Was Carol Morgan's killer ever caught as The Real Unforgotten delves into murder?
The Real Unforgotten, a two-part documentary series on ITV, mirrors the fictional drama by following a police team as they delve into cold case murders. The Bedfordshire-based team dedicated six years to uncovering the truth behind the murder of 36 year old Carol Morgan.
Carol was discovered dead in the convenience store she operated with her husband Allen in Linslade, Bedfordshire, on August 13, 1981. Despite reporting his wife's death to the police, Allen's subsequent behaviour raised eyebrows within the community.
His lack of visible grief during questioning about his significant loss was noted, but due to a solid alibi - he had been at the cinema with his stepchildren at the time of the murder - he was never considered a prime suspect. Even when it emerged that he was having an affair with a woman named Margaret Spooner, the initial investigation did not focus on him.
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It wasn't until over four decades later that the case was revisited and a witness, who had been a teenager at the time, came forward with information about Allen's discussions regarding removing his wife from the equation. Luton Crown Court heard how Allen and Margaret, engaged in a "passionate but forbidden and adulterous love affair", had spoken about her potential death.
Both denied charges of conspiracy to murder, but after a protracted trial, Allen was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. Margaret, however, was acquitted.
Overwhelmed by the affair and financial pressures of running the shop, Allen had enlisted a hitman who used an axe or machete to assault Carol in their shop's storeroom. When questioned by the police, Allen claimed that £400 cash from the desk, £35 from the till, and 1,400 cigarettes from the shop had been stolen.
Despite the initial investigation focusing on identifying a suspect seen running towards a car with plastic bags around the time of the murder, the hitman was never apprehended. During the 2024 trial, Prosecutor Pavlos Panayi KC stated that Carol's murder was "no random attack" but rather a paid act.
Upon sentencing Allen, Judge Mr Justice Martin Spencer said: "The very best forensic experts at the time were recruited to investigate the crime and try to identify the perpetrator.
"Despite everything that Mr Prickett and his team of 60 or more detectives could do, the murderer was never caught.
"Only one person knows the identity of the murderer, and that is you, Mr Morgan. That is the secret which you have harboured for the last 40 years.
"The law has now caught up with you and you must pay due punishment for your part in this crime, but the murderer remains at large if, indeed, he is still alive."
The Real Unforgotten returns to ITV on February 25.
