Camille Gordon

murder occurred. This episode contains descriptions of violence that some people may find distressing. Sole listener discretion is advised. South Norwood is a district of South London in the borough of Croydon. It's known as a quiet suburb which grown significantly over the century. Being only three miles away from Croydon's a good option for people who want to live in the commuter bell of London but also want to

be a little away from the hustle and bustle. Twenty three year old Camille Garden lived in South Norwood in two thousand and four and was relatively new to living in the capital. Camille was born in Jamaica, and had originally traveled to the UK in two thousand and one. She initially went to live in Birmingham and then moved down to London in August of two thousand and three. She had a dream of studying to become a nursery assistant and was waiting to enroll on a course to

do just that. Education was clearly important to Camille and her family, as her elder sister, Debbie, was working as a teacher back in Jamaica. It was Camille's hope that she could return back to Jamaica after gaining her education and experience. She had run into some difficulties while living at home as she was unable to work part time and study, and so this made it impossible for her to afford the course. This was her motivation for traveling to the UK, as she could hopefully enroll on her

course but also work to afford it. This was her plan in two thousand and one. When she arrived in the UK. However, she felt like moving to London would give her the greatest opportunities, and so this is why she moved in two thousand and three. In March two thousand and four, Camille had been in the city for seven months and had mostly settled down into a routine in her new home. She had enrolled onto her course

and was just waiting to begin her studies. She had also got a part time job working at the Blue Bunny Club on Archer Street in Soho. This was all to fund her future studies and to Camille, this was a means to an end. Soho is well known for its reputation as historically, during the twentieth century it had been at the heart of the red light district, where sex workers would go to find customers and people could

visit bars until well into the next morning. It still has lively night life restaurants and bars, and some residents of Soho have expressed that today is becoming more of a gentrified area which has lost some of its original charm and freedom. The Blue Bunny Club was one of many clubs which had its home in Soho, and while it was just one of many establishments in the area, it did have a difference. The Blue Bunny Club was

what has become known as a clip joint. A clip joint was a club that would use specific techniques to get particularly men to come in using the suggestion of sex or sexual favors. Men would enter into the bar and spend time with the hostesses and waitresses, while sexual acts would not take place. The men would be charged exorbitant prices for the time that they'd spent there and would essentially be forced into paying them before leaving. This was a fraud and the people who entered these clip

joints would lose their money. While this was clearly a very unethical way of doing business, these clubs were not breaking any laws and therefore they were very difficult to shut down. Often, they didn't serve alcohol and they were not selling sexual favors, and so they were not, in the eyes of the law, doing anything wrong. In two thousand and four, Detective Inspector Andy Mortimer stated at the

time these clubs are based entirely on artifice. They attract people by implying that there will be some sort of sexual activity, but they provide no real service and charge huge sums to clients for merely spending time with girls. The Blue Bunny Club was one of these clubs, and Camille was one of the women that was hired to spend time with the customers. On the first of March two thousand and four, Camille headed into work at around

six thirty pm on that evening. She was working on the door at the club when a man approached her and paid the five pounds to enter the club. Camille went with the man into a private area. It's known that they were together in that area for a short time when another member of the club gave the customer a bill for three hundred and seventy five pounds. The man stated that he didn't have that much money to pay the bill, but agreed to give them eighty pounds.

He was then escorted out of the exit. This was a usual interaction at clip joints, and there was nothing in particular that stood out as unusual about it. While this interaction was usual for inside the club, the actions of the customer once he was escorted out of the building were not. It's known that he walked along the Archer Street, where the club was located, but then returned

back to the club. Not long after, he was spotted by a different member of staff, and he raised his hands up in what has been described as a submissive manner and walked away. Not long after, at around seven ten pm, Camille returned to the door of the club. All of a sudden, the staff heard Camille screaming and then saw her stagger down the stairs of the club covered in blood. She told them that she had been

stabbed in the chest. Camille's wounds were fatal, when the post mortem would later establish that she had died from one stab wound to the heart. Camille passed away from the injuries that had been inflicted around an hour later

after being taken to University College Hospital. The series of events that took place at the Blue Bunny Club were both tragic and seemed completely unnecessary, and investor was soon underway by the Metropolitan Police, and it very quickly centered on the customer that had been with Camille not long before the attack. The theory of the case took shape and it was believed that the man had returned after

feeling ripped off by the interaction. The police did have a good description of the customer and as part of the investigation, they were able to locate the suspect on CCTV images. The images were from Piccadilly Circus tube station not long after the murder. He was described as black, between twenty to twenty five years of age and between

five foot five and five foot eight inches tall. He was wearing a dark jacket which had a distinctive Cleveland Indians logo on the front, along with dark jeans, white trainers, and a hat believed to be a baseball cap. While they had this information, trying to track down who that could be would not be the easiest given the limited evidence they had. The CCTV images, however, were a big help and could be distributed to the public in the

hope that they would recognize the person. Public appeals were made immediately after the murder took place, and just two days afterwards, a man entered into Kennington Police station. This man asked to speak to a CID officer in relation to the Blue Bunny Club murder. CID officers were not there at the time, and the man left before they could arrive at the station. This was a blow for the investigation as it was not known what information this

man could have provided. He's described as white, about thirty five years old, about five foot eight inches tall. He had a skinny build with the fine cheekbones and light brown hair. This was an interesting piece of information as it meant that there could be someone out there that knew who perhaps the killer was or at least knew something that they were willing to share. This made police appeals all the more important in this case, as they

could persuade someone to come forward with information. Camille's family were quite obviously devastated by the news of what had happened to her, and traveled over to the UK to be part of the police appeals and to try and keep Camille's story in the public eye. Her mum Duet, spoke to the press about Camille and her dreams of coming to the UK for an education and a career. She said Camille was a wonderful girl and in her sharp life she made a positive impact on so many people.

She had been studying in Birmingham for a couple of years before she moved to London, and I think she was just working in this club as she settled down. She never told us about it. She was a wonderful, happy, upbeat kind of person who loved to dance and made so many people happy. We miss her so much. Douett was certain about one thing that her daughter's death shouldn't have been for nothing, and that there was one thing

that could come from it. She wanted the Clip Joint Establishments to be shut down, as this was a huge factor in why Camille had been murdered. Camille's sister, Debbie, believed this too, saying, the responsibility for this attack lies with the man who stabbed my sister. But these places are putting girls like Camille at risk. Camille is dead now, but the one thing that can come from this is that establishments like these can be closed down for good.

What we've been through is so painful, and we're worried that other men will do the same thing and more girls will be murdered. The police theory was also that this perpetrator had attacked Camille due to the fact that he'd felt ripped off in his interaction with her. Trying to close down these establishments was difficult for the local council, and it was only in two thousand and seven that

they were made to register as sexual entertainment premises. Camille's case highlighted the danger that these premisses posed for the people who worked in them, and particularly for the women who were being made vulnerable by the interactions with customers. Camille's case was shocking, However, unfortunately, it was not the only violent incident to have occurred at a clip joint, with many incidents being recorded of crimes related to them.

Just a few weeks after Camille's murder, another hostess at a club on Warder Street in Soho fled from the premisses after being assaulted by someone at the doorway to the club, in a very similar manner to that of

Camille Garden. The Blue Bunny Club did eventually shut down and the idea of a clip joint began to fade from people's memories, although premisses working in sea ways will always exist in some form or another, and the exploitation of vulnerable people is something that's still happening all over the UK. Despite numerous appeals and a large scale investigation, Camille's murder remains unsolved and the perpetrator is still at large.

Twenty twenty four marks the twenty year anniversary of the murder, and the Metropolitan Police made an appeal along with the announcement of a twenty thousand pound reward for anyone with information. On the sixteenth of October twenty twenty four, detective spoke to BBC's Crime Watch Live about the case and asked

for anyone with information to come forward. Detective Inspector Amanda Grieg, from the met's Specialist Casework team, who's leading the investigation, said it may have been more than twenty years since Camille was brutally murdered, but her family remained just as heartbroken today. They want answers and they want the person responsible for Camille's death brought to justice. This is something we want too, and we've not given up trying to

get that for them. This is why we're now offering a reward of up to twenty thousand pounds for information that leads to the successful charge and conviction of the person responsible. A lot can happen in twenty years. Allegiances can change. Maybe you've felt unable to talk to us at the time for whatever reason, but you're now in a position to do so. Maybe you saw the attack, or you are at the club or in the area at the time of the murder. Maybe the person responsible

has since confided in you. I would urge you to share whatever information you have with us. It will be treated in the strictest confidence and could bring much needed closure to Camille's family, as well as an appeal. They also released new CCTV images of the suspect that they were able to recover from Piccadilly Circus tube station. This showed the suspect wearing the distinctive Cleveland Indians jacket and while the images are grainy, they would probably be recognizable

to someone who knew him. This is important new information for the case and there is hope that someone will notice something relevant that can help. I will put these pictures up on social media so you can take a look. Police are taking any information or tips from the public and there is the twenty thousand pound reward for any

one who knows anything. If you do have information about Camille Gordon's murder in two thousand and four, then please call the Incident Room on zero two zero eight seven eight five eight two six seven, or information can also be submitted online at the public portal mipp dot police dot UK. You can also call crime Stoppers at eight hundred five five five one one one. I will link these in the show notes. Thank you for listening to

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and also just share the episodes. I am back uploading on YouTube and we'll try and make sure more recent episodes are on there, so if you're not already subscribed, you can head over and do that, as well as following us on social media as our ways. I'm Caprice and this has been unseen