkman and his 10-year-old son and sparked a nationwide manhunt, but her killer was only caught three decades later
A woman inadvertently unmasked her dad as the evil killer more than 30 years after he raped and murdered a teenage schoolgirl.
For more than three decades, the wife and two children of Christopher Hampton were oblivious to the fact that they were sharing their lives with a dangerous beast. And yet, it was his own daughter who would eventually expose the perpetrator of a crime that shocked the nation and became one of Britain’s most perplexing unsolved cases – without her even realising she had.
This month commemorates the 30th anniversary of the national DNA database, the world’s first database to collect genetic samples from crime scenes and individuals to assist police in solving crimes.
Currently, the database holds the DNA of approximately 5.9 million Brits and has been instrumental in convicting some of the country’s most dangerous criminals, many of whom believed they had escaped justice for years.
This was certainly true for the murderer of 17-year-old Melanie Road, whose body was discovered by a milkman and his 10-year-old son just metres from her home in Bath at 5.30am on June 9, 1984.
Melanie, described as bright and outgoing by her family, had chosen to walk the short distance home in the early hours after a night out with friends.
Assaulted in a quiet suburban cul-de-sac, she had been stabbed 26 times through her clothing, which her killer removed to rape her before redressing her. Melanie’s death triggered a nationwide manhunt, codenamed Operation Rhodium, but police were hopeful her killer would be apprehended quickly.
A blood trail leading away from the crime scene revealed that the murderer shared a blood type with only 3% of the population. A total of 71 swabs of blood and semen were collected from the location, as well as from the teenager’s clothes and body, reports the Mirror.
An astounding 94 men were apprehended, only to be ruled out one after another. As leads dried up and months turned into years, Melanie’s murder seemed destined to become one of the unsolved cold cases that haunt every police department.
DNA testing was not available at the time, but the samples were preserved by the police. When the national DNA database was established in April 1995 – 11 years after the murder – a profile of the suspect was uploaded.
In 2009, a Crimewatch appeal on the 25th anniversary of the murder generated 72 new leads, but each was subsequently dismissed.
However, in 2014, an unrelated incident occurred which would lead to a breakthrough. A 41-year-old woman in Bath was arrested following a domestic dispute with her partner during which a necklace was broken.
Police protocol for domestic violence incidents meant she was cautioned, her DNA taken and then added to the national database.
The following year, when the DNA testing for Melanie’s killer was re-run, a familial match was found with the woman. The police reached out to her and it transpired that her father, Christopher Hampton, was a painter and decorator from Bristol who had resided locally at the time of the murder.
Detectives took a swab from him, but given the 64-year-old’s quiet life and lack of criminal record, they didn’t expect the results to link him to the crime. However, five weeks later, in July 2015, Hampton’s DNA was found to match the blood at the murder scene.
For 30 years, he had concealed his dark secret from everyone, including his wife Julie and their two adult children, Amy and stepson Darren. His wife and three children from his first marriage – including the daughter whose DNA led to his capture – were also oblivious to his horrific past.
It was later revealed that he and Julie, 55, lived a mundane life in their end-of-terrace house in the Fishpond area of Bristol.
Initially Julie couldn’t fathom the idea that her devoted husband of 26 years could be the culprit behind Melanie’s vicious killing. She stood by him, frequently visiting with their daughter Amy.
However, everything changed when he admitted his guilt a week before the scheduled trial.
In May 2016, he received a life sentence for the murder of Melanie at Bristol Crown Court and was ordered to serve at least 22 years behind bars, and was told by the judge he would “very likely die in prison.”
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
