When it collapsed, the coarsest hedonism replaced it, which the Clydach murder case illustrates graphically. A forensic review of evidence linked to the brutal murders of a family of four more than 20 years ago has been agreed. But the police were clearly reluctant to pin the blame on their ownnamely, one or both Lewis twins, or Alison, a former police officer. The intruder also murdered Mandys daughters Katie, 10, and Emily, eight. David Morris, 59, killed three generations of the same family in the Swansea Valley village in 1999. No one thought that an outsider had committed the murderers. Some locals still buy into the debunked theory that a former police woman, her husband and his twin brother carried out the killings. Following requests from his defence team, some items are to be examined by an independent forensic team. His cause of death was never officially confirmed. David Morris, 59, killed three generations of the same family in the Swansea Valley village in . "Morris was convicted unanimously by a jury on the strength of the prosecution case and independent reviews by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) have not identified any new evidence. Morris was serving a 32-year sentence for bludgeoning Mandy, her daughters and her mother to death at their home in Kelvin Road, Clydach in June 1999. Even more astonishingly, at neither trial was he called as a witness to explain his behavior. The timing was important, given Morriss claim that he had left the chain in Powers house two days before the murders. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Morris contends that, although tried twice, Dai Morris, the man convicted for the murders in 2006, is innocent. But retired Detective Supt Martin Lloyd Evans, who led the investigation, is 100% sure South Wales Police got the right man. The presence of children made no difference to their behavior, and since everyone in that small community was au courant with almost everything, it is unlikely that the children were protected from knowledge of that behavior. BBC News. He was convicted again at Newport Crown Court during a retrial in 2006 and was sentenced to life imprisonment. There is an integrity to this, unlike to the system itself, which dishonestly takes acknowledgment of guilt and expressions of remorse as a proxy for improvement and reduced propensity to re-offend. 6 Feb 2022. Certainly, the witnesses had axes to grind with him. His rapidly changing story put him in poor favour with the jury, who saw the discussion at the pub and the chain as evidence of his guilt. 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. He later changed his story when his cousin, Eric Williams, said Morris had asked him for money to buy a chain similar to the one he had lost, and he had bragged that he'd slept with Mandy the Friday before the murders, leaving the chain there. After four days of intense questioning on suspicion of the quadruple murder in Clydach, South Wales, Alison was released on bail and hid in the back of a car as she left the station. Indeed, the jealous are often jealous because they themselves are unfaithful and suppose that everyone is like them. He then changed his mind, returning to his own house by 4.30am. Mandy was always kind, loving, tried to do her best all the time, and enjoyed her life and her children. But perhaps the most significant feature of the story, at least to me, is what appears to be the total moral collapse of at least part of Welsh society. 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. were also investigated, but subsequently did not undermine the case against Morris, police said. David 'Dai' Morris was convicted for the murder of a grandmother, mother and two young daughters in 1999. 4.32. A disabled grandmother, a mother and her two little girls were killed with a ferocious intensity that takes the breath away. This included the Newsagent Three of 1987, where three men were wrongfully convicted and spent 11 years in prison for the murder of a newsagent, and five Black men wrongfully convicted for the murder of a woman in 1988. 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. 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. However, in a 2021 review, DNA on a blood-stained sock confirmed Morris or at least a close family member on his paternal side was at the scene of the crime. Though, or perhaps because, Clydach is a small place, tight-knit and socially incestuous, the storya shocking one, of byzantine complexityis more than enough to put one off the supposed joys of community, if not forever, at least for some time. Copyright 2023 Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, Inc. All rights reserved. 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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 for all its unattractive qualitiesI would have chafed under its dominationit provided a moral framework (or perhaps straitjacket would be a better way to put it) in which life was to be lived, and that gave a distinctiveand, in some ways, charmingcharacter to Welsh life. Welsh Christianity was often narrow-minded, bigoted, censorious, and hypocritical. Morriss family and supporters dismissed the new evidence as nonsense, and said their fight to clear his name will go on. #NEWS | A review of issues relating to the conviction of David Morris for the murders of four people in Clydach, in 1999, has identified a scientific link between Morris and a sock which is widely accepted as having been used by the killer. Since most British criminals have committed five to ten times as many crimes as those for which they have been charged, he had doubtless caused others much misery. 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. He had a long string of criminal convictions and had served time in prison for acts of violence as well as of dishonesty. But the judges ignored this evidence in their charges to the jury, giving credence to her alibi: that she was in bed with her husband, Stephen, at the time of the murders. People are entrenched in their views about who did it.". It shows an almost complete breakdown of official probitya probity that many of the British once (perhaps naively) thought characteristic of their society. The Clydach murders investigation was the largest and most complex homicide probe ever undertaken by a Welsh police force. He then killed 80-year-old grandmother Doris Dawson. They have also refused to state exactly how conclusive the DNA evidence actually is on the sock (ie. David Morris was found guilty of murdering an entire family of four including two young . What happened was absolutely horrendous - you can't begin to understand the [Power] family's pain and suffering. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Digital Spy participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. It is an irony that he has now achieved a dignity that he never had while he was at liberty. 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. During David Morris trial, the jury heard that hed had a sexual relationship with Mandy Power. 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. Now for the first time in 22 years, Stuart Lewis has spoken about the ordeal that has ruined his life. This was therefore to be their model. But after the documentary aired, South Wales Police said no information had been provided that undermined Morris's conviction. "The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has been informed.". "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. 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. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. 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. 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. Several witnesses, however, deposed that she had arrived at 6 AM, before the events were common knowledge. A preliminary hearing in her case was set for April 23, 2018. David Morris denies the 'massacre' of Mandy Power and her family. 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. The man convicted of the Clydach murders has died in prison, it has been confirmed. His legal representatives made a request to South Wales Police in November, following the airing of a BBC Wales Investigates programme on the conviction of Mr Morris, asking for various items of evidence to be released for further investigation by their forensic scientists. 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. The killer lit fires around the house in an attempt to hide the crimes. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. David Morris was convicted of murdering Mandy Power, her daughters Katie and Emily, and Mandy's mother Doris Dawson, David Morris was convicted twice of the family murders, Doris Dawson was found murdered in her bed, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. I Am Madeleine McCann girl timeline update: McCanns break silence, financial gain claims and reaction to DNA results, Strictlys Giovanni Pernice admits hes so proud over huge achievement: Moments like this I will always treasure, New pictures of George and Charlotte with Grandpa King released, Michelle Keegan unveils very drastic makeover in Bank Holiday snap, Pregnant Strictly star Janette Manrara shares stunning pics from babymoon with Aljaz as she plans to return as family of three. Monday, 14 February, 2005. 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. His twin brother Stuart, who was a police officer too, was arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. Mandy Power, 34, her bed-ridden mother Doris Dawson, 80, and her daughters Katie, 10, and Emily, eight, were found dead by firefighters at . I completely understand it but what I didnt understand is why it was always put onto us.. A gold chain that he wore turned up at the murder sitein effect, the only evidence against him, other than his bad character and reputation for violence. "Due to the advancement of forensic technology we may now be in a position to answer some of the questions which have been raised about forensic issues in this case.". First, Morris was never seen in or near the vicinity of Mandy's home by any witnesses that evening. John Morris's new book is an investigation into the Clydach murders in South Wales in 1999 in which Mandy Power, her mother and two daughters were battered to death. His new story was that he had visited Power for sex two days before the murders, and it was then that the chain had come off. Chief Sub Editor Twenty years on, the Clydach killings remain horrificand contested. The vicious death sparked one of the most expensive and extensive investigations in the history of the South Wales police. Morris was not a savory character. Murder On 13 Reasons Why. She was having an affair with Mandy at the time of the murder and Stuart was the first senior officer on the scene of the crime. Now, as the police review the evidence, this series examines a case that didnt just end with a man going to jail. The tight-knit community of Clydach is still divided over who beat the family to death with a metal pole before setting their home on fire in the early hours, despite the conviction of Morris. 2023 BBC. Thus, he had an irreconcilable conflict of interest that he did not declare. The force is also requesting material which has previously been forensically examined by the CCRC as part of the new process. She said she loved Mandy. The prosecution claimed David was fuelled by drink and drugs when he went on the killing spree. Several witnesses testified that, the night before the murders, they had seen Morris in a pub, wearing his gold chain. 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Yet a second trial found Morris guilty on precisely the same evidence as had the first, flawed though it was. The murderer bludgeoned Mandy Power, 34, to death in her home on Kelvin Road. 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. Firefighters found the bodies of Ms Power and the girls laid out on the landing when they came to tackle the blaze. (Incidentally, when hostilities broke out between them, he would retire for a time to his Winter Palace, a flat rented from the council. The investigation, named Operation Dolomite, was led by detectives Steve Carey and Ian Ringrose and police forensic expert David Lloyd from Devon and Cornwall Police. News reporter David Morris, 59, killed three generations of the same family in the Swansea Valley village in 1999. Fresh doubts have been cast on the conviction of the man jailed for the horrific Clydach murders in 1999. His lawyer, leading QC Narita Bahra, said: There are no winners in this tragic case, there are insufficient sticking plasters to make this investigation complete and speculation still continues 22 years after an innocent family were murdered in their home. Morris appeared to have no motive to kill Mandy Power or the three others, but the prosecution got around this by alleging that he was drunk and psychotically high on amphetamines at the time and had reacted furiously to Powers refusal to have sex. Our thoughts as ever remain with the family of Mandy Power, her children Katie, aged 10, and Emily, eight, and her 80-year-old mother Doris, who still experience such painful memories even to this day.. 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. He said: It is too late to fully exonerate my name. A. man convicted of murdering three generations of the same family more than 20 years ago has died in prison, it has been confirmed. 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. The negative impact on myself and my family over the last 22 years has been severe and long lasting. My brother knew Katie (one of the girls murdered) and had attended her 10th birthday the weekend prior to the murders. He has firmly vowed not to do so, and if he carries out his intention, he will not be granted the parole after 32 years for which he might otherwise have been eligible. A judge has ruled that an appeal on behalf of a man found guilty of murdering four members of the same family, should go ahead. The killer lit fires around the house in an attempt to hide the crimes. The police investigation was flawed from the outset, which resulted in [Stuart's] reputation and life being destroyed.. Morris was convicted of the murders in 2002 - but the verdict was quashed on appeal due to a conflict of interest by a defence solicitor. 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. Murder In The Valleys premieres on Sky Crime and NOW on Sunday 6 February. . In October 2021, after a new independent investigation into the murders was launched, the police ruled the bloodied sock contained 'a scientific link' with Morris. According to Lewis, they had made love three times the day before, though if the victim had showered thoroughly, as she habitually did several times a day because of the psoriasis from which she suffered, the DNA would not have been present. But they were possibly worse than incompetent. South Wales Police said in a statement: "The decision to carry out a forensic review does not constitute a reopening or reinvestigation of the murders, nor does it demonstrate any lack of confidence in the conviction of Morris and the subsequent case reviews. In July the Crown Prosecution Service said no information had been provided by the potential new witnesses to undermine the conviction. 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. Four people were found shot to death in rural Maine on Tuesday, and three motorists were wounded by gunfire on a nearby stretch of highway in a series of related incidents for which a single . It would not reflect well on him. It took more than two years for South Wales Police to arrest Morris, with an 11-week court case securing him four life sentences. Further, an eyewitness had seen him, or someone who looked like him, on the street near the crime scene, around the right time, and gave such a good description that the police artist composite resembled him, or his identical twin brother, strongly. 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. "It's torn the community apart. Morris, who died in August aged 59, was . ST. LOUIS COUNTY Two people are dead after an apparent murder-suicide in north St. Louis County. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Mandy Power, her daughters Katie and Emily and her mother Doris Dawson, were . Read about our approach to external linking. The Clydach murders: a full timeline. In July 2021 the Crown Prosecution Service said no information had been provided by the potential new witnesses to undermine the conviction. 2023 BBC. Morris, though he admitted to taking amphetamines in the past, denied that he had bought or used them this time; and no other witnesses were available to testify to his supposedly psychotic state. "I really thought I was going to be killed.". I loved being with her and everything about her made me happy.. But his family, and a growing number of supporters, believe someone else is to blame for the deaths. Speaking on the biggest murder inquiry in South Wales history, he said: I was a serving police officer 22 years ago, who was wrongfully arrested for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. I am puzzled why people cant see Morris for what he is. Another possible motive was that Power threatened to expose him to his girlfriend Jewell, supposedly a close friend of hers. The prosecution successfully argued Morris 'flew into a fit of rage' after Mandy had rejected his sexual advances, but there was male DNA found at the crime scene, including on the murder weapon that again did not belong to Morris. As someone trained in forensics, moreover, she would know better how to clean up a crime scene than would Morris, who, according to some, had neither the intelligence nor the knowledge to do a good job of it. A forensic review of evidence linked to the brutal murders of a family of four more than 20 years ago has been agreed. David Morris was tried twice for murder after his first conviction was quashed. 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. "In my view, as the independent senior investigating officer, the new findings from the samples taken from the sock support the existing evidence that originally convicted him.". 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. In January 2021, it was decided the police should re-examine the case. Stuart, also a policeman, happened to be the first senior officer on the scene of the Powers murders.