A FOUNDING member of a police unit which solved the murder of Tillingham teenager Dinah McNicol has released a book on cold cases solved by the force.

Ray Newman, of Rochford, was part of the Essex Police Major Crime Review Team from 2003 to 2014.

The unit investigated cold cases, fatal industrial incidents, fatal hit and runs and missing persons.

Mr Newman has now published his book Finally Laid to Rest about the day-to-day work of the unit and some of its cases.

The unit investigated the disappearance of Dinah McNicol who went missing aged 18 while hitchhiking home from a music festival in Hampshire.

Following their efforts serial killer Peter Tobin was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court for her murder in 2009.

Dinah was bound, gagged and probably strangled before being buried in the garden of his former home in Margate, Kent.

Her body, along with Polish student Angelika Kluk, 23, and 15-year-old schoolgirl Vicky Hamilton, of Falkirk, was only discovered in 2008.

Mr Newman said: “It was probably the most high profile case the team dealt with.

“We recovered her body from a back garden in Margate with another body from another missing person’s case.

“It was nice after all that time to be able to return the body to the family.”

Another case highlighted in the book is that of Maurice Sams.

An inquest ruled Mr Sams had taken his own life in his Maldon caravan more than 50 years ago.

But after his family uncovered papers which they believed brought the verdict into doubt the case was passed to the review team.

Mr Newman said: “We took the case as far as we could and left it with the family to decide whether to go to the High Court and ask for the suicide verdict to be overturned.”

Mr Newman started writing the book, which features 20 cases, about five years ago.

“People were surprised by the lengths we got to sometimes to solve a case,” he said.

“If you committed a serious crime 20 years ago and thought you had got away with it the next knock at the door could be for you.”

Finally Laid To Rest: The Work of a Real UK ‘Cold Case’ Review Team is on sale via Amazon.