PORTER was not a suspect in the early stages of the inquiry. It was only in the fourth week that detectives turned their attention to him.

When they began checking the log of people who had been stopped by officers in the area on the night. Porter's name came up.

Shortly after Carly's body was found, he was spotted in the area by two police officers talking to two prostitutes and his car was parked at 90 degrees to the pavement.

When he saw the police, he quickly drove off but was immediately stopped.

Smelling alcohol on his breath, they arrested him on suspicion of drink driving. Officers noticed a pair of white trainers on his back seat and a pile of condoms. Porter said he was looking after them for a prostitute.

He was breathalysed, which he failed, and was taken to the police station where he was again tested. This time the result was negative and he was allowed to return to his car. This was at 4.57am.

Porter was first questioned in connection with Carly's murder on December 12.

He admitted to knowing Carly -- he had been a customer on five previous occasions -- but said he hadn't seen her for two months.

But he did say he had driven by the scene to find a prostitute that night.

When his tyre marks were confirmed as those found at the scene, his status as a suspect was elevated.

The next breakthrough for the police came when they studied CCTV footage taken from the town centre.

At 5.07am, CCTV footage shows a man pulling up next to an industrial skip near the foundry on Salope Street. The driver is then seen taking something from behind his car seat and out of the boot and throwing it on tiptoes into the skip.

The description matched Porter's silver Proton.

A reconstruction showed a man of his height would have to stand on tiptoes to reach into the skip.

Unfortunately the skip was emptied several times a day and no trace of the clothing has ever been found.

Police decided to examine his car.

Pink chenille fibres found on Carly's body matched with others found in the boot.

His DNA was also found on the teenager's body.

Scientists at the forensic laboratory in Chorley actually matched Porter's DNA to one sperm head found on Carly's body. The match was one to 2.8m.

Porter was arrested on Tuesday, January 29. Detectives carefully planned the interview and how they were going to question him.

If he had admitted being with the teenager that night, it would have been a different story. Essentially, the police would not have had much of a case against him. All the forensic evidence would have been no use, but he repeatedly denied seeing Carly on that night and the Police knew they had got him. His lies proved his downfall.