In March of 2002, Milly Dowler went missing. She was 13 years old and had been walking home after school that afternoon, down a busy road in a familiar area, near to her middle class home. Despite efforts by Surrey police to locate her there were no leads. Her body was found 20 miles away over 6 months later.
No one knew who had taken Milly, or what had happened to her. Nor was it know that hers would be the first – and most high profile – in a series of murders and violent attacks carried out by a man who hated women and young girls.
This is the story of the murders of Milly Dowler, Marsha McDonnell and Amelie Delagrange, the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy and their murderer, known as The Bus Stop Killer.
Casper Wyoming is a quiet town. But in 1973, it was marred by an horrific crime. Two girls, sisters – Becky Thompson and Amy Burridge – were snatched off the street, attacked and driven 35 miles to an iron bridge over Fremont Canyon. Then the two men that took them threw them over.
But one of the girls survived the 112 foot fall and identified Ronald Kennedy and Jerry Jenkins as the men who attacked them. Still, tragedy would follow her.
In the summer of 2000, 8 year old Sarah Payne was out playing in the evening sunshine with her two older brothers and her little sister. After falling, she ran out of the field and into a lane to head back to her grandparents with brother Lee following behind.
In September of 2006, Melissa Mahon (14) went missing in Sligo Town. She was supposed to in the care of the Health Service, but she had developed a habit of running away. That summer, she had met some new friends. The Dunbar girls. And through them, their father, Ronnie Dunbar. Nearly two years later, Melissa’s remains would be found in the nearby River Bonet after a shocking confession of her friend.
Early on a December morning, in 1991, Suzanne Capper (16) was found wandering on a quiet laneway south of Manchester. She was half naked, and her body had been burned badly. She was brought to hospital, but died 4 days later of her injuries.
It quickly emerged that she had been held in a house, tied up and tortured for nearly a week before her death. These horrific acts were committed by people she had considered friends. She was able to name them before she died, and they were held responsible for their crimes.
But Suzanne is far from the only young girl who has suffered torture at the hands of a group of people that she knew.
In 2002, two ten year old girls – Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman – went missing in the quiet and idyllic English town of Soham. It quickly became apparent that the girls had not simply wandered off. What followed was two week search for them, and the revelation that a terrible crime had taken place.
The shocking truth was that the girls had been murdered by a member of their community, someone they knew. And someone they trusted.
On the afternoon of the 6th January, 2005 Robert Holohan rode his brand new silver BMX bike down his drive and out onto the roads of Ballyedmond, a townland north of Midleton in rural East Cork.
When Robert didn’t return home that evening, and had not answered his new phone, a search began that would bring people from all over the country to the area to volunteer to look for the 11 year old, alongside the Gardai and the army. But, just over a week later, Roberts body was found in a deep ditch, caught up in brambles, alongside Inch Strand. He was 12 miles from his home.
The Garda investigation worked quickly, and it soon became apparent that Robert had not gotten far from home, before he was killed.
On the morning of Wednesday, 27th January 2010, 45 year old mother of four Fiona Donnison walked into a police station in Heathfield, East Sussex. She was distressed, had what appeared to be self inflicted wounds and was making little sense. But then, she shocked police by telling them that she had killed her two small children, Harry (3) and Elise (2).
They were found soon after in the boot of her car, parked around the corner from the home that she had once shared with her children and her ex-partner, Paul.
In this episode, we tell the story of Fiona Donnison, and explore the reasons why some mothers turn murderous. What was Fiona’s excuse?
In December 1979, the Hastie home on Selby Street in Hull caught fire in the early hours of the morning. Three of Hastie boys would die of their injuries. It was apparent from the beginning that the fire was arson: there were matches left and a trail of paraffin at the front door, and there was the smell of accelerant in the air. In an attempt to find out who would want to hurt the family, it became apparent that they were strongly disliked, but still there were no real leads. Until, that is, the police picked up 19 year old Bruce George Peter Lee.
He admitted to setting the Hastie fire. And then shockingly admitted to another 10 arsons in the Hull area. No one had suspected these fires were malicious. But should the police believe this young man with a troubled background?
Between the early 1920s and the 1950s, Ireland was a newly established developing country. The state and its society were going through many changes, and many growing pains. The establishment and new politicians were anxious to present Ireland as a good catholic place, taking it’s place on the international stage as a beacon of wholesome goodness, newly independent and thriving.
But despite this, Ireland was still a country inhabited by people, with all their failings. Despite the bans on contraception and abortion, both services were sought and obtained by the citizens.
It was into this that 34 year old Mamie Cadden moved in 1925, when she left Mayo to become a midwife in Dublin. She would soon be successful, and soon find herself treating women with procedures that were on the wrong side of the law.
Join us this week for the story of the Notorious Nurse Cadden, Dublin’s backstreet abortionist.
