Alun Kyte

Case overview

Alun Kyte was a British convicted double murderer. He was convicted of murdering two prostitutes, Samo Paull and Tracey Turner, and was sentenced to life imprisonment on March 14, 2000.

Timeline

• December 1993 — Alun Kyte claimed his first victim, 20-year-old Rowley Regis prostitute Samo Paull, who was picked up in Birmingham’s Balsall Heath red light district and whose body was found in a layby near Swinford, Leicestershire, a few days later.
• 30 December 1993 — Samo Paull was picked up in Birmingham’s Balsall Heath red light district.
• December 1993 (a few days later) — Samo Paull’s body was found beside a lane near Swinford, Leicestershire; she had been strangled.
• March 1994 — Kyte committed his second murder, picking up 30-year-old prostitute Tracey Turner from Hilton Park services on the M6 motorway near Wolverhampton; her body was discovered beside a country lane near Lutterworth, Leicestershire.
• 3 March 1994 — Another body was discovered beside a country lane near Lutterworth, Leicestershire.
• December 1998 — Alun Kyte was arrested and charged with both women’s murders.
• January 1999 — Kyte was jailed for seven years for a series of rapes in Bristol.
• March 14, 2000 — Kyte was found guilty at Nottingham Crown Court on two murder charges and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
• 28 February 2000 — His trial at Nottingham Crown Court began (trial report date).

The offence

Kyte murdered two women whose bodies were found within a few miles of each other in Leicestershire.

Murder of Samo Paull

Samo Paull was 20 years old and from Rowley Regis. She was a prostitute. She was picked up in Birmingham’s Balsall Heath red light district on 30 December 1993. Her body was found a few days later in a layby near Swinford, Leicestershire, beside a lane near Swinford, Leicestershire. She had been strangled. Kyte denied killing her.

Murder of Tracey Turner

Tracey Turner was 30 years old and from Stafford. She was virtually deaf. She worked at motorway service stations across the country and plied her trade at motorways. It was believed that she was picked up at Hilton Park motorway service station on the M6 near Wolverhampton, where she often plied her trade. A body was discovered on 3 March 1994 beside a country lane near Lutterworth, Leicestershire. Her body was not identified for several weeks. She was found stripped and strangled at Bitteswell, near Lutterworth, Leicestershire. Kyte denied killing her.

Investigation

Leicestershire Police arrested Kyte in December 1998 and had liaised with Operation Enigma, which had been launched in 1996 and was looking at more than 200 unsolved murders. After conviction, Kyte was described as likely to be reinterviewed and subject to further DNA tests to see whether he could be linked to unsolved killings. After his arrest, police said he had an “unusual interest in prostitutes.” Advances in genetic fingerprinting led police to Kyte after initial inquiries drew a blank. DNA tests linked him to the murder of Tracey Turner, and DNA from semen found on Tracey Turner’s body matched a blood sample taken from Kyte. A forensic expert said the chances of the defendant sharing the same genetic profile with someone else were one in 33,000 million.

Arrest and charges

Kyte was arrested in December 1998 and charged with the murders of both Samo Paull and Tracey Turner.

Trial

The trial at Nottingham Crown Court began on 28 February 2000.

Defences

Kyte denied murdering both women. Under cross examination, he could not explain the presence of his DNA in Tracey Turner’s body. He said:

"I cannot explain how it got their because I am not a forensic scientist. It is for the jury to decide on that evidence"

He also said he may have slept with her after meeting her at a Stafford nightclub and added:

"They say the DNA is mine and in that case I must have had sex with her at some point. " "You meet people and have sex with them or a one night stand and you don't remember it."

Prosecution case

The prosecution said it would show that Kyte had an unusual interest in prostitutes and that he boasted to fellow prisoners about what he had done to the two women. James Hunt, QC, who was prosecuting, said Kyte was seen at the Corley service station near Coventry just days after Tracey Turner’s body was uncovered, posing as a newspaper reporter and telling staff he was conducting an investigation into prostitution.

After the trial, it was stated that DNA tests linked Kyte to the murder of Tracey Turner, and the semen DNA matched a blood sample taken from Kyte.

Identification details mentioned in court reports

Tracey Turner was described as deaf and virtually deaf and had worked at motorway service stations. Her clothes had been removed.

Sentencing

On March 14, 2000, Kyte was found guilty on two murder charges at Nottingham Crown Court and was sentenced to life imprisonment. At the time of the trial, it was noted that Kyte was jailed for seven years in January 1999 for a series of rapes in Bristol.

Appeals

No appeal information was provided.

Outcome

Kyte remained behind bars following his life sentence. His conviction was described as being for murdering Samo Paull and Tracy Turner, whose bodies were found within a few miles of each other in Leicestershire.

Aftermath and other allegations

After his trial, it was revealed that Kyte was a suspect in six unsolved murders that took place between October 1990 and May 1994. However, he had not been charged with any of those crimes. The police engagement with unsolved cases involved Operation Enigma, and Kyte was described as likely to be reinterviewed with further DNA testing to be taken. It was stated that forces from all over the country, including Scotland, East Anglia, and the South West, would be invited to contact Leicestershire Police to see if unsolved cases could be re-examined with Kyte in mind.

Other details

Kyte was described as a lorry driver from Stafford and was reported as being 33 at the start of the trial and 35 at the time of sentencing. The victims were described as prostitutes. The location details given included Balsall Heath in Birmingham, the Hilton Park motorway service station on the M6 near Wolverhampton, and Leicestershire locations including Swinford, layby near Swinford, Bitteswell near Lutterworth, and Lutterworth country lane.