ITV TO INVESTIGATE THE REAL NIGHT STALKER

This new documentary following in the footsteps of ITV drama Manhunt features Susanna Reid delving into Operation Minstead to gain a vivid insight into the 17-year hunt for the serial rapist known as ‘The Night Stalker’ - and how a 17-day stakeout led to his arrest.

Former senior investigating officers Colin Sutton and Simon Morgan, along with former Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers, speak candidly to Susanna about one of the most complex investigations the Met has ever had to face, and reflect on the tragic mistake that meant Delroy Grant could have been stopped years earlier.

The documentary goes back to the Night Stalker’s first attack in 1992 and follows the investigation as dozens of suspected cases started to emerge. Meanwhile, elderly people in South London were terrified, especially when in 2009, there was a huge spike in offences and the Met’s hierarchy agreed to stage a huge stakeout in the hope that this time they would catch him in the act.

The programme speaks to officers involved as the cat-and-mouse game they undertook escalated with several near misses before he was finally brought to justice.

Airs Thursday 30th October at 9pm on ITV.