It was ‘Uncle’, wasn’t it? She called him ‘Uncle Nigel’.
Can we speak to him, Mrs Ward? Can we speak to your husband about this?
SHEILA WARD
(gets up and puts her hand against the camera lens)
That’s enough – turn that thing off right now –
Cut to: John, at desk
JOHN PENROSE
We never were able to talk to Nigel Ward, and Sheila Ward refused to speak to us any further after that last exchange. And in a way you can’t blame her – no one likes having questions of this gravity raised about their loved ones. But there are questions, all the same.
Cut to: over the shoulder PoV, looking at what John has on his desk
Remember this picture? It’s the Shiphampton Rotary Club Christmas party 1997. The same party Camilla went to the day she left hospital with her baby son.
And this man, standing just behind Camilla and her father -
(pointing)
- is Nigel Ward.
But you’re probably thinking – hang on, if he was at that party, he couldn’t possibly have anything to do with the disappearance of the baby. There simply wouldn’t have been enough time. And it’s a good point. But I’ve tracked down a number of people who were at the event that night, and no one can remember him being there before nine thirty. And if that’s correct, it would definitely have given him enough time. But as far as I’m aware, he has never been questioned about his whereabouts that night, either then, or since.
Cut to: image of Camilla, her parents and the Wards at the Christmas party. Gradual close-up to focus on Camilla and Ward.
So was Camilla Rowan really abused as a child? She herself has never said so, not even to the court-appointed psychiatrist. And it would clearly have been in her interests to divulge something like that, if it were true: it could have been a significant mitigating factor. But as of now, we only have ‘Mandy’s’ word that it ever happened.
And even if it was true, we have no way of knowing who the man was, unless Camilla herself chooses to tell us. Some things appear to point to Nigel Ward, but in the absence of any sort of police investigation he is, of course, innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. And as I said, there are a number of other potential candidates as well, and to my knowledge none of them has been questioned either.
Which leads me on to the one thing I think we do know about this case.
It’s unfinished business.
Camilla Rowan has been proved, again and again, to be a liar. A brazen, persistent and accomplished liar. But has she been proved to be a murderer? Because, frankly, I’m not convinced. In fact, the more I learn about the actions – or rather inactions – of South Mercia Police, the less convinced I am. And let’s not forget, the baby has never been found. The police and the CPS say he’s dead, and the jury believed them. But is there cast-iron proof of that? No. No body has ever been located, despite what appears to have been an extensive and exhaustive search.
Though there are some places that I know for a fact were not searched. Like the Ward family garden, which backs on to a nature reserve. Or the Shiphampton golf club – nearly 200 acres, including several areas of woodland and a small lake.
Intercut: drone footage of Shiphampton golf club
And why wasn’t Nigel Ward questioned at the time? Why did he arrive at the Christmas party so late? Where had he been? Was he the man who abused Camilla? Was he the father of her missing baby?
Intercut: series of shots of Nigel Ward – in local paper, at other golf events, ending with one with his father when he was a teenager. His father is in police uniform.
And was the reason why he was not questioned at the time down to the fact that he had a number of friends within the ranks of South Mercia Police? Men in the Rotary Club, men he played golf with …
We just don’t know. All we have is questions. And right now neither Ward, nor Camilla herself, are saying anything.
What we need now is a proper investigation by the one body who can insist on answers: the police.
Cut to: MONTAGE of headlines from the trial, finishing with a picture of Camilla in tears outside the court.
- freeze frame -
Why? Because I no longer think Camilla Rowan’s conviction is sound. So much so, that I believe we could be looking at a miscarriage of justice. A significant and serious miscarriage of justice.
Throughout the trial there were headlines screaming ‘Milly Liar’ on an almost daily basis. Has the time now come for another slogan?
Has the time come for ‘Free Milly’?
TEXT OVER: South Mercia Police were contacted during the making of this programme, but declined to comment.
FADE OUT
FADE IN: Do you have any information about the disappearance of Camilla Rowan’s baby? Call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or email Infamous@Netflix.tv.com
- ends -
* * *
‘I think you could do it, Sarge.’
Hansen has a printout in his hand and that ‘got it’ look Gis has started to recognize.
‘Show me.’
Hansen spreads the printout down on the desk. ‘This is from Companies House. Rowan’s main company was Rowan Holdings, which he wound up in 2005, but there were a lot of subsidiary companies, which he appears to have used to manage specific projects.’ He points. ‘Pine Developments, Oak Properties, Poplar Homes –’
‘That’s enough trees, Ed,’ says Gis with a sigh.
Hansen grins. ‘Right. Most of them were wound up with the parent company. All except one. Beech Management Ltd. That still exists, though it’s been all but dormant for at least two years. But because it’s still technically trading it has to list its directors and give a current contact address for them.’ He points again. ‘And there he is: Richard Swann, Gantry Manor, Wytham.’
Gis looks up at him. ‘So the boss was right – you could track the Swanns down. As long as you knew where to start.’
‘Exactly, Sarge. If the dead man suspected Camilla Rowan was his mother, he could have worked it out from there. Though, to be fair, it’s fiddly and he might not have known about Companies House if he’s been living overseas.’
‘But he could do it.’
Hansen nods. ‘He could do it.’
* * *
Just finished bingeing Infamous. What do people think of that last ep? Pretty explosive stuff eh?
submitted 6 days ago by HickoryDickory77
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Yup, sure is. I still can’t believe the police didn’t pursue that bloke Ward at the time
submitted 6 days ago by Danny929292
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Wasn’t his dear old Dad in the police? That wd explain a lot
submitted 5 days ago by sweetrubette55
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This whole abuse angle – I mean, OK, if she was abused it could have been this Nigel Ward bloke, but aren’t these things always really close to home? Like *really* close to home? Does anyone know if the police ever had the father down as a suspect?
submitted 5 days ago by timeforcrime1998
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I’m not sure I buy the abuse thing – it’s all too easy to come out with this stuff years later when you’re accused of something. She never said a word about it before, did she? And not every single person who commits a crime has been abused. Just saying