Justice catches up with murderer 32 years on

A Fishponds father-of-four has been jailed for the mystery rape and murder of teenager Melanie Road in Bath almost 32 years after she was found dead close to a block of garages by a milkman.

Appearing on the first day of his trial on Monday morning, Christopher Hampton, a painter and decorator, changed his plea to guilty and was sentenced to a minimum of 22 years in prison.

Judge Andrew Popplewell said Hampton, 63, committed a “sexually motivated and brutal attack” which included stabbing Road 26 times and had leaving her family to suffer with the unsolved crime for 32 years.

Road was 17 when she was stabbed to death following a night out with friends in Bath on June 8, 1984.

Her body was found in St Stephen’s Court by a milkman and his son the following morning.

Police discovered a trail of blood leading to the body and concluded she had been attacked, raped and left to die by an “opportunistic” offender.

A five-year media campaign by police yielded few clues about who was responsible. A review of evidence found at the scene was subject to DNA sampling in 1995, using new technology, but the case remained cold.

In 2015, as methods became more advanced, the Major Crime Team, which had picked up the case again in 2012, found a familiar match when the DNA was run through the national profile system again.

The search threw up a new name: Clare Hampton, 44, who had been arrested in November over a domestic abuse case and cautioned for criminal damage.

The close match led police to Clare’s father, Christopher, whose DNA was matched to samples found on Road’s clothes at the scene.

It was the end of a long road for the cold case team in Bristol and those officers involved in the initial investigation. All in all, 95 had been arrested over the death and 2,555 people had been swabbed for DNA.

Jean Road, Melanie’s mother, said she had always wanted revenge over what happened, but now “wouldn’t use my energy up” on Hampton.

“I feel he should be shut up in a dungeon like they used to in the olden days and just left to rot because he is not worth looking after. I know that’s against the law but I can think that – I’m allowed to think that,” she said.

“Our whole life was taken over by this horrible deed. Melanie did not deserve that. Nobody deserves what happened to her. Who can do that to somebody? I will never understand.”

Detective Chief Inspector Julie MacKay, who has been working on the case since 2009, said: “Although Hampton has now admitted to murdering Melanie, he has spent more than 30 years living a lie, able to conceal his dark secret from all those around him.

“I hope this case sends out a strong message that it doesn’t matter how long ago an offence took place, we will never give up on trying to find those responsible and bringing them to justice.”

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