Latest news with #serialkillers
Irish Times
7 hours ago
- Irish Times
Eight women come forward with information on being targeted by 1976 killers of Elizabeth Plunkett
Eight women have come forward to allege they were potentially targeted by serial killers Geoffrey Evans and John Shaw in 1976, around the time the pair murdered two women in different parts of Ireland. The testimonies suggest Shaw and Evans made failed attempts to murder far more victims than previously known. Their testimonies are being gathered by solicitor James McGuill, who represents the family of Dublin woman Elizabeth Plunkett, who was murdered by the pair in 1976. The British men went on to rape and murder another woman, Mary Duffy (23), in Galway, before being caught a short time later. Shaw and Evans had travelled to Ireland from the UK with the intention of raping and murdering Irish women. READ MORE The first new witness came forward earlier this year, having seen media reports of the inquest which was finally held into the death of Ms Plunkett (23) in January. The inquest was held after it emerged recently that no death certificate had ever been issued for her. The new witness said she was hit by a car after she left a music session in McDaniel's pub in Brittas Bay, Co Wicklow. The incident occurred on the same night as Shaw and Evans abducted Ms Plunkett, who had also been in McDaniel's. Mr McGuill said he obtained the woman's medical records, which confirm the timings. 'Part of Shaw's confession had him being party to abducting Elizabeth and then retracing the steps to McDaniel's pub and then going back again. So he was driving around the area at the time,' the solicitor said. Mary Duffy, of Deerpark, Belcarra, was a victim of convicted killers Geoffrey Evans and John Shaw in September 1976. Last month, RTÉ launched a new podcast series concerning Ms Plunkett's murder and highlighting the fact that, despite the men's confessions, no one was ever convicted for her death. Since the Stolen Sister podcast began, several more women have come forward with 'strikingly similar accounts of being pursued by these two guys,' Mr McGuill said. He said some of these accounts may have been given to gardaí at the time of the original investigation and 'may or may not' have been centralised. The women's accounts will be passed on to the Garda Commissioner and Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the hope that they will provide enough new evidence to reopen the case against Shaw for the murder of Ms Plunkett. Evans died in custody in 2012. Shaw, who is the State's longest-serving prisoner, has been repeatedly denied parole. As Shaw was not convicted for Ms Plunkett's murder, her family are not considered victims in a legal sense and therefore have no rights to object to his parole. The reason Shaw was never tried for her murder remains unclear. Both Evans and Shaw were initially charged with the rape and murder of both Ms Plunkett and Ms Duffy. A High Court judge later ruled they should each be put on trial separately. Evans was tried and convicted for the murder of Ms Duffy, but the trial judge ordered the jury to return a not-guilty verdict for Ms Plunkett's murder. Shaw was put on trial solely for the murder of Ms Duffy. His first trial ended in a hung jury. He was convicted in a later trial, and both men received life terms. The DPP subsequently withdrew charges against Shaw relating to Ms Plunkett's rape and murder. Despite this, over the years it became accepted knowledge that Shaw and Evans were convicted of her murder. The 'fact' was repeated in books, articles and even by the authorities. Mr McGuill said it is possible the DPP assumed Shaw would never be released from prison, so it decided to avoid the expense of another trial for Ms Plunkett's murder. He said it is also possible there were concerns about some of the investigative methods used by gardaí which authorities did not want to come to light. It is unlikely a full explanation will ever emerge. Many of the files relating to Ms Plunkett's murder are believed to have been stolen from the DPP's office in 1987 by Martin Cahill, the notorious criminal known as the General. It also remains unclear whether authorities will be able to reopen the investigation into Shaw. In response to queries, Garda headquarters said it is exclusively a matter for the DPP.
Daily Mail
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Rose West's astonishing prison letter reveals the truth about her lesbian fling with Myra Hindley
Rose West has spoken for the first time to finally address her rumoured affair with fellow notorious serial killer Myra Hindley, MailOnline can reveal. The Cromwell Street killer and the Moors Murderer were the two most notorious female prisoners in Britain when they met in Durham Prison in the mid 1990s. It's long been believed they quickly developed a sexual relationship which lasted for some weeks before splitting bitterly. So established is the story that it was even turned into a film, 2020's 'Rose West and Myra Hindley - the Untold Story' which was fronted by former newsreader Trevor McDonald. Producers used the catchline: 'The extraordinary story of how the two most notorious women in British crime became friends and lovers.' But now West has finally addressed what happened for the first time - to insist that her fling with Hindley never really happened. She even blasted: 'I had nothing to do with her.' West is thought to receive thousands of letters a year in prison but was moved to reply to one from a young criminology student apparently because he specifically asked about her time as Hindley's lover. The young academic, who we are not naming at his request, has shared the letter he received from West with MailOnline. In it West, 71, insists at length that she had no relationship with the infamous Moors murderer before launching into a sarcastic rant against the student for believing stories in the media. She writes: 'I don't care if you don't believe me – after all what the press and media says MUST be true. 'How can it not be!! All that money they rake in – all that power. WOW! They are the leading experts in law, politics, peoples (sic) lives, peoples (sic) deaths. 'There is NOTHING that they cannot tell you about any subject you choose. Who would DARE to contradict them!!?!! 'Obviously NOT you. You have soaked this stuff up like a sponge – and you've done (like millions of others) almost unconsciously. You don't even have the gumption to ask me if it's true!! Don't be a sucker.' Unable to restrain her anger, she continued: 'Tell you what – take my advise (sic) – get something a lot more wholesome, productive and worthwhile to be interested in, and leave these awefull (sic) crimes to those who are charged with trying to understand them. 'Oh, and don't bother sending any more letters – I will only have them put through the shredder like I did your first one.' West signed off her angry denial calling herself 'Jennifer (aka – Rose West).' West was writing from HMP New Hall in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, where she is now housed and was using the name Jennifer Jones, which she reportedly adopted after changing her name by deed poll in 2020. The student who received the letter said he had first decided to write to her in jail last November because he had always been intrigued about women who murder children. He said: 'I asked her what Myra Hindley was like in person, what her relationship with her was like, and how her demeanour was. Pictured: Ten women and young girls who were murdered by Fred and Rose West between 1967 and 1987 'I got no reply from my first letter, so I wrote to her again, and also asked whether she thought her husband Fred might have been homosexual as all his victims were girls or women. 'I was quite surprised to get a reply from her, and I was quite shocked by how angry and venomous she came across in her letter. 'It is clear that she wants to distance herself from Myra Hindley. Her words become increasingly angry in her letter. I guess she was upset about me suggesting Fred might have been gay. 'At the end she is scribbling to get her words out and you can sense she is almost foaming at the mouth.' Hindley, who died in 2002, had been convicted in 1996 of killing five children and being involved in sexually assaulting four of her victims along with her boyfriend, Ian Brady in and around Manchester in the 1960s in crimes which shocked Britain. West was given ten life sentences in 1995 for killing ten young women including her own daughter Heather and step-daughter Charmaine after her husband Fred committed suicide before he could be prosecuted for the same. West, according to recent reports, is increasingly frail and now spends most of her time alone. She was reported to often eat tomato soup for breakfast while alone in her cell, before spending her days knitting and watching her favourite nature documentaries. Claims of a relationship also prompted an angry response from Hindley, who made a complaint to the the then Press watchdog, alleging she was the victim of smears and lies. The BBC published a leaked copy of her complaint and the case made headlines. But Hindley's claims of the story being inaccurate were dismissed. One of the sources for the story was West's own former solicitor. Leo Goatley revealed in a book in 2019, published ahead of the 25th anniversary of her convictions, that his former client and Hindley had a short-lived affair on the female wing of the jail where guards encouraged 'open association'. The pair are said to have met while West was in remand at the prison before her trial. She later returned there after being convicted. Mr Goatley based his book Understanding Fred & Rose West on 12 years of letters, interviews and visits to her in prison. Mr Goatley featured in the Trevor McDonald documentary, stating that former prostitute West had told him she preferred the 'softness and sensuality of being with women rather than the roughness of men'. He claimed that she had a number of lesbian relationships in prison and had admitted that she only ever enjoyed sex with women. Mr Goatley said in the programme: 'I believe Myra Hindley and Rose West were lovers. Rose West said to me that she 'wanted to see how it goes, yeah me and Myra get on well.' He said that West had told him that he found Hindley to be intelligent and was seemingly impressed by her studying with the Open University. Dr Goatley added: 'I think Rose West was in awe of her. Myra Hindley stood out as being special.' Hindley was convicted in 1966, along with her partner Ian Brady, of the murders of Lesley-Ann Downey, ten, and Edward Evans, 17, and jailed for life. She later confessed to the killing of Keith Bennett, 12, and Pauline Reade, 16, and burying their bodies on Saddleworth Moor, near Manchester. Hindley was moved from Durham Prison to medium security Highpoint Prison near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, in 1998 after 31 years behind bars. She died aged 60 from respiratory failure in West Suffolk Hospital in 2002 while still being a prisoner and never achieving her dream of being freed. Former armed robber turned author Linda Calvey, 77, who became known as the Black Widow while spending more than 18 years in jail for the murder of her lover, recalled in the Trevor McDonald documentary how she also got to know Hindley in Durham Prison, and once slapped her in the face. Talking about West and Hindley's friendship, she described how the pair would chat over breakfast and tea. She added: 'It was really weird. They suddenly became best friends. They were with each other all the time… 'They both murdered children and they both tortured people. Their crimes were very similar… Everyone went 'God, what a weird combination. These two, they became thick as thieves… 'They used to go into each other's cells, and they became really, really close. I think the majority of the wing all thought there was an affair of sorts going on between them.' But Calvey also recalled how the pair split up after being close for between a month and six weeks. She said: 'As quick as they became really, really close, they parted. It stopped and they were not even speaking to each other… 'I spoke to Myra and I said, 'It was really weird that you were really close to Rose, and then you suddenly parted, and she said, 'Yeah, well I thought about it, and I thought she killed her own children. Did I really want to mix with someone like that?' 'I said, 'Well you killed children', and she said, 'Well, they weren't mine. They were other people's'. She said it matter-of-factly, as if it didn't matter. But then that was Myra. Myra didn't have remorse about anything.' The crimes of West and her evil builder husband are featured in a new hit Netflix docuseries called Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story. The couple killed most of their victims in their home at 25 Cromwell Street, Gloucester, which became known as the House of Horrors after police unearthed nine sets of human remains at the property. Despite continuing to claim her innocence, the then Home Secretary Jack Straw, who had to set a minimum sentence for her, ruled she should spend the rest of her life in jail.
Washington Post
11-06-2025
- Science
- Washington Post
Uncovering the Pacific Northwest's violent history and toxic legacy
'Murderland' is, by design, an extremely disturbing book. To begin with, there are the blunt descriptions of multiple horrific crimes perpetrated by serial killers prowling America, mainly around the Pacific Northwest, in the second half of the 20th century. Next, the scathing parade of statistics detailing the amounts of lead, arsenic and other toxic chemicals spewed into the atmosphere by smelting companies across the country. Then, there are the references to numerous scientific studies, dating back to the 1920s, linking high blood lead levels in children to behavioral problems including cruelty and aggression.
Fox News
10-06-2025
- Fox News
Poisoned Minds: Caroline Fraser's Murderland
An epidemic of serial killers plagued the United States throughout the 1970s and '80s. The crimes were shocking, horrific, and vile, leading many people to ask themselves: What makes a murderer? The answer to that question may be an invisible evil – a poison that penetrated the earth, as well as the minds of these monsters. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Caroline Fraser explores the cultural and environmental factors that gave way to this plague of violence in her new book, Murderland. Follow Emily on Instagram: @realemilycompagno If you have a story or topic we should feature on the FOX True Crime Podcast, send us an email at: truecrimepodcast@ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
The Sun
08-06-2025
- The Sun
Inside Lucy Letby's diaries cops used to snare baby killer – & why expert thinks secret code PROVES her innocence
MANY serial killers from history have left a written record of their crimes - whether it's the diary entries of Dennis Rader and Melvin Rees, or the cryptic notes of The Zodiac Killer. Experts tend to agree that it comes from a combination of a pathological need for control, a twisted desire to relive their worst acts, and the thrill of the cat-and-mouse chase. 10 10 10 Detectives investigating British nurse Lucy Letby have pushed the idea that she fits into this category, describing a possible 'secret code' left in her diary. Letby, now 34, was last year given a whole life order in prison for the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of seven more at Countess of Chester Hospital. During police raids on Letby's home after her arrest, officers took a specific interest in her diary, as well as other notes found in her bedroom. One such scrawling, which went on to form a key part of the case against her, said: 'I am evil, I did this.' It was emblazoned on a bright Post-It, alongside another saying: 'I killed them on purpose because I'm not good enough.' Her diary, meanwhile, found in a bedside drawer, was thought to have contained a sadistic trail of breadcrumbs. Serial killers who leave behind diaries, notes, or cryptic messages often do so as a means of exerting control, crafting a personal narrative, or seeking attention. dates of deaths or attacks she was later found guilty of. A reference to 'twins' was recorded on April 8 2016. This was the date of the attempted murders of two twin boys, Baby L and Baby M. On the same date, there were also initials 'LD' or 'LO' added, which appeared again on April 6, 7, 8 and 9, as well as on June 23 and 24, when she tried to kill twin brothers Baby O and Baby P, the trial heard. The Sun spoke to Nicole Nyamwiza, a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at The University of Law, who explained that there is often a reason for killers to put pen to paper. She says: "These writings provide a window into the complex psychological landscape of Letby, highlighting the diverse motivations and mental states that can underlie such heinous acts. "Understanding these nuances is crucial for both criminal profiling and the development of preventative strategies in clinical settings." She added: "Serial killers who leave behind diaries, notes, or cryptic messages often do so as a means of exerting control, crafting a personal narrative, or seeking attention." 'Sinster code' The chilling cache of notes, scribbles and diaries is what police say enabled them to snare the young nurse - describing the find as a "massive surprise". DI Rob Woods, who ran the search of her home when Letby was arrested for a second time, said in Cheshire Police's Operation Hummingbird documentary: 'There appeared to be, and it became clear later that it was, almost a code of coloured asterisks, and various other things that marked significant events in our investigation." 'When we went to search the address for the second occasion, that was something we knew that we were looking for because we didn't have the complete chronology. 'There were a couple of years missing, so that was a very clear item. 'We also knew that she was a copious writer of notes. We thought that perhaps having been arrested she might stop doing that. 'It turned out when we searched that second address, she had continued to write her thoughts and all sorts of processes about the investigation.' It is unclear how the asterisks fit into the theory, as the force has only publicly released a sample of pages from her diary in June 2016, and the asterisks are not included. But the diary pages were hardly mentioned in the trial itself, and neither was there any reference to suspicions of an elaborate code used anywhere. The use of initials was brought up by the prosecution, but experts believe there could be a simple explanation. Cops appear to have initially read them as 'LO', as per what was said in court, and been baffled. There appeared to be, and it became clear later that it was, almost a code of coloured asterisks, and various other things that marked significant events in our investigation. DI Rob WoodsCheshire Police But they have since been interpreted as 'LD', meaning 'Long Day' by online sleuths, as well as references in text messages between Letby and a colleague since made public. This appears to be a colloquial abbreviation used by nurses at the hospital to signify a shift lasting 13 or 14 hours, something Letby was often doing during the period of the murders for which she was convicted. Statistical misrepresentation consultant, Professor Richard Gill told The Sun the suggestion that the nurse left a trail of cryptic clues in her diary is 'just quite simply ludicrous' and a desperate attempt by police to paint her as the classic serial killer. 'It doesn't exist, it's just bluster,' he added. But Ms Nyamwiza says: "The use of coded entries in her diaries, such as the 'LO' notation corresponding to specific dates, indicates a compartmentalisation of her actions, perhaps as a coping mechanism or an attempt to maintain a semblance of normalcy amidst the chaos." Professor Gill has previously helped free multiple medical professionals wrongfully convicted of killing patients, including Dutch nurse Lucia de Berk and Italian nurse Daniela Poggiali. He is among an increasing number of supporters who believe Letby to be innocent, and has been pushing for a retrial - although many others, including the victims' families, have blasted the campaign to free her. He described the diary as coming across 'as more of a calendar than a diary', adding: 'She's not writing down thoughts every day. 10 'It's just little notes of things that had happened or were going to happen, like many people do - professionals in jobs make little notes.' He said it was odd that police brought up the 'LD' initials in the documentary, released last year, despite the uncertainty apparently having been cleared up. 'Even at the time, people knew that LD meant Long Day, it was explained,' Prof Gill continued. 'The story that there was some kind of sinister code and that it was planned is totally ludicrous, and it tells us something about the intelligence of Cheshire Constabulary. 'They wanted to convict a killer nurse, they wanted that very strongly, very early on, because they were brought into the conspiracy by the doctors. 'The doctors went to police in March or April 2017 and we know that they told them bogus lies, they told them lies about the expected number of deaths on that unit. 'They roped the police into their own fantasy, and the police went all out to prove it. They opened an investigation and found nothing, and this was one of the nothings of which they found.' 'I believe she's innocent' Text exchanges since made public between Letby and a colleague show the latter voicing some surprise that her friend was down for four LDs in a week. Prof Gill said: 'I mean, it's a lot. You're supposed to only have one LD a week. 'It's 14 hours working strictly without a break. You're not supposed to have four LDs in a week. 'But you can see how stretched that unit was, that it was necessary, and it shows us how enthusiastic Lucy was to work overtime and get experience. 'She's an enthusiastic young nurse who wants to learn as much as she can, so she wants as much experience as she can, and she wants money. 'She's saving to buy a house. The long day paid more than the short day, Christ. 'Those long days happened to coincide with the deaths of twins. So what? 'It shows that she's often there when babies die because she worked such long hours, because the unit was short-staffed.' Prof Gill went on to say: 'There's no evidence anyone saw her kill anyone, except Jayaram said he almost saw her, but he didn't see her. 'And now there's doubts about whether he was even there or not for Baby K. But nobody ever saw her doing anything whatsoever.' Prof Gill was referring to Dr Ravi Jayaram, who testified that the nurse was seen standing over Baby K's cot as the infant's condition deteriorated. Taking the stand, the doctor said Letby failed to call for help as the newborn's condition declined, insisting the nurse had virtually been caught "red-handed". But last month, a bombshell memo appeared to cast doubt on Dr Jayaram's claims. Prior to the start of the police investigation, Dr Jayaram wrote in an email to colleagues: "At time of deterioration ... Staff nurse Letby at incubator and called Dr Jayaram to inform of low saturations." This suggests Letby had informed superiors of the child's condition. Prof Gill - who vehemently believes Letby is innocent - said the only possible indication he can see from the evidence put forward in court of wrongdoing is that insulin may have been injected into some of the babies that came to harm. I believe she's completely innocent. I've said that for a long time, but for a long time I was among the very few who dared to say it. Prof Richard GillStatistical misrepresentation consultant 'Maybe someone was trying to harm two babies,' he said, however, he added that medical experts have since clarified that newborn premature babies can have completely natural Hyperglycemia. Also known as high blood sugar, hyperglycemia is a condition where the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood is abnormally high. It's a common complication of diabetes, but can also occur in non-diabetics, particularly during illness or stress. Prof Gill went on to say: 'I think the things that convinced people of Lucy's guilt were insulin, the rota, and the Post-It notes.' One such argument put forward by the prosecution suggested that because Letby was on shift when babies came to harm or died, statistically, she must have been guilty. Prof Gill believes that this can be cleared up by the short staffing and the fact that Letby was so keen to take on extra shifts. In terms of the notes, he said it's not entirely clear what the 'I killed them' scrawling actually says. 'It's not absolutely clear what the phrase is,' he explained. 'That's not the whole sentence, there's a bit above, which you can't read.' Prof Gill said he's unsure why a handwriting specialist wasn't brought in by the defence team to decipher the full sentence and potentially quash it as evidence. Other notes said 'please help me' and 'I can't do it any more', while another said: 'I want someone to help me but they can't, so what's the point in asking. Hate my life.' Letby herself claimed she wrote the notes at a time when she feared her practices may have been at fault for babies collapsing. She said she felt 'isolated' from colleagues after being taken off the neonatal unit and put on clerical duties. In excerpts from police interviews after her arrest, shown to the jury, Letby said: 'I just wrote it because everything had got on top of me. 'It was when I'd not long found out I'd been removed from the unit and they were telling me my practice might be wrong, that I needed to read all my competences - my practice might not have been good enough. 'I was blaming myself but not because I'd done something (but) because of the way people were making me feel.' Letby's defence barrister Ben Myers KC told the court: 'You have seen the notes. They are full of distress, self-recrimination and anguish. 'They certainly do show a very distressed woman. Someone in a terrible state of anguish.' However, the prosecution said the notes were confessions of guilt and not the 'anguished outpourings of a woman in fear and despair'. Prof Gill added: 'I understand why the jury came to guilty verdicts given what they were told. 'The police and CPS were convinced Letby was an evil killer and they were forced to fill the trial with junk.' He said he is pleased to see something of a shift in the narrative surrounding Letby by many. 'I think the shift is clear,' he explained. 'Of those who have an interest in the case many are at least coming round to the idea of them being unsafe convictions, if not agreeing she is innocent. 'People are prepared to say she's innocent. I believe she's completely innocent. I've said that for a long time, but for a long time I was among the very few who dared to say it.' The charges Letby was convicted on in full Child A, allegation of murder. The Crown said Letby injected air intravenously into the bloodstream of the baby boy. COUNT 1 GUILTY. Child B, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby attempted to murder the baby girl, the twin sister of Child A, by injecting air into her bloodstream. COUNT 2 GUILTY. Child C, allegation of murder. Prosecutors said Letby forced air down a feeding tube and into the stomach of the baby boy. COUNT 3 GUILTY. Child D, allegation of murder. The Crown said air was injected intravenously into the baby girl. COUNT 4 GUILTY. Child E, allegation of murder. The Crown said Letby murdered the twin baby boy with an injection of air into the bloodstream and also deliberately caused bleeding to the infant. COUNT 5 GUILTY. Child F, allegation of attempted murder. Letby was said by prosecutors to have poisoned the twin brother of Child E with insulin. COUNT 6 GUILTY. Child G, three allegations of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby targeted the baby girl by overfeeding her with milk and pushing air down her feeding tube. COUNT 7 GUILTY, COUNT 8 GUILTY, COUNT 9 NOT GUILTY. Child H, two allegations of attempted murder. Prosecutors said Letby sabotaged the care of the baby girl in some way which led to two profound oxygen desaturations. COUNT 10 NOT GUILTY, COUNT 11 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT. Child I, allegation of murder. The prosecution said Letby killed the baby girl at the fourth attempt and had given her air and overfed her with milk. COUNT 12 GUILTY. Child J, allegation of attempted murder. No specific form of harm was identified by the prosecution but they said Letby did something to cause the collapse of the baby girl. COUNT 13 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT. Child K, allegation of attempted murder. The prosecution said Letby compromised the baby girl as she deliberately dislodged a breathing tube. COUNT 14 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT. Child L, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said the nurse poisoned the twin baby boy with insulin. COUNT 15 GUILTY. Child M, allegation of attempted murder. Prosecutors said Letby injected air into the bloodstream of Child L's twin brother. COUNT 16 GUILTY. Child N, three allegations of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby inflicted trauma in the baby boy's throat and also injected him with air in the bloodstream. COUNT 17 GUILTY, COUNT 18 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT, COUNT 19 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT. Child O, allegation of murder. Prosecutors say Letby attacked the triplet boy by injecting him with air, overfeeding him with milk and inflicting trauma to his liver with "severe force". COUNT 20 GUILTY. Child P, allegation of murder. Prosecutors said the nurse targeted the triplet brother of Child O by overfeeding him with milk, injecting air and dislodging his breathing tube. COUNT 21 GUILTY. Child Q, allegation of attempted murder. The Crown said Letby injected the baby boy with liquid, and possibly air, down his feeding tube. COUNT 22 JURY COULD NOT REACH VERDICT. 10 10
