IDRIS ALI AND ALAN CHARLTON LINKED TO CARDIFF MURDER OF 15-YEAR-OLD KAREN PRICE

In a case that has haunted Cardiff for decades, the remains of Karen Price, a fifteen-year-old girl from Wales, were finally identified after being discovered in 1989. Known as Little Miss Nobody, Karen had vanished mysteriously in 1981, and her body was only uncovered eight years later in a garden behind a house on Fitzhammon Embankment, Cardiff.

Construction workers working on a project to develop a garden at the rear of a property made the grim discovery when they unrolled a rolled-up carpet. As the carpet was carefully unraveled, skeletal remains of a young female emerged, prompting immediate concern and investigation. Entomologists examined the insect eggs found around the site, which indicated that the girl had been deceased for approximately ten years, aligning with her disappearance date.

Following the discovery, efforts to identify the remains proved challenging. Initial attempts to match the bones with missing persons reports yielded no results. However, the case took a significant turn when Richard Neave, a renowned facial reconstruction artist from Manchester University, was called upon to create a clay model of the girl's face based on her skull. This pioneering effort marked a historic moment, as it was the first time DNA analysis was used in conjunction with facial reconstruction to identify a victim.

Neave’s reconstruction, combined with DNA testing that matched the remains to her parents, confirmed the identity of the young girl as Karen Price. Her tragic story had remained unresolved for years, but this scientific breakthrough finally brought closure to her family and the community.

In the aftermath of her identification, investigations into her death led authorities to suspect that Karen had fallen into a life of prostitution after running away from home. In 1991, two men believed to have been involved in her solicitation and possibly her murder were brought to justice. Idris Ali and Alan Charlton were both charged in connection with her death. Charlton was tried and convicted at Cardiff Crown Court in 1991, receiving a life sentence. Meanwhile, Ali’s charges were later reduced from murder to manslaughter, leading to his release in 1994.

Alan Charlton’s conviction was based on evidence linking him to her death, and he remained incarcerated for many years. His parole hearing was scheduled for 2015, raising questions about his potential release. Idris Ali, on the other hand, had a troubled criminal history, including convictions for robbery and inciting a riot within a prison cell that resulted in severe injuries to two Welsh guards. In 1997, Ali was sentenced to 12 years for his role in the prison riot.

Despite his criminal activities, Ali maintained family ties in Cardiff. However, in 2010, while living in a bail hostel in Swansea under the supervision of the South Wales Probation Service, he breached the conditions of his license, complicating his legal situation further. His case remains a stark reminder of the ongoing efforts to seek justice for Karen Price and the complexities involved in her tragic story.