2002 English murder case
In the early hours of the morning of 12 July 2002, Jong-Ok Shin, a 26-year-old Korean English-language student living in Bournemouth, United Kingdom, was murdered in the Charminster area of the town, as she walked home from a night out with friends.
With no suspect immediately identified, Dorset Police appealed to the public. On 22 August 2002, a drug addict and prostitute was arrested on an unrelated charge suspicion of shoplifting. Whilst being interviewed for this offence, she was asked by police whether she knew anything about the recent murder. The woman told police that she did, providing an account and naming three individuals involved.
One of the men she named was 30-year-old Omar Benguit, a local man who lived nearby to where Shin was murdered. The same day, Benguit was arrested on suspicion of Shin's murder, before later being charged. He, along with another local man, Nicholas Gbadamosi, were also charged with rape, in relation to a woman who they were with on the night of the murder. Gbadamosi also faced a charge of assisting an offender, in relation to allegedly disposing of evidence.
It took two trials in 2003 and 2004 to find both men not guilty of rape (and in the case of Gbadamosi, assisting an offender). At trial, Gbadamosi was released, when him and Benguit were found not guilty of rape (as well as assisting an offender). However, having failed to reach a verdict on the charge of murder, a third trial was ordered. It was at this trial, in 2005, that Benguit was found guilty of murdering Shin.
Benguit was sentenced to life imprisonment and has had two failed attempts at the Court of Appeal, in 2005 and 2014. He now remains at a category A prison in England, with maintaining his innocence a factor in his category status not being lowered, resulting him staying in prison.
Background.
Location.
Geography.
Charminster is a residential and commercial suburb of Bournemouth in Dorset, situated between the suburbs of Springbourne (to the south-east) and Winton (to the north-west). It was incorporated into the County Borough of Bournemouth in 1901. Charminster, as one of the oldest parts of Bournemouth, saw rapid growth before the First World War, with a number of shops, including grocers, butchers and drapers, amongst others, plying their trades. The 1920s saw 'a consolidation of housing', with a lot of development around Charminster.
Charminster is located close to language schools and Bournemouth University, making it ideal for students.
Community at that time.
In the year 2002, in the space of six months, Charminster faced three murders. The first occurred on 27 May, when 56-year-old Jean Rhoda Kenaghan was stabbed to death in Charminster Road by a 51-year-old man. Shin's murdered then occurred, followed by the murder of local woman, Heather Barnett, on 12 November in her house on Capstone Road, where she was killed by Danilo Restivo. This was alongside other recent murders that year across Dorset, including pensioner Peter Mabey, who lived in Oakdale, Poole, being stabbed to death in his flat in May, and, days later, Jemma Benson, who was asphyxiated at her home in Wimborne, as well as Hazel Jones, who was murdered on her doorstep in Poole in June.
Shin's murder occurred during 'one of the busiest weeks of the year' for Bournemouth's language schools. In 2002, at that time of the year, the Dorset population would swell by up to 1,700 at 'any one time', said to be worth '£100million a year to the local economy', which was even more than the conference industry in 2002.
At that time, Bournemouth's summer season would regularly see violence and abuse targeted against students, despite language schools quickly pointing out how rare incidents were in comparison to the population of students.
There had been a number of violent incidents against students in Bournemouth in 2002, with a noted rise in Autumn 2001 of hate crimes after the September 11 attacks in the United States (since the attacks, South Korea had been sending more language students to Britain due to entry into the USA becoming more difficult). PC Mohammed Khan, community relations officer stated at the time how people were attacked "because they looked foreign". In February 2002, a 16-year-old Saudi Arabian student had been punched and kicked to the ground, having his wallet stolen, whilst at a bus stop on Gervis Road in the town centre. In another incident, the same month, Aravinthan Thayalnayagem, aged 46, was jailed, having attempted to rape a Chinese student. In Match 2002, a Swiss student, aged 18, was knocked unconscious during an unprovoked assault in Southbourne, with a 23-year-old Japanese student being indecently assaulted Cemetery Junction, at one end of Charminster.
Bournemouth had previously received what was described as 'bad publicity' in Europe, when Dorset Police discussed 'segregating some sections of the beach for students to avoid confrontations'. Bournemouth was said to have 'fewer offences against students than any other area', according to Mike Ferris, then principal of the Westbourne Academy and chairman of the International Education Forum.
Despite reported violence being relatively rare, a number of students insisted how they were regularly harassed and verbally abused. Pearl Cho, a Korean Bournemouth University student told the Daily Echo in 2002 that she didn't feel safe 'at all', having faced 'so much trouble' in Bournemouth, indicating that she and her friends had experienced people swearing at them and assaulting them, but added it was 'a minority of people'. She added she had faced verbal abuse that was 'sexist'.
Another language school student, Venezuelan student Jhasmine Rangel, told the Daily Echo how she was 'too scared' to go back to her language school in Charminster at night, stating: "I try to avoid Charminster as much as possible, I never come here when it is dark because it is too dangerous", adding how there weren't many police and that a similar attack to that of Shin's murder would happen again without greater protection for foreign students.
Some students, such as South Korean student Shun Lupant, found that Charminster was a safe place to live and that he and his friends felt 'very safe', liking Charminster 'very much'.
Dorset Police had previously launched Operation Columbus, in which accredited language schools would show students an induction video on safety and welfare. A teacher at Kings School of English, Bournemouth, Jim Ewing, stated that the school gave advice on safety to students, urging them to either walk home in a group or if this wasn't possible, to take a taxi.
Jong-Ok Shin.
Jong-Ok Shin was born on 3 April 1976, to her mother, Tae Yeon Bae and father, Jong Geun Shin, with it being noted that: "It was obvious she was from a very happy family."
Having already completed a degree in trade and commerce, Shin's father sent her to Bournemouth to study as a foreign language student, to improve her English. Her parents, believed to be funding their daughter's education, had chosen England, believing that it was 'a country full of gentlemen'. Shin arrived in the United Kingdom in November 2001, before starting studies at Anglo European School of English on Lansdowne Road in Bournemouth, where she was one of approximately 700 South Korean students in the town. Shin lived in Shelbourne Road, in the Charminster area of Bournemouth, within walking distance of the college at an approximate distance of 0.8 miles (1.2 km).
She held a part-time cleaning job at the Chase Manhattan Bank in Littledown. Shin also had worked as a part-time room attendant at the Carlton Hotel in the town centre.A very close friend of Oki stated that she was a ‘popular girl with the boys’ and that ‘some Korean boys liked her’. In January 2002, Shin had a relationship with a man named Lee, however due to being 'embarrassed by him', she ended the relationship, leaving him 'a bit upset when she had finished with him'.
Shin established a close relationship with a Spanish student at the Language School, with the pair seen Richmond Arms pub on Charminster Road, used by a number of language school students.
Shin was described as 'pretty, innocent and trusting' by her landlady, noting how the week before her murder, Shin had celebrated her 26th birthday, cooking her host family a Korean meal.
Prior to her murder, Shin had completed her course on 28 June and was awaiting her results. On 10 July, she had held a garden party at her address to celebrate her 26th birthday.
Her parents had hoped that Shin would return to South Korea, with it appearing that Shin would move back there in the 'near future', with hopes of marrying.
Omar Benguit.
Omar Benguit was born in 1971/1972, in Morocco, North Africa. Benguit's relationship with his father was described as 'complicated'. In approximately 1979, Benguit and his family arrived in England from Morocco. The youngest of his family, he grew up in Lymington, Hampshire, living in the Flushards Estate and on Southampton and Gosport Road. He later moved to Bournemouth, Dorset.
Dyslexic, Benguit had a difficult time at school and didn't enjoy it. As dyslexia wasn't talked about as much, Benguit was sent to a school for children with behaviour problems. Whilst at school, he used to get into trouble, including stealing items and fighting others. When this occurred and he went home, his father allegedly gave him a difficult time about it. Benguit also attended Priestlands School.
Suffering from the inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's, Benguit rarely drank alcohol. To deal with his condition, Benguit took medication, however, at one stage, a doctor refused to prescribe him medication, with Benguit choosing to take dihydrocodeine, a highly addictive medication used to treate moderate to severe pain.
Having left school without any qualifications, Benguit's behaviour went 'downhill', where he 'got himself involved with the wrong people', where 'a bit of weed turned into a bit of cocaine'. Going out with friends resulted in Benguit crashing in the shed instead of sleeping in the house.
Benguit's sister, Amie, recalled how Benguit would steal from his own family. She stated that Benguit would 'steal a box of chicken and try to sell it on down the road to a restaurant for £10 so he could get drugs'. Amie stated she would call the police herself, wanting him to be arrested and imprisoned for a short time, in order for Benguit to 'sort himself out.'
Benguit's self-destructive behaviour was painful, as well as frustrating for the family to witness. Amie recalled how her family 'almost disowned him', and although they didn't, they just wanted to try and teach him a lesson. 
Beginning of offending.
1989.
One of Benguit's first offences was recorded in 1989, where aged 17-years-old, Benguit was accused of stealing items to the price of £12.48, including wine, pens and a calculator, from Lymington junior school.
Having fallen out with his parents, that same year, Benguit was living at a bail hostel, Carlisle House, in Winchester. It was whilst living here that was put on probation for two years after he dishonestly received stolen goods, having helped to carry items away that had been taken by others from cars that had been broken into. Benguit was described by his defence solicitor, Charles Ackroyd, as 'immature and easily led'.
1991.
In 1991, then aged 18-years-old, Benguit broke the terms of his probation, failing to attend and complete community service work. Benguit was either playing football or had taken overtime at his job, failing to complete the 14 remaining hours of a 40 hour order, on four occasions. He was warned at Lymington magistrates court in February that year by judge, the Honourable Major Peter Baillie that community service was an alternative to prison, with Baillie fining Benguit £50.
1992.
By 1992, aged 19-years-old, he was living at an address in Charminster Road. Whilst living here, Benguit appeared at magistrates in March of that year, having been charged with two counts of assault, having caused two people in the Lymington grievous bodily harm (GBH). Bengut also faced a charge of burglary, having stolen a pair of trainers, wallet and an alcometer that belonged to police.
In October 1992, a warrant was issued for Benguit's arrest, having failed to attend court to answer charges relating to public order and police obstruction offences. Benguit handed himself to the court, stating he hadn't attended due to being sick, learning of the warrant when he called in at his home address.
In 1992/1993, Benguit had returned to Lymington and Pennington Hampshire, living in a housing development known