A weekly editor and his staff toured local shops stapling hundreds of A3 fliers onto their paper’s front page yesterday after a dramatic breakthrough in a 14-year-old murder case.

Police announced yesterday lunchtime that they had arrested a man over the 1996 murder of Bath hospital worker Melanie Hall – hours after the Bath Chronicle had hit the streets.

Within two hours of the revelation by police, hundreds of new front pages had been printed on single sheets of A3.

Armed with copies of the fliers, editor Sam Holliday and his staff then toured city shops and, with their agreement, stapled the emergency front pages to hundreds of editions on the shelves.

At the same time, the paper’s website was carrying the latest details of what could be the breakthrough which Melanie’s parents – and an entire city – have longed for.

It is the second time the paper has taken such action over the long-running investigation – producing a four-page special when news of the discovery of her body came too late for its conventional Thursday edition last year.

Said Sam: “This story has been a massive one in the city for 14 years and we were determined that the simple matter of our paper already being out wouldn’t stop us explaining such an important development.

“The reaction of people in the shops when they saw us stapling new front pages was one of fascination in the story and, I think, respect for the efforts we were making to tell it.”

Comments

John Mc (02/07/2010 09:42:44)
Nice one Sam! Who says there are no more heroes any more

Observer (02/07/2010 11:37:24)
Should it still be called a ‘murder’ after an arrest? Or am I being picky?

Observer (02/07/2010 11:38:20)
Should it still be called a ‘murder’ after an arrest? Or am I being picky?

Stevie G (02/07/2010 12:08:38)
Observer – yes, you’re being picky. No charge, and she was murdered.
Top work Sam and all at Bath.

Observer (02/07/2010 12:57:53)
Stevie G – after an arrest the case goes live. Whatever the details of the case, it’s the police who are saying it’s a murder, but it’s down to a court to decide that. It could be manslaughter – who knows. The point I’m making is these things shouldn’t be predicted or suggested in headlines.

Happy Hack (02/07/2010 12:58:21)
Well done to all the staff for their hard work – keep it up!