All articles in True Crime
26th October, 2022 in True Crime
The calm before the storm: The murder of Muriel McKay
‘The first evening we had a dinner party out on the terrace for twelve (David’s birthday). It was a lovely mild evening, no jackets needed. Dancing on the terrace until 2am.’ – Muriel McKay, Calader, Mallorca, 9 September 1969. Christmas descends again, a season of enchantment an…
16th June, 2022 in True Crime
Sex & Drugs and Rock & Roll: The music behind ‘The Microdot Gang’
Author of The Microdot Gang James Wyllie, has put together the ultimate accompanying playlist to listen to while you read. An eclectic blend of rebellious punk, heavy acid rock, groovy blues, and booty-shaking drums, it’s got something for everyone. The complete playlist is avail…
23rd March, 2022 in True Crime
The Great Train Robbery ‘cold case’ review
So far as denials went, the statement made by former Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Ernest Millen, CBE, could not have been clearer. Shortly after The Sun newspaper published a series of revelations by fugitive train robber Ronnie Biggs in April 1970, he told the media that…
26th August, 2021 in Biography & Memoir, True Crime, Women in History
Valerie’s story: The woman who survived the A6 Murder
In August 1961, 22-year-old Valerie Storie and 36-year-old Michael Gregsten were the victims of James Hanratty in the notorious ‘A6 Murder’. After a five-hour ordeal, ending in a layby on the A6 in Bedfordshire, Michael was shot dead and Valerie was raped, shot and left for…
11th May, 2021 in True Crime
Ask the author: Jeremy Craddock on The Jigsaw Murders
On 12 May 1936 Buck Ruxton was hanged in Manchester after being found guilty of murdering his wife, Isabella Ruxton, and their children’s nanny, Mary Jane Rogerson, the previous September. We spoke to Jeremy Craddock, author of The Jigsaw Murders: The True Story of the Ruxton Kil…
25th February, 2021 in Local & Family History, True Crime
Devon’s villainous vicars and religious rogues
Author Suze Gardner takes us through the hidden history of Devon’s villainous vicars and religious rogues. Joanna Southcott In the 1760’s Joanna Southcott of Gittisham became a maid. She came from a family who had once been well off, but they lost all their money. Her lowly job a…
20th October, 2020 in Local & Family History, True Crime
A Swansea murder with a twist in the tale
Over the years, Swansea has only witnessed a small number of murders. Murder in the city is fortunately rare. Some of the tragic events have not been easily forgotten, though. One such is the case of the murderer who returned to haunt the scene of his crimes. Powell Street is clo…
27th November, 2019 in True Crime
Inside the Cromwell Street murder investigation
Much has been written and broadcast worldwide concerning the crimes committed by Frederick ‘Fred’ and Rosemary ‘Rose’ West. The 1994 Cromwell Street murder investigation, also known as the ‘House of Horrors’ investigation, was a unique and demanding serial murder case. From the o…
10th May, 2019 in True Crime
The Sweeney & the Dirty Squads: Police corruption and sleaze 70’s style
We all remember the cult 1970’s show The Sweeney, with Jack Regan, George Carter and Haskins, played by John Thaw, Dennis Waterman and Garfield Morgan respectively, don’t we? We rooted for these men episode-to-episode, as they fought ‘heavy’ criminals, knowing that while they cut…
10th April, 2019 in Local & Family History, Military, True Crime
Wartime London: A criminal’s paradise?
The natural inclination, when thinking about wartime London, is to imagine its people huddled in Tube stations and bomb shelters, singing rousing choruses of “Roll Out the Barrel”; of a defiant population fortified by Churchill’s soaring oratory. Certainly, there is truth to this…
25th October, 2018 in Local & Family History, True Crime
10 Cambridgeshire crimes
Cambridgeshire is famous for its fens and university but it also has a darker side. Author Caroline Clifford takes us through ten of the county’s most infamous crimes. 1. One of Cambridgeshire’s worst crimes, the Burwell Fire, was thought to be an accident. In 1727 more than a 10…
9th May, 2018 in History, True Crime
Colonel Blood and the Crown Jewels
In May 1671 four armed men headed by Colonel Thomas Blood walked into the Tower of London and stole some of the Crown Jewels. With the Keeper of the Jewel House left for dead, the gang made off with the crown and the orb, leaving the partly filed sceptre behind on the floor. The…