Relative is haunted by memories of missing Charlene Downes before her life went 'so drastically wrong' in Blackpool

The extended family member, who asked to remain anonymous, recalls meeting little Charlene at birthday parties and gatherings when they still lived in Coventry.

They recall how Charlene had been a ‘smiley and cheeky’ young girl, but they’d felt concerned when Karen and Bob Downes moved them away to Blackpool.

The relative had met with Charlene and her family, during a day trip to the resort.

"She was made-up to see us. I wish with all my heart that she’d took one of us aside and told us what was happening. I wish I knew what went so drastically wrong.”

Charlene had been around 10 years old at the time – four years before she disappeared from Blackpool town centre on November 1, 2003.

Despite a long investigation, police have never found her.

Detectives still investigating the case believe she was sexually exploited and murdered.

The anonymous source said that it ‘plays on [their] mind’ and that they ‘think about it more as time goes on’.

Spotting the signs of grooming

During the police investigation, they found Charlene and other girls in the area had been groomed by several men for sexual favours.

What emerged from Charlene’s disappearance was a worrying picture of child sexual exploitation in Blackpool which campaigners say hasn’t gone away.

Karen Downes said: “Charlene could have easily reached out to me or her nana to talk about what was going on. We were always there for her.”

Karen previously said it broke her heart to hear that her daughter, who would now be 34, had been groomed for sex.

In 2020, she told Blackpool Gazette: “When I looked back, there were occasions when Charlene had skipped school and I didn’t know where she had been.

“She once came home with £70 and we couldn’t get the truth out of her. We didn’t know where it had come from. She had cigarettes too and we didn’t know who was buying them for her. Now, it was all slotting into place.”

Research into child sexual exploitation (CSE) in Lancashire

The Awaken project was set up in the wake of Charlene’s disappearance, which was one of the first teams in the country to combine the resources of the police, social services and health to tackle Child Sexual Exploitation. Since it was established in 2003 hundreds of vulnerable young people have been identified and protected from harm and offenders brought to justice.

A cold case unit, led by Dr Kirsty Bennett, is now looking for new evidence relating to Charlene’s disappearance. Blackburn Uni are also undertaking a large child sexual exploitation (CSE) project for whole of Lancashire to find out the scale of the problem, and where children are being failed.

20 years since Charlene went missing

Blackpool Gazette will be publishing more articles about Charlene Downes as we approach the 20th anniversary of her disappearance.

Anyone with information should contact the Lancashire Police incident room on 01253 607370 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Where can I watch the new Charlene Downes documentary?

A brand new and exclusive feature documentary about Charlene Downes, presented by Blackpool Gazette reporter, Lucinda Herbert, which will air on Shots TV (Freeview 276).

The documentary about Charlene Downes will premiere at 8:05pm, on Wednesday Nov 01, 2023 as part of an evening of True Crime on the channel.

It will also be available to watch online at this link.

Blackpool Gazette reporter, Lucinda Herbert attempts to find out what really could have happened to Charlene and why, after two decades, nobody has ever been brought to justice.