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Private Notes
On February 12, 1993, two-year-old James Bulger was abducted from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside, by 10-year-olds Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, who then tortured the toddler before killing him. This drama-documentary explores the impact of a crime that sent shockwaves through Britain, and includes testimonies from James's mother Denise Fergus, police and reporters close to the case.
On July 1, 2000, eight-year-old Sarah Payne went missing while playing in a field near her grandparents' home in West Sussex, and her disappearance prompted a nationwide search. On July 17, her body was found near Pulborough, and soon after convicted paedophile Roy Whiting was charged with her abduction and murder. In this documentary, Sara Payne relives the day her daughter went missing and recounts the horror and agonising days that unfolded in its wake. She also speaks about her fight to change the system in the UK so parents could find out if a child sex offender was living in their area.
Documentary exploring the unsolved murder of Crimewatch presenter and newsreader Jill Dando, who was shot dead outside her house in Fulham, west London, in April 1999. Intense media coverage followed and several lines of enquiry were pursued, including a theory that she had been killed by a jealous ex-boyfriend and the idea that somebody had hired a hitman in revenge for a conviction linked to Crimewatch. Following a trial at the Old Bailey, 40-year-old Barry George was found guilty of Dando's murder, but a third appeal quashed his original conviction and resulted in his acquittal in 2009.
Documentary exploring the abduction, rape and incarceration of estate agent Stephanie Slater in 1992, which occurred when she was showing a man with psychopathic tendencies around an empty property. Held for eight days in a makeshift coffin by one-legged Michael Sams in the back of his workshop, Slater was tortured and forced to lie in a bin for up to 23 hours a day. Her ordeal only came to an end when Sams received a £175,000 ransom for her release from her employers. Police eventually traced her brutal captor and brought him to justice, but some of the money has still not been recovered.
The circumstances surrounding the murder of 23-year-old Rachel Nickell in July 1992, when she was attacked and killed in front of her two-year-old son Alex on Wimbledon Common. Colin Stagg was originally charged with the murder, but was eventually acquitted in September 1994 before the case went cold. With more advanced and refined forensic techniques available, Scotland Yard later reopened the investigation and in December 2008 Robert Napper - already serving time in prison for another killing - pleaded guilty to Nickell's manslaughter.
In 1996, two girls and their mother enjoying a walk in the Kent countryside were the victims of a frenzied hammer attack by Michael Stone, who left them for dead. Lin Russell and her six-year-old daughter Megan died from their injuries, but nine-year-old Josie survived and made a remarkable recovery. This film examines the events surrounding the murders and features interviews with Shaun Russell - Lin's widower and the girls' father - Josie's close friend Lucy Gregson, her former primary school teacher Lynda Roberts and police family liaison officer Pauline Smith. Last in the series.
The return of the documentary series focusing on some of Britain's most high-profile crimes. In May 2013, soldier Lee Rigby was attacked and murdered by Islamic extremists Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale close to his barracks in Woolwich, south-east London. In this programme, witnesses to the attack recall the events and international experts on terrorism examine how the killers became radicalised.
In his lifetime, Jimmy Savile was a popular DJ and TV personality who raised £40million for charity and it was only after he died in October 2011 that his dark side was exposed. In October 2012, an investigation into his activities began, prompting hundreds of people to come forward with allegations of sexual abuse dating back to 1955. This programme investigates one of the most notorious scandals in modern British history, and features testimony from alleged victims, as well as recollections of Savile's family members and former colleagues.
In May 2012, six children aged between five and 13 died when their parents Mick and Mairead Philpott set fire to the family home in Derby. The blaze was started as an attempt to frame the former mistress of father-of-17 Mick, and despite tearful appearances in front of the TV cameras, the couple were convicted of manslaughter months later. This documentary features interviews with eyewitnesses and neighbours who tried to save the children.
The tragic case of five-year-old April Jones, who went missing on October 1, 2012, while playing with friends, and was last seen getting into a vehicle near her home in Machynlleth in Wales. Five days later, local man Mark Bridger was charged with her abduction and murder. This documentary tells the full story of what became the largest missing persons search in UK police history.
The story of killer Dale Cregan, who hit the headlines in 2012 when he murdered police officers Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone during a routine callout to a house in Hattersley, Greater Manchester. Lying in wait for the officers, Cregan used grenades and other high-powered weapons , giving them no time to escape. But his crimewave had started some months earlier, with the killing of a father and son, David and Mark Short. Featuring contributions from the fathers of Nicolas and Fiona, as well as the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police Peter Fahy, and journalist Adam McClean.
