An insight into the work of a murder detective - and how police caught killer Andrew Jones

• DCI Paul Jones led the murder investigation into the death of Mike O'Leary. Here he describes what it was like working on such a significant murder case and how he deals with the challenges that comes with the job.

As a young detective on a murder enquiry, one senior investigating officer once said to me, “It is a great honour and privilege to investigate the death of another human being.”

I thought was a bit cheesy at the time - but twenty years on, I am an SIO myself, and I can not find a better phrase to describe the feeling the role brings.

I joined Dyfed-Powys police in 1998 following ten years service in the Royal Navy. I was a beat officer in Carmarthenshire during my initial probation period and went into CID as a detective constable quite early into my career.

I have worked on numerous murder investigations around the force area including Operation Ottawa - the John Cooper murders and the murder of April Jones.

I was SIO for a murder in Pendine which gained some local interest. It was the murder of Simon Clark which ended with the suspect - Steve Baxter - living wild in forests and caves across South Wales before I became the senior investigating officer on the case of Mike O'Leary.

• "There were a few facts that did not sit right"

From the outset this case had the hallmarks of a suicidal missing person, but equally, there were a few facts that did not sit right, but not enough to be confident we were dealing with a murder.

As we explored those loose ends, we were led to speak to Andrew Jones on a number of occasions, resulting in further discrepancies being identified in his accounts.

On day three of the investigation, those discrepancies developed enough for me to form the reasonable grounds to suspect that a murder had occurred - and Andrew Jones was formally raised as a suspect. My suspicions were raised significantly upon Jones’ arrest, when he made a comment about still being in possession of Mike O’Leary’s phone.

At this point, I was satisfied that we had to explore everything we could about Andrew Jones, his relationship with Mike O’Leary and his movements during the relevant time.

When the first result came in from the lab, which found blood and DNA on some buttons that were found, blood on his jeans and DNA in gravel, I strongly suspected that Mike O’Leary had been killed at Cincoed Farm - but we were a long way off proving it.

I was unsure what had happened to his body and began working though various hypothesis, such as being buried in a clandestine grave at the farm; in concrete on a building site; in the river or hidden in woodland – everything needed exploring.

•  "There were elements of arrogance"

Andrew Jones appeared very calm throughout his time in custody and no different to a middle aged person who had been arrested for the first time in his life for a very minor incident.

There were elements of arrogance displayed through sarcastic comments he made – such as asking for specific types of reading material when offered by saying something along the lines of: "Anything as long as it's not a Midsomer Murder".

He maintained his right to silence by answering "no comment" to questions put to him, and whilst this is a basic legal right, it does raise suspicion further.

If this were an innocent man, he would be desperately leading us to find evidence to show that it would have been impossible for him to commit a murder and dispose of a body.

We were given very limited information by Andrew Jones and had to piece together all of his movements without having any account from him as a starting point.

•  "The day the body part was found sticks in my mind like it was yesterday"

The day the body part was found sticks in my mind like it was yesterday. It was a Saturday evening and I was off duty, having a day off to recharge.

The team were dismantling the search site at Bronwydd Road as a result of a change in tactic due to Covid and we had to relocate the rubble to a secure site.

I had been to the scene in the morning with a bag full of biscuits and fresh fruit as a morale boosting visit for the team, to reassure them and thank them for the ongoing effort. It felt like the frustration was building as the team were meticulously searching for the smallest remains, not knowing if the victim had been there – or if the fire was unrelated or only used to destroy other evidence such as clothing.

It was about 7.30pm, I was sat at my kitchen table, writing up my notes of the days visit and planning the next phases of the investigation when my phone rang – it was Inspector Tim Davies who was the current Senior Evidence Recovery Manager.

He explained how they had just found an apparent piece of flesh within a barrel at the search scene. Up until now, we had found a number of items that resembled human remains to the naked eye, but on closer examination by forensic experts, had not resulted in anything tangible. There was something in Tim’s update that made me optimistic, but we had wait until we had that confirmation and manage people’s expectations – negative results from the experts could have an impact on morale.

•  "I felt relieved, excited and almost physically sick due to the emotion"

When we had confirmation that the item located was human tissue with a full DNA profile matching that of Mike O’Leary, I felt relieved, excited and almost physically sick due to the emotion - and thought of what had actually occurred, or what we were in the process of proving had actually occurred.

 My first thoughts then were to inform the family of Mike O’Leary. I wanted to give them some news that would help them deal with their loss, as well as ensuring that they would hear this news from the investigation team and not from any rumours.

•  "Despite the evidence... I will never take anything for granted"

Despite the scientific and digital evidence recovered throughout the investigation, I will never take anything for granted. Defence barristers are very skilled and will test all elements of an investigation to find any “loose thread” and we never know how a jury will interpret the case they are presented with.

The biggest challenge was piecing together the last movements of a murder victim without a body. The amount of evidence provided from forensic pathologists in cases where the victim’s body is recovered, provides a significant portion of the prosecution case. Here we had to replace that with evidence from elsewhere.

• "Two thousand hours of CCTV, 140 search areas and 70 tonnes of rubble"

The extent of the search tasks were huge which included the sieving of 70 tonnes of rubble, search of a landfill site, disused farms and building sites.

The fact that Andrew Jones had the capacity and capability through his work to dispose of a body, alone, made it extremely difficult.

There were 140 search areas, 2,000 hours of CCTV and more than 300 officers working on the investigation.

• "I felt a personal responsibility to the O'Leary family"

What surprised me the most during the investigation was how dignified the O’Leary family were throughout – and how I felt a personal responsibility to them, not just a job, but I felt that I could not let them down.

The pride I felt for the effort the teams were putting in to ensure we explored every avenue and prepared a file of evidence that would stand up to the scrutiny of a Crown Court trial.

The staff were clearly exhausted at times, working extended hours, in conditions that were tough for them physically and mentally, yet all showed a determination to find even the smallest pieces of evidence.

•  "Seeing some of the worst behaviour towards human beings by human beings"

The most challenging thing about being a detective is the frustration when there is some evidence, but not enough to prove a case, and people you believe are guilty of serious offences are not brought to justice.

The other challenging aspect is seeing the impact of serious crime on victims and their families, and seeing some of the worst behaviour towards human beings by human beings – not just murder, but serious sexual offences and child offences too.

Being a senior investigating officer can give you an overwhelming feeling of loneliness when, in times of conflicting information, critical decisions are needed, and you know that there is no right or wrong way, but each decision is likely to be forensically analysed in the cold light of day in a court room. But, that is also what makes the role so rewarding.

• "Knowing that families may be helpless and relying on you gives a sense of responsibility"

There is no easy answer on how to process what I see and have to deal with in my job. It is not for everyone. Just like driving fast in a traffic car or pointing a loaded firearm at someone isn’t for me.

A strong family and understanding spouse who accepts no day off is guaranteed helps, as do good friends and dogs – who are all happy to offer a cathartic ear!

The role of a Senior Investigating Officer is one that is developed over many years where training courses and experience assist you in dealing with what comes your way. It is a privileged position to be in, and knowing that families may be helpless and relying on you, gives a sense of responsibility that helps you deal with it.

• No Body Recovered is available to watch on ITV on 29 July at 9pm. It will also be available via the ITV Hub.