Murder Mile UK True Crime

Today’s episode is the final part about 19-year-old Michael Douglas Dowdall; a baby-faced killer who had brutally bludgeoned a woman to death, and although this could have been dismissed as an isolated drunken mistake, this murder may mark the beginning of a serial-killer in the making. Date: Saturday 10th October 1959 closer to Sunday at 1:30am (time of the attack) Location: ground floor flat, 5...

Today’s episode is Part One of Two about 19-year-old Michael Douglas Dowdall. Described as a pathetic little mummy’s boy, his early crimes didn’t just set out to prove his bullies wrong, they also became the first faltering steps of - potentially - a fledgling serial-killer. Date: Monday 15th December 1958 (poss' day of the murder) Location: first floor flat, 58 Charteris Road, Kilburn, London, En...

Today’s episode is about a fire in an old building fitted with modern innovations to ensure its workers safety, and although everyone should have survived, it was the old-fashioned attitude towards one particular group of workers, which led to ten unnecessary deaths. This is the story of the fire at the General Electric Company at 67 Queen Victoria Street in London. Date: Monday 9th June 1902 , th...

Today’s episode is about a family cursed with a history of mental illness and hereditary blindness. It’s a strange relationship where their condition both united and divide them, but with sexual abuse (potentially) added into the mix, it would lead to a brutal and horrifying murder. Date:  Saturday 16th June 2007 to Sunday 17th June (time undetermined) Location: location undetermined, possibl...

Today’s episode is about Henry Hall, a loyal husband to his wife and father to three children, who made an honest living as a boot-maker. So, devoted was Henry, that he would willingly sacrifice everything to provide for his family; whether his energy, his health and even his sanity. Date: Friday 8th June 1877, at roughly 3pm Location: 65 Dean Street, Soho, London, England, W1 (building now demoli...

Today’s episode is about a music legend called Ken ‘Snake Hips’ Johnson; a bandleader who could have been one of the all-time greats had his brilliance not been snuffed-out before his time. Only his untimely death wasn’t brought-about because he was black and gay, but owing to one of the most random of tragedies. Date:  Saturday 8th March 1941 at roughly 9:45pm Location: Cafe de Paris, 3-4 Co...

This is Part Two of Two of The Abuse of Jane Andrews. On Sunday 17th September 2000, after a romantic break in the French Riviera, the couple retired to bed. Their relationship was a tempestuous one, tensions were high and by the morning, Tommy would be dead. But did Jane kill him in an act of self-defence, or was this a cold-blooded and brutal murder? Date:  Sunday 17th September 2000, at ro...

This is Part One of Two of The Abuse of Jane Andrews. On Sunday 17th September 2000, after a romantic break in the French Riviera, the couple retired to bed. Their relationship was a tempestuous one, tensions were high and by the morning, Tommy would be dead. But did Jane kill him in an act of self-defence, or was this a cold-blooded and brutal murder? Date:  Sunday 17th September 2000, at ro...

While I'm away finishing the research on the final few episodes of Murder Mile, here is something special. This is Part Three of Three of NEW BLUE; a conversation with Paul, a serving officer in the Metropolitan Police about what it's really like to be a policeman. Over three episodes, we'll dive into his training, his first and his daily duties. This is a frank, unedited conversation, which conta...

While I'm away finishing the research on the final few episodes of Murder Mile, here is something special.   This is Part Two of Three of NEW BLUE; a conversation with Paul, a serving officer in the Metropolitan Police about what it's really like to be a policeman. Over three episodes, we'll dive into his training, his first and his daily duties. This is a frank, unedited conversation, which...

While I'm away finishing the research on the final few episodes of Murder Mile, here is something special. NEW BLUE is a conversation with Paul, a serving officer in the Metropolitan Police about what it's really like to be a policeman. Over three episodes, we'll dive into his training, his first and his daily duties. This is a frank, unedited conversation, which contains some rude words and may f...

Today’s episode is about Countess Łubieńska, a formidable woman who endured a life of unspeakable horrors, and yet she never stopped fighting for the rights of others. But when a simple night-out turned deadly, her last fight... would be for her life. Date:  Friday 24th May 1957, at 10:19pm Location: Platform 5 of Gloucester Road tube station, London, UK, W8 Victims:  1   (Countess...

Today’s episode is about Harry Tuffney. Through his eyes, he saw himself as a loyal and loving man who always fought to live a good life; with a job, a home and a wife. But when his perfect little dream went awry, Harry would do the unthinkable. Date:  Friday 29th to Saturday 30th June 1934 Location:  75 Star Street, Paddington, London, UK, W2  (top/second floor flat / front) Victim...

Today’s episode is about Olga Freeman, a devoted mother to her ten-year-old physically and mentally disabled son – Dylan. She had everything in place to ensure he had the best care possible. But when the Covid Pandemic hit, Olga & Dylan’s lives were thrown into chaos. Date:  Saturday 15th August 2020  (roughly 10pm) Location: 18 Cumberland Park, Acton, London, UK, W3  (ground fl...

Today’s episode is about Martha Browning, a young girl who murdered her elderly bed-mate for that most common of reasons - money. And although her attempt to cover it up was bafflingly inept, her motive was one that no-one could truly fathom. Date:  1st December 1845 Location:  Mrs's Graham's Lodging House, 1 Providence Place, St James', London, UK, SW1   Victims:  1   (El...

Today’s episode is about Tudor Simionov; a good moral man who earned an honest wage as a bouncer. But when his colleagues came under attack from a group of selfish thugs, the new life he had hoped for was destroyed in the blink of an eye. Date:  Monday 1st January 2018 at 5:36am Location:  80 Park Lane, Mayfair, London, UK, W1   Victims:  1   (Tudor Simionov) Culprits...

This episode is about Ghodratollah Barani and Mark Morrison. Today’s episode is about two homeless men; both strangers, both forgotten, who were forced to live on London’s streets for two very different reasons. And although their stories were both tragic, you won’t have heard of their plight, as nobody cared. Date:  Friday 22nd June 2012 at about 3am Location: Marble Arch, London, England, W...

This is the story about the murder of Annie Sutton by the stalker she lived with – Joseph King. Today’s episode is about Annie Sutton, a lone single mother who lived in a shared lodging with a series of strangers. All were friendly and liked her, except one who loved her a little too much. But how would she cope living with her own stalker? Date:  Thursday 20th January 1887 Location: 1st Floo...

Today’s episode is about Joe Gynane, a drug-addict, it’s hard to say more as drugs consumed his world. But when this hopeless junkie took a life, the law would ask a valid question: “who was responsible for the murder; was it Joe’s fault or his drugs?” Date: Sunday 3rd March 2019 at roughly  05:50am   Location: outside The Coach & Horses, 29 Greek Street, Soho, London, W1, UK (on the...

This is the story about the murder of Peggy Roberts (possibly) by Joseph McKinstry. Today’s episode is about soldiers and sex-workers, two ancient trades intrinsically linked, especially during war-time. And although – if people were created equally – a price would never be put on a person’s life; we clearly value those who fight over those who f**k. Date:  Thursday 19th February 1942  a...

This is Part Four of Four of Daniel Gonzales: The Lost Boy. Whether in the grip of a drug-induced psychosis, a psychopathic fantasy or paranoid schizophrenia, Daniel Gonzales had left two injured and four dead in a two-day killing-spree. But with a kill-list of “at least ten”, the next life he would take would be his last. Date: Friday 17th September 2004 at 12:18am (Daniel's arrest) Location: Pla...

This is Part Three of Four of Daniel Gonzales: The Lost Boy. With very little violence in his past, mental health professionals would agree that the two-day killing spree of Daniel Gonzales had occurred without warning. But in the days leading up to this massacre, they would miss one last chance to stop him forever. Date: Friday 17th September 2004 at 8am (the murder of Derek & Jean Robinson)...

This is Part Two of Four of Daniel Gonzales: The Lost Boy. Fixated on becoming a serial-killer, the jury were asked whether Daniel Gonzales was “bad or mad”, as although he was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, one question remained: was he crying-out for help, or was he abusing his diagnosis to avoid prison? Date: Friday 17th September 2004 at (roughly) 4:30am (Kevin's murder) Location: Tott...

Today’s episode is the first in a four-part series on Daniel Gonzales. Dubbed the ‘Freddy Krueger killer’, his two-day killing-spree across London and the South-East of England left two injured and four dead. But why did he kill? Was he bad, or mad? Date: Friday 17th September 2004 at 12:17pm (arrest) Location: Platform 4, southbound Northern Line, Tottenham Court Road tube, London, W1 Victims: 6...

Today’s episode is about Penny Bell; a successful businesswoman brutally-stabbed to death in a public place. And although her last moments alive left an exhaustive trail of witnesses and clues, thirty-years on, her murder remains unsolved. Date: Thursday 6th June 1991 at 10:30am Location: Gurnell Leisure Centre, Ruislip Road East, Greenford, London, Uk, W13 Victims: 1 (Ruth Penelope "Penny" Bell)...