From unexpected discoveries and heart-breaking setbacks, each story in this new six-part series by Rare TV and Green Inc for BBC Northern Ireland makes use of original evidence and archive news reports to give viewers an insight into police investigations and their effect on those involved.
In episode one, Jonathan Gault speaks for the first time about the murder of his father in 2000. Paul Gault was found murdered in his home in Lisburn where he lived with his wife, Lesley, and their five-year-old triplets. Initially, detectives believed they were dealing with a violent burglary gone wrong, but it soon became clear that the crime scene was meticulously staged, suggesting a deeper, more sinister motive.
Episode two revisits the case of Jennifer Cardy, the nine-year-old who was abducted in 1981 while cycling to a nearby friend's house. Her body was discovered six days later following a huge search effort in the community. Despite the exhaustive search and grim discovery, the case reached a dead end. For over two decades, the case remained unsolved until it was reopened in 2002.
In 2004 Rachel Callaly was found brutally murdered in her Dublin home. Very quickly the finger of suspicion pointed towards her husband Joe O’Reilly who played the part of a perfect husband, fooling friends and family alike. Episode three explores this intriguing investigation.
Later in the series the family of Eamonn Magee Jr share their intimate recollections and bring to life the character of the promising young boxer and engineer, who was tragically found stabbed to death in 2015. Eamonn Jr was a 22-year-old engineering student and the son of champion boxer Eamonn Magee Sr.
The 1983 kidnapping of supermarket executive Don Tidey was the largest manhunt in the history of the Republic of Ireland. He had been taken by members of the Provisional IRA posing as Gardai while driving his daughter to school in Dublin. Retired Sergeant Major PJ Higgins, who served in the Irish Defence Forces, takes us back to the tumultuous search.
In the final episode, police race to stop a bomb plot during Queen Elizabeth II’s historic visit to Ireland in 2011. The visit has gone down in history as a high-water mark in Anglo-Irish relations, during which the Queen astonished Irish dignitaries, politicians, journalists and the public alike, when she spoke in the Irish language at a state banquet in Dublin Castle. While these remarkable events unfolded, four senior Gardai were facing the biggest challenge of their careers.
The Crime I Can’t Forget, with narration by Richard Dormer, starts on BBC One Northern Ireland on Wednesday 15 November, 10.40pm. The full series will also be available on BBC iPlayer.
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