48 – Milly, Marsha and Amelie: The Bus Stop Murders

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.

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37 – St Patrick’s Day: Crimes & Mayhem

It’s St Patrick’s day. Worldwide, buildings are being “greened”. Shamrock shakes are being consumed. Guinness is being poured, and we’re drowning the shamrock.

But, this time of year sees a lot of bad behaviour. Some directly as a result of our celebration of all things Irish and some… a little more premeditated.
This week, I’m joined by 4 other fabulous podcasts to tell the story of some St Patrick’s day crimes for you.

Special thanks this week to:
All Crime No Cattle ;
Southern Fried True Crime;
Gone Cold – Texas True Crime; and
Unresolved
for your kind contributions!

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27 – Archibald Hall: Thief & Serial Killer (Part 2)

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In the final episode on the life and crimes of Archibald (Roy) Hall, we chart his activities over the final months of 1977 and into 1978. He had gone from butler and thief to murderer, when he turned against his lover and ex con David Wright. But that was far from his last murder, and the next couple of months he would kill employers, associates and family members, and drive thousands of miles across the UK, criss-crossing England and Scotland.

But eventually his crimes caught up with him, and Roy found himself before a court again –  not once, but twice.

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27 – Archibald Hall: Thief & Serial Killer (Part 1)

In the first of a two part series, we take a look back on the life and crimes of Archibald Thompson Hall, aka Roy Hall, aka Roy Fontaine, the monster butler. Roy was born to a working class family in Glasgow, and from an early age wanted to live an extravagant lifestyle. One that he could not (or would not) achieve through hard work and graft. Roy preferred to take what he could. He became a thief and spent many years in and out of prison. In between these stints, he worked as a butler, to be close to the status he desired, and the belongs that went this, that he could steal.

How did this supposed high flying and often hapless thief turn murderer?

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24 – Bruce Lee: Murder by Arson

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?

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23 – Colin Norris: murderous nurse, or wrongfully convicted?

In 2002, Colin Norris was a young man at the beginning of his career in his chosen field of nursing. But the sudden death of an elderly patient, Ethel Hall, who had been under his care prompted a police investigation which scrutinised the 18 months that he had worked in Leeds General Infirmary, and he was accused of 4 murders and an attempted murder. authorities said he had maliciously administered injections of insulin to elderly patients, police said because he didn’t like old people.

But would there be enough evidence to convict him?

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15 – Harold Shipman: Medical Murders (Part 2)

 

In the second and final episode of the story of Harold Shipman, we find out how the police went about investigating his murders. A suspicious will led to questions regarding prominent citizen, Kathleen Grundy’s death and the exhumation of her body. A local doctor had become suspicious of the sheer amount of cremations being performed at Shipman’s Surgery, and so, these taken together, an investigation into recent deaths of Shipman’s patients was launched. Soon, 12 women’s bodies had been exhumed. This week, we find out a little about these women, the investigation of the police, Shipman’s lengthy trial, and the public inquiry that followed.

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15 – Harold Shipman: Medical Murders (Part 1)

Harold Frederick Shipman was born near Nottingham in 1946. While attending the prestigious grammar school, High Pavement,  he took care of his ailing mother and was there when she passed away quietly from incurable cancer. His was deeply affected by her death, and by the morphine that had eased her way. He went on to become a doctor, and met and married Primrose Oxtoby name, having 3 children.

Today he is known as Doctor Death, and as Britain’s most prolific serial killer. But what events led to this discovery in 1995? In the first of a two-part series, we look at Shipman’s early life, his medical career and the beginning of his murder spree and what brought him to Hyde to set up his Surgery, where he betrayed an entire community.

Who doesn’t trust their doctor?

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14 – The Grangegorman Murders: A spree killing & a false confession

 
 
Dublin: 1997. Three women occupy number 1 Orchard View, an assisted living facility for former patients of the nearby St Brendan’s Psychiatric Hospital. On the night of March 6th of that year, two of the women, Sylvia Sheils and Mary Callanan, were brutally murdered in their rooms. They were discovered the next morning by their housemate Ann Murnagh, and a hunt for the killer began. The Gardai soon heard that a young heroin addict who slept rough in the Grangegorman area may be responsible for the heinous crimes. Dean Lyons was questioned by the Gardai and promptly confessed to the killings. But was this man capable of the horrible crimes he had confessed to, or did the Gardai have the wrong man? There would be two further murders before the case was solved….
 
 

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12 – The murders of Colin Ireland: The Gay Slayer

As spring changed to summer in London 1993, a man stalked his prey at the Coleherne Pub in Earls Court. He targeted gay men, particularly those interested in BDSM, as he knew that they were a vulnerable group with poor relations with the policing authorities. Colin Ireland tricked 5 men into taking him back to their homes, where he brutally attacked them. He then waited to hear about his crimes in the paper. Because Colin Ireland killed for no other reason than his desire to make something of himself. His journey for fame and notoriety, to make a mark, cost 5 lives and terrorised the London Gay scene. This is the story of the Gay Slayer.

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