Karen Downes slams trolls for accusing her of 'killing' daughter
Mother of missing schoolgirl Charlene Downes admits SHE’S been accused of killing her own child after admitting it took her two days to call the police when she disappeared 16 years ago
- Karen Downes, 54, from Blackpool, was accused of killing daughter by trolls
- Admitted ‘life has been made a misery’ after tell-all documentary was released
- Tomorrow marks the 16th anniversary of Charlene Downes’ disappearance
The mum of missing schoolgirl Charlene Downes has revealed she’s been accused of killing her own daughter by ruthless social media trolls.
Charlene’s disappearance in November 2003, aged 14, is one of the biggest investigations in police history. Two local takeaway workers stood trial for the teen’s murder in May 2007, but were not convicted.
The prosecution claimed that Charlene’s body had been cut up and minced into kebabs, her bones crushed into tile grouting.
Now, one day before the 16th anniversary of the Blackpool teenager’s disappearance, mum Karen Downes, 54, has told how she no longer feels safe walking the streets and revealed how husband, Bob, 58, has been banned from the pubs and clubs near their home following a backlash against them.
‘I got a lot of abuse on Facebook and social media and I was getting accused of killing Charlene,’ she explained. ‘Bob has been barred from his favourite pubs in town. His mental health has suffered.’
Karen Downes (pictured), 54, from Blackpool, has spoken out on the 16th anniversary of daughter Charlene’s disappearance
Charlene (pictured) disappeared in November 2003, aged 14 – and it has since been one of the biggest investigations in police history
Karen told how her husband Bob, 58 (pictured) has been banned from the pubs and clubs near their home following a backlash against them
‘People are very quick to judge me, but, of course, I want to see it through and get justice for Charlene.’
Karen also told how her ‘life has been made a misery’ after a tell-all documentary revealed she lied about calling the cops when her daughter went missing, allowed a convicted paedophile to stay in her house, and is still in contact with a man who allegedly groomed her daughter for sex.
The mother-of-four admitted she regrets taking part in the Channel 5 film ‘The Murder of Charlene Downes’ earlier this year, but added: ‘I know I’ve made wrong choices in life, but I can turn things around.’
The cops admit there have been no further inroads made in their quest to find out what happened to the tragic teenager.
Since a tell-all documentary aired on Channel 5, Karen (pictured) told how she got a lot of abuse on Facebook and social media and was getting accused of killing Charlene
Two local takeaway workers stood trial for the teen’s (pictured) murder in May 2007, but were not convicted
Describing the backlash following the documentary, Karen told how her life has been a ‘misery’. Pictured with husband, Bob
But a source close to the inquiry praised the documentary and said: ‘It has been very successful and has opened up new lines of inquiry.’
TV viewers recoiled as they watched Karen visibly squirm as the recording of her original 999 call was played.
She had always maintained that she called cops straightaway when her daughter vanished on the Saturday night, but the tape revealed she had left it until Monday before reporting Charlene missing.
The police investigation into Charlene Downes’ murder
Charlene Downes, 14, had been a victim of child sex gangs in Blackpool, many of them centred on takeaway restaurants.
Police believe she was sexually abused by as many as 100 men in the run-up to her death.
In 2007 two business partners were tried for murdering Charlene and disposing of her body using a mincing machine, before putting it into kebabs.
However, a jury failed to reach a verdict and the case collapsed. Iyad Albattikhi and Mohammed Reveshi later received six-figure compensation sums for false imprisonment.
In 2013, to mark the tenth anniversary of Charlene’s disappearance, police announced they had appointed a dedicated full-time senior investigating officer to the case.
In 2016 a cold case team revisited the investigation and discovered CCTV footage of Charlene walking with her sister Rebecca on the day she vanished.
It was finally released on the 13th anniversary of her disappearance in November 2016 and again for a fresh appeal on the BBC’s Crimewatch Live Roadshow.
Last year, a 51-year-old man was arrested after being first quizzed by police in the year she went missing. Over the years, police have made five arrests on suspicion of Charlene’s murder but all have been freed without charge.
The film also revealed that convicted paedophile, Raymond Munro, was living with the Downes family at the time she went missing.
Two days after Charlene’s last sighting, Munro was sentenced to four years in prison at Preston Crown Court after pleading guilty to three counts of indecent assault and one of exposure against three girls and indecently assaulting a six-year-old boy.
Viewers also watched as it was revealed that a 50-year-old man ‘expressed his feelings’ for Charlene to Karen.
Amazingly, the same man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is still in touch with the Downes and remains on Karen’s Facebook friends list.
In the documentary, Karen (pictured) revealed she lied about calling the cops when her daughter went missing, allowed a convicted paedophile to stay in her house, and is still in contact with a man who allegedly groomed her daughter for sex
Police believe Charlene (pictured( was sexually abused by as many as 100 men in the run-up to her death
The prosecution claimed that Charlene’s body had been cut up and minced into kebabs in a Blackpool takeaway. Pictured, mother Karen
After two local takeaway workers stood trial for Charlene’s murder in May 2007 and were not convicted, and a planned retrial was abandoned in 2008, Karen began to give up hope of ever finding the truth and came close to suffering a nervous breakdown.
Karen’s book, ‘Sold in Secret’ tells her version of events of Charlene’s disappearance and the devastating effect it had on their family.
Interview with a kebab shop owner who was suspected of disposing of schoolgirl Charlene Downes’ body
Iranian Mohammed Reveshi was one of two men suspected of being involved with the 14-year-old schoolgirl’s disappearance from Blackpool in November 2003.
Although suspects Reveshi and Iyad Albattikhi stood trial at Preston Crown Court, the jury failed to reach a verdict and a retrial was dropped due to lack of evidence.
He has since sensationally claimed he doesn’t care ‘whether she’s alive or dead’ in his first ever on-camera interview.
When asked if he knew anything about Charlene’s disappearance on the shocking show, Reveshi replied: ‘I don’t have any clue about what you’re talking about.
‘I don’t care whether she’s alive or dead. I couldn’t give a toss to be honest.’
In one of the scenes, Reveshi, who owned several takeaway shops in the area, is seen looking through boxes of information he has kept about the case.
During a sit-down interview he said: ‘Everyone in Blackpool thinks I am connected.
‘As far as I’m concerned I’ve never come across her, I do not know her, I would not recognise her and I’ve never seen her in my life.’
Although professing his innocence throughout, police officers who worked on the case said Reveshi was a ‘dangerous’ man.
Detective Don Fraser, who also happened to be a neighbour of the takeaway shop owner, said: ‘You have to believe coincidence after coincidence to give Reveshi credibility.
The man leading the investigation into Charlene Downes’ death is Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Webster, Lancashire Constabulary’s Head of Investigations. His message is clear in the hunt for Charlene’s killer(s).
He said: ‘We remain committed to finding Charlene’s killer(s) and her body despite it being more than 15 years since she went missing. A £100,000 reward remains on offer for information leading to the conviction of her killer(s) or recovery of her body.
Karen’s (pictured) book, ‘Sold in Secret’ tells her version of events of Charlene’s disappearance and the devastating effect it had on their family
Following her daughter’s disappearance, Karen (pictured with husband Bob) added: ‘People are very quick to judge me, but, of course, I want to see it through and get justice for Charlene’
After a planned retrial was abandoned in 2008, Karen (pictured) began to give up hope of ever finding the truth and came close to suffering a nervous breakdown
‘We will continue to not only focus on her disappearance and murder but also on the wider issue of child sexual exploitation in Blackpool, for which we have now secured a number of successful convictions.
‘I would encourage anyone who knows anything about Charlene’s disappearance and death to come forward and speak to us.’
‘Similarly, if you have been a victim of abuse, please speak to the police. We will listen to you, support you and bring offenders to justice.’
A man was arrested on suspicion of Charlene’s murder in August 2017 and remains under investigation.
The Murder of Charlene Downes documentary
The Murder of Charlene Downes looked into circumstances surrounding the disappearance of 14-year-old Charlene Downes in November 2003 in Blackpool.
It revealed how men were spending time at the family home at the invitation of Charlene’s father Bob Downes, who met them in the local pub, including convicted sex offender, called Ray Munro.
Ray Munro had pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual abuse of ten-year-old children, and he was staying with the Downes family the day Charlene disappeared.
Charlene herself had reported some of her father’s acquaintances to social services for sexually inappropriate behaviour.
Meanwhile, it was revealed that her mother Karen didn’t call the police until two days after her teenage daughter disappeared.
According to several sources, a number of men had been going in and out of the Downes’ family home at the time of Charlene’s disappearance.
The men came to the house on the invitation of Robert Downes, who would befriend them at the pub, but the father of Charlene denies any wrong doing.
‘I heard this story too many times from people who seem to care about what happened to Charlene,’ said journalist Julie Bindel, ‘that there was a lot of violence going on in the household, and not just from outsiders, that Bob brought in from the pub.’
One of the men Robert brought to the family home was a convicted sex offender, called Ray Munro.
‘I saw Charlene sitting on Munro’s lap once,’ said a friend of Bob Downes, named Glen. ‘I just didn’t think it was right for a young girl like that sitting on his lap,’
‘I thought “that not right” because she’s just a fourteen-year-old kid,’ he adds, ‘I just had a word with him.’
When prompted to say how Munro reacted, Glen said: ‘He knows I’d have killed him on the spot.’
Discussing the events in the documentary, Robert and Karen both denied knowing Munro was a sex offender at the time he stayed at their house.
Robert said he learned about the sexual abuse in court three days later when he went to the sentencing of Ray Munro.
‘I didn’t know at the time, otherwise I would have never have had him in the house,’ Karen explained.
Social service reported there was an incident between Charlene and Munro on the day she disappeared, but the documentary did not go into details.
The documentary also revealed that eight days after her disappearance was reported, authorities decided that, if found, Charlene would not be returning home, but would be put under a police protection order instead.
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