Wrongly Accused: The Annette Hewins Story

With her conviction for triple murder overturned and the Royal Court of Justice ruling ‘there was no sufficient evidence to convict her’, Annette is finally free from prison, but will she ever recover from its effects?

Convict turned detective, Annette campaigns for a police re-investigation of the Gurnos Fire murders. Annette tells reporters she will fight for the rest of her life to bring the real killers to justice. Is there any hidden or forgotten information that can provide insights into what really happened to Diane Jones and her children?

Annette also demands a police review about how such a miscarriage of justice happens. Tables finally turn, and Annette puts South Wales Police in the dock.

Nicole Jacob, Annette’s daughter, continues her mission to find out the truth about what really happened. Nicole is passed a secret leaked police report compiled 20 years ago, which contains some of the answers her mother so desperately wanted. The content of the report about the Gurnos Fire is revealed for the first time.

An Inspire Film and Television Production for BBC Sounds.

Credits: Narrator: Nicole Jacob Producer and Editor: Amy Derrick Finishing Editor: Steph Lynch Additional Sound Design: Kevin Langhamer Post Production: Bang Archive: Miles Orchard Executive Producer: Wayne Derrick

Judges at London's Royal Court of Appeal rule in the case of Annette Hewins, there was insufficient evidence to convict her, and she walks free. She is released and returns home only to find life more challenging than ever. This is compounded by a statement by police released to the media telling her not to return to her home town. Nicole hears herself at the age of 7 talking about the difficult time without her Mum, and how she is so happy to have her home.

An Inspire Film and Television Production for BBC Sounds.

Credits: Narrator: Nicole Jacob Producer and Editor: Amy Derrick Finishing Editor: Steph Lynch Additional Sound Design: Kevin Langhamer Post Production: Bang Archive: Miles Orchard Executive Producer: Wayne Derrick

The jury returns with a 10-2 majority verdict. Annette faces a long time in prison, but still insists that she is innocent. Her mother-in-law, Veronica, gradually gets an appeals campaign underway. Top solicitors, journalists and family members join the cause.

As the campaign progresses there is increasing concern about Annette's worsening mental health in prison. Will she survive in prison long enough to see if her Appeal hearing is granted?

An Inspire Film and Television Production for BBC Sounds.

Credits: Narrator: Nicole Jacob Producer and Editor: Amy Derrick Finishing Editor: Steph Lynch Additional Sound Design: Kevin Langhamer Post Production: Bang Executive Producer: Wayne Derrick

Annette Hewins stands in the dock accused of triple murder. The prosecution claims Annette syphoned petrol from her car to commit arson, tragically taking the lives of a mother and two children. But what do we know about the type of petrol used in the fire, and was it the same as the petrol Annette bought for her car?

At trial, an astonishing battle between two forensic scientists commences in the courtroom, one for the prosecution and one for the defence. They conduct very different tests, so which scientist was correct? A world-leading arson investigator re-examines the tests conducted by the forensic scientists. What will he reveal, and what does this mean for Annette and her co-defendants Donna Clarke and Denise Sullivan?

An Inspire Film and Television Production for BBC Sounds.

Credits: Narrator: Nicole Jacob Producer and Editor: Amy Derrick Finishing Editor: Steph Lynch Additional Sound Design: Kevin Langhamer Post Production: Bang Executive Producer: Wayne Derrick

The trial begins as Annette and her co-defendants, Donna and Denise, face charges of triple murder. Central to the prosecution's argument lies the contradictory testimonies given by a 17-year-old girl, 'Subject A,' initially a suspect but later a witness.

The defence argue Subject A's statements to the police were extracted through undue pressure. The fate of the women hung in the balance. Whose testimony will the jury believe? Annette's daughter, Nicole, investigates seeking the opinion of an expert in ethical interviewing techniques.

Credits: Narrator: Nicole Jacob Producer and Editor: Amy Derrick. Finishing Editor: Steph Lynch Post Production: Bang Additional Sound Design: Kevin Langhamer Executive Producer: Wayne Derrick

Annette Hewins faces charges of triple murder and begins her prison sentence, three months pregnant. Whilst on remand, Annette gives birth to Joshua, in an ambulance, on a roundabout outside the prison. The discovery of tape recordings by miscarriage of justice victim Johnny Kamara, sheds a poignant light on Annette's time behind bars, offering a glimpse into the harsh realities of pregnancy within the prison system. These recordings become a portal for her children, Nicole and Joshua, granting them a deeper understanding of their mother's struggles during this distressing time her life.

Credits: Narrator: Nicole Jacob Producer and Editor: Amy Derrick. Finishing Editor: Steph Lynch Post Production: Bang Additional Sound Design: Kevin Langhamer Executive Producer: Wayne Derrick

In October 1995 police launch a triple murder investigation in Merthyr Tydfil, following an arson attack that killed a mother and two children. Crime scene investigators find a washing up liquid bottle and a can of Coke both containing petrol. But who committed such an evil crime?

After a television appeal and the fingerprinting of the entire Gurnos community police are confident of new lines of enquiry, but 4 months later no arrests ware made. Pressure is on for results.

Then South Wales Police, make an announcement of multiple arrests. Donna Clarke, Denise Sullivan and Annette Hewins are arrested and charged with triple murder. How did the police investigation lead to the three local women? Nicole Jacob, the daughter of Annette Hewins, examines the investigation to find out how it arrived at her Mum’s front door.

Credits: Narrator: Nicole Jacob Producer and Editor: Amy Derrick. Finishing Editor: Steph Lynch Post Production: Bang Additional Sound Design: Kevin Langhamer Executive Producer: Wayne Derrick

Nicole delves into the history of her hometown Merthyr Tydfil, with a focus on the Gurnos housing estate, nestled in the valleys just outside town. This is where her mother grew up, but was also the location of a deadly fire, that took the lives of a mother and two infant children in October 1995.

Initially, residents believed the tragedy was a result of an electrical fault. Shockwaves reverberated through the tight-knit community when authorities revealed that the fire was deliberately set – an act of arson that transformed a devastating accident into a heinous crime.

Police launch a triple murder inquiry, leaving residents grappling with a profound sense of loss and fear, as they are left wondering, who could inflict such cruelty on an innocent family.

Narrator: Nicole Jacob Producer and Editor: Amy Derrick. Finishing Editor: Steph Lynch Post Production: Bang Additional Sound Design: Kevin Langhamer Executive Producer: Wayne Derrick

An unknown woman is admitted to the hospital and detained under the Mental Health Act. In her distress, and while withdrawing from drugs, she relives her most painful moments. In a desperate plea she cries out, "find the real killers." She dies hours later.

The woman is revealed as Annette Hewins, a beloved mother of five, who suffered a miscarriage of justice 20 years earlier. Narrated by her daughter Nicole, who’s looking to uncover the truth about her mother's life and how it ultimately led to a tragic end. She candidly delves into her own anxieties about embarking on this emotionally charged journey and explores her family's apprehensions about delving into the past and one of the most shocking arson-related murder cases in the UK. Narrator: Nicole Jacob Producer and Editor: Amy Derrick. Finishing Editor: Steph Lynch Post Production: Bang Additional Sound Design: Kevin Langhamer Executive Producer: Wayne Derrick

Emergency services receive a call about a house fire on the Gurnos estate in Merthyr Tydfil. People are reported to be inside the house. The fireman on duty recalls arriving to a blazing scene, entering the house to save lives.

News reports reveal that the fire killed a mother, Diane Jones and her infant daughters Shauna and Sarah Jane. Whilst initially unclear if the incident is a tragic accident, reports emerge that the fire was deliberate, and police launched a triple murder inquiry.

Three women are charged with triple murder, and two convicted of arson with intent to endanger life. One of the women, Annette Hewins, makes a desperate plea of innocence from prison. After nearly three years of imprisonment, Annette’s conviction was deemed unsafe and overturned at the Court of Appeal. Annette walked free but could never escape the catastrophic impact of the ordeal.

Annette’s oldest daughter, Nicole, starts a journey towards understanding what her mother experienced, but she has more questions than answers about how her mother could be so failed by the justice system.