They Walk Among Us - UK True Crime

Sometimes a killer can just blend in. Be one of many faces in a crowd, unnoticed by everyone, including the officers desperately searching for them. The person known to many as an unassuming " softly spoken gentleman " carries on with his life. Will he ever have to pay the price for what he has done?  *** LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVISED *** This episode was researched and writ...

“Psychological reports say they are absolutely sane individuals. It’s frightening that they are such ordinary people. There is nothing special about them.” — Detective Inspector Peter Wall, outside Manchester Crown Court, 1993. *** LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVISED *** This episode was researched and written by Benjamin Fitton.  Narration, audio editing and production direction also by Benjamin Fit...

PLEASE LISTEN TO ‘SEASON 4 - EPISODE 36’ FOR PART ONE OF THIS TWO-PART CASE.  Sally Challen was found guilty of murdering her husband, Richard, in 2010, but over the intervening years, much was changing in the outside world (Part 2 of 2) .  *** LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVISED *** This episode was researched and written by Benjamin Fitton.  Narration, audio editing and production directi...

On Sunday, August 15, 2010, police were alerted to a situation on the cliffs of Beachy Head (Part 1 of 2) .  *** LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVISED *** This episode was researched and written by Benjamin Fitton.  Narration, audio editing and production direction also by Benjamin Fitton. Script editing, illustrations and production direction by Rosanna Fitton.    Become a ‘ Patreon Pro...

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.  *** LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVISED *** This episode was researched and wri...

From the outside in, there did not seem to be anything wildly different about the Barrass family; six children and a single mother, Sarah, living together in a semi-detached house in the South of 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. *** LIST...

PLEASE LISTEN TO ‘SEASON 4 - EPISODE 32’ FOR PART ONE OF THIS TWO-PART CASE.  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 alcoh...

“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 of 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...

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...  *** LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVISED *** This episode was researched and written by Rosanna Fitton.  Illustrations and production direction also by Rosanna Fitton. Narratio...

PLEASE LISTEN TO ‘SEASON 4 - EPISODES 27, 28 & EPISODE 29’ FOR PART ONE, TWO AND THREE OF THIS FOUR-PART CASE.  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,...

PLEASE LISTEN TO ‘SEASON 4 - EPISODE 27 & EPISODE 28’ FOR PART ONE AND TWO OF THIS FOUR-PART CASE.  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 retrosp...

PLEASE LISTEN TO ‘SEASON 4 - EPISODE 27’ FOR PART ONE OF THIS FOUR-PART CASE.  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) . *** LISTENER CAU...

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 thr...

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 Queen's 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...

THIS IS A CASE UPDATE. PLEASE LISTEN TO ‘SEASON 3 - EPISODE 29 ’ FOR MORE DETAILS. 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 Grave...

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. *** LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVISED *** This episode was...

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 author's 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. *** LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVISED *** This...

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 s...

PLEASE LISTEN TO ‘SEASON 4 - EPISODE 21’ FOR PART ONE OF THIS TWO-PART CASE.  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 con...

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 s...

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... *** LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVISED *** This episode was researched and written by Benjamin Fitton.  Narration, audio editing and production direction also by Benjamin Fitton. Script editing, illust...

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...  *** LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVI...

You may not be aware of who Ken Dodd is. A surreal stand-up, family-friendly Liverpudlian comedian and ventriloquist, Dodd began his career in the 1950s but really had his heyday in the 60s, 70s, and early 80s. He is a distinctive looking man—his prominent features, a head of fluffy wild hair and protruding teeth, were often accompanied by a red, white and blue feather duster, a prop that Dodd cal...

An allotment is usually a place of tranquillity and community. Somewhere to watch your hard work grow. During 2017, at an allotment in London, something happened to change that sense of peace...  *** LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVISED *** This episode was researched and written by Rosanna Fitton.  Illustrations and production direction also by Rosanna Fitton. Narration, audi...

Raised in Swindon, Sallyann, or Sally as her mother would call her, had a happy childhood. Much like any other youngster at the time, Sallyann would ride her bike around the estate, enjoying walks in the park and family picnics. She was especially close to her mother. She was a happy child, but in her adolescence, she grew rebellious...  *** LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVISED *** This episode was re...