Family of murdered Lucy Hargreaves question handling of case
With the link to the getaway car eliminated, Downes and Bradley walked free.But they are now serving life sentences for running a criminal network that carried out a series of shootings in Merseyside, unrelated to the Lucy Hargreaves case. One offence involved a plot which saw a grenade left outside the home of former Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish. In 2011, while on remand charged with firearms offences, the pair escaped from a prison van but were later arrested in the Netherlands and returned to the UK.Lucy's family's complaint suggests not enough was done to prove who was using the 480 phone - citing the fact that only 10% of its billing data was presented by the prosecution. It also questions why no CCTV evidence had been presented in court around the movements of the Lexus between the morning it was stolen on 26 July 2005 and the night of the murder. The family say they believe relevant CCTV is in the possession of the police and urged them to review any footage, and that the decision not to treat the theft of the Lexus as directly related to the murder "hampered" the available evidence. Other aspects of the prosecution case which were challenged by the defence included the alleged motive.The prosecution had claimed Downes wanted Lucy's partner dead because, as a teenager in 1993, Campbell had been a passenger in a car which struck and killed his four-year-old brother, Kevin Downes. However in its application to dismiss the charges the defence presented other possible motives related to Campbell's "lifestyle", which the family argue were not rebutted sufficiently by the prosecution. Lucy's family are still appealing for information about her death. "There is no happy ending for the family and friends of Lucy Hargreaves but we appeal to you all please come forward if you have any information which could leave us closer to justice," they said.Howard Rubbery, head of Merseyside's Serious Crime Review Unit, said: "A comprehensive review is ongoing and when this work is complete, this will be discussed with Lucy's family."We are as determined as ever to get justice for Lucy, and would of course welcome any new information."A spokesperson for the CPS added: "Our thoughts remain with the family of Lucy Hargreaves, with whom we have had contact regarding their concerns."No further evidence has been referred to the CPS for consideration of a charging decision."
