Danish police missed car evidence in 13-year-old kidnapping case – criticism grows
Danish police overlooked crucial video footage in the kidnapping case from Kirkerup in 2023, according to a review by Berlingske. Philip Westh is today sentenced for both kidnapping and the murder of Emilie Meng.
Police missed Westh's car in video footage – six hours lost
Danish police overlooked crucial video footage for more than six hours during the kidnapping case in Kirkerup in April 2023, and a review by Danish newspaper Berlingske has now prompted sharp criticism of the investigation's conduct. Philip Westh, who has since been sentenced to life imprisonment for the kidnapping and for the murder of Emilie Meng, was identified far later than necessary, the newspaper concludes.
When a 13-year-old girl was abducted from the village of Kirkerup on a Saturday afternoon in April 2023, it took 27 hours before Danish police found her alive at Westh's home. On Wednesday, it was also revealed that Westh has allegedly confessed to the murder of Emilie Meng, who disappeared on the night of 10 July 2016 after a night out and was found dead several months later. The case remained unsolved for nearly seven years until Westh was arrested following the kidnapping in Kirkerup.
Surveillance cameras just 656 metres from the crime scene
According to Berlingske, surveillance cameras at Kirkerupvej 70 recorded the perpetrators' car three times shortly after the abduction. The cameras were just 656 metres from the location where the 13-year-old disappeared. However, police did not detect the car when they first reviewed the footage.
It was the abducted girl's stepfather who found the house with the surveillance cameras and notified police of the recordings. According to the newspaper, police then spent over four hours transferring the material to a USB key, and additional hours were spent attempting to access the hard drive. Only on Sunday morning did police identify Philip Westh's Hyundai on the video footage.
From the identification of the car, another five hours and 18 minutes passed before police conducted a raid on Westh's property and found the girl alive.
Criticism from experts and former investigators
TV 2's crime expert Magnus Braaten told ao.no that the new information will intensify criticism of Danish police.
"It appears as though police could and should have arrested Westh earlier, not least because they missed his car in the collected video material," Braaten said.
He emphasises at the same time that the Emilie Meng case was initially extremely difficult to solve. Westh was completely unknown to police when Meng disappeared in 2016, he did not appear as a suspect, and there was no known connection between him and Meng. The body was found half a year after her disappearance, and evidence was scarce.
"It was altogether a difficult starting point for police," Braaten said.
Former murder investigator at the Danish National Police Kurt Kragh directs even sharper criticism at police work.
"It is quite clear that South Zealand and Lolland-Falster police did not have the right expertise to carry out such a large and complex investigation," he told Berlingske.
Braaten also highlights that many react strongly to the thought that Westh might never have been exposed without the kidnapping in Kirkerup.
"Had Philip Westh not committed new serious offences, he would probably never have been caught. I think that is a frightening thought for many people," the crime expert said.
"Emilie Meng was 17 years old when she disappeared on her way home one summer night. For many, she became the very symbol that the worst imaginable can also happen in an ordinary place in Denmark," he added.
Police deny the criticism
Police in South Zealand and Lolland-Falster reject Berlingske's account. In a statement to the newspaper, the police district believes that the review presents a "simplified and oversimplified picture" of the investigation, and emphasises that investigators worked with multiple hypotheses and leads simultaneously throughout the entire operation.
Braaten acknowledges that errors and overlooked details occur in the initial phases of large police investigations, and that it is important to remember that police ultimately succeeded in locating the girl and arresting Westh within a day.
"In the initial phase of a large police investigation, there are many tasks. And it is important to remember that police actually found the 13-year-old girl and arrested Westh within a day," he said.
Philip Westh is today serving a life sentence for both the murder of Emilie Meng and the kidnapping of the 13-year-old girl from Kirkerup.
Source: Google News DK — Crime (da)