A JOURNALIST who has worked across Shropshire and North Wales has spoken of the role he played in a TV show attempting to solve a 30-year-old cold case.

John Shone, a veteran of newspaper and broadcast journalism and from Ellesmere, was working for HTV at the time of the disappearance of Trevaline Evans in June 1990.

Still considered a missing persons inquiry, Trevaline’s case is ‘one of the most baffling ever’ of John’s career and he appeared on Channel Four’s ‘In the Footsteps of Killers’ in Llangollen to discuss it.

He recently met Professor David Wilson, who co-presents the show with Silent Witness TV star Emilia Fox, and gave the background to the case, which he says remains unresolved

“I was one of the first reporters to cover the story in June 1990,” he said.

“I was onto it the next day because I’d had a tip from a contact in Llangollen and I’ve covered this story on and off for the last 30 years, which is why I was able to help the programme and talk them through details.

“The programme was another opportunity to raise the question of what happened to this poor woman, so in that sense it did good.

“It raised new evidence against Christopher Halliwell who is serving life for two other murders and raised the possibility that he might have killed her.

“But also it raised the possibility that she might have been murdered by her husband, who was arrested 10 years after and questioned by North Wales Police when they reopened it.

“He was released and subsequently died – all the main people involved in the case are no longer alive such as Trevaline’s two brothers and her son.

“I felt it has always cast a shadow over Llangollen so perhaps the attempt to shed new light on it was a good thing but also must have revived some painful memories for people from the time.”

John, who has also worked for the BBC, believes the show’s coverage of the case was necessary.

He added: “I spent a few hours with Professor Wilson talking about this and he interviewed me at length, which they used.

“They used another lady who was connected to one of Trevaline’s brothers, but there were others who didn’t want to be interviewed such as senior police officers.

“The show came at it from a different angle and I think it got people asking questions.”

‘In the Footsteps of Killers’ series two, episode six, is available on Channel Four on Demand.