In January 2018, in a quiet flat in Rugby, a three-year-old girl stopped breathing. Her mother, Louise Porton, told paramedics she had simply found her daughter in bed, unresponsive. No obvious cause of death was found. Seventeen days later, the child’s sister was dead too. Both girls, described by those who knew them as golden, were gone. Porton insisted their deaths were unexplained, but evidence from her mobile phone told a different story…
Read moreThrowing Away The Key / Christopher Pratt & Shirley Carr / Desmond Lee
As daylight faded and the moorland sky burned a deep orange, the quiet stretch of the A640 near Huddersfield appeared serene. A local resident, David Sykes, was out jogging along a remote country road between the Nont Sarahs pub and the B6114 junction. The route, typically bypassed in favour of the faster M62 motorway, was nearly deserted. On the verge of the road lay a grim discovery; evidence that someone had chosen this isolated spot not just for its peaceful scenery, but they thought it would be the ideal place to dispose of a body…
Read moreThe Casanova Conman / The Murders of Margaret McOnie & Jack Shuttleworth
Robert Morphet hadn’t seen his elderly neighbour in several days. He was concerned that 88-year-old Jack could have fallen or hurt himself, so Robert decided to call in to make sure Jack was okay. When a knock at the door went unanswered, Robert walked around to his neighbour's garden and checked the shed. It was locked, but something in the back of Robert’s mind told him to look inside…
Read moreREPLAY - Midlands Ripper / Alun Kyte - Part 2
Investigators from numerous police forces across the Midlands had been searching for a connection between the unsolved murders of sex workers in the 1990s. After exhausting all resources, a cold case review was held in 1998 in an effort to identify the killer of Samo Paull and Tracy Turner. DNA obtained during Tracy Turner’s post-mortem had been collected after her death. As part of the re-investigation, the sample was cross-checked against the national DNA database in March 1998. After four years with no leads, the police finally had a match — a man awaiting trial for a violent sexual assault… (Part 2 of 2).
Read moreREPLAY - Midlands Ripper / Alun Kyte - Part 1
In February 2023, a man was convicted of sexually abusing a child during the 1980s. Aside from the harrowing details presented to the jury at Nottingham Crown Court, some information was kept from them. Jurors were unaware the defendant was already serving a life sentence or that he was suspected of being one of the worst serial killers in British history... (Part 1 of 2).
Read moreWrongly Accused / The Murders of Pamela Hastie & Tracey Waters
Police Sergeant John Ross then saw something at the side of the beaten path — a single black shoe. His pace quickened in the seconds it took to reach it. He also noticed something else: a school bag discarded close by, and educational books scattered beside the bag. Sergeant Ross followed the trail of misplaced items. He found what they had been looking for, but the outcome was not what anyone wanted. He saw the body of a teenage girl…
Read moreLife For A Second Time / Killer Ernest Wright
Shortly before 8 am, on March 30th, 2009, Craig Freear was getting ready to leave his home on Ashbourne Road in Bradford. While his partner Neville was still in bed, Craig quietly approached the front door to set off for work. As the door opened, Craig found himself face to face with a man holding a double-barrel shotgun. Taking a step back through the threshold of the house, Craig recognised the gunman’s eyes through the holes of his balaclava...
Read moreMonster Working In The Morgue / David Fuller
A forensic review of the unsolved murders of two young women who were killed in 1987 turns up new evidence. Genetic genealogy tests lead to one man who left DNA at both crime scenes. During a search of the suspect's home, investigators learn that he not only evaded justice for the murders for over three decades, but the killer had continued to offend in the most horrific manner…
Read moreMidlands Ripper / Alun Kyte - Part 2
PLEASE LISTEN TO ‘SEASON 7 - EPISODE 43’ FOR PART ONE OF THIS TWO-PART CASE. Investigators from numerous police forces across the Midlands had been searching for a connection between the unsolved murders of sex workers in the 1990s. After exhausting all resources, a cold case review was held in 1998 in an effort to identify the killer of Samo Paull and Tracy Turner. DNA obtained during Tracy Turner’s post-mortem had been collected after her death. As part of the re-investigation, the sample was cross-checked against the national DNA database in March 1998. After four years with no leads, the police finally had a match — a man awaiting trial for a violent sexual assault… (Part 2 of 2).
Read moreMidlands Ripper / Alun Kyte - Part 1
In February 2023, a man was convicted of sexually abusing a child during the 1980s. Aside from the harrowing details presented to the jury at Stafford Crown Court, some information was kept from them. Jurors were unaware the defendant was already serving a life sentence or that he was suspected of being one of the worst serial killers in British history... (Part 1 of 2).
Read moreFreed To Kill Again / Two-Time Murderer Ian Birley
At around 4 PM on July 17th, 2015, John Jr. drove to Marsh Street to ensure his father was ok. He approached the front door and could hear the television blaring from the living room. John Jr. noticed the door was unlocked — a curious detail as his father was very safety-conscious. He slowly stepped inside. It took John Jr. a few seconds to register what he saw in the hallway. There was a trail of blood leading to the living room, and he felt he had no choice but to see where it led…
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