A weekly newspaper which feared it had missed out on the week’s big story went one better for the next edition – with an exclusive that all the dailies and nationals missed.

The climax to one of the biggest murder trials of the past ten years was due – but so was the deadline for the Wiltshire Times and Chippenham News.

The paper had a four-page inside spread as well as a dramatic front page picture with in-depth interviews with defendant Michael Clarke’s family, friends and former martial arts teachers lined up.

Clarke was found guilty of murdering his parents after pretending to have found their bodies.

But the jury’s deliberations took them way past the deadline and even scuppered editor Andy Sambidge’s contingency plan for a late Thursday special.

Three hours after deadline had passed a verdict of guilty was announced and 300 stop press front pages were distributed to newsagents, and the news posted on the Times’s website.

But the feeling of disappointment and wasted effort was palpable, according to news editor Craig Evry.

He said: “Friday brought with it a new determination and the search for an exclusive splash. And reporter David Giles had spoken to a woman claiming to be Michael Clarke’s girlfriend in the months leading up to the trial.

“Then we uncovered the Holy Grail – the exclusive to beat all others – a letter written by Clarke to girlfriend Abbey Hallam just hours after the jury returned the guilty verdicts, in which he revealed his true feelings about the murder convictions and his determination to clear his name – all in his own words.

“Carefully persuading Abbey to allow us to publish the letter, Giles returned to the newsroom triumphant. Everyone was buzzing. Headline and layout suggestions came pouring in from all angles.

“We published the letter in full as part of a five page special (including the front) and posted the front page on our website to tantalise readers. Even poster billboards were produced to entice the readers.

“Tracking her down and securing an interview was no easy feat but David came up trumps and we had our exclusive angle.”

You can read the full interview with the girlfriend here. She told the newspaper: “Waiting 28 years is not what I had planned.”

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