“These are amongst the very worst crimes which have come before the High Court of Judiciary. Almost 30 years of policing. The level of depravity shown by Andrew Innes is way beyond anything myself or my colleagues had witnessed before.”
“He showed no remorse, wallowing in self-pity. The depravity that he’s shown is unimaginable. Do you think you’ll ever be able to forgive Andrew Innes after this?”
“She said she can forgive him but as long as he’s behind bars and will not be able to come out.”
25-year-old Bennylyn Burke was originally from the Philippines. She was incredibly popular, down to earth, and much loved, with her sister Shella saying she didn’t know anybody who disliked her. Bennylyn had been keen to pursue her education, and Shella had worked to support her while she went to school, as did their father, Benedictto. The family came together to help her and ensure that she graduated. She was described as intelligent, kind, beautiful, and dependable. She cared deeply for her family, and her brother said she would protect him from bullies. In 2015, she met a British man called Lexington Burke on a dating website. A romance blossomed, and after going out to the Philippines, the pair were married in a big wedding in Samar on the 28th of July, 2018. One month later, on the 19th of August, they welcomed their first child, a little girl called Jellica. On Jellica’s first birthday, the family would relocate to the United Kingdom. It was the first time Bennylyn had left the Philippines, and she was hopeful that there would be a bright future ahead of her in the UK. She worked hard in the UK and sent money back to her family in the Philippines to support them. Sadly, by the end of 2020, the marriage had started to fall apart, and Bennylyn moved into emergency accommodation, a first-floor flat in Kingswood, 3 miles outside of Bristol. She made friends in her sheltered accommodation, like the Mums in Bath group, who helped her by giving her food and other goods. Members of the group would visit her, as would her friends in Bristol, with people keen to show and give her as much support and love as possible. Even though their marriage had broken down, the couple had agreed to custody arrangements for Jellica.
Towards the end of February 2021, Lexington had made several attempts to contact Bennylyn, but he got no response. She wasn’t replying to his text messages or answering his calls. He had posted a note through her letter box, but this too had gone unanswered. The social work department had also contacted him to see if he had heard from her, as they had been unable to reach her and she had missed an appointment. This was totally out of character, and as he reached a point of extreme concern, he contacted the police, and Bennylyn, Jellica, and another child who was 7 years old were reported missing on the 1st of March. It’s important to note here that information on this case refers to this 7-year-old girl, but other news sources would later state that this was Bennylyn’s eldest daughter. No name or information has been given as she cannot be legally identified, and all steps must be taken to protect her identity. She will be referred to throughout this episode as Jane Doe.
Avon and Somerset police launched an investigation and quickly uncovered a lead. A car had been traced driving into Gloucestershire around the time they had last been seen before being driven back up north and over the border into Scotland. The driver was seen on CCTV filling up his car in a petrol station. The investigators reached out to the Scottish police for their assistance in finding the vehicle. The car was registered to a man called Andrew Innes, who had traveled down from Dundee to pick them up.
Despite the time zone difference between the Philippines and the United Kingdom, Shella and Bennylyn always found time to talk to each other and were in regular contact. Before the three of them had gone missing on Thursday, the 18th of February, Bennylyn had been talking to her sister on a video call. Bennylyn was in Andrew’s car, and they were all driving up to Scotland. Shella asked if she could see him, and Bennylyn flipped the camera around and showed the man driving the car. There were no overnight bags. It was clear that this was not meant to be a long trip. A couple of days after she had arrived in Scotland, Shella had become concerned as Bennylyn was no longer replying to her messages. On Saturday, the 20th of February, she sent Andrew two messages, knowing that Bennylyn was with him:
“Hi, hello, sir. What happened to my sister?”
The following day, she received a reply:
“It’s a little bit long story, but don’t worry, she’s perfectly fine.”
Shella messaged back:
“What happened to my sister, sir? Please tell me.”
Andrew responded:
“I met her on a dating website and we chatted for a long time. Then I went down to visit her.”
“Where is she now?” Shella asked.
“She’s in Glasgow. She didn’t tell me her whole story before. I only found out last weekend. I thought she was divorced already, but it seemed she wasn’t 100% honest with me about that.”
He said he had dropped them at a cafe in Glasgow with another man she had met online, someone that he didn’t know. He said that Bennylyn had wanted to hide away at his property as Lexington wanted custody of Jellica and wanted Bennylyn thrown out of the country. He told Shella that Bennylyn was safe and that he had advised her to discard her phone if she wanted to get away from the authorities. Shella begged to speak with Bennylyn. He replied:
“I expect she will get in touch with you once she gets settled down.”
Several more messages went back and forth. Shella said:
“Sir, can you tell me my sister is alive?”
Andrew replied:
“Scotland is a very peaceful country. We don’t have much crime at all. Please try not to worry. I’m sure your sister is perfectly safe.”
4 days later, Shella had reached out to him again. He told her that the other gentleman from the cafe had messaged him to say they were settling into their new routine very well, adding:
“She’s happy to have found someone nice and desperately relieved that her baby won’t be taken away from her.”
Andrew said he wished to draw a line under this and said that he would wipe his technology, not just to protect myself, but also to protect her so the police can’t find her if they search my house. Shella had asked him to send a video of Bennylyn to prove that she was safe, and he sent her one. She said:
“I hope we can chat again, sir.”
He messaged back:
“Maybe one day we can, once the dust is all settled.”
The video he had sent of her to Shella was an old one.
At 3:20 p.m. on the 5th of March, police officers were dispatched to 21 Troon Avenue. This was the address the car had been registered to, home to 50-year-old Andrew Innes. The car was parked outside and there was also a skip containing various items, including mattresses and debris. After knocking on the door, Andrew Innes opened it, but only slightly, and they spoke to him on the doorstep. He refused to allow the officers into his house, saying that he was self-isolating and his daughter had just come out of the bath and needed to put some clothes on.
“Thank you very much. This is probably one of the most horrific cases that I and my team have been involved in, and it’s to credit to everyone involved with the commitment and professionalism they showed to secure justice for Bennylyn and Jellica. The National Crime Agency described this as a once-in-a-generation crime, and I sincerely hope that no one else sees this ever again.”
Bennylyn’s family had traveled from the Philippines to the United Kingdom for the trial. They said in a statement that what had happened was the worst cruelty we could ever imagine, adding that they would be forever haunted by the appalling crimes.
“She is very much missed by the family. Their loss incomprehensible to relatives in the Philippines. Brutal deaths that haunt a sister searching for answers.”
Her words translated by a friend:
“So, Shella is saying that in the last 2 years, it’s been very difficult coping. They were in shock and traumatized by the fact that they couldn’t understand why it happened. He showed no remorse, wallowing in self-pity. The depravity that he’s shown is unimaginable. Do you think you’ll ever be able to forgive Andrew Innes after this?”
“She said she can forgive him but as long as he’s behind bars and will not be able to come out.”
Benedictto, Bennylyn’s father, had had his life completely destroyed by the loss of his daughter and granddaughter. The grief was so devastating he had been left unable to work. For Lexington, what had happened to Bennylyn and Jellica was devastating. He described his rage and pain at the cruelty that had been shown towards Jellica by Innes and the appalling abuse and death she had suffered. It was later confirmed that Andrew Innes intended to appeal his conviction and sentence. His appeal was lodged at the High Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh. The hearing will take place at a later date. No application for him to be released on bail pending his appeal was made and he remains in prison.
Jim Gamble, CEO of the Unique Safeguarding Group, who had also formerly led the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Organization, would say that it would be unusual for an offender like Innes if he did not have any previous victims:
“I doubt they are his only victims. Some people won’t realize how close they came to engaging with this awful person. We see that all the time. We see predators who target single mothers, not just to manipulate and coercively control them, but to gain access to young children. I think anyone that knows him, that knows of him, needs to reflect on what they know about him. I’m sure the police are doing exactly that.”
Police Scotland said they had contacted law enforcement in countries he was known to have gone to and had also collaborated with Interpol, but no other crimes had been uncovered.
Bennylyn’s father said he cries every day and is struggling to come to terms with what happened:
“For me, I still haven’t accepted that they’re gone.”
He said her family also began campaigning for a charity called Kaagapayan, which offers support and help to people from the Philippines who live in the United Kingdom, including those affected by domestic abuse and violence. Benedictto said:
“I’ve now decided to dedicate my life to defend the rights of women and children.”
All Bennylyn wanted was to love and be loved. She made the enormously brave decision to move away from her home to a country she didn’t know, hoping for a bright future. To this day, Shella still calls her sister’s phone just to hear her voice on the voicemail. She said that she will never forget either Bennylyn or Jellica because they will be with her wherever she goes, adding:
“I will always be with them.”
Disclaimer : This content may be created by AI for entertainment purposes. Any resemblance to real persons, events, or places is coincidental.
