In October 2023, one of Britain's most recognisable television presenters suddenly disappeared from screens amid reports of a serious security threat. Behind the headlines was a disturbing investigation involving police forces on both sides of the Atlantic, covert communications, and a terrifying obsession…
Read moreHorror on St Austell Railway Viaduct / Steven Hoskin
When vulnerable Cornwall resident Steven Hoskin moved into his own flat in St Austell, he hoped for independence and friendship. Instead, a group of troubled young people entered his life, gradually taking over his home and exploiting his trusting nature. As warning signs mounted, opportunities to intervene were missed, with devastating consequences…
Read moreAbduction, Torture & Vacuum Cleaners: The Kidnapping of Billy Gillolney
What started as a dispute over some missing vacuum cleaners escalated into one of the most disturbing ordeals imaginable. Kidnapped and subjected to hours of torment, an unsuspecting former employee was left with injuries that healed far quicker than the psychological trauma he suffered after his abduction…
Read moreThe Witch of Tewkesbury: 25 Years of Captivity / Amanda Wixon
On a quiet street in Tewkesbury, a secret remained hidden for over two decades. In March 2021, the police uncovered one of the most disturbing cases of prolonged abuse in modern UK history. Inside a neglected home, officers found a woman who had effectively vanished from society, malnourished, isolated, and living in conditions described as inhuman…
Read moreMissed Warnings / The Crimes Of Joseph McCann - Part 3
Joseph McCann carried out two sprees of horrific sexual and violent crimes in Hertfordshire, London, Cheshire, and Greater Manchester. It was a matter of urgency to get him off the streets for the public's safety. No one in England was safe until he was behind bars. McCann had victimised both male and female, child and pensioners; there was no telling where or who he would target next. Eventually, he was apprehended and a date was set for his trial… (Part 3 of 3).
Read moreMissed Warnings / The Crimes Of Joseph McCann - Part 2
A large-scale manhunt was launched after a man abducted and sexually assaulted three women over the course of four days. Joseph McCann was publicly identified as the only suspect in the case. He had stayed under the radar for over a week. When he emerged, it was for the worst possible reason. McCann was going to carry out a 12-hour crime spree… (Part 2 of 3).
Read moreMissed Warnings / The Crimes Of Joseph McCann - Part 1
The purpose of the criminal justice system is to uphold the law and protect the innocent. Public bodies, including the Crown Prosecution Service, the police, and the prison and probation system, should work together to ensure justice for all while being fair to those accused and convicted. There are occasions when things go wrong and result in devastating consequences… (Part 1 of 3).
Read moreTortured / The Murder Of Angela Pearce
Easter weekend 1998. An 18-year-old goes missing on the way to see a relative in Leeds. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, she was approximately 14 times more likely to become a victim of violent crime. The race was on to find the vulnerable young woman, but no one could be prepared for what they saw when they found her…
Read moreUnintended Target / The Kidnapping of George Fraghistas
Maida Vale, West London, 6:20 pm, Sunday, March 24, 1996 — George Fraghistas locked his blue Lincoln Continental in a secure car park on Lanark Road. He walked to the exit. He had plans that evening and wanted to prepare. George was just about to open the door of the dimly lit concrete building, when a man suspiciously dressed for a spring day, in an anorak, gloves and a balaclava, took him by surprise and tried to wrestle him to the ground. George shouted, made a scene, put up a fight, but the assailant overpowered him. The element of surprise gave his attacker an advantage. For a brief moment they were alone, then a car stopped nearby. Three men hurriedly got out...
Read moreAn Insidious Form Of Torture / The Murder Of Suzanne Capper
“Psychological reports say they are absolutely sane individuals. It’s frighting that they are such ordinary people. There is nothing special about them.”
— Detective Inspector Peter Wall, outside Manchester Crown Court, 1993.
Read moreThe Life & Crimes Of Charles Bronson - Part 2 [TWAU Plus]
Upon his release in 1987, Michael Peterson had spent almost a decade and a half in prison. He had served the majority of his sentence in solitary confinement, but now the 35-year-old was a free man and had taken up bare-knuckle boxing under his new name, Charles Bronson…(Part 2 of 2).
Read moreThe Life & Crimes Of Charles Bronson - Part 1 [TWAU Plus]
There is only one prisoner who will go down in history as being Britain’s most notoriously violent inmate. This is not a label you get overnight, and despite a couple of short-lived moments of freedom, he has been in prison since 1974, with the majority of those years held in solitary confinement. He has spent time in the notorious “Hannibal Cage” at Wakefield prison due to his violent outbursts. The walls are made of reinforced concrete, and sheets of bulletproof glass allow the inmate to be observed 24 hours a day. The cage within a cage has a table and chair made entirely of cardboard, and meals are slid through a 1-foot gap in the cell door. There is no human contact, not from the guards, and certainly not from other inmates. He is alone except for the rare visit from a solicitor, and this meeting is conducted through a steel net. Prisoner BT1314 now spends his days in a cell 12 foot by 6 foot. While many stress he has never murdered anyone, that isn't for the lack of trying. Michael Peterson has been known under many names, but the most familiar of all… is Charles Bronson… (Part 1 of 2).
Read moreShe's Under The Bed / The Disappearance Of Shannon Matthews [TWAU Plus]
During the afternoon of February 19, 2008, a young schoolgirl was meant to return home after a school trip to a local swimming pool. Her disappearance united the community and ignited a nationwide search to find her. For three and a half weeks, the complex twists and turns were featured daily on the front pages of national newspapers. Police came up empty-handed until their investigation would lead them, and the wrath of the UK press, to an address less than a mile away from the family’s front door…
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