Charlene Downes, 14, vanished in November 2003 while out with friends in Blackpool. The case has remained unsolved and was clouded by rumors, far-right rhetoric, and police failures.
Nicola Thorp, an actress, writer, and broadcaster from the area, who grew up in Blackpool, says Charlene's disappearance was a "wound for the town". Over two decades later, Thorp set out to clear up speculation and expose how Charlene was repeatedly failed by those around her. The case involved rumors that the two men accused of murder had disposed of Charlene's body as kebab meat.
Thorp visited Charlene's family and interviewed potential new leads, police, far-right activists, and a Facebook group intent on uncovering the truth for Charlene. However, Thorp says she was initially drawn to the group because of her desire for justice, not because she agreed with their methods.
The two men accused of murder in 2007 were takeaway owners Iyad Albattikhi and Mohammed Reveshi. A retrial was ordered after a first jury failed to return a verdict, but it collapsed amid "grave doubts" about the evidence. The investigation remains open, with a £100,000 reward for information that leads to a conviction.
Charlene's family had been under social services supervision at the time of her disappearance. Thorp believes class played a significant role in the investigation, stating that if Charlene were from a different background, she might have received more attention and support. The police initially considered Charlene a "runaway," not taking her disappearance seriously for several days.
A man named Ray Munro, who was staying with Charlene's family at the time of her disappearance, had previously been sentenced to child sex offenses but remained unknown to the family. Thorp has expressed concern about the lack of attention given to white men involved in these cases.
The police handling of Charlene's case has also been criticized by Thorp. She recounted an experience where she was sexually assaulted and reported it to the police, who asked invasive and intrusive questions that made her feel guilty.
Thorp is now calling for a full inquiry into the police handling of Charlene's disappearance.
Nicola Thorp, an actress, writer, and broadcaster from the area, who grew up in Blackpool, says Charlene's disappearance was a "wound for the town". Over two decades later, Thorp set out to clear up speculation and expose how Charlene was repeatedly failed by those around her. The case involved rumors that the two men accused of murder had disposed of Charlene's body as kebab meat.
Thorp visited Charlene's family and interviewed potential new leads, police, far-right activists, and a Facebook group intent on uncovering the truth for Charlene. However, Thorp says she was initially drawn to the group because of her desire for justice, not because she agreed with their methods.
The two men accused of murder in 2007 were takeaway owners Iyad Albattikhi and Mohammed Reveshi. A retrial was ordered after a first jury failed to return a verdict, but it collapsed amid "grave doubts" about the evidence. The investigation remains open, with a £100,000 reward for information that leads to a conviction.
Charlene's family had been under social services supervision at the time of her disappearance. Thorp believes class played a significant role in the investigation, stating that if Charlene were from a different background, she might have received more attention and support. The police initially considered Charlene a "runaway," not taking her disappearance seriously for several days.
A man named Ray Munro, who was staying with Charlene's family at the time of her disappearance, had previously been sentenced to child sex offenses but remained unknown to the family. Thorp has expressed concern about the lack of attention given to white men involved in these cases.
The police handling of Charlene's case has also been criticized by Thorp. She recounted an experience where she was sexually assaulted and reported it to the police, who asked invasive and intrusive questions that made her feel guilty.
Thorp is now calling for a full inquiry into the police handling of Charlene's disappearance.
. It's crazy that the police initially thought Charlene was just a runaway and didn't take her disappearance seriously for days 
. And what's with the social services supervision at the time? Like, shouldn't they have been doing more to support her family? 
.
. A full inquiry into their handling of Charlene's disappearance would be a good start 
. It's time for justice to be served and for the truth to come out 
.
This whole thing is just so sad and frustrating 
I mean, shouldn't everyone get equal attention and support no matter what their background is?! 
And omg, this Ray Munro guy who was staying with Charlene's family at the time... that's just gross 
. Nicola Thorp's just trying to do some good here, but it's like, the system's broken, you know? 
can't believe this is still happening 22 yrs on... I mean, I get it ppl need justice but some of these far-right groups r scaring the living daylights outta people who just wanna find out what happened to Charlene! 
and btw how many times did the cops have to mess up b4 they realized they had a real case? 
like, if u were from a different background, maybe u woulda gotten more help... it's not rocket science fam. 
we need 2 find out wut happened 2 Charlene & get justice 4 her family, period! 
. And to think that her family was under social services supervision at the time of her disappearance... it's a whole new level of messed up 
. The police handling of this case is, like, woah 
. I'm talking about the way they treated Ray Munro, and the guy who had a history of child sex offenses 
. And don't even get me started on the class aspect of it all 
. She's not afraid to speak out and call for accountability 
. A full inquiry into the police handling of Charlene's disappearance is, like, totally due 
. This case needs to be solved ASAP 
.
. And don't even get me started on the police asking invasive questions about her sexual assault - that's just disgusting 
. Nicola Thorp's efforts to clear up the truth and bring justice to Charlene's family are so admirable, but it's still sad that it took her all this time to come forward 
. We need real systemic change here, not just a bunch of token gestures 
the truth is out there... but where is it? 
!
. The way she was treated by the authorities, and the fact that her family was under social services supervision at the time... it's just not right 
? I'm also super annoyed that Ray Munro's past was kept quiet about, considering he had a history of child sex offenses 
.
i'm not surprised the police didn't take him seriously either. and charlene's mom had to go through all this trauma and then have to deal with people asking invasive questions after she reported being assaulted... ugh. it's no wonder thorp is calling for a full inquiry now, it's about time someone held those responsible accountable 
.
. Maybe we can learn something from this data about how to improve our systems for handling missing person cases? 
. It's just heartbreaking that all these years have passed and the truth about what happened to Charlene has been clouded by rumors and mistakes. 
... ray munro staying with the family at the time... it's like, what were they thinking?! and now nicola thorp is calling for a full inquiry into all this... i think we need to get to the bottom of this and make sure justice is served 
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I can only imagine how frustrating and hurtful it must have been for Nicola Thorp to see all these injustices happen and not get the justice Charlene deserved