Police suspected convicted paedophile dwelling in Charlene Downes’ dwelling had abused the Blackpool teenager earlier than she went lacking, new Daily Mail podcast reveals

Lancashire Police gave information to prosecutors about alleged offences committed by convicted paedophile Raymond Munro against Charlene Downes before her disappearance, a new Daily Mail podcast has revealed.

Munro was a ‘drinking associate’ of Charlene’s father Robert ‘Bob’ Downes and was living with the family at the time of the schoolgirl’s disappearance despite awaiting sentencing for child sex offences.

Robert went to court to support Munro for his sentencing on November 3, 2003, with his daughter missing and the search ongoing. 

Speaking to the Charlene: Somebody Knows Something podcast, both parents claimed they were not aware of what their houseguest was on trial for.

Munro, described by the Blackpool Gazette as a ‘babysitter sex fiend’, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for the indecent assault of three 10-year-old girls and a 6-year-old boy.

Revisiting Charlene’s case 22 years after she vanished, actress and campaigner Nicola Thorp has uncovered evidence that police suspected Munro of having abused Charlene while he was staying in her family home.

Charlene, 14, vanished from the streets of Blackpool on 1 November 2003

She said: ‘When I investigated Raymond Munro, I heard about a detail that has never been made public before.

‘According to the senior investigating officer of Charlene’s case, Detective Superintendent Gareth Willis, in 2005, police gave information to prosecutors about alleged offences committed by Munro in the Downes household.

‘The alleged victims were Charlene and a friend of hers, but the decision was made not to press charges. It’s unclear exactly why that decision was made.

‘When I asked about this, the senior investigating officer told me that records were ambiguous.

‘They assumed it might have been because Munro had already been convicted of serious sexual offences and was serving a lengthy sentence.

‘The whole relationship between Munro and the Downes family is really difficult to get your head around.’

Charlene, 14, vanished from the streets of Blackpool on 1 November 2003.

Despite a £100,000 police reward for information leading to the conviction of her killer, no one has ever been brought to justice.

Revisiting Charlene’s case 22 years after she vanished, campaigner Nicola Thorp (pictured) has uncovered evidence that police suspected Munro of having abused Charlene

To understand more about what really happened at the family home in the run up to Charlene’s disappearance, Thorp interviewed Robert Downes (pictured)

To understand more about what really happened at the Downes family home in the run up to her disappearance, Thorp interviewed Robert about his relationship with Munro.

Robert confirmed rumours that the day before his daughter was last seen, Munro and Charlene had an argument.

Reportedly, during the exchange, Charlene had told Munro: ‘I hope you go down for what you did.’

Addressing the argument and allegations Munro had abused Charlene, Robert told Thorp she was ‘barking up the wrong tree.’

‘[The argument] was a separate incident’, he recounted.

‘It has nothing to do with Charlene. He [Munro] did not touch Charlene. I am telling you right now and you can keep this on file, you are barking up the wrong tree.

‘Munro babysat for his neighbour and interfered with her kids. I went to court the day he got sentenced.

‘[During the argument] Charlene was on about what he did to those kids, not about touching her.’

Asked by Thorp whether he was protecting Munro, Robert replied he would never ‘defend a bloody paedophile’.

He responded: ‘If it’s a paedophile, they should go to jail. Better still, I’d put him in an electric chair.

‘Anybody touching kids like that should not even be walking around in this universe.’

The fourth instalment of Charlene: Somebody Knows Something, where Nicola Thorp addresses the allegations around the Downes household, is available now wherever you get your podcasts.

Or, get the whole series immediately at www.thecrimedesk.com.