The Willington Quay child abduction was the case of the abduction and rape of a 6-year-old girl in Willington Quay, North Tyneside, England, on 27 December 2005, when she was taken while in the bath.
A local man, Peter Voisey, a known sex offender, was later convicted of the crime and sentenced to life in prison. The brazen nature of the crime sparked widespread media interest and a Crimewatch appeal. It also sparked the largest ever man-hunt, at the time, by Northumbria Police. Assertions by the police that the crime had been a case of opportunistic abduction from the home by a stranger were initially met with scepticism, given the seemingly unbelievable nature of the crime.[1] Voisey's conviction also sparked a review of the multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA), which govern the monitoring of past offenders.
Abduction
The girl was abducted from her ground-floor bath as her mother was in the next-door room. She was driven around the local area for 20 minutes, before being found naked in a snow-covered back alley. Initially, police only had the girl's eyewitness account of a "man in a red car" identified by her as a Vauxhall Astra, with no other witnesses present.[2] The only forensic evidence the police could obtain was a footprint in the bathroom, and a partial DNA trace from the girl's fingernail. Through careful interview with the girl, it was ascertained from the route she was driven, that the offender had a good knowledge of the local area.
Arrest
Voisey, who was also known as Peter Smith, was originally questioned as part of a wide sweep of local people who might be of interest because he was a registered sex offender. Police were first aware of him as a sneak thief, committing high risk burglaries with a chance of discovery,[2] but in 2001, he had been convicted of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl in a swimming pool changing room in Cheshire.[3] He was not initially considered a priority lead, as he had been classified low risk due to good behaviour.[2] Voisey initially appeared good natured, and had a good account of his movements. He continued to strenuously deny any involvement when interviewed further.
Conviction
With no strong evidence, Voisey was convicted from a multitude of lesser clues.[2] This included his local knowledge and his mobile phone records, which proved he was not where he claimed to be at the time. The trainer print had been matched to a pair he owned, only five of which had been sold in the North East that year. He had made a cryptic diary entry for the day in question, "Phew it's over, chill now", which he claimed referred to Christmas. He had also owned a red Astra, although this was scrapped before it could be seized as evidence. It was also concluded, although a partial match, that there was a high chance of the DNA found being Voisey's.