Mark
Campbell (PA)
See below The Times, Independent, Guardian, Mirror
The Times, October 16, 2007
Life for serial rapist left free to prey on women by DNA blunder
Fran Yeoman
A serial sex offender who raped two 15-year-old girls after police failed to link his DNA to earlier offences was jailed for life yesterday.
Victims’ groups and women’s rights campaigners criticised the police blunders that allowed Mark Campbell, once dubbed the “Thursday rapist”, to evade justice for four years after he was first arrested.
During that time Campbell, 38, from Chichester, West Sussex, raped the teenagers and carried out several other sex attacks, as well as two burglaries.
Sussex police took a DNA sample from Campbell in October 2002, after he was arrested in a woman’s garden on suspicion of being a “peeping Tom”. However, the samples were not sent away for analysis until September 2006, when Campbell’s swabs were found to match those taken from some of his victims.
The father-of-two sobbed yesterday as he was convicted of a six-year campaign of offences against women in Sussex. Judge William Wood, QC, told Campbell that he would serve at least ten years in prison.
“It is difficult to exaggerate the degree of harm done,” the judge said, adding that many of the victims would be “looking over their shoulders for the rest of their lives”.
Campbell first struck in February 1998, when he assaulted a 27-year-old woman in her home while her three young children slept upstairs. A year later he falsely imprisoned a 12-year-old girl and indecently assaulted a 15-year-old.
In May 2000 he raped a 21-year-old woman, after which police began a manhunt.
Officers carried out a mass DNA screening of local men, but Campbell did not fall into their target group — partly because his home was half a mile outside the area where detectives believed that the rapist was living.
When he was finally tested his sample was placed in a freezer but was never sent away for analysis.
Two years later, in August 2004, he raped two 15-year-old girls in the back of his van. A month before that, he had sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl while her younger sister slept in the same double bed.
In September 2006 a cold case review discovered the untested DNA and it was analysed.
Jeremy Paine, assistant chief constable of Sussex Police, said that there were “no excuses” for the four-year delay in catching Campbell. “It should not have happened and we are very sorry that it did,” he said.
“We have done everything we can to learn the lessons so that nothing like it can happen again.”
A police spokesman said that changes to the law surrounding DNA samples, as well as new procedures, would prevent the error being repeated. He said that one senior officer and one member of police staff, whom he refused to name, had received formal words of advice.
Women’s campaigners condemned the police response as inadequate. Ruth Hall, of Women Against Rape, called for those responsible to be sacked. “Not just the one officer who didn’t send off the sample, but those who are responsible for closing the inquiry down . . . and not ensuring that there were regular checks made, and an open mind kept. They left women defenceless against this man.
“We have had inquiry after inquiry, law change after law change, and nothing ever happens, because until these people are held accountable, nobody takes it seriously.”
Maggie Ellis, director of Chichester’s Life Centre, which offers counselling and support to victims of sexual violence, described the DNA oversight as “a human error with disastrous consequences”.
Campbell was found guilty of 13 offences between 1998 and 2004, and acquitted of one count of indecent assault and one count of sexual assault. Police believe he may have struck several more times, beginning as early as 1995.
Assaults and errors
February 1998 Campbell assaults mother of three in her home
September 1999 Falsely imprisons 12-year-old girl
May 2000 Rapes for the first time. Police formally link a series of offences and begin Operation Bobcat
June 2002 Operation Bobcat wound down
October 2002 Campbell arrested as a suspected peeping Tom and gives DNA sample to police
July 2004 Assaults 16-year-old girl in her bed
August 2004 Rapes two 15-year-old friends
September 2006 Ten untested DNA samples, including Campbell’s, discovered in police freezer and sent for analysis
October 2006 DNA results come back. Campbell is arrested
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A serial rapist who remained at large for four years because of a police blunder was jailed for life yesterday for a series of sex attacks on young women and girls as young as 12.
Seven of Mark Campbell's attacks, including two rapes, occurred after officers failed to send a DNA sample off for analysis. It was not until October last year that the 38-year-old welder who had terrorised women in the south of England was arrested.
Yesterday, Campbell, who became known as the "Thursday Night Rapist", was convicted at Chichester Crown Court of a catalogue of attacks including three counts of rape, four of indecent assault, two of false imprisonment, one of attempted indecent assault, one of sexual assault and two of burglary.
Yesterday a spokeswoman from Women Against Rape said: "No one took responsibility even for following up a promising lead which would have saved untold anguish for his later victims and would have enabled those who had already been assaulted to win justice and begin to get some closure of their own," she said, adding: "Other workers who do not do their jobs are sacked. Why are the police, who are supposed to protect the public from violence, immune from accountability?"
Jeremy Paine, assistant chief constable of Sussex Police, apologised for the error and said two staff had received "formal words of advice" – a move considered a step below disciplinary action.
He said: "There are no excuses. Having taken this particular sample, we didn't send it off for processing. That had consequences in that Campbell was at large for four years more than he should have been. It should not have happened and we are very sorry it did. We have done everything we can to learn the lessons so nothing like it can happen again."
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Sex attacker preyed on women for four years after blunder
·
'Thursday rapist' who stalked victims gets life
· Sussex police apologise for DNA analysis failure
Vikram Dodd,
crime correspondent
Tuesday October 16, 2007
The Guardian
A serial sex attacker who remained free to terrorise women for four years because of a police DNA blunder was jailed for life yesterday. Mark Campbell, 38, from Chichester, West Sussex, was convicted of six attacks, including two rapes, which began in February 1998 and ended in August 2004.
He could have been stopped in 2002 when he was arrested over another allegation and a DNA sample was taken from him. However, police failed to send the sample to be tested until 2006, after a case review of the attacks.
Campbell was convicted at Chichester crown court yesterday of four counts of indecent assault, two counts of false imprisonment, three counts of rape, one count of attempted indecent assault, one count of sexual assault and two counts of burglary. Five of the offences took place after the DNA sample was taken, including the rape of two 15-year-old girls, the sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl, and an attempted indecent assault of an 23-year-old au pair.
Sussex police's assistant chief constable Jeremy Paine apologised yesterday, and said that after an internal investigation a senior police officer and a member of police staff had received "formal words of advice". He added: "There are no excuses. Having taken this particular sample we didn't send it off for processing. That had consequences in that Campbell was at large for four years longer than he should have been." Mr Paine said that within 48 hours of the DNA match being made Campbell was re-arrested, initially charged with three offences, and has remained in custody since.
Campbell was called "the Thursday rapist", because that was the usual day of his attacks. He stalked some of his victims, to learn when they would be home alone, before striking. In February 1998 he indecently assaulted a 27-year-old woman in Bognor after breaking into her home while her three young children slept upstairs.
A woman he falsely imprisoned when she was just 12 told the court of her continuing trauma. The woman, now aged 19, said: "If I have a good time, I totally forget about it, but sometimes it comes back to me and scares me."
Campbell's other offences included the rape of a 21-year-old hotel worker at her workplace. Finally, in August 2004, with his pattern of offending increasing in severity and frequency, he raped a 15-year-old girl who he befriended.
Christine Laing QC, prosecuting, said Campbell was first arrested on suspicion of a peeping tom offence in October 2002, when officers took a DNA sample from him. But, in what Ms Laing described as an oversight, his swab was not sent off for analysis until a case review four years later. Campbell was finally arrested in October last year but denied the offences. He is married with two children, His wife has stood by him since he was arrested.
The court heard that the offences were linked by distinctive hallmarks, leading police to believe they were committed by one person. The main features included the restraint of victims with items of their own clothing, Campbell's fascination with looking at his victims once their private parts had been exposed, and what he said during the attacks.
Judge William Wood QC said Campbell would have to serve at least 10 years before he became eligible for parole. "In each case the victim has been profoundly affected by the trauma. None of the victims will forget what you have done to them. Some might have the nagging sense that it could have been far worse."
Campaigners from Women Against Rape accused Sussex police of an "appalling lack of commitment" and said the case called into question the "real purpose" of collecting so much DNA. Police fear Campbell may have committed other offences and urged women to contact them if they believe he attacked them.
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Mark
Campbell (PA)
A sex beast raped two 15-year-olds after a police blunder in 2002 allowed him to carry on attacking women and girls for another four years.
Police originally arrested Mark Campbell as a peeping Tom. But shockingly they failed to send off his DNA sample for analysis, leaving him free to carry on a reign of terror. After Campbell was jailed for life yesterday, campaigners blasted Sussex police for mishandling the inquiry.
A spokesman for Women Against Rape accused the force of an "appalling lack of commitment".
He added: "No one took responsibility even for following up a promising lead, which would have saved untold anguish for his later victims and would have enabled those who had already been assaulted to win justice."
A 12-year-old victim, now 19, described how she remains deeply traumatised. She said: "If I have a good time, I totally forget about it but sometimes it comes back to me and scares me."
Chichester crown court heard a senior police officer and a member of force staff had received "formal words of advice" over the blunder.
But the spokesman added: "It is totally unacceptable no one is to be disciplined. Other workers who do not do their jobs are sacked.
Campbell, dubbed the Thursday night rapist, was eventually caught last year when the DNA sample was finally sent off in a review of the unsolved offences in Operation Bobcat. He was convicted of a string of crimes dating from 1998, including three rapes, four indecent assaults, two false imprisonments and two burglaries.
Jeremy Paine, assistant chief constable of Sussex police, admitted seven offences happened after the DNA sample was taken off Campbell in October 2002.
He added: "There are no excuses. Campbell was at large for four years longer than he should have been.
"It should not have happened and we are very sorry that it did. We have done everything we can to learn the lessons so that nothing like it can happen again."
Campbell, from Chichester, first struck in February 1998 when he indecently assaulted a 27-year-old woman in Bognor Regis.
He also imprisoned a girl of 12, raped the two 15 year olds and also raped a 21-year-old hotel worker.
Police believe many more victims have not come forward and have appealed for them to contact officers.
MONSTER'S 'NORMAL' LIFE
During his reign of terror Mark Campbell seemed a normal family
man, living with wife Katherine.
But privately their marriage was said to be rocky - and there was evidence that he scoured escort agency websites.
When finally arrested he collapsed and was taken to St Richard's Hospital in Chichester, where an officer heard him say: "Why did I do it?" And when well enough to be taken into custody he kept saying: "This is serious. Oh my God, this is serious."
Katherine, whom he met in a nightclub in 1993, appeared to stand by him, attending the trial and hearing all the horrific evidence.
But when the guilty verdict was announced, he burst into tears and stared at her, but she just turned her head away.