In October 2002, Julie Dorsett (33) went missing from the Hackney area of East London. Despite searches at the time, there were no signs of Julie until part of her remains were found at Low Hall Farm Alottments in Walthamstow. On the 18th August (six years after she'd disppeared) a man name Charles Joseph was clearing the allotment, when he emptied an old water tank and made a horrific discovery. Julie's skull and two bones were found, and when police performed a search more bones were found inside an old duvet.
Julie had been working as a sex worker at the time, and was well known in the community. It had even been reported that Julie had visited the allotment her remains were found in.
At a trial in which the defendant was acquitted, the jury heard that the top half of Julie's body had initially been wrapped up in the duvet but at some point disturbed and some bones fell into the water tank where they laid undiscovered. The post mortem of the bones also revealed there were numerous rib fractures. The pathologist concluded one particular fracture to the right collarbone was caused at the time of death, it was said.
And an isotope expert carried out chemical analysis of the bones and pinpointed the time of Miss Dorsett’s death to within a timeframe of between September to December 2002.
The Investigation
Miss Dorsett's ex-partner, Sinclair Lewis, was charged with her murder in 2011 but was acquitted after two trials. During the first trial jurors were unable to reach a verdict, and the judge in the second trial ordered jurors to dismiss the murder accusation and reach a decision on a manslaughter charge instead. Mr Lewis was found not guilty of manslaughter and preventing the lawful burial of a body.