CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON SENTENCED TO LIFE FOR BRUTAL MURDER OF TEENAGE GIRL IN BATH

In a case that has spanned over three decades, Christopher Hampton, a man from Bath, has been convicted of the murder of 17-year-old Melanie Road and sentenced to life imprisonment. The tragic events unfolded in June 1984, when Melanie was attacked while returning home from a nightclub in Bath, an incident that would leave a lasting scar on her family and the community.

Melanie was last seen alive in the early hours of June 9, 1984, after leaving the Beau Nash nightclub located in Kingston Parade. Her friends had seen her shortly thereafter in Broad Street, but she was found dead in a pool of blood by a milkman who discovered her body. The young girl had been subjected to a vicious and sustained assault, which included being stabbed 26 times with a sharp-edged knife, resulting in wounds up to four inches deep. Eight of these wounds were inflicted on her breasts, highlighting the brutality of the attack.

The court heard that the assault began while Melanie was on her feet on the street, and after the initial attack, Hampton chased her approximately 30 meters around a corner into a cul-de-sac, where she ultimately succumbed to her injuries. The severity and violence of the attack were described by Mr. Justice Popplewell as