Shrill sirens could be heard as firefighters jumped from their trucks to control the flames emanating from the imposing concrete building. Many of the doors and windows had been boarded up with plywood in a futile attempt to dissuade trespassers. It was an arduous task for the emergency crew to remove the boards before they could gain entry and try to extinguish the growing blaze. After the flames were put out, to their surprise, firefighters discovered the badly-burned body of what appeared to be a young woman. An investigation was launched which would take the police into the grim underworld of the city’s disenfranchised and dispossessed…

She rolled her car to a stop and rushed over to attend to the man lying on the verge. Elizabeth discovered his name was Malcolm Webster, and the fireball not far from where they were now standing was his car engulfed in flames. Elizabeth asked if there was anybody else inside the vehicle. Webster replied, “No,” before later correcting himself, and saying, “Yes, my wife”... 

Simon slowly walked through the property, calling for his friend, before he entered the spare room.  Adrian was lying on the bed. It was evident he was dead and had been for some time. Simon instinctively knew that someone else was involved. A bottle of whiskey was on the table, and Simon knew his best friend did not drink whiskey…

It had been a particularly bitter winter, and the ice in the canal was just beginning to thaw. As the men strolled by the waterway, they spotted something floating in the murky canal. It appeared to be bobbing up and down with the flow of the water, but it was not gathering any traction. The men got closer to inspect the unfamiliar object. They could see that it was something wrapped up inside a piece of carpet — there appeared to be fluid leaking from it. The three managed to pull the object over to the bank of the canal, and were horrified to see a human foot protruding from the end of the carpet… 

Henrietta Sutherland rushed into the dining room at 31 Buckingham Terrace in Edinburgh. The maid to the Merrett family found 55-year-old Bertha unconscious on the floor, with a pool of blood around her head. Bertha’s 17-year-old son, Donald, was standing next to her when Henrietta entered the room. It was shortly after 9 AM on March 17th, 1926. The maid had been alerted by the sound of a single gunshot. When asked what had happened, Donald explained that he had been arguing with his mother, and she shot herself. However, not everything was as it seemed…

In the early morning hours of May 28th, 2018, as usual, Levens Drive was peaceful. Shortly after 4 AM, however, an early riser in the neighbourhood noticed the distinct aroma of smoke in the air. As she glanced out of her bedroom window, she could see that her neighbour’s bungalow was up in flames, with thick black smoke billowing from the windows. She immediately called the Fire Service and then hurried outside, where she was met by a disturbing sound cutting through the passing smoke. Although the noise was muffled, it sounded like a woman screaming for help…

The manager of an amusement arcade on the corner of Gerrard Street and Wardour Street in Soho, London, went to open the premises for business — it was just before 8 AM on Monday, April 3rd, 1989. Accompanied by his assistant, when the manager entered the building, he heard faint cries from the basement, and a strong smell of smoke hung in the air. They moved cautiously through the property, heading down some stairs to a locked storeroom. When they opened the door and went inside, they discovered a desperate situation…

Throughout the first two decades of the 20th century, life in Britain began to change rapidly. In the years preceding the first world war and the great depression, the economy was stable — although the divide between classes was significant, women were getting closer to equality, and the first female police officers began to patrol the streets. It had been many years since Jack the Ripper had terrified women in London, but a new predator was in their midst, someone who could lull his victims into such a false sense of security they had no idea he would strike when they were at their most vulnerable… 

Elstree Studios is based in Borehamwood, an area where hundreds, if not thousands, of movies and TV shows have been filmed — it's not unusual to see the odd celebrity. But, in December, the high street is abuzz with a different excitement — it's Christmas time, and the festivities are in full swing…

November 1991 — rumours were circulating around the village of Northiam in Sussex, about 52-year-old Terry Daddow and his 51-year-old wife, Jean. The malicious gossip focused on their love life as well as Terry’s business dealings. In an attempt to set the record straight, Terry and Jean went to unusual measures. They addressed a letter to the local newspaper requesting that it be printed…

Late on the night of December 11th, 1975, police constables Stuart MacKenzie and Tony White were on patrol in the Nottinghamshire area of Mansfield Woodhouse, when they noticed a man walking in the shadows with his head down and a holdall bag over his shoulder… (Part 3 of 3).