It was after William Pettit killed Rene Brown in a mushroom field in Chislehurst during the 1953.
Finn Macdiarmid reports.
Finn Macdiarmid reports.
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00:00The year is 1953, and this song, She Wears Red Feathers by Guy Mitchell, is at the top
00:08of the charts. The coronation of Queen Elizabeth is being televised, and the first ever criminal
00:13was shown on TV as part of a police appeal.
00:17TV had been invented a few years earlier, with the first transmitted broadcast in 1926,
00:22but even by the 1950s it was still finding its feet, and not everyone had a set in their
00:27In a year of historical firsts for the ever-evolving industry, Kent plays a key role. Back in 1953,
00:35the borough of Greater London hadn't yet been established, so many areas east of London
00:40were considered Kent.
00:41So when William Pettit killed Rene Brown in a mushroom field in Chislehurst and then went
00:46on the run, it was the first crime to ever be part of a televised manhunt, and the crime
00:51happened in Kent, airing the 2nd of October.
00:55Now 71 years on, are televised police appeals actually effective, and did Kent kickstart
01:00a crime-stopping revolution? Or in the modern day, with smartphones, are they even needed?
01:06I think it has to happen, doesn't it, because lots of the younger generation don't watch
01:10TV in the same way that we did when we were growing up. I think I've personally gone full
01:17circle, I watch very, very little TV nowadays, so for me, personally, that medium wouldn't
01:25be so effective. But you only have to go on the internet, you only have to go to social
01:31media platforms, and lots of information is passed that way nowadays.
01:35He went on to say that the use of images and videos can create a stronger emotional connection,
01:40engaging viewers more effectively rather than simply stating the crime.
01:44This was the face broadcast to homes across the country and approximately 8 million people,
01:50and though many saw his mugshot and heard his crimes, the search was in vain. When he
01:54was found dead by St Paul's Cathedral, a Chislehurst local who was only 9 at the time
01:59of the murder, spoke to me about his memory of the crime.
02:02Apparently, they were seen, this couple were seen in this cafe arguing, before they vanished
02:09down what is known as Cannon's Alley, which is an alley opposite Gorton Arms, leading
02:15to the back of Chislehurst, and that's where the murder apparently took place.
02:20It's now commonplace to see the faces of criminals online, in print, and on television,
02:25all because of a murder in Kent.
02:27Finn McDermid, for KMTV, in Chislehurst.