On Sunday, August 15, 2010, police were alerted to a situation on the cliffs of Beachy Head (Part 1 of 2).

When the internet and social media evolved, it created another method through which stalkers could intimidate their victims. In 2012 stalking laws were introduced in England and Wales which included cyberstalking. For some victims it was too little too late, they had already lost their lives. 

As there is not a new episode this week, we thought we’d post a short extract from the final chapter of our book ‘They Walk Among Us’

Ten brand new intriguing and unsettling cases that we have not covered on the podcast.

Order your copy here: https://theywalkamonguspodcast.com/book 

From the outside in, there did not seem anything wildly different about the Barrass family. Six children and a single mother Sarah, living together in a semi-detached house in South Yorkshire. But the Barrass family were not the only occupants. Sarah shared her life with a secret so big she was willing to do absolutely anything, even the unthinkable, to protect it.

Benjamin Field and Martyn Smith were on trial, accused of murdering Peter Farquhar at his home and conspiring to murder Ann Moore-Martin before she died of natural causes. She had handed over more than £30,000 before she died. Peter Farquhar had been found dead. A coroner at first believed he had died of acute alcohol intoxication however the authorities now believed that he had been drugged and suffocated (Part 2 of 2).

“I think I will get away with most of it”. Those were the words uttered by a deputy churchwarden while he was in the custody police. He was arrested when his second elderly lover in as many years was admitted to hospital. The first had died under somewhat mysterious circumstances.

How had this man, in his late twenties, who bore all the hallmarks of a god-fearing churchgoer, worked his way not only into the will’s but also the beds, of a 69-year-old-man and 83-year-old woman, who were neighbours on the same street? That was a puzzle Thames Valley police were determined to solve.  (Part 1 of 2).

The fire was intense. The strap of the victim's wristwatch had disintegrated. The hands, of the watch — still visible, had stopped moving at 2:58 am… about the same time its wearer had lost their life. 

As the opening remarks were given to the court — describing the lives of two young girls who would now be in their early forties, Russell Bishop sat writing notes, observed from a public gallery full to the brim with the victims family members, and a large number of journalists, as the case had garnered national news coverage once again (Part 4 of 4).

In November 2002 there appeared to be some movement on the case. Following a speech by the queen, it was announced there were plans to remove the double jeopardy law across England and Wales in which a person could not be tried twice for the same offence. The changes announced were retrospective which meant that the murders at Wild Park could be reinvestigated. (Part 3 of 4).

The trial into the murders of Karen Hadaway and Nicola Fellows took almost a month, supported by evidence from one of the most significant investigations Sussex police had conducted at the time. However, Ivan Lawrence QC, defending — said there were glaring holes in the crown’s case (Part 2 of 4).

Wild Park, is an area of land, several miles from Brighton's coast. Within that park stands a wooden bench and a brass plaque, inscribed with the names of two little girls. When the bench was built it sat between two maple trees that were planted in their memory. Karen and Nicola were only nine years old when they were murdered. The investigation to bring their killer to justice would take over three decades, and the toll it took on those involved was unimaginable — a failed trial, divorce, death from a broken heart, a change in the law, unfounded accusations of abuse, and all while the girls killer was in prison for a separate albeit near-identical crime.

This is the case of the Babes In The Wood (Part 1 of 4).

In 1976 a boy was photographed. The picture appeared in The Daily Mirror. The 3-year-old was marching up and down in front of a sentry who stood outside Clarence House in London. Wearing a faux Queens Guard uniform, the boy was excited for the trooping the colour ceremony the next day. A snippet in the article mused about the child and his future. It read: "Dreaming, perhaps of the day when he can measure up to the real thing himself ."

That boy was Mark Acklom. He chose a very different path to the one the newspaper and his parents had envisioned. From teenage swindler to one of England’s most wanted fugitives — Mark Acklom, known as an MI6 conman, led a life of audacious scams.

Under Operation Ensign, Sussex Police completed one of the most significant mass DNA screenings in its history. Still, by December 2018 — the fifth anniversary of the murder, they were no further forward with capturing the person responsible. The killer appeared to have committed the perfect crime, and Valerie Graves’ death would forever remain a mystery. That was until July 10, 2019.

A traffic warden discovers a man stabbed to death in a parked car. Scotland Yard struggle to find any clues that would link a suspect to the scene. A month later they receive a call from a headteacher at a college around 70 miles away. Police were told the victim could have been killed as part of an initiation test for the special air service.

During 2016, the cute and fuzzy creatures of Beatrix Potter’s famous children's books were being added to 50 pence coins to commemorate one hundred and fifty years since the authors birth. No one was to predict the coins, engraved with classic characters such as Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, and Jemima Puddle-Duck, would be the motivating factor behind a brutal murder.

On Monday, November 6, 1978, Norah left her flat, and ventured out in the late evening, planning to go to Southend-on-Sea — visiting a friend who was unwell. Norah’s car was parked in a garage behind The Old Ship pub not even a hundred yards from her flat. Making the journey in the dark wasn’t too daunting as the car was merely a short walk away. Besides, there was plenty of foot traffic, and the streets were well lit. It was a journey she made often.

Nisha Patel-Nasri was attacked and murdered. Detectives believed that following a break-in she was stabbed with her own knife. It was at first postulated the intruder had wanted the keys for the expensive limousines that were parked outside her home, or perhaps and less probable, her volunteer work as a special constable had made her a target. Officers working the case viewed CCTV footage around the time of Nisha’s murder. The recording showed a car close to the scene. That evidence would lead them to the front door of her husband Fadi Nasri who, the police were alleging, had arranged for a hitman to dispatch his wife. But why? (Part 2 of 2).

After doing some late night accounting for her husband’s business, Nisha was in the kitchen, putting together the things she would need for a chocolate foundation — one of the centrepieces at her brother's wedding. Nisha securely locked the property and retired to bed. As the residents of Sudbury Avenue were settling in for the night, the faint noise of cars passing was pierced by a high pitched scream (Part 1 of 2).

On June 30, 2016, the emergency services were called to an address in Leeds after a young man was struggling to breathe. What the paramedics found would remain with them for the rest of their lives.

The idea of a trip to the local supermarket seems uneventful. So the last thing you would expect when taking your five-day-old baby out of the house for the first time, is your sleeping newborn being punched in the face by a random stranger. The attack would lead to a stay in hospital and an ensuing trial for common assault, on a baby that wasn't even a week old.