Synopsis
The Pembrokeshire Murders: Catching the Bullseye Killer, co-authored by former Detective Chief Superintendent Steve Wilkins and ITV journalist Jonathan Hill, is a compelling true-crime account of one of the most remarkable cold-case investigations in British policing history. The book details the reopening of two unsolved double homicides from the 1980s in Pembrokeshire, Wales: the 1985 execution-style murders of siblings Richard and Thomas Thomas, and the similar 1989 murders of holidaymakers Peter and Gwenda Dixon on the coastal path. Wilkins, who took over as head of Dyfed-Powys Police CID in 2006, launched "Operation Ottawa" with a dedicated team determined to use modern forensic advancements to bring a long-suspected killer to justice.
The narrative tracks the meticulous, painstaking detective work required to link these forgotten cold cases to local laborer and career criminal John Cooper. Wilkins takes readers behind the scenes of the investigation, highlighting how revolutionary advances in DNA profiling, microscopic fiber analysis, and digital forensic mapping allowed detectives to extract crucial evidence from items stored in evidence lockers for over two decades. A key breakthrough came from an unusual source: archival television footage from the popular 1980s game show Bullseye, on which Cooper had appeared as a contestant just weeks before committing the 1989 double murder. Comparing the TV footage with a witness sketch provided a striking visual match that solidified the timeline and identity of the suspect.
Beyond the forensic technicalities, the book provides a dramatic look at the psychological cat-and-mouse game played during Cooper's police interviews, as well as the urgency felt by the team before Cooper, who was nearing the end of a prison sentence for unrelated burglaries, could be released back into the public. Wilkins captures the emotional toll on the victims' families, the dedication of the cold-case team, and the tense court proceedings that ultimately led to Cooper’s conviction in 2011 for four murders, a rape, and a sexual assault. The book serves as both an authoritative account of modern forensic science and a tribute to persistent, methodical police work that finally delivered justice to a traumatized community.