A father returns home to a devastating scene. His teenage daughter has been brutally killed, and his wife has vanished. Inside the house, there are clear signs of violence. Blood-stained objects suggest a frenzied attack… but what happened in the hours leading up to it?…
Read moreA Frenzied Attack at Oakhanger Common / Mary & Benjamin Mitchell
A labourer in his mid-forties contacts the police to report that he has killed someone with a hatchet. He refuses legal representation, insisting he is responsible. So why does a jury hesitate to convict him of murder, and how can a judge describe the defendant's actions as understandable?...
Read moreThe Blackpool Poisoner / Sarah Ann Ricketts / Louisa Merrifield - Part 3
Louisa and Alfred Merrifield were jointly accused of murdering their landlady and employer, Sarah Ann Ricketts. Yet, as the trial unfolded—and Alfred took the stand after his wife—it became clear that they were not being treated equally. In this third and final instalment, we delve into the stark divide in how their stories ended: one concluded in the courtroom, while the other’s life was hanging in the balance… (Part 3 of 3).
Read moreThe Blackpool Poisoner / Sarah Ann Ricketts / Louisa Merrifield - Part 2
Amid the strange circumstances surrounding the death of a frail elderly woman, suspicion falls on her housekeeper. As Sarah Ann Ricketts’ final days are dissected in court, questions still linger. Did she pass away naturally in her sleep, or was she callously murdered with rat poison?... (Part 2 of 3).
Read moreThe Blackpool Poisoner / Sarah Ann Ricketts / Louisa Merrifield - Part 1
With the peak of the summer season a few months away, boarding house manager Jessie Brewer was spending her downtime reading the morning paper when she saw an article about the death of an elderly woman who lived in the district. Her eyes widened at the part of the article where it listed April 14th, 1953, as the date of the woman’s death. Jessie was familiar with the deceased named Sarah Ann Ricketts, but she was surprised, as Jessie had been told that Sarah had passed away days before that… (Part 1 of 3).
Read moreOver The Edge / Miles Giffard
The sergeant followed the single tyre track past the chrysanthemums that had tipped from their pot onto the ground. Dark red stains intermittently coloured the route from the garage, through the garden gate, to between the beech and oak trees on the rough cliffside terrain. A brown trilby hat lay in the dew-soaked grass. Close by was a bloodstained wallet. The narrow pathway led to the cliff’s edge, and as the sergeant peered down to the rocks 120 ft below, he saw who he’d been looking for….
Read moreUnsolved / Penelope Mogano
As Carlo approached the house, he found one of his children sitting outside. The boy explained to his father why he was lingering in the cold. 14-year-old Adrian had been waiting for over an hour. He couldn't get inside because the doors were locked, and no one was answering. Using his key, Carlo walked through the front door and immediately began looking for his wife. He went into the dining room. It took a moment for Carlo to comprehend what he was seeing…
Read moreDeath In The Family
There is a timeless saying that bad things happen in threes. Some believe the superstition originates from the wartime phrase ‘Three on a match’ — which refers to three soldiers using the same match to light a cigarette. It was said that the light of the match would be seen by an enemy marksman, and by the time the third soldier lit their cigarette, they would be shot by the gunman who had them in their sights. While there is no scientific proof to support the notion that tragedies continue to happen three times in a row, there are certain stories where the belief rings true...
Read moreThe Insulin Murder / Elizabeth & Kenneth Barlow
At the beginning of the 20th century, new medications were being discovered and created. The term ‘miracle drug’ was coined to describe the sudden positive effect of newly discovered remedies for once untreatable diseases and conditions. But, one person's cure can be another person's poison…
Read more1950s Case Closed Or A Miscarriage Of Justice - Part 2 / The Conviction Of Alfred Burns & Edward Devlin
Six months after the murder of 54-year-old widow Beatrice Alice Rimmer in the hallway of her Liverpool home, two young men from Manchester were facing the possibility of being executed. The prosecution's case was based on the evidence of informants who claimed to have seen Edward Devlin and Alfred Burns in the area at the time the crime was committed, and some alleged to have heard them plan a break-in at the victim’s home. After a week of legal proceedings, the accused were given the chance to plead their case and try to prove their innocence... (Part 2 of 2).
Read more1950s Case Closed Or A Miscarriage Of Justice - Part 1 / The Murder of Alice Rimmer
The brutal murder of a reclusive widow sparked one of the largest murder inquiries Liverpool had seen in years. After following numerous dead-end leads, the investigators turned their attention to a pair of petty thieves on the word of criminal informants. The case against them was purely circumstantial… (Part 1 of 2).
Read moreThe Killer Next Door / Sheila Attwood / Horace Carter
The summer flowers were in full bloom when Edith Ford and her teenage daughter Doreen strolled to the bottom of the long and narrow communal garden to pick a bouquet of wildflowers. Their eyes were drawn away from the plants and foliage, towards the ground. Two tiny bare legs protruded from the other side of a hedge near a public works yard. Was this the child so many people had spent the night looking for? Just two doors down from Edith Ford’s home, neighbours heard screaming. Edith was wailing, “I can't have seen it. I can't have seen it”...
Read moreA 1950s Murder in Edgbaston - Part 2
One of the most horrific murders in Birmingham’s history occurred two days before Christmas in 1959. During the seven weeks that followed, hundreds of officers interviewed thousands of men in what was then the most extensive murder inquiry the city had ever seen. The investigators utilised a number of unprecedented techniques to try and track down the killer, but it seemed as though a routine house call was all that was needed to break the case… (Part 2 of 2).
Read moreA 1950s Murder in Edgbaston - Part 1
On the evening of December 23, 1959, a young woman named Margaret Katibeh was getting ready to leave her hostel lodgings to see her family for the festive period. As she was packing her suitcase, she heard a scream… (Part 1 of 2)
Read moreUnsolved / Hannah Deterville / Kelso Cochrane
On January 2, 1998, 15-year-old Hannah Deterville left her home in Queens Park, London, to meet a friend. She never came home…
Read moreBritain's Forgotten Serial Killer / John Straffen
A controversial case in British law, when a 22-year-old man with the mental capacity of a nine-and-a-half-year-old, and the understanding of right and wrong equal to that of a 6-year-old, is sentenced to hang for murder…
Read moreThe Life & Crimes Of The Kray Twins - Part 2
After Reggie’s Kray wedding in 1965, Ronnie’s mental health continued to decline, and he suffered from both bouts of crippling depression and pathological rages. Ronnie would take medication, but over time, its effects wore off. He was paranoid and convinced everyone was out to get him… (Part 2 of 2).
Read moreThe Life & Crimes Of The Kray Twins - Part 1
From their East End beginnings, the Kray twins would go on to run one of the most powerful and feared criminal organisations in London. Their influence wouldn’t only be felt by the nightclubs and casinos of the capital but also some of the highest tiers of government. They were untouchable, and the Krays remain a much-remembered part of sixties culture like the celebrity icons that filled their establishments. This is the story of Reggie and Ronnie Kray… (Part 1 of 2).
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