Investigation into murder of Tyrone France featured in TV documentary Murder by the Sea

The story behind the police investigation into the brutal 1996 killing of Tyrone France is to be told in a new documentary airing tonight.

Mr France’s body were found in the remains of a fire in Wentwood Forest – he had been shot and dismembered in an effort to conceal his identity.

The former head of the Criminal Investigation Department at Gwent Police at the time was Ian Johnston, who later went on to become the force’s first elected Police and Crime Commissioner.

Leading the investigation team, Mr Johnston, from Oakdale, helped establish Mr France’s identity through a public appeal to identify a piece of distinctive jewellery that had been left intact despite the fire.

Mr France had moved to the Newport area from the Isle of Wight and further enquiries by the team of detectives established he was part of the drug dealing network of Newport. It was initially thought to be a gangland killing.

Mr Johnston, who served in CID between 1973 and 1999, tells the programme: “I’ve known lots of people throughout my career and quite frankly they’ve turned down the wrong road at one stage and I also know a lot of people who could’ve done the same and didn’t.

“When they become involved, and do become victims of crime, they deserve and they do get to be dealt with in exactly the same way.”

Newport man Simon Mark Spring was later convicted for the killing and sentenced to 18 years minimum. He had claimed the killing, with help from two accomplices, was to protect his family.

• Murder by the Sea will be shown at 10pm on Tuesday, February 2 on CBS Reality – available on Sky (146), Virgin (148), Freeview (66), and Freesat (135). It will also be available on catch-up via Freeview Play.