Town Without Pity

In 1973 in the picturesque market town of Bakewell, in a graveyard Wendy Sewell was brutally and bloodily murdered. Stephen Downing was then seventeen, but had the mental age of eleven, and was working as a gardener in the graveyard. He was taken to the police station, interrogated for 9 hours without access to a solicitor and signed a confession he could not read. Forever afterwards and during his 27 years in jail he maintained his innocence, even though he was offered his freedom if only he would say he was guilty. Here was a picture of innocent suffering. While in prison he educated himself, and wrote an account of the day of the murder and what had followed. Six years ago the editor of the local newspaper, a former professional footballer called Don Hale, was approached by Stephen Downing's parents. He began to learn of all the evidence, including witness statements, which seemed to show a version of the events of the day of the murder, which contradicted the official version - evidence which the police had seemed to discount. Who was the blond man seen running away from the murder scene covered in blood? Which married local bigwigs had been having affairs with Wendy Sewell? H