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UNSOLVED MYSTERY

Who is Charlene Downes, when did she disappear and has anyone been charged with her murder?

The teen's disappearance sparked a 16-year mystery

CHARLENE Downes went missing from her hometown of Blackpool on November 1, 2003 - she has never been found.

Police are still no closer to solving the 14-year-old girl's murder. Here's her story.

 Charlene, 14, was last seen in Blackpool over a decade ago
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Charlene, 14, was last seen in Blackpool over a decade agoCredit: PA:Press Association/Lancashire Police

Who is Charlene Downes?

Charlene Downes, 14, moved to Blackpool with her mum Karen, dad Robert and sister Rebecca four years before her disappearance.

Police initially treated her as a runaway teen, but it was later revealed she had been a victim of sexual abuse near the location where she was last seen in November 2003.

It was revealed that at least 60 schoolgirls were groomed for sex by takeaway workers, who would ply youngsters with food, alcohol and cigarettes in return for sexual favours.

In 2006, Lancashire Police officers said they believed she had been murdered, but are still no closer to finding her body.

She was last seen by her mum Karen on November 1, 2003, at 7.15pm where she kissed her goodbye at a bus stop on Church Street on her way to meet friends in the town centre.

Charlene told her she was going to the arcade and wouldn't be home late.

She met up with her friend and they then walked towards the Promenade, heading for the Carousel bar on North Pier.

At just after 9pm Charlene is supposedly spotted on CCTV outside a Blackpool bar on Talbot Road with a woman wearing a ¾ length black coat.

The next day when she failed to return home, Charlene’s family reported her as missing.

What theories are there about the case?

Officers from Lancashire Police have so far taken more than 4,800 witness statements and more than 10,500 lines of inquiry have been generated.

To this day the case remains unsolved - despite a £100,000 reward offer - but there have been many theories about what happened to the teen.

In 2007, a takeaway owner Iyad Albattikhi was accused of murdering her while co-owner Mohammed Reveshi was alleged to have helped to dispose of her body.

The trial heard that her body was "chopped up and put in kebabs" at Funny Boyz fast food shop in Blackpool.

But charges against both of them were withdrawn after the jury failed to reach a verdict.

Two men were also arrested and questioned by police for historic sex offences in 2017, but police confirmed there was no suggested direct link to Charlene.

 CCTV footage of missing Charlene Downes
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CCTV footage of missing Charlene Downes

What have Charlene's parents said about the police investigation?

Charlene's mum Karen Downes slammed cops for a bungled investigation as probe launched into "breach of duty".

In 2017, detectives finally released the only CCTV footage of her on the day she vanished - after it lay unnoticed on police shelves.

Karen, 52, launched a lawsuit against the force in July 2017, seeking a public apology.

She claims Lancashire Police "trampled" on her daughter's memory by refusing to admit its mistakes could have cost the chance to find her alive.

The heartbroken mum now says police chiefs refused to say sorry, claiming that not finding the tape in their archives sooner was "not a breach of investigative duty".

Police watchdog IPCC referred the case to the Lancashire Police Commissioner and the force's Professional Standards Department in November 2017.

What is being done to find Charlene?

Lancashire Police renewed their appeal for information about Charlene's whereabouts on the 13th anniversary of her disappearance.

They released previously unseen CCTV of Charlene walking with sister Rebecca on the day she vanished.

Detective Superintendent Andy Webster said in 2016: "It has been thirteen years since Charlene disappeared but we are as determined as ever to find her killer or killers.

"Hopefully these pictures of Charlene on the day she disappeared will help jog someone's memory and I would urge anyone with information, however insignificant they feel it may be, to come and speak to us.

"I have always been convinced that there are people who know what happened to Charlene but have not yet come forward to speak to the police."

He added: "As part of our inquiries we are also focusing on the wider issue of child sexual exploitation in Blackpool at around the time of Charlene's disappearance and we have identified a number of people who could potentially be victims and offenders, and we will be seeking to make arrests and to prosecute abusers in the near future."

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting log number LC-20161031-0381 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

In July 2017, the schoolgirl's family revealed they are to sue police over their alleged mishandling of her investigation.

When is The Murder of Charlene Downes on TV?

The documentary examines the events that followed the teen's disappearance in 2003 and how one witness led to the discovery of a grooming scandal.

It began on Tuesday, May 21, 2019 on Channel 5 and was split into three episodes on consecutive nights at 9pm.

Tyne Yates, who says her mum sold her for sex in an alleyway when she was just 12, said she became friends with Charlene as the pair sold themselves for pocket money.

A kebab shop owner charged with disposing of Downes' body has sensationally claimed he doesn't care "whether she's alive or dead" in his first ever on-camera interview.

Iranian Mohammed Reveshi was one of two men suspected of being involved with the 14-year-old schoolgirl's disappearance from Blackpool in November 2003.

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