Bernadette Walker murder trial: 'There are still unanswered questions'
Report by ITV News Anglia's Stuart Leithes
Despite extensive searches by police, the body of 17-year-old Bernadette Walker from Peterborough has never been found.
She was last seen alive on July 18th 2020 when her step-father, 51-year-old Scott Walker, collected her from his parents's house in Peterborough.
In July 2021, Mr Walker was convicted of her murder. On September 10th, he was sentenced to life in jail, with a minimum of 32 years.
Bernadette's mum, 38-year-old Sarah, was found guilty of perverting the course of justice for trying to help him cover it up.
She was sentenced to six years in jail on 10th September 2021.
On July 16th 2020, two days before Bernadette was last seen alive, the teenager told her mother that Scott Walker had sexually abused her "over a number of years."
Scott Walker denied the allegations in court.
He was initially arrested on suspicion of sexual abuse - but the following day it became a murder inquiry.
Bernadette went to stay with Scott Walker's parents overnight on July 17th "while things calmed down a little".
Scott Walker collected her on July 18th and Sarah Walker reporter Bernadette as missing to the police in the early hours of July 21st.
The prosecution said Scott Walker had killed Bernadette while giving her that lift home on the 18th of July last year.
His mobile phone was disconnected for 90 minutes during that time.
Lisa Wilding QC, prosecuting, said that Scott Walker formed an "unholy alliance" with Bernadette's mother, his ex-partner Sarah Walker, to cover up the girl's death.
Ms Wilding said that Scott Walker's phone, "which was usually in regular use", was off between 11.23am and 12.54pm on July 18th.
His phone reconnected to the network at 12.54pm and the first call he made was to Sarah Walker, which lasted for more than nine minutes.
"The only sensible conclusion that can be drawn from that telephone call is that Scott Walker told his wife that he had killed Bernadette and needed her help, immediately, to cover up Bea's disappearance and death, and to buy them both time to work out what should happen next," said Ms Wilding.
The couple originally claimed that she'd jumped out of Scott Walker's van and run away after he'd confronted her about the allegation, leaving her rucksack behind.
Scott said he had tried and failed to run after her and so returned home without her.
Police discovered that instead of going straight to collect her that morning, Scott had gone to a lock-up garage owned by his parents in Walton.
In the following 48 hours, both Scott Walker and Sarah Walker made multiple trips to the lock-up as well as to a rural area of Lincolnshire in the dead of night.
The prosecution case was that Scott Walker had confessed to Sarah that he'd murdered Bernadette - and together they'd concocted an alibi.
In a police interview Sarah Walker claimed that Bernadette had continued to message her after she'd gone missing.
In reality they'd gained control of her phone to send fake messages to support their story.
When police looked in the lock-up garage they found the teenager's rucksack and her diary.
In it she had written:
"Told my mum about my dad and the abuse. She called me a liar and threatened to kill me if I told the police."
"What kind of parent wouldn't believe their daughter?"
The search for Bernadette continued for weeks involving dogs, teams of divers and flying drones - but they have never located her.
Scott Walker was not Bernadette's biological father. He and Sarah Walker had never officially married but the family had taken his surname.
They lived on Century Square in Peterborough. Neighbours there are still shocked about what happened.
At the time when Bernadette went missing she'd been studying photography at Peterborough College, where they say they're trying to process what has happened.
Detectives believe the most likely scenario is that Scott Walker strangled Bernadette.
However, when they've visited him in prison he's refused to speak to them.
Judge Mrs Justice McGowan, sentencing at Cambridge Crown Court on 10th September 2021, said Scott Walker's refusal to tell police where Bernadette's body is "means she can't be shown the respect she deserves".
"Cruelest of all it's likely to mean some members of her family and friends will go on hoping she might be alive and might someday come back into their lives," she said.
At the moment, there's no sign that he intends to reveal any details which could lead detectives to the discovery of her body, something that police say could not only provide closure for Bernadette's family and friends, but for the whole investigation team.
A timeline of events in the disappearance and murder of Bernadette Walker:
July 16th 2020: Bernadette tells her mother, Sarah Walker, that Scott Walker has been sexually abusing her
July 17th 2020: Bernadette goes to stay at Scott Walker's parents' house overnight
July 18th 2020: Bernadette was last seen alive when Scott Walker collected her from his parents' house in Peterborough. Scott Walker's phone "which was usually in regular use", was off between 11.23am and 12:54pm. The first call he makes at 12:54pm is to Sarah Walker.
July 21st 2020: Sarah Walker reports Bernadette as missing to the police in the early hours of the morning.
September 11th 2020: Cambridgeshire Police launch a "no-body" murder investigation & the search for her body continues
14th September 2020: Scott and Sarah Walker are charged with Bernadette's murder
15th September 2020: Police search the village of Cowbit for the teenager's body
March 19th 2021: Sarah Walker admits lying to police, but denies knowing she Bernadette was dead
24th June 2021: The close friend of Bernadette tells a court he was suspicious about text messages he received from her phone after she disappeared.
26th July 2021: Scott Walker is found guilty of murder
September 10th 2021: Scott Walker and Sarah Walker are sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court. Scott is given a minimum of 32 years, Sarah is given six years.