In 1983 and then only three years later, in 1986, the villages of Narborough and Enderby, in Leicestershire, were shaken by the murders of two local teenage girls who were attacked and killed in very similar circumstances.

Weaving together archive footage and interviews with police officers, local journalists and forensic scientists, as well as friends and close relatives of the victims, this programme tells the story of the investigation, and how the struggle to find the killer would lead to the very first use of a brand new forensic science – DNA fingerprinting.

Following the course of this incredible scientific breakthrough and its use in the Leicestershire murders investigation, the episode explores the creation of Britain’s DNA database, a world first, as well as the development and evolution of this investigative tool which would lead to convictions for crimes that had, until then, been impossible to solve.

Exploring the ripples of one single investigation and the coincidences, twists and turns that led to this historic breakthrough, the programme paints a portrait of the 1980s as well as revealing the unforeseen, unfolding consequences of this pivotal investigation that has changed crime detection around the world.

Omah, By chance, l watched this programme and found it totally fascinating.

Sir Alec Jeffreys, what a genius!
I have been reading all about him and how he developed techniques for genetic fingerprinting and DNA profiling.
His technique of DNA profiling and genetic fingerprinting are now used worldwide.

I think he truly deserves a place in history

Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys KBE FRS is awarded the Copley Medal, believed to be the world’s oldest scientific prize, announced by the Royal Society. Jeffreys receives the medal for his pioneering work on variation and mutation in the human genome.

The Copley medal was first awarded by the Royal Society in 1731, 170 years before the first Nobel Prize. It is awarded for outstanding achievements in scientific research and has been awarded to eminent scientists such as Charles Darwin, Michael Faraday, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.

Beginning in 1989, this episode tells the story of a murder in Billingham in Teesside that would lead to one mother challenging an 800-year-old law.

In November 1989, Julie Hogg, a young single mother, disappeared without word, leaving her parents and young son distraught. Three months later her body was found and a suspect arrested. Weaving together interviews with Julie’s mother Ann and Julie’s son Kevin, as well as friends, journalists, police officers and leading politicians, the programme tells the story of how the failure to convict her daughter’s killer led Ann Ming to overturn the law on double jeopardy.

As this episode traces the twists and turns of Ann Ming's campaign, the story of other cases that benefitted from the legal changes are also explored, from Gary Dobson and Clifford Norris - the killers of Stephen Lawrence who were convicted in 2012 - to the killer of Surjit Chokkar, who was finally convicted 18 years after the murder.

Exploring the ripples of one single case, the programme explores how one mother’s determination to get justice for her daughter would lead to an historic change in the law that has benefitted other families, who had also seen the killers of their loved ones walk free.

Next Episode

Wednesday October

16 21:00

BBC TWO

Double Jeopardy



One of the key reasons for a re-appraisal of the law was the development of DNA evidence. The ability to match traces at a crime scene to a specific individual has had a huge impact upon criminal cases. Some people who were convicted of crimes later had their innocence established by DNA evidence. Other people had been acquitted before DNA evidence, which might prove their guilt, became available. If there was compelling new evidence that they had committed a crime, was it right that they could not be prosecuted?

That question was raised in some very high-profile cases.

Beginning in 1972, this episode tells the story of a miscarriage of justice that would lead to major changes in police powers.

In 1972, the body of Maxwell Confait was found in a house in Catford, south London. After a short investigation, three local boys confessed to arson and murder. At the Old Bailey, all three were convicted, despite retracting their statements and protesting their innocence.

The police very quickly apprehended an eighteen-year-old man, Colin Lattimore, who had a mental age of eight. Lattimore admitted to lighting the fire at Doggett Road with his friend, Ronnie Leighton, aged 15, and their friend, 14-year-old Ahmet Salih were taken into police custody.

Weaving together archive and interviews with police officers, lawyers, politicians and relatives of the accused boys and of the late MP Christopher Price, this episode tells the story of the new rights for suspects that were brought in following the boys’ wrongful convictions. One miscarriage of justice would lead to a change in the law which brought in the right to a lawyer, a responsible adult and the tape recording of all police interviews.

As the programme moves forward, the consequences of the case go further still, as tape recording reveals police practices have not yet universally caught up with the changes in the law. Further reforms have led to the search for evidence, rather than pressing for confessions, as the goal for UK police investigations. As the episode shows, one single murder investigation in 1972 led to major reforms in British policing, transforming the rights of us all.