ITV goes behind the scenes of Alice Ruggles murder case

A new documentary will go behind the scenes of Northumbria Police's investigation into the murder of Alice Ruggles at her Gateshead flat.

The compelling one-off documentary, An Hour to Catch A Killer with Trevor McDonald, kicks off ITV’s brand new Crime & Punishment season.

Lance Corporal Trimaan Dhillon, known to Alice as ‘Harry’, was convicted at Newcastle Crown Court for brutally murdering his former girlfriend in a “jealous rage”.

With innovative access to the Northumbria Police homicide team, An Hour To Catch A Killer takes viewers to the heart of the all-important window of time that can make or break a murder investigation – the ‘Golden Hour’.

This principle, outlined in British Police’s Murder Investigation Manual, describes how the decisions detectives make during that first-hour impact on whether or not they catch the killer.

Presented by Sir Trevor McDonald and with access to the family of Alice Ruggles, the film follows homicide detectives from Northumbria Police as they look to solve this tragic case.

The force starts filming themselves from the second the call comes in when the clock starts ticking on their chances of finding the culprit. For the first time, the murder squad wear HD body cameras, recording every moment as the first 60 minutes countdown.

Taking viewers inside the crime scene where camera crews can’t ordinarily go because their presence would contaminate evidence, this film allows unrestricted access to the heart of the investigation.

From then on the programme has access to every level of the investigation as it develops, placing the viewer at the sharp end to get an insight into every move made by those leading the case as they try to close in on the killer.

The programme stays with them until the perpetrator is found and charged.

The film also features Alice’s parents, Clive and Sue. They say they want to highlight the dangers of stalking.