- 6/30/2025
24 Hours in Police Custody S00E31 The Butcher of Suburbia Pt 1 of 2 (29th June 2025)
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00:00I need to report a missing person.
00:08OK, what's the concern for them?
00:10The lady has disappeared and she's gone off as a total stranger.
00:19You don't know who this stranger is, no?
00:21No, we do not.
00:23This is so out of character.
00:26Annette is known as the Queen of Fairfield.
00:30Everyone knows everyone.
00:32Most people don't lock the doors.
00:34It's like just having a huge family.
00:37How can someone be missing?
00:38There's something not right about it.
00:41Fairfield is not somewhere that you would associate with crime.
00:46A friend got business in his house and he has not heard from her.
00:53He's absolutely distraught.
00:55I heard him try and his eyes out because he doesn't know what he's done.
01:10It's crucial that we find the truth.
01:13Come here!
01:14Hands on your back!
01:16Got to question everything.
01:18Believe nobody.
01:19It's almost a game of chess.
01:23Trying to slip up.
01:25This is your opportunity to talk to me.
01:26Oh, hello.
01:32I'm just calling regarding a missing person.
01:51She left with a friend.
01:55So, technically, she's not missing.
01:58She hasn't been in touch with anyone.
02:00So, people are just getting a bit sort of concerned.
02:03Yeah.
02:03Right, what's the name of the missing person?
02:06It's Annette Smith.
02:08OK.
02:09And who are you to...
02:11I am Annette's lodger.
02:15With no-one coming forward to report finding the 74-year-old safe and well for several weeks,
02:21Bedfordshire Police's dedicated missing persons unit begin to investigate.
02:25We're obviously just trying to work out if anybody knows where she is or can give us any information.
02:30So, she's currently missing.
02:31So, I'm just wondering if you can help with our enquiries at all.
02:34OK.
02:35When did you last see her?
02:38So, we've got Annette Smith, who's 74 years of age.
02:41She's been reported missing by her lodger, Scott Patterson, and her family.
02:46She's lived at the location for a number of years, estranged from her husband.
02:50There is nothing to say where she may have gone, and it's very difficult for someone in this day and age just to disappear.
02:57And more so with an elderly female.
02:59Timers is the essence, really.
03:01Obviously, the more time that passes, then potentially the more evidence and information that's lost.
03:06But at the moment, we just need to collate a few more facts.
03:10What have we got now?
03:11What do we know?
03:12What do we not know?
03:13And just gather a bit more information.
03:14Yeah.
03:14Specialist Search Officer Ben Thomas is dispatched to Annette Smith's empty home.
03:25It is a bit of a strange one.
03:28On the face of it, there appears to be no reason that she has gone missing, which makes it even more intriguing.
03:36And that's what I find interesting, is the piecing together, is the finding out about why.
03:42Whether that person is missing voluntarily, or there is potentially third-party involvement, or something more sinister has happened.
03:55It's that building there.
03:57It looks like an old chapel.
03:58OK, we're heading in.
04:16It's already started to be packed up, isn't it?
04:19It's a piece you should have a walk through first.
04:21Yes.
04:24It's quite big, isn't it?
04:25It's upstairs as well.
04:28It's a huge property.
04:40See, lots of evidence of clothing still left, you know.
04:44I mean, there's evidence of clothing, her clothing, still here.
04:48What stain is on there?
04:51Probably water stains, but lots and lots of paperwork.
04:55Divorce, lots of books on divorce.
05:01Divorce and finances.
05:04Quite a lot of information on that.
05:06Well-opened mail.
05:14Nocturial registry.
05:16Scott A. Patterson.
05:18If you can just introduce, for the tape, your name and your date of birth.
05:28Scott Patterson, 29th August 1979.
05:31Thank you so much, Scott.
05:32So, the reason for this interview today is because Annette Smith is currently missing, and we believe that you were one of the last people to have contact with her, OK?
05:42And the last time you saw Annette was the 15th of November, 2023.
05:46Yeah.
05:47Yeah.
05:47So, tell us what's happened then.
05:50Um, woke up not particularly early, because it was a day off.
05:54I don't usually get up very early on a day off.
06:02I came downstairs, and she was dressed with a packed suitcase, and she said, I'm going away for a while.
06:09There was a knock at the door.
06:11I opened the door, and there was a lady standing there.
06:14She said, I've come to get in there.
06:15And, yeah, she took the suitcase, and then it went out with her, and the lady put the suitcase into the boot of the car, and then Annette got into the car and said, I'll see you in a few days.
06:29She said, I'll see you in a few days?
06:31Yeah.
06:31OK.
06:36This lady, have you ever seen her before?
06:39No.
06:39No? Do you know her name?
06:41No.
06:41No.
06:42Can you describe her to us?
06:43White female, short, grey hair, um, plumpish, but not fat.
06:52Yep.
06:53Can you recall what Annette was wearing?
06:55I don't remember everything, but I do remember she had red leather shoes.
07:00OK.
07:00I didn't think, oh, there's something weird going on.
07:03So I didn't initially contact anybody, so I just thought, well, she's back in a couple of days.
07:08Yeah.
07:09But then on the Friday, a friend of hers came round to see her, and she wasn't there.
07:17And this friend, what's her name?
07:20Pat.
07:21Pat.
07:25I've been friends with her since I moved in here 16 years ago.
07:29When did you last see her?
07:31I popped into the house.
07:34That's when I found the bed made up.
07:38Yeah.
07:38Nothing of her at all.
07:41All her, all the cabinets were all empty of all her personal bits and pieces that she had on there.
07:47And that's when I gave stock facts and said, great, isn't it?
07:51Yeah.
07:51And then he texted me to say that she'd gone.
07:55And the last thing I heard from her was when she told me that she was peed off with everybody trying to sell her property.
08:06She says, on the 28th of the 11th, was an email.
08:10I'm OK, Pat.
08:12I'm just that pissed off about the house.
08:15Everyone going behind my back to get it up the south.
08:19I just need to be away from it all at the moment.
08:23That's the last message I got.
08:25OK.
08:26That's the 28th of November.
08:28After she'd gone.
08:29After she'd gone.
08:30Over the last probably year or so, her relationship with her ex-husband deteriorated.
08:39He paid all the bills.
08:41Yeah.
08:41And he paid her credit card bill every month for the sale.
08:45But then he lost his business.
08:48And obviously couldn't carry on paying for everything.
08:52So then they started to put pressure on Annette to sell the house.
09:01OK.
09:02And that's kind of when the ball started rolling in terms of Annette obviously not being happy about the fact that she was going to have to leave the house.
09:10So you've been living in the house still?
09:12I sort of stayed because I was thinking she'd come back.
09:16Yeah.
09:16But then she's contacted her ex-husband by email at some point.
09:22So you've been living in the house.
09:52So she made contact with her ex via email, but she made no contact with yourself?
10:01No.
10:01No?
10:01So you've not had any communication via text, email?
10:06No.
10:06No, nothing like that.
10:08OK.
10:09There's potentially some family or friends that she may have gone to that other people may know the details for.
10:17So yes, he could have gone off with this lady, but we've got to identify her.
10:21What about the ex-partner?
10:22We don't know anything about him at the minute as well.
10:25Her husband's been pretty much paying the bills.
10:27It's just always consideration that she has just disappeared off, has been implied by family members, that suddenly she's gone off in this car, she disappeared off, had enough of the conversations about the house and its sale.
10:38So it is plausible that she has gone off somewhere else and just wanted total freedom and disconnect.
10:45People go missing all the time.
10:51Every force daily management meeting, we look at the number of people that are missing and the categories of those missing people, whether they're high risk, medium risk, low risk.
11:01If you have a missing person's case and it's not common for that person to go missing, it is unusual and the circumstances around it are unusual, then the police will become involved.
11:13And they must assess the circumstances and the factors around that missing episode to understand whether it is something that is out of the norm.
11:25She is like a nam to me.
11:37I'm very close with her.
11:39She could see that I was learning to drive so I could go to college.
11:43So she put some money towards my driving lessons.
11:46I believe it's something like five hours she paid for, which helped greatly towards me learning to drive.
11:52I ended up passing two months later.
11:53Oh, you made her proud.
11:55Yeah.
11:57She wouldn't be told what to do with anyone.
11:59So I was just like, oh, she's probably had an argument with Scott and got a bit stroppy and gone to stay with a friend or something and she'll probably be back in a few days or something.
12:08I'm thinking of like all the places she could be that maybe no one's thought of.
12:12Yeah.
12:13When do you think the last time you spoke to her was?
12:16She tried calling me when I was driving to my dad's and I found this voicemail.
12:20Hi, darling.
12:23It's just me.
12:25I'm sorry.
12:25I haven't got back to you yet.
12:27I just picked up your message.
12:29You hope to have an absolutely lovely Christmas.
12:33And Merry Christmas to you, darling.
12:36Okay.
12:36Love you.
12:37Bye, Luke.
12:38Bye, darling.
12:39Oh, man.
12:41There's an email that's been forwarded to us.
12:44From a friend of Annette's email address.
12:45She's still alive and is safe.
12:46She's still alive and is safe.
12:46There's an email that's been forwarded to us from a friend of Annette's email address.
13:13Hello, my lovely Sue.
13:17I'm good.
13:18Just away at the moment with no phone, but getting a new one soon.
13:23So I'll be sending out my number.
13:25Speak soon, Annette.
13:26And then kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss.
13:29Hmm.
13:29Interesting.
13:31A friend has received a moon pig card.
13:34Have a happy, happy birthday.
13:36Promise I'll be in touch soon.
13:38Kiss, kiss, kiss.
13:39Love and hugs and kisses from Annette.
13:41Kiss, kiss, kiss.
13:42Kiss, kiss, kiss.
13:43It could just be that she's elsewhere in the country and just doesn't want to be found.
13:47We can contact Moon Pig and the internet provider and obtain IP addresses.
13:53Yeah.
13:53It could be somebody else.
13:56Pretending to be her.
13:57Yeah.
13:59When you have a missing persons case, I think the family must be extremely worried.
14:05And I think that worry is just going to increase and grow.
14:15Stockfold House.
14:16That's where Annette lives.
14:18Her huge dogs.
14:19Oh.
14:20Take a few dogs.
14:22Oh.
14:25One has made a hole in her wall in the house.
14:28What?
14:30Say something, girl.
14:31Say something.
14:35You are funny, boys, aren't you?
14:37Yes, let's have a look at your face.
14:39That is Annette.
14:40No!
14:41No!
14:43Go!
14:44Annette is my step-mom of 40 years.
14:48I was about six when she met my father.
14:51She drove a convertible TR7, which for a six, seven-year-old boy was an amazing thing.
14:59We ended up with a bond, which was sort of more of a mother and son.
15:05She would always cook nice meals.
15:07We'd go down to parks or we'd go shopping or we'd go out or we'd just put music on and talk.
15:15When I was 21, I moved to London and the trains weren't that good back in those days.
15:21So sometimes I'd end up going as far out of London as I could on the tube and then have to phone up and beg for a lift.
15:27So she'd then have to drive from Hertfordshire to pick me up.
15:31But there was never any quibbles.
15:34It was just straight away, I'll be there in half an hour.
15:36You just find yourself somewhere to sit down and I'll see you soon.
15:40And, you know, we'd often sit there over a glass of wine.
15:44We'd have music playing, which would always come back to a bit of Rod Stewart or some classic 80s.
15:49And we'd just talk the world to rights and just see what's going on.
15:55And I'd come home sometimes and she'd be like, I'd be like, I'm starving.
15:59And she'd go, I've put some pheasant on.
16:02I'm like, I don't really want pheasant.
16:06I just want, like, fish fingers and chips.
16:08But I miss her, I miss her immensely.
16:12It's a hard time.
16:14I'm suffering.
16:15My family's suffering.
16:17I'm very, very worried.
16:19Now, this case comes out of Bedfordshire.
16:36Police say they are actually probing the disappearance of a pensioner.
16:40This is Annette Smith.
16:42She's 74 years of age.
16:43And she disappeared on November the 11th of 2023.
16:47So, Annette is from West Wing, Fairfield Park in Stottfold.
16:51Annette is possibly vulnerable to this day.
16:54She's 74 years of age.
16:55With no sign of Annette Smith, the missing persons team escalate the case to Bedfordshire Police's major crime unit.
17:06MCU quite often review missing person investigations.
17:12And that's usually where somebody has gone missing for quite a while.
17:16And there's immediate inquiries that you can do.
17:18They've been completed and they've still not managed to locate the person.
17:22So, as it stands at the moment, we're keeping an open mind.
17:27We don't know what's happened to Annette.
17:29There's been no confirmed sightings of her.
17:32The last person that saw her was a living lodger, Scott Patterson.
17:36So, obviously, we've got the account now that's been given by Scott,
17:39which states that there was this mystery woman that we don't know who is,
17:43who's turned up in a car that he can't remember much about.
17:46When the missing persons investigation was initially done,
17:49we have been provided some information.
17:50So, they've done some inquiries of interest to me is a Moonpig card that was sent.
17:57And it was a couple that were sent around Christmastime.
18:00Yep.
18:01Obviously, I want to find out when they were sent and where.
18:04And that's going to hopefully give us a good indication as to whether that was Annette
18:08or if it was someone else doing that on her behalf.
18:11Let's try and establish when those cards were sent,
18:13what device that was done on,
18:16and then the IP address that that might come back to.
18:18OK.
18:27I heard about...
18:28Wasn't she living with someone?
18:30Yeah.
18:31Scott.
18:32All the women love him.
18:33Listen, Annette would take anyone in.
18:36That's what she's like.
18:37Yeah.
18:37She'd say, take my bed, I'll sleep on the couch, you know.
18:41Yeah.
18:42So, she's took him in, and he's been there for years.
18:46Yeah.
18:47Which is why I thought it was so lovely that he's repaying her now via caring for her.
18:51Yeah.
18:51Bless him.
18:53You know, it's hard caring for someone.
18:55And she thinks the world of him.
18:58So, if he doesn't know where she's gone, then she don't want to be found.
19:04I've known Annette for maybe nearly 15 years.
19:20She offered me somewhere to stay.
19:23No.
19:27No.
19:28Initially, it was going to be just a few months, and it turned into 12 years.
19:38Hello.
19:40Hello, darling.
19:41Just to let you know, I've ordered you some salmon and pillow rice, so you've got something
19:47to eat when you get in.
19:49Brilliant.
19:50That's lovely.
19:51And see you soon.
19:52Get on like a house on fire.
19:56Yeah, we'd go to the theatre, we'd go out for dinner, we'd go on holidays.
20:04So, we just always got on really well.
20:15Oh, hi, darling.
20:16Hey, it's Scott.
20:17Hiya, darling.
20:18You must be knackered.
20:20Yeah.
20:20Would you like me to get you a drink or something?
20:23Yeah, that's great.
20:24Lovely.
20:27We can have a break if you want a break.
20:30Yeah?
20:34Sorry.
20:35No, no, it's fine.
20:42Right, what do you want to know?
20:44When did you last see her?
20:46I think it was about the 11th or the 12th that she'd gone.
20:49Of what month, so?
20:51November.
20:51November.
20:52Do you have any concerns about the fact that you've not seen her for a while?
20:56Well, I'm very surprised that she hasn't been in contact with Scott.
21:00They were like a mother and son.
21:02They have a fantastic relationship.
21:05Occasionally, there are alarm bells that ring,
21:08and you just get a sense that something isn't quite right and something more nefarious is probably at play.
21:17Over last three or four years, she became a bit like a carer.
21:22OK.
21:22And she did have a stroke three or four years ago.
21:28She basically went to bed.
21:30She never came out immediately.
21:32I don't know why she hasn't been in contact with Scott, more so.
21:39Yeah.
21:39Because he looked after her for, like, a long while.
21:42I mean, I had him fried his eyes out Friday before Christmas.
21:48I don't know what I've done.
21:49I'm doing three quarters an hour.
21:51I've been crying on the phone.
21:52Mm-hmm.
21:53Because he doesn't know what he's done.
21:58The reason I suspect a third party has been involved in her disappearance
22:03is pretty much around, firstly, the circumstances of Annette going missing.
22:08It's been said that Annette left of her own accord.
22:12But when you talk to her friends and family,
22:15Annette is being described as being quite infirm.
22:18We also have no evidence that she left the address
22:21or that another woman collected her from either witnesses or CCTV.
22:28Something has happened to Annette.
22:31And at the moment, I would say that it is looking like
22:36it's somebody within that household.
22:40And at the moment, the only person we know of within that household
22:43is Scott Patterson.
22:45What do you think is Scott Patterson?
23:00No.
23:01Alisa, are you alright?
23:31You're alright sir, we've had a bit of information received that you've been seen drinking and you've been driving, so do you want to say about the vehicle for us so we can have a chat?
23:48To be honest with you mate, have you had a drink?
23:50Yeah.
23:51You have had a drink?
23:52Yeah.
23:53How much have you had to drink?
23:54About that much, 4 o'clock.
23:56Right, okay.
23:57How long ago did you?
23:59Probably about 10 minutes ago.
24:0110 minutes ago, alright.
24:03It was quite early in the morning when he was stopped.
24:08I'm not sure that's usual behaviour.
24:11Time is 10.38pm, okay.
24:14Do you want to give me your hands alright mate?
24:16I'm going to place you under arrest for section 4, under suspicion of driving whilst under the influence of alcohol.
24:22Okay buddy.
24:23Do you still have that vodka with you mate?
24:25Oh, it is some passage too.
24:27Alright, okay.
24:33He may well be drinking more or have become dependent on alcohol through the circumstances of Annette's disappearance.
24:41I've got his phone and the bottle of vodka he had.
24:45He's in the car.
24:46As the missing persons team continue their search, the intelligence unit reanalyse the last reported contact with Annette Smith.
25:06Has anything come back and corresponded with an IP address for when those emails were sent after she goes missing?
25:13Yep.
25:14So there's two moon pig transactions, 2nd of December and the 19th of December.
25:23They're both from Annette's account.
25:26They are from the home address.
25:30What is the?
25:31The IP.
25:32Oh, are they?
25:33Yeah.
25:34Ah.
25:35I think if we're putting Scott at the location on that day, we know that it can't be Annette that's sending this out.
25:42It's got to be him, hasn't it?
25:43Yeah.
25:44It's got to be Scott.
25:45I think most people know about this job.
25:56It is the investigation of Annette Smith, 74-year-old from Fairfield Park in Stockfold.
26:05And she has been missing since November.
26:08So the last proof of life for Annette comes from some spurious emails which were sent between the end of November and Boxing Day in December.
26:19So the IP addresses of these emails has resolved back to the home address of West Wing Fairfield Park in Stockfold,
26:28which was the tipping point for raising this to a murder investigation.
26:33We obviously have to keep an open mind regarding the circumstances of the house sale,
26:38but we have ruled out any other person who might be involved other than Scott Patterson.
26:44One of the things that raises suspicion is the fact that Scott says Annette left her own accord and she was collected by a woman.
26:55We don't know who this woman is. Scott can't tell us who this woman is and neither can any family members.
27:01And we don't have any evidence of that happening either from witnesses or we don't have any CCTV evidence or anything like that.
27:09The plan is to obtain a Section 8 PACE warrant to be conducted at Fairfield Park.
27:15This is the current home address for Scott.
27:28Hello, Scott Patterson? Can I come in please?
27:32Scott, I'm arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Annette Smith.
27:36You do not have to say anything but it may harm your defences.
27:39Do not mention one question, one that will do later a line before.
27:48You just sort of hold that with your hands at the minute up and round the other side and do it.
27:51Why is this gent here? What's the offence?
28:06He's been arrested on suspicion of murder of Annette Smith.
28:10Your surname please.
28:12It's Patterson with one T.
28:14Patterson.
28:15P-A-T-E-R-S-O-N?
28:17Yeah.
28:18And your first name is Patterson?
28:19Scott.
28:20Sorry?
28:21Scott.
28:22Scott.
28:23Atterson started working in the care home, which was a children's home in Wilbury Road, Letchworth.
28:28Then Scott became a care manager at one of those children's homes on the outskirts of Lewton.
28:33He stopped working in the care home in 2010, saying that he'd been made redundant.
28:41And there was something that didn't quite add up around that.
28:45And he felt like he left under a cloud of sorts.
28:49He worked at the farm shop in the butchery.
28:51He's not a qualified butcher, but he learnt what he needed to do watching the butcher's work.
28:59Is this domestic related?
29:01It's a bit of grey area.
29:03Yeah.
29:04It's a care.
29:05They were living together, so...
29:08In 2014, Scott had moved in with Annette.
29:12Scott and Annette instantly got on really well and there was an instant connection.
29:16We'd spoken to Gareth, a friend of Scott's who he's known for 18 years or so.
29:25He says that he's very kind, kind of soft, never kind of witnessed him lose his temper at all.
29:33He has no police footprint, which, you know, again, is strange for somebody to go from absolutely nothing and no involvement with the police at all or, you know, the law in general, to then understand whether he is actually capable of murdering somebody so close to him.
29:53Any mental health conditions I need to be aware of?
29:56No.
29:57How are you feeling at the moment?
29:58I don't know.
29:59Okay.
30:00Do you really feel well?
30:01Okay, thank you.
30:02Would you like any legal advice?
30:03No.
30:04Are you sure?
30:05It's an ongoing right?
30:06Any reason why not?
30:07Okay.
30:08How was he?
30:09Fine.
30:10He's just sort of laid back, chilled if we had to describe somebody.
30:20So when he said he didn't want a solicitor, I was like, hmm, okay.
30:24But we always do that, don't we?
30:26Maybe he's genuinely a witness.
30:28Or maybe this is what?
30:29So he feels like it doesn't need him.
30:31The shoes she was wearing when she left.
30:33Where did they come from?
30:34We've got photographs from her.
30:35Her bedroom.
30:36Whose bedroom?
30:37The shoes he's described that she wore when she left.
30:40Oh!
30:41Yeah.
30:42So she clearly wasn't wearing them when she left.
30:43Clearly wasn't wearing them when she left.
30:44She clearly wasn't wearing them.
30:45Scott was good to me because I suffer mental health.
31:01And he's just like, hi, gorgeous.
31:03Hi, my lovely.
31:04Hey, how are you doing?
31:07Are you all right?
31:08We were messing with each other.
31:09We were watching Antiques Roadshow.
31:10He was at his house, I was at my house.
31:12And I was texting him pictures going, oh, look at that brooch.
31:15Oh, I said 40 grand.
31:17And he said, yeah, that's good.
31:18We'll have two.
31:21Like, just joking.
31:22He's just such a lovely person.
31:24Always caring, always kind.
31:26Always looks out for people.
31:28Always.
31:29He'll probably kill me for showing this picture, but...
31:31Not literally kill me, but you know what I mean?
31:36See the camera on the wall?
31:37Yeah.
31:42He makes me feel so loved, looked after.
31:45He's kind, he's genuine.
31:48He is such a nice bloke.
31:50He really is.
31:55Bedfordshire Police's dedicated forensic unit
31:58search the suspect's home and vehicle
32:00for any trace of the missing woman.
32:02There is hair stuck to this one.
32:12Yeah, there's a root on it.
32:13There is?
32:14Yeah.
32:18With him being in custody, it's really important
32:21that we try to gather as much information as possible.
32:26And clearly that goes back to the vehicle as well.
32:29And whether there might be anything in the vehicle
32:31that might assist the investigation in some way.
32:39To be fair, I think a lot of this is going to be fairly irrelevant.
32:42Stuffed toys and things like that from what I've seen.
32:45The Christmas killer, 12 days of murder.
32:47And that, oh God.
32:51Don't hide it.
32:53You lot are finding all the weird stuff.
32:56It is weird.
32:57Who would have thought you would have found something like that
32:59in a car today?
33:00You wouldn't have done, would you?
33:01But we have.
33:03Is it relevant?
33:05Not really.
33:06But is it weird?
33:07Yeah.
33:09Okay.
33:17I think putting to him the evidence about the moon pig cards
33:31and the presents that he sent
33:33and the fact that the IP addresses for those transactions
33:37have come back to the house after Annette has supposedly gone missing,
33:40I think is crucial really, isn't it?
33:43And having that based at the home address shows that, if nothing else,
33:50he has knowledge on what's happened.
33:53That needs to be managed and put to him.
33:56Clearly, he's suggesting that Annette is missing
34:00but has managed to send these cards
34:03and we really need to probe that, don't we, during interview
34:06and really get some answers from him on that.
34:13He doesn't want a solicitor.
34:19So, yeah.
34:22Yes, it is.
34:23So they are going to go in to interview with him ASAP.
34:34Have you just had a drink, eh?
34:35Yeah.
34:36Do you need another one or anything?
34:38Yeah, yeah, yeah.
34:39What do you want?
34:40Yeah, yeah, yeah.
34:41What do you want?
34:44Oh!
34:45If you take a seat over there.
34:47Yeah.
34:49Yeah, in case you didn't catch our names earlier, I'm Sophia.
34:53Okay?
34:54So we'll be interviewing you today.
34:56Yeah.
35:00This interview is being recorded.
35:02This is also being monitored by our supervisors within this investigation.
35:08Mm-hm.
35:09So they're just over the way and they're monitoring it live time.
35:11Yeah.
35:12So they're watching as it's playing.
35:14So I know that you've been asked if you want a solicitor
35:16and you've declined that.
35:17Mm-hm.
35:19Do you want a solicitor?
35:21No.
35:22Okay, so we know that emails have been sent from Annette's account.
35:27Mm-hm.
35:28Okay.
35:29And was it you?
35:38Yeah.
35:41And why did you do that?
35:45I mean, just still...
35:47I really don't know.
35:54But I guess I just wanted to buy more time.
36:00So you're here because you've been arrested for the offence of murder
36:03against Annette Smith.
36:05So are you responsible for the death of Annette Smith?
36:08Yes.
36:38Yes.
36:44I think we were quite surprised when he said that he killed her.
36:47I don't think he's a hardened criminal.
36:49No.
36:50I think he might actually sort of...
36:53I don't even know whether it's regrets exactly, but a relief to get...
36:56To be able to tell someone.
36:57Yeah.
36:58The only thing we don't want to do is go to CPS for a decision
37:01right this very minute because we've got a couple more interviews planned.
37:05We have had some communication from CPS and they've raised a couple of areas for us to focus on today.
37:12One of which is around getting some statements from family.
37:21Annette was my second mum, really.
37:23She was a very energetic, happy, enthusiastic person, really.
37:28Her approach to life was she'd wake up with a spring and a step and she'd go to bed with a spring and a step.
37:35Her pleasure was from seeing other people happy.
37:42When Annette had her stroke and sort of fell ill and unfortunately then mobility and her struggles in life sort of took hold,
37:51I had a bit of comfort that Scott was there, who seemed a nice person.
37:57Sometimes he'd tag along and we'd go out for lunch and, you know, be a caring guy.
38:04Just ask nice questions and seem a nice guy.
38:08He was more of a family friend.
38:09For the next interview I'd really like to try and understand the mechanics of what he did.
38:21So, because there is no obvious scene at that house.
38:25Yeah, so I think that the way to go forward now is break it down into different interviews with a set agenda for each interview.
38:32We know he's talking now.
38:33Yeah.
38:34So we can explain to him, right, in this interview we want to really focus on this step by step.
38:41We're not trying to catch him out now.
38:43No.
38:44We're just trying to give him the opportunity to tell us everything.
38:47Yeah.
38:48While showing that he, from our point of view, showing that he is of sound mind.
38:52Yeah.
38:53Because the big thing is now preserving that confession.
38:55Yeah.
38:56And that was pretty intense.
38:58Do you guys feel happy to continue and keep interviewing with him?
39:02Yeah, yeah, yeah.
39:03There is nothing wrong with, you know, taking a break and coming out and regrouping and, you know, having these conversations.
39:10So I think it's probably going to be quite a lengthy time in custody.
39:15Yeah.
39:16To get what he's saying now is positive, so just keep it up.
39:19Yeah.
39:20So in our first interview you have said that you have killed Annette.
39:37We need to understand how this has happened.
39:41I don't mean her to start, to be honest, but she was taken ill a few years ago.
39:53She had a mini stroke and I, when she got back to the house I was looking after her.
40:04She wouldn't get out of bed or do anything for herself.
40:09So I was making meals for her, just helping her do things really.
40:19And over time it became, I don't know how to explain it, but it just became difficult.
40:33She became quite demanding and she'd constantly call my name.
40:40And I just felt obliged because I'd lived there for so long as her guest.
40:47And the resentment kind of really, as I say, sort of kicked in towards the end.
40:58To the point where I barely sleep because I'd just be listening out for her calling my name for something.
41:06And the situation at home got, just got too much and I couldn't see a way out of it.
41:15And I just snapped one day.
41:22This was November and over this period of months he's done everything that he possibly could to try and hide the fact that,
41:32A, that Annette was dead and secondly, obviously that he was involved in it.
41:38You do start thinking to yourself, how can somebody carry out a murder one day and then for the next few months just carry on with their life as normal.
41:49It just really raises questions with regards to the kind of person that he is really, which again is another reason why it's so important for us to continue the investigation.
42:02I took her statement from a cleaner.
42:05She said Annette always spoke really highly of Scott and if they went on holiday they'd even like sleep in the same bed.
42:11Annette used to describe Scott as her world.
42:14Scott would always go to the shop for her and it would always be the same.
42:17She'd always want chocolate, 40 cigarettes and some brandy.
42:20But just of note, she said the whole house was disgusting, always a mess, always dirty food, plates everywhere.
42:28Annette's bedroom was worse, she'd be like laying in her own urine, there was like cigarette ash around, brandy glasses, wine glasses surrounded her.
42:39When Scott took on those caring responsibilities he really should have, you know, made sure that the house was clean and tidy
42:48and that Annette herself was looked after.
42:52Looking at the unkempt nature of the house I would have to question how capable he was
42:58or how reliable he was in actually providing that care to Annette.
43:03Potentially there is an element of neglect there as well.
43:13Tell me in as much detail as you can what happened that day.
43:17What happened that day?
43:18Well it happened in the evening, at night.
43:23I waited for her to go to sleep.
43:26How did you know at what point you'd born in the sleep?
43:28Oh I can hear her snoring.
43:30Okay.
43:31Whereabouts were you in the house when you were waiting for her to go to sleep?
43:33In my bedroom.
43:34What were you doing?
43:35What was going through your mind?
43:36I don't know, I just was weirdly calm and just had the TV on.
43:44I think because I'd kind of been thinking about it for a few weeks.
43:49It was just something that had played over in my mind.
43:54So it was almost like I was ready when the time seemed right.
44:01I went downstairs after Annette had fallen asleep and yeah, I put her over her face until she stopped breathing and I left her in bed for the night.
44:18When you were suffocating Annette, did she wake?
44:26No.
44:27She stayed asleep?
44:28Yeah.
44:29Okay.
44:30Did you at any point think to stop?
44:33I did for a split second because I realised what I was doing was wrong.
44:42But then I kind of thought I wasn't sure.
44:52I don't know, I just decided to carry on.
44:58And how did you feel whilst you were suffocating her?
45:04Just the same.
45:05Just an almost, I guess, a sort of sense of relief.
45:11And then the next morning I moved her to the understairs cupboard just to kind of get her out of view.
45:24But it's quite some time afterwards that I decided I need to sort of start to think about getting rid of the body.
45:39Okay, but where is Annette?
45:58Scott had really changed.
46:00It was almost like there was two sides to him.
46:03Are you saying you don't remember when you don't want to give me an answer?
46:07This is Scott here.
46:08You can see he's got two suitcases on the trolley there.
46:11Okay.
46:12The last one is him coming out with an empty trolley.
46:15It started work last July.
46:17It did involve butchering.
46:22There isn't a full body.
46:24It was a cold day, it worked for me.
46:27It's a cold day.
46:28It was a cold day.
46:29So thank you so much.
46:30And you have to wake up your eyes.
46:31And do we see the cold day?
46:32This is the cold day.
46:34Can we go?
46:35Yeah.
46:36You're good.
46:37You're good.
46:39Pay I'm not sick.
46:40I go.
46:41Yeah.
46:42I'm not sick.
46:43I'm hungry.
46:44I'm hungry.
46:45I'm hungry.
46:46I'm hungry.
46:47I'm hungry.
46:49What are you guys doing?
46:51Transcription by CastingWords
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