Summary
The true crime drama series,A Confession, recently landed onNetflix, and it tells the true story of the investigation that led to the capture of notorious serial killer, Christopher Halliwell. The British series consisted of six episodes, and originally aired on ITV in 2019. It starred Martin Freeman as DS Steve Fulcher and Joe Absolom as Halliwell. It was based on the stunning true-crime book by Fulcher, titledCatching A Killer: My Hunt For Murderer Christopher Halliwell.
Netflix is full of true crime dramas likeMonster: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,which was released in September 2024. However,A Confessionis an import from the UK, but it’s bound to be a real eye-opener for people not aware of the real case its based on. It raises a lot of questions about the ‘politics’ involved in a murder investigation, and one man’s quest for justice, even if it means sacrificing his career to achieve it.
A Confession
Starring
Martin Freeman, Siobhan Finneran, Imelda Staunton, Joe Absolom, Peter Wight, Derek Riddell, Rufus Gerhardt-Williams and Owain Arthur
Written by
Jeff Pope (based on the book by Steven Fulcher)
Directed by
Paul Andrew Williams
The official synopsis fortrue crime masterpiece,A Confession,reads:
This ITV drama is based on the true story of Detective Superintendent Steve Fulcher’s hunt for the killers of Sian O’Callaghan and Becky Godden-Edwards. The series stars Martin Freeman as Fulcher, who broke police protocol to catch the killers, which ultimately cost him his career.
Steve Fulcher Obtained A Confession From Christopher Halliwell And He Led Him To The Bodies Of Sian O’Callaghan and Becky Godden
The true storybehindA Confessionsaw a missing person’s investigation being launched when a woman called Sian O’Callaghan went missing after a night out in Swindon, England on Jul 27, 2025.DS Steve Fulcher wasthe best detectiveon the force and became the senior investigating officer (SIO) assigned to the case, and the search began to find the 22-year-old. On March 23, police revealed that analysis of O’Callaghan’s mobile phone signals led to the identification of a number of areas that needed further investigation. On March 24, police made an urgent appeal for anyone who saw a green Toyota Avensis with taxi markings, witnessed in these ‘hot spots’ shortly after O’Callaghan’s disappearance.
Fulcher tracked the vehicle down, and it belonged to a taxi driver called Christopher Halliwell, and he was later arrested.As a body still hadn’t been found, it was still classed as an active missing persons case. Halliwell was taken to Barbury Castle instead of the police station, where he met Steve Fulcher, who carried out an “urgent interview” in an attempt to locate Sian, and potentially save her life. Halliwell confessed to murdering Sian and agreed to take Fulcher to the location where her body was. At this point,Halliwell asked Fulcher if he wanted ‘another one’. Fulcher agreed, and the murderer took him to the location of another woman he killed called Becky Godden.
Fulcher Faced Ridiculous Misconduct Charges For The Way He Obtained Halliwell’s Confession
Fulcher would face misconduct charges for the way he got Halliwell to confess. According to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE), Fulcher should’ve placed Halliwell under caution after he led him to Sian’s body, and taken him to a police station.This illustrates police bureaucracy at its very worst, as if he’d done this, Halliwell wouldn’t have led him to the body of Becky Godden.The police would rather follow these ‘rules’ instead of providing a family with answers as to what happened to their loved one. It was the right choice on a human level, but the jobsworth police higher ups threw the book at Fulcher, and took him off the case, and he faced disciplinary action, and essentially lost his career in the police.
What Happened To Christopher Halliwell?
Christopher Halliwell was convicted of the murder of Sian O’Callaghan and sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2012. However, the wheels of justice moved slowly in the case of Becky Godden, due to the way Halliwell’s confession was obtained. But, in 2016,The Killerwas given a whole life order without the possibility of parole for Becky’s murder.He is currently serving his sentence in Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire, England, and he’ll never be released from prison.Despite only being convicted of two murders, it is believed Halliwell had been killing women up and down the country for years.
Christopher Halliwell’s Other Potential Victims
The New Millennium Serial Killeris a book by former police intelligence officer Chris Clark and crime writer Bethan Trueman, and it discusses the possibility of Christopher Halliwell being responsible for multiple murders.One of the women the authors claim Halliwell could’ve killed isClaudia Lawrence, who disappeared from York, England in 2009.It’s a line of inquiry that needs to be looked into in more detail, despite it being highly unlikely that he was in the area when she disappeared. Having said that, Claudia went missing on March 19, which was considered to be a triggering day for Halliwell, after he was apparently dumped by a former girlfriend on that specific date back in the 1980s. March 19 also matches up with the disappearance of several other potential victims.
