Joseph McCann: Police arrested wrong suspect as serial rapist continued kidnapping spree

‘It weighs heavily on each an every one of our minds about if there could have been anything done better,’ investigator says

Police hunting for serial rapist Joseph McCann arrested the wrong suspect during a nationwide manhunt.

While Lancashire Police were interviewing the man, McCann abducted and raped another victim.

It is one of a series of alleged failings by police, the probation service and prison authorities over McCann, who had been freed from jail by mistake just two months before his rampage.

The 34-year-old targeted 11 women and children what police described as an “unprecedented” campaign of rape, kidnapping and false imprisonment spanning between London and Lancashire.

McCann first struck in Watford on 21 April, where he kidnapped a 21-year-old woman at knifepoint as she walked home from a nightclub.

He gave his name as Joel McCann and the victim passed the information to Hertfordshire Police, who uncovered his real identity hours later.

McCann’s details, including the Ford Mondeo car used in the kidnap, were shared on the Police National Computer (PNC) the same day.

But he was not caught and was able to strike in London on 25 April, snatching two women from the street 12 hours apart in Walthamstow and Edgware.

Both were subject to repeated rapes and sexual assaults, until one of the women hit McCann over the head with a vodka bottle in Watford and builders helped her to safety.

The Metropolitan Police said officers “immediately launched an investigation to identify the suspect”, carrying out house-to-house enquiries, issuing public appeals and analysing hundreds of hours of CCTV.

Investigators drew up a list of potential suspects based on previous offending, but because McCann had never committed a sex offence he was not among the names.

But after the Met released a CCTV image of McCann on 28 April, a member of the public called up and identified him.

Until that point the London attacks had not been linked to the Hertfordshire rape.

A spokesperson for Hertfordshire Police said officers had only been aware of one attack by McCann during their initial investigation, and sought to notify other forces in the “routine” manner through the PNC.

He said if officers had “specific information relating to another police force area”, they would have contacted them directly.

McCann has been found guilty at the Old Bailey of 37 counts relating to 11 women and children (PA)

Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Maghie said Hertfordshire Police had reviewed its response and found there had been a “full and thorough investigation”.

“During this time McCann behaved in a devious way, using a number of tactics to evade capture such as regularly changing his mobile phone and the vehicle he was travelling,” he added. “These frustrated our concerted attempts to apprehend him.”

As a nationwide manhunt started for McCann, police uncovered historical links with numerous areas throughout England.

Detective Chief Inspector Katherine Goodwin, who led the investigation, said officers were receiving conflicting reports of sightings.

“We circulated notices to all forces in the country on 30 April,” she told journalists in London.

“At that stage we were aware he had links all over the country, but there was nothing to say he was there now. That was overlaid with intelligence – people were phoning up saying ‘I’ve seen him here and here and here’.”

She added: “It weighs heavily on each and every one of our minds about if there could have been anything done better or differently.”

McCann remained at large, using wigs, fake names and disguises, until he struck again in Haslingden on 5 May.

Lancashire Police received a 999 call around 10.30am to say a woman had been tied up in her own home and her two children – aged 11 and 17 – were raped and sexually assaulted.

By 1pm, a suspect had been arrested and taken into custody – but he was the wrong man.

While officers were interviewing the suspect, who later became a witness, McCann had moved on to Bury, where he abducted a 71-year-old woman in a supermarket car park and raped her.

That attack happened at 1.30pm, and McCann later used his victim’s Fiat to pick up a 13-year-old girl in Heywood at 3.30pm.

Lancashire Police did not alert the public while they thought the Haslingden rapist was in custody, and said they did not receive an alert from Scotland Yard that McCann could be in the area around 4.30pm.

McCann at a Morrisons in Greater Manchester, where he abducted a 71-year-old woman (PA)

They then declared him a suspect in their case, and released the innocent witness without charge.

“Following the report of the offences in Lancashire our immediate focus was on establishing the facts and supporting the victims who had been through an incredibly traumatic ordeal,” a spokesperson for Lancashire Police said.

“At that stage we were not aware that additional offences had already been committed and were ongoing in neighbouring forces.

“While consideration was given to a media appeal at that time our immediate focus was on carrying out a number of enquiries, including covert enquiries, in order to locate and apprehending the suspect.”

The 13-year-old girl and the 71-year-old victim managed to escape at Knutsford service station, and called police shortly before 6pm.

Greater Manchester Police said McCann was not identified as a potential suspect until 6.45pm, and they “made the informed decision not to release a public appeal” warning locals he was in the area.

“The reasons behind the decision are that our focus was on supporting the identified victims, conducting covert enquiries and supporting colleagues from Cheshire Constabulary who had provided intelligence that McCann had already travelled into their force area and was about to be detained,” a spokesperson added.

McCann made off in the pensioner’s Fiat, which he used half an hour later to snatch two 14-year-old girls in Congleton, Cheshire.

Shortly afterwards, a local police officer spotted McCann’s vehicle at a roundabout but lost him in during the ensuing car chase.

Following a crash with another vehicle, McCann fled on foot and managed to escape, leaving his victims in the car.

But Cheshire Constabulary did not issue an appeal warning that he was in the area until 8.45pm.

A spokesperson said McCann was not confirmed as a suspect for the Congleton kidnappings until the police chase at 7pm, and a decision was made to send out a public appeal after he fled.

Road blocks were set up on all roads in and out of Congleton and shortly after 8.30pm, an officer stopped a taxi with McCann in the back.

He fled into a field and climbed a tree, but was arrested after a five-hour standoff with police negotiators.

A serious case review has been commissioned by police and probation services, to look at how McCann was managed by the broader criminal justice system.

The rapist had been freed from prison by mistake in February, when was automatically released after serving half of burglary sentence.

But he committed the crime while on licence from a previous aggravated burglary, which he was jailed for in 2008.

The Ministry of Justice launched an inquiry into why he was not recalled to prison after committing the offence, following his release in 2017, while he was supposed to be monitored by probation services.

That would have ensured McCann was reviewed by the Parole Board, rather than being freed automatically.

One member of National Probation Service staff has been demoted for gross misconduct over the case, and another person involved in supervising McCann was dismissed.

Dr Jo Farrar, chief executive of HM Prisons and Probation Service, said: “We recognise that there were failings and we apologise unreservedly for our part in this. We are committed to doing everything we possibly can to learn from this terrible case.

“We have taken strong and immediate action against those involved in the management of McCann’s case and are taking significant steps to improve intelligence sharing between agencies.

“At the same time, we are developing new mandatory training on recall for all probation officers and we have updated guidance on the threshold for recalling an offender to prison.”