Police initially did not consider Una Crown's death suspicious, and vital forensic evidence was lost after her relatives were allowed back into the house. Prosecutor John Price told the trial that the police's initial assessment was a grave error of judgment. New forensic techniques revealed male DNA under Una Crown's fingernails, which was protected from the fire because her hand was clenched in a fist underneath her body when she fell.
The DNA matched David Newton, an alcoholic odd-job man. The case features in the latest episode of Channel 4's '24 Hours in Police Custody', which follows Detective Superintendent Iain Moor and his colleagues. Footage in the documentary shows David Newton in a police cell after his arrest for the murder.
When I joined the Major Crime Unit, the first thing my wife said to me was, 'You've got to solve this murder'.
The motive for the murder remains unclear, and the specific forensic techniques used have not been detailed. David Newton's sentence has not been disclosed, and it is unknown how detectives ruled out other suspects before confirming his guilt based on the DNA match.
No. What's going to happen is going to happen. I've told them the truth of what I know.
No one touches them. That's why they call me The Shovel, the size of my hands.
Even with the benefit of hindsight, it may seem difficult to understand how those officers managed to persuade themselves that this death should not be treated as suspicious, given they could see Mrs Crown had a wound to her neck, there was a lot of blood on the floor where she lay and there were three separate seats of fire within the house.