A Predator Hidden in Plain Sight | Robert Howard | World's Most Evil Killers | Forensic Files

[audio logo] [ominous music] narrator: In August 1994, in the town of Castlederg,
Northern Ireland, 15-year-old Arlene Arkinson went out to a disco and never came home.
narrator: The last person to see Arlene was 50-year-old Robert Howard. He was in a relationship with Arlene's friend's mother
and a convicted sex offender. Claire McGowan: This is part of his pattern of going to a place, kind of infiltrating
himself with people, often people that had young daughters. Geoffrey Wansell: He would attract children to his flat.
One neighbor called him the Pied Piper. narrator: Arlene's disappearance went unsolved.
Seven years later, another teenager went missing in Southeast London. Bernadett Williams: It's still in my mind,
the last word she said to me. Mum, I love you and I'll never leave you. Narrator: When Hannah Williams's body
was found a year later, all roads led to Robert Howard. Colin Murray: We put his name into the police
national computer and was staggered to find what we would describe as a career sexual offender.
narrator: Though it took decades to bring him to justice, Robert Howard was finally proven to be one of the world's most evil killers.
[theme music] ♪ ♪ Robert Howard was a serial sex offender who preyed on vulnerable women and girls for over 35 years.
Jane Monckton-Smith: Howard was a prolific predatory sex offender and had been a sex offender
from a very, very young age. - He was someone who, everywhere he went, would have an interest in young girls.
And then eventually that would become difficult for him. So he would move on and he would
just do it somewhere else. narrator: Though there was plenty of suspicion along the way, it would
take years for the true horror of Howard's crimes to be uncovered. narrator: This killer's story begins on the 20th of April,
1944. Robert Howard was born into a large family in the tiny rural community of Wolfhill
in the Republic of Ireland. Howard would come to be known as Wolfman and later gave himself a middle name, Lesarian.
- So his name was Robert Lesarian Howard. And Lesarian is the name of a mythical child killer.
narrator: From early childhood, Howard rarely attended school and soon turned his attention to making money any way
he could. - His first acknowledged burglary came when he was 13 and he was sent away.
Remember, we're talking about Ireland in the 1950s. And he was put into Catholic institutions.
And in recent years, we've come to know that those were sometimes difficult and dangerous places to be.
Robert Howard came out of the institution at the age of 16, but wasn't welcomed back into the bosom of his family.
narrator: Howard was forced to live as a vagrant, staying in local barns, sheds, and
other derelict buildings in the countryside around Wolfhill. - That is an incredibly young and vulnerable age
to suddenly find yourself having to look after yourself completely. Desmond Doherty: He had a nomadic, difficult background,
no question of that. And I think he was someone who was continually in difficulties with the law.
- At one point, he was actually effectively forced to leave Ireland and go to the UK.
[frantic music] narrator: By the age of 21, Howard was living in London, where in 1965 he
committed his first known sexual offense. Colin Murray: He broke into a house and tried to rape a six-year-old girl.
He got away at that point, but returned a week later and was caught. He got nine days borstal for that.
narrator: This slap on the wrist did nothing to deter Howard. He was deported back to the Republic of Ireland
but quickly returned. Geoffrey Wansell: He returns to the UK. And in 1969, at the age of 24, he
breaks into the home of a young married woman in Durham, in the North of England, and tries to rape her.
- She clearly fought with him, ran into the street seeking help. He attacks her and grabs her around the throat
in the street, in front of people who were coming to her aid. Now, that's a really serious escalation.
narrator: Howard was sentenced to six years in HMP Frankland but served only three.
On his release, he moved to the Republic of Ireland and began re-offending. Colin Murray: From that point on,
Howard went on a litany of sexual offending. Desmond Doherty: He was someone who
was continually prosecuted for quite a number of serious offenses. The point here being that he's not somebody
who was below the radar. Geoffrey Wansell: In May 1973, Howard attacks a 58-year-old woman.
He breaks into her house, rapes her, sodomizes her, and leaves her tied to the bed,
and drives off in her car. Jane Monckton-Smith: He is arrested for that offense and he's arrested in an airport.
So he's probably trying to leave the country again to escape. Geoffrey Wansell: This time he's actually
exposed to a psychiatrist. And the psychiatrist says he's softly spoken, he's courteous.
You could never imagine that he would do anything violent. Desmond Doherty: But the psychiatrist knew full well
that Howard had an interest in teenage girls, and described Howard as an explosive psychopath.
narrator: Howard was sentenced to 10 years in jail. Upon his release eight years later,
the 38-year-old showed himself once again to be a wolf in sheep's clothing. Desmond Doherty: He had a propensity to befriend people
and to befriend vulnerable people to find his way into their home. Geoffrey Wansell: Not long after his release,
Howard marries a young woman and they have a relationship for three years. Jane Monckton-Smith: That marriage was never going
to be anything but abusive. Probably that was simply to trap her as this ever-present victim.
narrator: After the marriage broke down, Howard settled in Castlederg, a small town
in County Tyrone near the Irish border. Geoffrey Wansell: He did have a period of time
where he was living in a caravan. There was an allegation of a case whereby he kept a lady captive.
Narrator: She was a vulnerable woman he'd befriended in Dublin and invited to stay with him.
He was 47 years old. She was 22. Geoffrey Wansell: He keeps a prisoner there for three weeks,
raping her repeatedly. She was actually rescued by her family, not by the police.
Claire McGowan: There's a huge reluctance in Northern Ireland for people to go to the police.
You didn't think you'd be believed. Thought that you might end up under suspicion yourself.
Geoffrey Wansell: Eventually, the police were told many years after this event, but they didn't press charges.
They believed she was too vulnerable to give evidence. narrator: Howard moved to a flat
in the center of Castlederg and started a friendship with a woman who had a teenage daughter.
Claire McGowan: It's very common in cases like this, where a man has an interest in younger people,
that he will often become a very trusted friend of the family, which gives them access to abuse young girls.
narrator: And this girlfriend seemed to suspect his true intentions. Claire McGowan: She actually commented
that she was aware he was more interested in younger girls than in women. narrator: Howard began to befriend his
girlfriend's daughter and her friends, one of whom was a 16-year-old girl. Colin Murray: Robert Howard had lured this young girl
to his flat in Main Street, Castlederg, on the pretense of meeting a taxi driver who the young girl wanted to meet
and perhaps go out with. When she got into his flat, she complained of a headache
and he gave her tablets. The next thing she knew, she woke up naked in his bed with a ligature around her neck.
- He effectively drugged her and kept her captive. Geoffrey Wansell: And he rapes her repeatedly,
very much as he had done the vulnerable young woman from Dublin. narrator: On the third day of this nightmare, when Howard
had fallen asleep, the girl jumped out of a second floor window. She reported everything to the police.
- They did arrest Howard. And what did Howard say? Yeah, all of that happened, but it was with consent.
narrator: Howard was charged but let out on bail. He was free to continue preying on teenage girls,
and his next attack would leave no victim to testify. In 1994, Robert Howard was on bail, accused of rape and
unlawful imprisonment, and living in Castlederg, a small Northern Irish town close to the border
with the Republic of Ireland. Claire McGowan: At this point there was still a militarized border in parts
so you'd see a lot of soldiers around. These are interesting places. They can be quite lawless, particularly
in the '90s when the Troubles were still going on. But it was surprisingly easy still
to just get across the border. narrator: A short drive from where Howard lived, 15-year-old Arlene Arkinson was staying with her brother near
her older sister, Kathleen. - Her mother had died a few years before and she had been living with her father for a little while.
But he was a bit unstable so hadn't been able to take care of her. And she'd kind of moved around living
with her different siblings and their families. So she was a somewhat vulnerable girl
but very loved and cared for. narrator: On Saturday the 13th of August 1994, Arlene
was helping out her sister. narrator: When Kathleen got home around 10:30 PM, she found out one of Arlene's friends had invited her out.
narrator: But then Kathleen heard a knock at the door. It was Arlene's friend narrator: Kathleen was led to believe Arlene's friend's
mother was going to be looking after them, but it was the mother's boyfriend who
chaperoned them that night. Geoffrey Wansell: Arlene goes out with her friend to a local disco.
They're being driven there by Robert Howard. - When Arlene didn't arrive back home at Kathleen's house,
I think Kathleen at that time reasonably assumed that Arlene had been left off at her brother's house.
But of course, when they realize the next day that Arlene wasn't with either of them, then
the alarm bells started to ring. narrator: Kathleen's first port of call was to visit the mother of Arlene's friend,
who she believed was taking care of the girls the night before. Desmond Doherty: Kathleen, of her own volition,
went to the family to try to find out exactly what had happened. They all denied any knowledge of anything
of any harm coming to Arlene. And there was even allegations that Arlene wasn't even present, that she didn't go to Bundoran.
Narrator: The following day, Mary, Kathleen, and Arlene's sister knocked at the door of Arlene's friend and
her mother. Robert Howard answered. Desmond Doherty: And of course, during that time
they went to the authorities, including the social services and to the police. But the family just lied to Kathleen's face,
and so did Howard. narrator: The last time Arlene was seen was in Howard's car.
When questioned, Howard, who at the time was on bail for the rape and imprisonment
of another teenager, denied all knowledge of her whereabouts. Desmond Doherty: The one stage, he
was saying that he had left her off at a local pub, but that doesn't make any sense,
leaving a young girl in Castlederg at that time. The thing to do for a man of that age
with a child in the car, is to make sure that she was left at the door of an appropriate adult.
And he didn't do that because what he said, of course, was a complete pack of lies.
What is difficult to come to terms with is that in view of his background and the charges
that he was actually out on bail upon, he had to be suspect number one. narrator: 46 days after Arlene's disappearance,
Robert Howard was arrested. Colin Murray: We know that when the police did arrest Howard,
that the boot lining from his vehicle was missing and that the clothing that he'd worn on the night he went
to Bundoran had disappeared. Jane Monckton-Smith: So anything that might have indicated some harm had come to Arlene
was now gone. narrator: Howard's alibi that he returned home to his girlfriend's house at around 2:30 AM,
was corroborated by his girlfriend and her daughter. - They sort of went along with what
Howard was telling them to say, and it got really, really complicated to work out what the truth was.
Claire McGowan: So, I think, men like Robert Howard, they know how to target vulnerable girls as well.
narrator: Robert Howard was released without charge. The case went cold. Arlene did not return to Castlederg.
In 1995, Howard agreed a plea bargain in the case of the 16-year-old girl he'd been accused of holding
captive two years earlier. In return for pleading guilty to unlawful carnal knowledge,
the rape and unlawful imprisonment charges were dropped. - Now, unlawful carnal knowledge at that point
was having sex with consent of a girl under the age of 17 while the victim was 16.
She attended court ready to give evidence, but her evidence was never given because the prosecuting authorities
made that deal and Howard was given a suspended sentence. narrator: Despite his victim's bravery,
Robert Howard escapes proper punishment for a heinous sexual crime. Colin Murray: Local feeling turned against Howard,
and he received a visit from certain individuals who threatened his life and gave him a period of time
to leave the province, and Howard did. narrator: In 1995, Howard fled to Glasgow.
Desmond Doherty: With Howard moving away and with the police not actively pursuing him, they pursue another line of inquiry.
Claire McGowan: Their suspicions seemed to fall on Arlene's family. And they actually went round to her sister's house
who she was living with. Desmond Doherty: The police claimed that they had information from a reliable source,
that Arlene had been murdered at her sister's home, and that Arlene was pushed down the stairs,
and then that she was buried at the home. narrator: In April 1996, police and soldiers turned up to Kathleen's home,
accompanied by the press. - They brought in diggers even to dig up the garden. They said they battered the door down as well.
narrator: The search continued for a number of days. Desmond Doherty: And of course, that resulted
in nothing being found at all. But that event in 1996 completely soured the relationship between the Arkinson family
and the police investigation. And the only person who benefited from that, of course,
was Howard. narrator: Undeterred, Kathleen found out, through a friend who lived in Scotland, exactly
where Howard had moved to. Geoffrey Wansell: He's outed by the Sunday Mail, called the face of evil, and pointing to his crimes
in the past. Howard is literally hounded out of Glasgow. He travels south to the outskirts of London.
narrator: Howard moved to London in 1998. In 2001, Hannah Williams was a 14-year-old girl living
in Deptford, Southeast London. Bernadett Williams: Hannah was my daughter, my youngest daughter.
My relationship with Hannah was just fantastic. She was very happy. She enjoyed being at home, loved
going out to the high street, loved going to the adventure playground. She was a bit like a tom girl.
She loved climbing things and jumping and that, very energetic. I brought all three of them up myself.
And I've done everything for them. It's hard bringing up three children by yourself.
But yeah, I done it and I loved it. narrator: But Bernadett's world was about to be torn apart.
- On April the 21st, 2001, Hannah goes shopping in Deptford market. Bernadett Williams: It was about 11 o'clock.
So she got up and she said, Mum, I'm going to the market. So I said, well, if you hang on, I'll come with you.
She said, Mum, I'm only going around the corner just to look at the stores and whatever.
narrator: It was a decision that would change both of their lives forever. An innocent shopping trip that would take a disastrous
turn for the 14-year-old. As darkness approached in Deptford, Southeast London,
Hannah Williams still hadn't returned. Jane Monckton-Smith: She didn't come home.
Her mum is absolutely frantic. Bernadett Williams: I just walked and cried and walked to try and see if I could find her or
see her anywhere in Deptford. I just didn't understand why she didn't answer her phone because she always
answered her phone to me. Jane Monckton-Smith: But when she goes to the police, the police do not suspect that anything
has happened to Hannah. They're convinced that she's run away or she's gone off with friends.
And of course, this was a catastrophic decision by the police. Bernadett Williams: The Metropolitan Police
told me to wait for 24 hours before they could do anything. And I didn't hear nothing.
I didn't hear nothing from them. narrator: Peter Harrison was a reporter working at a local newspaper.
- I was sitting in the offices of the Mercury in Deptford high street. The doorbell went and there's this woman standing
in front of me, Bernadett. And she said to me, can you help me? My daughter's been missing for the last two weeks
and no one seems to care. [melancholic music] ♪ ♪ - I didn't think she was dead, but
something was really bad that's happened to her and she can't get home. - I remember contacting the missing people's
section of Lewisham Police. The officer, in question, was absolutely convinced that this
was a down-and-out family. You know, runaway daughter, troublesome child. Jane Monckton-Smith: Getting police attention,
especially in a missing person case, comes back to this thing, are you the ideal victim?
The less ideal you are, the less attention and sympathy you're going to get. [siren blares]
narrator: The Metropolitan Police have since improved missing persons investigations.
"How we investigate missing people has evolved in the 23 years since Hannah went missing.
We take the investigation of missing people incredibly seriously and have teams in every local policing
area dedicated to this work." In 2001, a number of high-profile missing children's
cases meant that Hannah's story also struggled to capture the attention of the media.
- It seemed at the time there was quite a few missing children. Hannah was one of many, but you had
Danielle Jones, Milly Dowler. - I feel like because they were living in more suitable places and me, I
was in Deptford and single mom, so I felt that they got more coverage. Peter Harrison: But Bernadett made sure that her daughter
had a good, warm, clean home. So it seemed preposterous that Hannah was written off just
because of her background. Bernadett Williams: I just didn't hear anything for a whole year, not knowing or hoping
that she would walk through the door and say, hi, Mum, I'm home. Peter Harrison: Not once was Bernadett told,
look, there's a very good chance that your daughter is not going to be found alive.
And so she was constantly filled with this hope. Bernadett Williams: Still in my mind the last word
she said to me. Mum, I love you and I'll never leave you. narrator: In March 2002, nearly 11 months
after Hannah's disappearance, Bernadett's worst fears came true. - At the time that Hannah Williams went missing,
I was a senior investigating officer in major crime at Kent Police. On Friday, the 15th of March 2002,
a digger driver was carrying out excavation work in a very woody area in preparation for the international rail link
at Ebbsfleet rail terminal. He saw a blue tarpaulin wrapped in rope. And he looked inside and could see
what was clearly the skeletal remains of a body. narrator: The call came straight into DCI Murray
and he attended the scene immediately. Colin Murray: It was torrential rain at the time.
The excavation work meant it was thick with mud. So straight away, I'm beginning to doubt whether we could
get much forensic evidence. narrator: The body was found with a ligature around the neck.
It was clear this was no accidental death. Kent Police immediately launched a murder investigation.
Colin Murray: We went public with details of her clothing. And immediately, I had a phone call
from a local reporter to say, I know who this girl is. And he said, it's Hannah Williams.
- Kent Police took DNA, and she was my daughter. And the guy, I sent him a thank you letter for finding it out.
He must have been so shocked to come across a body. And I was so happy that he found her.
Because if he didn't, then I still wouldn't know what's happened to her. And I went actually up to that site,
and I can't even tell you how I felt be honest. I mean, to see where your daughter's
been lying for a year. narrator: DCI Murray's first line of inquiry was to look into every detail of Hannah's final movements.
Colin Murray: On the day she went missing, just after 11:00 AM, she had a 14-second phone call from
a mobile phone that was listed as belonging to a woman who lived very close to the deposition site.
narrator: Detectives went to her home. She told them she hadn't made the phone call,
and it must have been her partner, Robert Howard. Colin Murray: When Robert Howard's name was given to us
and we looked at his record and his photographs, it was just mind blowing. Because this man became our instant
suspect for that murder. narrator: Police quickly discovered the link between Howard and Hannah.
Howard's girlfriend was previously in a relationship with Hannah's father. DCI Murray also found out that Howard had previously been
arrested in relation to Arlene Arkinson's disappearance and about the 16-year-old he'd held captive in Castlederg.
- We had Robert Howard as our number one suspect. But we had no evidence at all, apart from a possible 14-second
phone call that he made, which in reality proved little, if anything. And the biggest fear that I had at that time
was this man may go on a spree of killing. narrator: Kent Police knew they didn't have enough evidence
to charge Howard, but they wanted him off the streets immediately. - So we took the decision to arrest him.
Because in my view, to do nothing was not an option. narrator: DCI Murray and his team
searched Howard's girlfriend's home and also his allotment, which housed a derelict caravan,
but they found no forensic evidence. In the meantime, Howard was taken in for questioning
but only responded no comment. - We certainly never had any evidence to charge Howard with Hannah's murder,
and he was released from custody. narrator: Detectives needed to find out more about Robert Howard's pattern of offending.
Colin Murray: We've got a man, ostensibly, who's moved from Scotland down to London,
and during that period of time has not come to the notice of the police. Had Howard been targeting other children?
And the answer was almost undoubtedly yes. narrator: Kent Police worked with social services
to identify and interview any at-risk children living close to Howard's home. - And we identified one particular young girl
who would absolutely prove to be vital to our investigation. narrator: She was just six years old.
Colin Murray: Robert Howard had invited her into his flat. He indecently assaulted her and she called him a pervert
and ran out of the flat. narrator: DCI Murray liaised with the Metropolitan Police,
who agreed to arrest Howard on suspicion of indecent assault. The six-year-old girl then told the police
that Howard had also taken her on a swimming trip to the lake, right next to where Hannah's body was found.
Colin Murray: Now we've got obviously the background of Arlene, the young girl who'd had
a ligature tied around her neck whilst Howard raped her. And now we had this young girl, similar profile,
taken down to very close to where Hannah lay. narrator: With strong circumstantial evidence showing
a clear pattern of behavior, Kent Police were able to arrest Robert Howard. But did they have enough to convict him for murder?
In May 2002, Kent Police charged 57-year-old Robert Howard with the murder of 14-year-old Hannah Williams.
While in custody, Northern Irish police arrested him for the 1994 murder of 15-year-old
Arlene Arkinson. But then an anonymous tip-off accusing Arlene's sister Kathleen put both investigations
into jeopardy. Colin Murray: We're going ahead with the trial of Robert Howard. The week before, I get a phone call
from an SIO in Northern Ireland to say that they've had recent intelligence to say
that Arlene's body was buried under a floor in Kathleen's house. narrator: DCI Murray was told if the case against Howard
in Northern Ireland collapsed, it could throw serious doubts on the prosecution
case against him for Hannah Williams's murder. But no body was found at Kathleen's home,
and she willingly came forward to help Kent Police prove their case. - In our dealings with the Arkinsons,
they wanted to do everything they could to help us in the prosecution of Robert Howard,
and were happy to come to England and give evidence at his trial. Bernadett Williams: I'd done everything by myself.
And to have the Arkinsons actually come over and come to the courtroom to support me,
even though they're going through the grief of their sister, I mean, I thought that was so nice of them.
narrator: Kent Police successfully persuaded the judge to allow Howard's previous arrests
and convictions to be presented to the jury. Desmond Doherty: The court in England
were able to introduce similar fact evidence of what happened in Arlene's case. narrator: Robert Howard's trial for the murder
of Hannah Williams began at Maidstone Crown Court in October 2003. The prosecution called upon evidence from Kathleen
Arkinson, the 16-year-old Howard abducted in 1993, and also the six-year-old girl from South London.
Details of how Hannah's body was found were also presented to the jury. - Bernadett sat through the entire trial.
She felt it was the least she could do to honor her daughter. Bernadett Williams: To hear how he
put blue rope round her neck, she must have struggled to try and get away. But she wasn't obviously strong enough.
And probably the more she struggled, the rope was tightening. So he strangled her.
Then I think he raped her as well. Peter Harrison: She sat through the court hearing
about how the gusset of her teenage daughter's underwear had been cut out, probably to hide DNA evidence.
narrator: Howard continued to proclaim his innocence. Bernadett Williams: He stood on the stand
and was telling lies after lies. He never looked up at me. Colin Murray: I think Robert Howard phoned Hannah Williams
on the day she went missing. Used some pretext to meet her. And the cause of death was the ligature around her neck.
And I think at that point, he then took Hannah by vehicle over to the blue lake.
And but for the construction of the Ebbsfleet rail terminal, she would have laid there for years.
Bless her. Bernadett Williams: The only time he looked up is when the jury left the courtroom
to make their decision. - It took the jury just three hours to convict him. narrator: In October 2003, Howard
was found guilty of murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Kathleen approached the police van
as he was being driven away. Bernadett Williams: I felt big relief. Such as I'd done the best I could and I did
get justice, that's why I'm happy. - In 2005, Robert Howard, now incarcerated for life,
is brought to trial for Arlene Arkinson. Claire McGowan: The jury weren't allowed to be told that he had murdered another teenage girl,
and that, in fact, he was in prison for that murder and had been brought from prison to be on trial.
- And they don't convict him of Arlene's killing. narrator: Despite Howard's acquittal,
Kathleen continued her tireless fight to find justice for Arlene. Desmond Doherty: So the next legal possibility,
now that the trial has collapsed, is an inquest. narrator: Howard was going to be
called once again to give evidence in the inquest hearing. - But then in October 2015, Howard dies.
Geoffrey Wansell: Howard never once admitted killing Arlene. Like many murderers, he wanted to keep
those secrets to himself. His last bit of control over the family and over the world.
Colin Murray: He took Arlene's location to his grave. And it's so, so sad that Arlene's never been recovered.
narrator: After a number of legal challenges, the inquest was due to start in 2016.
Desmond Doherty: And then, on the eve of the inquest starting, the Secretary of State
issues what is known as a PII certificate, a Public Interest Immunity certificate.
So it's effectively the government saying on the grounds of the national security of our country,
we cannot reveal this information. What on earth are they trying to keep from the inquest involving the death of a 15-year-old child?
Claire McGowan: There had been a lot of rumors that Robert Howard had been a police informer.
narrator: When asked if Howard was an informer, the police have said they will neither confirm nor deny
and that no inference should be drawn from this. The PII certificate limited what evidence could be shared,
but the inquest went ahead as planned at Belfast coroner's court. Arlene's friend and her mother, Howard's girlfriend
at the time of Arlene's disappearance, were called to give evidence. Their stories kept changing.
Desmond Doherty: His partner initially was saying that he did come back in the early hours
of the morning. But then that changed to him coming back later in the morning and that he was still
wearing the same clothes that he wore the evening before. So there was no doubt he had more
than adequate time to murder Arlene and dispose of her body. narrator: Detectives dropped a bombshell
that they had some inside information, a confession Robert Howard had made to a cellmate.
Desmond Doherty: The chief investigating officer was able to relay to the court what Howard had said
about how Howard had held Arlene over a sink, how there was a lot of blood, and how
she had put up a good fight. And so that was very upsetting for Kathleen to hear.
narrator: Due to huge delays in the court system, it wasn't until July 2021 that the conclusions of the inquest
were shared at Omagh Courthouse, 27 years after Arlene disappeared. Claire McGowan: Now the inquest into Arlene's death
did conclude that Robert Howard had killed her. They ruled that they were confident her remains
were still near the town where she disappeared. I think this case is just so shocking really.
You have this man with a long history of violence and convictions, who's literally on bail
for assaulting another teenage girl, and he's the last person to see a teenage girl alive.
And yet he still completely gets away with it and is able, a few years later, to kill another girl.
- I've always maintained that if Howard had been properly sentenced for rape, unlawful imprisonment,
Arlene Arkinson and Hannah Williams would be alive today. narrator: Arlene's body has never been found.
What exactly happened on the night of her disappearance remains a mystery. Bernadett Williams: I hate him.
Just taking my 14-year-old daughter and killing her and raping her, I hate it. I always think about what she would be doing now.
And I just wish Hannah was still here. But that evil person just killed her. She's always in my heart.
I know she's saying, Mum, be strong. She's looking down on me right this minute.
Bless her. narrator: Robert Howard was a violent sex offender known to the authorities.
He managed to brutally attack women and children for over 30 years. We may never truly know the extent of this master
manipulator's crimes. But after the deaths of Arlene and Hannah were finally proven,
there is no doubt that he is one of the world's most evil killers. [surging music]
♪ ♪ [audio logo]

Robert gained trust easily, slipping into the lives of vulnerable women and girls across countries. For decades, he manipulated, stalked and attacked, leaving a trail of victims in his wake until investigators finally exposed his pattern.

An in-depth look at the lives and crimes of some of the world's most evil killers, including Jeffrey Dahmer, Richard Ramirez, Cary Stayner, Leonard Lake, Dorothea Puente and more.

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Brief Summary

Robert Howard, a serial sex offender, was linked to the murders of Arlene Arkinson and Hannah Williams, revealing systemic failures in justice.

Key points

The Disappearance of Arlene Arkinson. In August 1994, 15-year-old Arlene Arkinson went out to a disco and never returned.
Robert Howard's Pattern of Abuse. Robert Howard, a convicted sex offender, had a history of targeting vulnerable girls.
Hannah Williams Goes Missing. In April 2001, 14-year-old Hannah Williams disappeared after going shopping.
The Search for Hannah. Bernadett Williams faced a year of uncertainty after her daughter went missing.
Discovery of Remains. In March 2002, skeletal remains were found, confirming Bernadett's worst fears.
Murder Investigation Launched. Kent Police quickly initiated a murder investigation after discovering a body.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Mum, I love you and I'll never leave you.

Last words of Hannah Williams to her mother.

1:02WatchMay 27, 2026

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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