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Private Notes
The story of the man behind one of the biggest hoaxes in British history : Wearside Jack : who led police to believe he was the Yorkshire Ripper and has never been caught for perverting the course of justice. There are many theories surrounding the identity of the mystery man, some indicating he was in collaboration with Peter Sutcliffe, others suggesting he was a police officer
The inside story of Britain's most famous crime, in the words of the men who carried out the Great Train Robbery, as well as their wives. Although Ronnie Biggs may be the most famous of the gang, the programme reveals that, in fact, he was just a bit-part player. And it explains how the money first brought happiness but then misery.
Investigating the disappearance of Ben Needham on the Greek island of Kos in 1991, a case which has baffled both police and investigators for more than a decade
Examination of the police investigation into the murder of Rachel Nickell, who was stabbed to death on Wimbledon Common in 1992. A crime for which, at the time of this programme, no one had ever been convicted. Former Detective Inspector Keith Pedder, who has since left the force, discusses his controversial and widely criticised handling of the case, and one-time suspect Colin Stagg reveals how it affected his life.
Investigation throwing light on the unsolved 1996 murder of six-year-old American beauty pageant queen JonBenet Ramsey, whose body was found in the basement of her family home. It appeared that the police officers of Boulder, Colorado, were so obsessed with pinning the blame on the victim's own millionaire parents that they ignored DNA evidence pointing to a much more likely suspect
Profile of Sixties mobsters Charlie and Eddie Richardson who, along with Mad Frankie Fraser, conducted a reign of terror across London, enforcing their company frauds and extortion with torture. Gang members and victims alike talk about the seamy side of city life and give the police a few pointers relating to a series of unsolved gangland murders
Investigation into the disappearance of estate agent Suzy Lamplugh in Fulham, London in 1986. After attending a meeting with a mysterious 'Mr Kipper', she hasn't been seen since, and police suspect convicted murderer John Cannan of the crime.
The manhunt for multi-millionaire criminal Kenneth Noye, with reconstructions of the 1983 Brinks Mat bullion robbery, the botched stakeout of his Kent cottage, and the motorway murder of Stephen Cameron. Detective Superintendent Nick Biddiss recalls the Press interference that hampered his investigation and witnesses reveal the part Cameron's girlfriend played in finally bringing the killer to justice
Ann Ming's campaign to change the ancient double jeopardy law, by which nobody can be tried twice for the same crime, following the acquittal of a Stockton man who later admitted murdering her daughter Julie Hogg.
Calculating killers who try to hide their guilt behind brazen public displays of grief and crocodile tears for the victims, often making cynical televised appeals for information and breaking down convincingly in front of the cameras
Documentary telling the story of Lee Harvey's murder at the hands of his fiancee Tracie Andrews, who was jailed for life in 1997. Featuring a dramatised account of their volatile relationship, plus interviews with friends and relatives of the couple, and police officers involved in the investigation
Dramatic reconstruction and interview footage combine to reveal how Birmingham family man Brian Field was convicted for the sadistic killing of a Dorking schoolboy 33 years after the event. In 1968, nobody knew this outwardly respectable and well-liked gardener led a depraved secret life, and only a chance encounter with police on a motoring matter provided the DNA evidence needed to convict one of the country's most dangerous paedophiles
A documentary on the life of John Bindon, real-life London villain who took on acting roles after Ken Loach cast him as a crook in the film 'Poor Cow'. Thereafter he generally played variations on the same theme. Contributors include girl-friend actress Vicki Hodge,who was shocked by some of the things in which he involved her, 'geezer' actors George Sewell and Billy Murray and David Bowie's first wife,Angie,who was taken by his party trick - hanging several pint mugs off his member. Presumably this also appealed to Princess Margaret,with whom he stayed on Mustique,though her nervous staff kept quiet about his criminal connections. After being acquitted of murder Bindon died of AIDS at the age of fifty.
How revelations by jailed paedophile Ronald Jebson finally allowed police to close the case of the infamous 'Babes in the Wood' murder in which the entwined bodies of two children were found in Epping Forest in May 1970. Lifer Jebson played an elaborate psychological game with the police, claiming to know the identity of the murderer before the truth finally emerged in 2000
On 21 November 1983, 15-year-old Lynda Mann left her home to visit a friend's house. She did not return. The next morning, she was found raped and strangled on a deserted footpath known locally as the Black Pad. Using forensic science techniques available at the time, police linked a semen sample taken from her body to a person with type A blood and an enzyme profile that matched only 10 percent of males. With no other leads or evidence, the case was left open.
Former Detective Chief Superintendent Bob Booth recalls the hunt for multiple killer Donald Neilson, the so-called Black Panther, whose reign of terror culminated in the kidnap and murder of teenage heiress Lesley Whittle in 1975. Only after Neilson's arrest did it emerge that he had previously killed three sub-postmasters and a security guard, and carried out hundreds of armed robberies.
Profile of nurse Beverly Allitt, who was convicted of killing four children and injuring nine others on her ward at Grantham Hospital, Lincolnshire. Allitt, who is presently at the Rampton Secure Hospital, was given 13 life sentences in 1993
Millionaire landlord Nicholas van Hoosier made his fortune from buying, selling and renting property : and heaven help anyone who stood in his way. Not one to shy away from violence, he resorted to kidnapping and firebombing those who appeared to cross him, until finally convicted of the manslaughter of a former associate. As he awaits sentencing, ex-employees, as well as his former mistress, offer their opinions on the ruthless mogul once described as the 'self-styled emissary of Beelzebub'
The bereaved parents of Joanna Parrish discuss their tireless campaign to bring to justice the criminal who raped and murdered their daughter 13 years ago in France. They share their concerns over the French handling of the investigation and the worrying discovery that the killing was one of 30 such cases which remain unsolved in the Auxerre region
Another chance to look at the evidence in the unsolved murder of Alison Shaughnessy, who was stabbed to death in her London home in 1991. Sisters Michelle and Lisa Taylor were originally jailed when diary entries revealed Michelle, a work colleague of the victim, had had an affair with Alison's husband since before he married and remained infatuated with him up to the time of the murder. Supporters who successfully campaigned to have the sisters freed on appeal reveal why they are convinced of their innocence, while relatives of the victim demand answers to one of the most perplexing cases of recent times
Insight into events leading up to the conviction of Jane Andrews, former aide to the Duchess of York, for the murder of her millionaire boyfriend Thomas Cresswell, a story of love, jealousy and betrayal that gripped the nation. Weaving powerful dramatisation with revealing interviews, it traces Andrews' path from Grimsby shop assistant to the hallowed corridors of Buckingham Palace, along with her subsequent fall from grace and tumultuous relationships with men, culminating in her attachment to Cresswell, which was to prove a tragedy for all involved. Kaye Wragg and Tim Wallers star
Documentary chronicling the series of events that led to the arrest of serial killer Dennis Nilsen in 1983 for the murders of 15 men. Including dramatic reconstructions and in interview with one of Nilsen's intended victims.
The terrifying story of Jeremy Bamber, an apparently devoted son who in 1985 murdered his parents Nevill and June, his adopted sister Sheila and the latter's six-year-old twins at their remote Essex farm. Key witnesses, detectives, the trial judge and Bamber's closest surviving family speak openly about one of the most shocking incidents in the annals of British crime
The investigation into the murder of Oxford University student Rachel McLean, who disappeared in 1991. Her jealous boyfriend was apparently the last person to see her alive, but his claim that she'd been meeting another man raised the suspicions of the police, who soon had him in their sights as the prime suspect - and decided to involve the media on a massive scale to help crack the case
The investigation into the murder of Leeds teenager Leanne Tiernan, who vanished in 2000 after a shopping trip with a friend. Her body was discovered nine months later some 16 miles from her home, prompting police to focus on the forensic evidence - which eventually helped to convict postal worker John Taylor
The story of the biggest cash heist in British history, when thieves stole £53million from Securitas's Kent depot in February 2006. The programme also shows how the police worked through the night to track down the money and the gang. As one commentator wryly notes, the £53 million raid in 2006 on a Kent cash depot, Britain's biggest cash robbery yet, was more Ealing comedy than Ocean's 11, with a gang that comprised "a bunch of idiots, bruisers and chancers". But there was nothing remotely amusing about the attack, or the robbers who kidnapped Securitas depot manager Colin Dixon at gunpoint while threatening his family, who were being held hostage. Real Crime talks to Dixon, who gives his first TV interview, to the police officers involved in tracking the gang members (there were prosecutions, though the inquiry is still open and £30 million of the stolen money is still missing) and to Securitas staff who were on duty that night. These are haunted men. One still has nightmares: "It's very real and present to me. It's still not in the past."
The case of sky-diving enthusiast Stephen Hilder, who fell to his death in 2003 after his main and reserve parachutes were deliberately sabotaged. Featuring contributions his friends and family as well as police officers and forensic investigators, as they reveal their thoughts on the events leading up to his demise
The conviction of Antoni Imiela, the man knows as the M25 rapist. The programme follows both the police investigation into the attacks across the south of England and the domestic strife that played out in the criminal's home with wife Christine.
In July 1996, 13-year-old Caroline Dickinson was on a school trip in France, staying at a youth hostel where she was raped and murdered - the killer escaped without anyone raising the alarm. The police arrested a homeless man who confessed to the crime, but by the time DNA tests had eliminated him, the train had gone cold. This is the story of how Caroline's parents refused to let the case rest, and how a US Customs officer helped track down Francisco Montes, their daughter's killer.
The story of Rena Salmon, who shot beauty salon owner Lorna Stewart with a double barrelled shotgun in September 2002. Rena's husband had a history of womanising, and when he refused to end his affair with friend's wife Lorna, Rena became increasingly unstable. She began to stalk Lorna and threatened her with abuse messages before taking the ultimate revenge on her adulterous husband by killing the other woman. She was convicted of murder, but was the verdict too harsh?
The story of Canadian man Albert Walker, now serving a life sentence for the murder of Ronald Platt - whose identity he assumed, and who managed to fool close friends and associates for almost a decade. The programme features interviews with police officers who bought Walker to justice, the murdered man's girlfriend, Walker's friends and the Rev David Hoskins, Walker's vicar.
It was a tragedy that would spark national outrage and lead to rumours of conspiracy and corruption at the highest levels of the Belgian judicial system. More than ten years after the paedophile Marc Dutroux was jailed for the kidnap, imprisonment, rape, torture and murder of terrified young girls, questions about the case remain.
The story of 19-year-old murdered Brian Blackwell, whose confidence, charm and intelligence masked a serious underlying personality disorder which caused him to be obsessed with fantasies of power and brilliance. He took out credit cards in his father's name, and when his parents quizzed him about how much he spent on his lavish lifestyle, Blackwell savagely stabbed and beat them to death before treating his girlfriend to a luxury holiday the following day as if nothing happened.
The murders of Connie and Janice Sheridan in their Norfolk home in January 1999, for which door-to-door salesman Kevin Cotterell pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison
Dramatic documentary about the police manhunt for David Copeland, the nail bomber who targeted three London minority groups in a series of brutal attacks during April 1999, which killed three people and injured 129. The hunt for the killer soon became a race against time, as authorities tried to track him down before he struck again.
An examination of the murder of beauty consultant Clare Bernal, who was shot dead in top London department store Harvey Nichols in September 2005 by the ex-boyfriend against whom she had lodged a police complaint for stalking. Featuring reconstructions and statements Clare had given to the police about her former boyfriend.
Police officers and forensic scientists reveal how they traced the killer of eight-year-old Sarah Payne, who disappeared in 2000 while on a family day out to the Sussex seaside. Sarah's mother also talks frankly about her tireless campaign for a change in the law to give parents the right to know if a convicted paedophile is living in their area
"Who knows how people's minds work?" muses an interviewee here. She's well placed to ask the question, as the former wife of serial killer Colin Ireland. In 1993 Ireland, frustrated with his life, made a New Year's resolution - to become a multiple murderer, a resolution he saw through with chilling efficiency, going on to torture and kill five gay men in south London. It's a gruesome but fascinating story, not for the faint-hearted. Some of the details of Ireland's methods are horrifying, but some are oddly banal: he meticulously cleaned his murder scenes, then sat with the corpses watching TV or listening to the radio. The question that hangs over the programme is: why? To help answer it, there's extensive police video of Ireland calmly describing his activities. This makes him very human, a monster but all too ordinary. "In some moods," he explains, "I'm quite happy to burn the world down."
The story of Lesley Molseed is heart-wrenchingly sad on so many levels and for so many people. Lesley was abducted and murdered in 1975 as she visited the corner shop near her home in Rochdale to buy a loaf of bread. Real Crime does an exemplary job of piecing together the many elements of a complicated case that was to result in an infamous miscarriage of justice when local misfit Stefan Kiszko was convicted of the killing after a botched police inquiry. Only in 2007 was the culprit, Ronald Castree, finally brought to justice after a new investigation secured the breakthrough. The programme features interviews with Lesley's family, the solicitor who took up Kiszko's case after years of campaigning by Stefan's mother, and with the wife and son of Ronald Castree. Of course, there is nothing from Kiszko, who died a broken man in 1993, just 18 months after his release from prison.
Interpol took the unprecedented step of launching a global public appeal for information after Canadian Christopher Neil published pictures of himself on the internet abusing children. Neil had camouflaged his face using editing software, making his features vanish into a swirl pattern. But he was quickly identified by Interpol experts who immediately began a manhunt. The detective who led the inquiry says of Neil's decision to publish pictures of himself committing abuse, "It's a badge of honour [among other paedophiles] ... your stock in the community goes up." The programme interviews Neil's brother, the woman who worked with Neil when they both taught in South Korea (she identified his unscrambled photograph) and Neil's transvestite boyfriend, who was with him when he was arrested in Thailand.
The story of the investigation into special constable Nisha Patel-Nasri's death in Wembley, 2006. The case initially looked like an attempted burglary gone wrong, but police discovered that her husband Fadi had arranged her murder to claim her life insurance and flee with his prostitute lover. Family and friends of Nisha reflect on the emotional impact behind the headlines
In July 2000, Lucie Blackman disappeared while working as a hostess in a nightclub in Tokyo. It was the beginning of a desperate seven month search by her family to find her - one that would lead police to a predatory killer
This is the story of the spate of killings in Suffolk in the run-up to Christmas 2006 that caught the attention of the world's media. A serial killer went on the rampage, targeting prostitutes in the Ipswich area, leaving one of the country's smallest police forces to investigate. As the bodies kept being discovered, media interest mushroomed. The killer became known as The Suffolk Strangler and the pressure on the Suffolk Constabulary to catch the murderer increased dramatically. In all, five women were murdered between November and December 2006. Steve Wright (pictured) was a dark and troubled man. A former steward on the QE2, he was a lorry driver, a barman and, more recently, a fork-lift truck driver. On 21 February 2008 he was found guilty of all five murders and sentenced to life imprisonment. The judge recommended that life should mean life. Wright is currently appealing against his convictions.
In Christmas 1998, 21-year-old mother of two Lynsey Wilson went missing without a trace. Her husband Mitchell Quy quickly became the prime suspect, after he claimed that she had walked out on him. But unlike any murder suspect before him, Quy went to extraordinary lengths to use the media in order to stay out of jail. He taunted police and even allowed a documentary crew to follow him as he spun his web of lies. Almost 10 years on, we revisit the case, and find out how the police finally managed to convict Lynsey's killer
Documentary following the true story of how the Metropolitan Police's Flying Squad foiled the would-be robbery of the millennium. Using interviews, exclusive archive footage and dramatic reconstruction, the programme investigates how a gang of villains plotted to steal the world's largest perfect diamond from the Millennium Dome and escape up the River Thames, and how they were stopped by one of the most daring police operations ever. But how dangerous was this Hollywood-style heist?
The story of American bodybuilder David Bieber, who became a wanted man in both the UK and the US after the murder of PC Ian Broadhurst. In December 2004 he was jailed for life, but is still trying to escape justice years later
Nurse Colin Norris murdered four elderly patients, and attempted to murder another by injecting them with massive doses of insulin. If a suspicious colleague had not stopped him in his tracks, police believe he could have gone on to rival Britain's most notorious medical murderer Dr Harold Shipman. Real Crime has exclusive access to their investigation, including taped interviews with Norris.
The killing of two-year-old James Bulger in February 1993 still provokes a sense of horror. Ten-year-olds John Venables and Robert Thompson abducted James from a shopping centre in Merseyside, took him on a three-mile walk, then murdered him on a railway line. Real Crime looks in detail at how the police investigation and trial unfolded. It also interviews James's mother, Denise, who reflects on the impact of the murder. There are chilling details: referring to James's injuries, one police officer notes that "sometimes it's best not to know exactly what happened". He also recalls that during questioning, Thompson's legs would waggle under his chair when he was lying. At first, nobody could believe such young children had done what they did deliberately, but gradually the truth emerged. It's a story that has been told and re-told, but it retains its power to disturb and fascinate
Programme investigating the deaths of twenty-three Chinese cockle pickers on Morecambe Sands. This shocking case revealed part of the hidden world of human trafficking and the awful conditions for the victims, and sparked a government investigation. But who were the people who had drowned? And who had sent them to their deaths? The tragedy led detectives to China, and to the heart of a people-smuggling operation here in Britain
Investigating the mystery of the Earl of Shaftesbury, who went missing on the French Riviera in November 2004. A colourful character, the Earl was a frequent visitor to hostess bars and lap dancing clubs, and his third wife - a former nightclub hostess living in Cannes - soon had the finger of suspicion pointed at her. But with no body, the case drew a blank. Was this the perfect crime?
Walking home from football practice in Liverpool in August 2007, 11-year-old Rhys Jones was shot dead. The incident caused an outpouring of sympathy and re-ignited fears that gun crime and gang-related violence were blighting Britain's streets. But behind the headlines lay a human tragedy as Rhys's parents Melanie and Stephen struggled with bafflement and grief. Real Crime's Mark Austin interviews the couple, whose decency shines amid the depressing details of the feckless lives led by Rhys's murderer Sean Mercer and his fellow gang-members and protectors. Melanie Jones recalls a blase Mercer and his cocky little group in the dock in court during their trial: "You'd think they were up for shoplifting." Mercer, 18, was jailed for 22 years. His co-accused were convicted of helping him to evade justice. They whooped with delight as they were sent down, says Stephen Jones, and his wife still cannot get to grips with their lives: "Why don't they aspire to be someone?"
In 1992, Rachel Nickell was murdered on Wimbledon Common in front of her two-year-old son and this documentary tells the story of how it took 16 years to bring her killer Robert Napper to justice. Rachel's partner Andre Hanscombe reveals how he has dedicated the past 17 years to rebuilding his and his son's lives, and the programme also includes an interview with Colin Stagg, the innocent party who officers investigating the case were convinced was the culprit. Criminal experts and a childhood schoolmate provide an insight into the background of the man who was finally convicted of the murder
In 2005, teenage model Sally Anne Bowman was stabbed to death, then raped in a quiet suburban street, just yards from her front door. The initial investigation cast suspicion on her boyfriend, who had driven her home, but DNA evidence and a chance incident led to the capture of chef Mark Dixie, who was convicted of the murder in 2008. Featuring interviews with police and Sally Anne's parents, plus CCTV footage of Dixie's arrest and the recollections of his former flatmate
The five-and-a-half-year investigation into the rape and murder of Southampton teenager Hannah Foster in 2003. After fleeing the country, Maninder Pal Singh Kohli confessed to the crime live on Indian TV, and despite a retraction and efforts to stop himself facing justice in the British courts, in 2008 he became the first Indian national to be extradited back to the UK. Featuring interviews, archive footage and dramatic reconstruction
The story of Nottinghamshire-born Neil Entwistle, who was convicted in 2008 of murdering his wife Rachel and nine-month-old daughter Lillian at their Massachusetts home on January 20, 2006. The background of the case is explored using testimony from those most closely involved - including friends of the victim, police and defence lawyers. Juliet Morris narrates
In the autumn of 2000, the biggest manhunt in Dorset Police's history was launched for the person behind a letter-bomb campaign against customers of Britain's biggest retailer. The bomber's plan was to extort millions of pounds from the supermarket chain through the use of blackmail and terror. The events of this crime are recreated through the use of police and witness testimony and dramatic reconstruction.
An insight into the work of the police officers who tracked down terror suspect Yassin Omar following the attempted bomb attacks that disrupted part of London's transport network on July 21, 2005. Just two weeks after the July 7 bombings, four men wearing rucksacks packed with explosives tried to commit mass murder, but when their devices failed to detonate, officers faced a race to capture them before they could strike again.
As Peter Tobin faces sentencing for the murder of Dinah McNicol, Mark Austin speaks to criminologists, psychologists and those who have come face-to-face with the man to deduce whether Tobin is Britain's worst serial killer. The programme examines Tobin's past to see what drove the man to become a monster, talking to his two ex-wives and the women he befriended in the months before he killed Angelika Kluk. It also explores the first crime he was convicted of - the double rape of two young girls in 1993.
Documentary examining the murder of West Yorkshire police officer Sharon Beshenivsky, who was shot dead during an attempted robbery in Bradford in November 2005. With access to police interview tapes and CCTV footage, the programme reveals how her killers were brought to justice with the help of the constabulary's elite Homicide and Major Enquiry team
Garry Newlove's widow Helen and the couple's daughters Zoe, Danielle and Amy talk about the murder of the 47-year-old, who was beaten to death after confronting youths who were vandalising his wife's car outside the family home in Warrington, Cheshire, in August 2007. The case sparked a national debate about alcohol-related antisocial behaviour, and Helen now campaigns to bring an end to gangs such as the one that claimed her husband's life
In 1984, police officer Yvonne Fletcher was shot and killed while on duty at a demonstration outside the Libyan embassy in London. Examining previously unseen evidence, Mark Austin pieces together the crucial moments leading up to and following her death. He reveals that, according to a confidential document written for the Crown Prosecution Service and the Metropolitan Police, there is sufficient cause to mount a prosecution for conspiracy to murder against two Libyans
Mark Austin presents the story of how a specialist police team employed hi-tech surveillance, DNA evidence and CCTV footage to bring the leaders of a notorious Manchester gang to justice. The programme uses police videos, interview tapes and forensic materials to offer an insight into the investigation, and reveals how the arrest and subsequent sentencing of Colin Joyce and Lee Amos led to a 90 per cent reduction in gun crime in the city
The story of the biggest cash heist in British history, when thieves stole £53million from Securitas's Kent depot in February 2006. The programme also shows how the police worked through the night to track down the money and the gang
The story of how an elite police team brought sex attacker John Worboys to justice. The programme examines Worboys' crimes, which went undetected for years while he was working as a taxi driver in London, includes interviews with his victims, and takes a look at the original police investigation
Mark Austin takes a look at the undercover police operation to bring Nottingham crime boss Colin Gunn to justice, which also exposed corruption at the heart of the police force. Gunn was jailed for life in June 2006 after staying one step ahead of the law for years by using informants within the force to feed him valuable information about investigations
Peter and Gwenda Dixon were enjoying a hilltop walk in Pembrokeshire in 1989 when they were accosted, tied up and executed at point-blank range with a shotgun. In May this year their killer, John William Cooper, was found guilty of their murders and the 1985 slaying of siblings Richard and Helen Thomas. Real Crime looks at the forensic work that finally brought Cooper to justice. There are so many victims. Cooper had tried to shift blame for the Dixonsí murders on to his brutalised son, who says: ìOf all the things that he ever did to me, that was the lowest.î About this programme New series. The documentary returns, beginning with the case of John William Cooper, who murdered four people in Pembrokeshire in the 1980s. The crimes remained unsolved for more than 20 years, but Cooper was convicted in May following painstaking research and forensic analysis, which included the use of footage from his 1989 appearance on game show Bullseye.
The case of `jigsaw killer' Stephen Marshall, who murdered businessman Jeffrey Howe in March 2009 and scattered his body parts in locations around Hertfordshire and Leicestershire. Featuring interviews with police officers involved, the programme reveals how the grisly case was solved, with Marshall sentenced to life imprisonment in February 2010 and his girlfriend Sarah Bush jailed for three years and nine months for perverting the course of justice.
The case of Hells Angel Gerry Tobin, who was murdered by members of rival motorcycle gang the Outlaws on the M40 while travelling back from the Bulldog Bash festival in August 2007. With access to the police investigation and CCTV footage, as well as interviews with Tobin's family, the programme pieces together the events that led up to his death.
July 2010. Armed with a sawn-off shotgun, the former bouncer began his campaign of terror after being released from prison, murdering Chris Brown - his ex-girlfriend Samantha Stobbart's partner - and shooting policeman David Rathband, which left the officer blind. Following a manhunt that lasted almost a week, Moat was found in Rothbury, Northumberland, where he eventually took his own life after a stand-off with police.
