'Disturbing' case of body in locker shown on TV

A grisly murder enquiry that began as a missing person report will feature in a fly-on-the-wall TV documentary that follows a real police force.

The body of Annette Smith from Stotfold, Bedfordshire, was discovered in a suitcase concealed in a storage locker in May 2024.

24 Hours in Police Custody follows "one of Bedfordshire Police's most harrowing investigations" across the first two episodes of the new Channel 4 series.

Det Ch Insp Katie Dounias said the crime "shook the community" and highlighted "some of the most complex aspects of modern-day policing".

The double bill, entitled "The Butcher of Suburbia", tracks the case after Ms Smith was reported missing in January 2024 by her lodger, Scott Paterson.

He told police she had "left with a friend", so detectives did not investigate until a family member reported her missing in April.

Paterson, then 45, had been living rent-free in Ms Smith's spare room in exchange for company and running errands. They were friends and had gone on holiday together, but he became her carer after she had a stroke.

It later transpired that he had covered up her disappearance for months, using her email account to send Christmas messages and e-cards to family and friends.

"This was a really interesting case, because we didn't know it was a murder at the beginning and it was only over time it became that," said the programme's executive producer Simon Ford.

Det Ch Insp Dounias said it was "a particularly disturbing case" that required "meticulous work" by detectives.

"We were trying to work out where Annette was and what happened to her. It's painstaking. There's lots of detail we need to trawl through," she said.

In an unexpected twist, Ms Smith's killer calmly confesses to the crime during a police interview.

"When he was arrested he did not want a solicitor, and you kind of think at that point, is he going to confess or tell us what happened?" said Det Ch Insp Dounias.

"And then there's a feeling almost of - I don't like to use the word excitement because it sounds sensational - but it's excitement, because actually we might find Annette.

"He might tell us where she is and we can try and repatriate her with her family and allow her a burial," she added.

Mr Ford also spoke about the key interview.

"We are used to filming these cases where somebody has a solicitor and nine times out of of 10 there will be 'no comment' interview.

"But if someone is going to to comment from the beginning, it's always going to be more interesting," he said.

24 Hours in Police Custody: The Butcher Of Suburbia starts Sunday 29 June at 21:00 BST on Channel 4, and concludes on Monday 30 June.

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