Editing Christopher Halliwell

{{Villain Infobox
|Image = Christopher-halliwell.jpg
|fullname = Christopher Halliwell
|alias = The East Lancs Ripper <small>(allegedly)</small>
|origin = Swindon, U.K.
|occupation = Taxi driver
|goals = Kill women and get away with it
|crimes = [[Murder]]<br>[[Kidnapping]]<br>[[Misogyny]]
|type of villain = Homicidal Kidnapper}}
'''Christopher Halliwell''' is a British taxi driver and possible serial killer responsible for the murders of Sian O'Callaghan and Becky Godden-Edwards. 

==Biography==
22-year-old Sian O'Callaghan disappeared on 19 March 2011 after leaving a nightclub in Swindon. Mobile data showed she was in the Savernake Forest, 12 miles away. Police estimated that, based on the time provided by the mobile data, she must have reached the forest by vehicle. Appeals for information were made for the identity of the owner of a green Toyota Avensis taxi seen leaving the area.

On 24 March, Christopher Halliwell was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping after he was identified as driving a taxi matching the description of the one seen in the area. He soon confessed to abducting O'Callaghan and beating her to death, leading police to her body in Savernake Forest. He then asked police if they wanted "another one" and admitted to having strangled prostitute Becky Godden-Edwards after having sex with her in 2003, pointing them to the field in Gloucestershire where her body was buried. 

Halliwell was charged with two counts of murder on 13 May 2012. Controversially, the charge of murdering Becky Godden-Edwards was dropped because police had pressed Halliwell for details without cautioning him about his right to remain silent, meaning his confession to Godden-Edwards's murder was ruled inadmissible. However, he was still charged with Sian O'Callaghan's murder as the first confession was still admissible. Halliwell pleaded guilty on 19 October and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years. 

Becky Godden-Edwards's murder was re-opened in 2014 in an attempt to find evidence with which to prosecute Halliwell. A fellow prostitute was interviewed and told police Halliwell had been a regular customer of Godden-Edwards and she believed she had been servicing Halliwell when she disappeared. Police also interviewed Halliwell's GP, who said Halliwell had visited him just after Godden-Edwards disappeared with a swollen hand and scratched face thought to be inflicted by Godden-Edwards as he strangled her. Forensic scientists examined a shovel and a pickaxe in Halliwell's house and determined that soil from the field where Godden-Edwards was buried was on them. 

Halliwell was once again charged with the murder of Becky Godden-Edwards on 31 March 2016. He pleaded not guilty, claiming he had confessed to the murder because he knew guidelines were being breached and wanted to ruin the officers career. He was convicted and received a whole-life order (the British equivalent of life without parole).

Since Halliwell's conviction, he has been accused of many more murders. Police found a store of 60 articles of women's clothing in his house after his arrest, but only two articles were ever identified, a cardigan worn by Becky Godden-Edwards and a high-heeled boot worn by Sian O'Callaghan. His former cellmate has also claimed that Halliwell asked him "How many people do you need to kill to be a serial killer?", and police believe it is significant that he was unable to remember when he killed Godden-Edwards, suggesting he had killed more than one person at the time of her murder. He has been named as a suspect in the 2009 disappearance of Claudia Lawrence, and is a person of interest in 26 other murders and disappearances, including the murders of women in Liverpool by the unidentified [[East Lancs Ripper]].
[[Category:Male]]
[[Category:Modern Villains]]
[[Category:Living Villains]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Imprisoned]]
[[Category:Serial Killer]]
[[Category:Sadists]]
[[Category:Liars]]
[[Category:Kidnapper]]
[[Category:List]]
[[Category:Misogynists]]
[[Category:Homicidal]]