23/11/2018 10 British Crimes Stranger Than Fiction - Listverse

CRIME

10 British Crimes Stranger Than Fiction

ANNIE JONES NOVEMBER 23, 2018

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Many people are entertained by crime fiction, whether in movies, TV shows, or books. Ever wonder ho
those new plotlines, especially the really strange ones?

Some of it may come from their imaginations. But if crime writers are struggling for new plotlines, th
life for their inspiration. The following are news stories from the UK as well as cautionary tales of des
greed.

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10 British Crimes Stranger Than Fiction

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Marie Wilks
10

In June 1988, Marie Wilks was 22 and pregnant with her second child when she took a road trip with h
They had been to visit her husband at an army training camp.

As an inexperienced driver, Marie soon became lost and ended up on the busy M50 motorway. Disast
Marie was forced to leave the two children in the car and walk along the busy road to find an emerge
phone and spoke to an operator who tried to contact relatives for her.

Suddenly, the only sound the operator could hear was the distant roar of traffic. Marie had simply van
her young sister wandering along the dark road with a baby in her arms. The girl was desperately sea

The roadside phone was found splashed with blood, the receiver dangling by its cord. Marie’s body wa
had been beaten and stabbed to death.

Former soldier Edward Browning had been driving in the area following a row with his pregnant wife.
guilty of the murder. Five years later, he was freed after lawyers claimed at trial that police had hidde
compensation.

In May 2018, Browning was found dead at his home. The murder of Marie Wilks remains unsolved.[1]

Stephanie Slater
9

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In 1992, estate agent Stephanie Slater went to show client Michael Sams around a remote property. S
empty warehouse. Stephanie was handcuffed, gagged, blindfolded, and put in a coffin inside a bin wit
terrified to move, she was held for eight days until her employer paid a ransom of £175,000.

Sams was caught when his third wife recognized his voice from a recording on a TV appeal. He was co
the 1991 murder of Julie Dart. Julie had also been kidnapped and held in a coffin before he brutally kil

Sams spent his time in jail trying to sue the prison after they lost his artificial leg and gave him a bed

Stephanie wrote a book, Beyond Fear: My Will to Survive, and worked with police and charities to help
and tributes were paid to her courage and compassion.[2]

Kenneth Noye
8

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On November 26, 1983, six armed men broke into Brink’s-Mat warehouse near Heathrow Airport. The
instead found nearly £28 million worth of gold bullion. Although the gang escaped, they had to melt d
career criminal Kenneth Noye who had made a fortune smuggling gold and owned smelting equipme

The police were alerted following a tip that he had gold bars hidden under tiles in his swimming pool.
his country mansion. Alerted by his barking dogs, Noye found police officer John Fordham in the unlit

After a search, police found gold bars and a book left open to a page about the robbery. The stereo wa
by Shirley Bassey) every time the door opened. Noye pleaded self-defense and was cleared of the pol

In 1986, he was jailed for his part in the Brink’s-Mat robbery. On release, he resumed his life of crime,

In 1996, Stephen Cameron was driving along the M25 motorway when Noye swerved into him. The tw
flared, and Noye fatally stabbed Cameron. A manhunt was launched as Noye fled to Spain. The only w
fiancee who was flown out in secret to identify Noye. She entered the witness protection program an

A second witness to the murder, Alan Decabral, gave evidence at trial and Noye was found guilty. Late
when a gunman killed him with a single shot to the head. Police described it as a classic gangland exe

In 2018, Noye was moved to an open prison to prepare for his release.[3]

Bank Of England Theft

7

What happens when cash gets old and damaged?

In the UK, the Bank of England recalls it to a depot in Essex where it is kept locked in cages before bei
Christine Gibson, Michael Nairne, and Kenneth Longman hatched a plan to switch locks and remove c
Winwright distracted guards.
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They stuffed notes inside their clothing and walked out carrying thousands. Incredibly, this continued
on cars and lavish holidays.

One day, Gibson’s husband walked into his local bank and emptied a bag of £100,000 in cash on the c
deposit. When Nairne went to the same branch with £30,000, the staff alerted police. Nairne claimed
behind his dead father’s stove.

Only Kevin Winwright was jailed after admitting guilt. The others refused to talk, and with little eviden
ordered each to repay their share for a total of £600,000. It took about 25 years, but the money was s
wins.[4]

Catherine Wells-Burr
6

Catherine Wells-Burr was a brilliant student who went to work as a business analyst at a factory. The
appeared to be the perfect couple and bought a home together. However, Nowak hid a dark past. Afte
had fled his native Poland and left his teenage son.

Nowak had a secret lover named Anna Lagwinowicz. Motivated by greed, the evil pair plotted to kill C
money and sell the house. They spent months using various mobile phones to create fake dating pro
were sent from an imaginary male lover to set the scene.[5]

Lagwinowicz’s uncle Tadevsz Dmytryszyn was brought in to help with the murder. Nowak smothered
then calmly went to work as usual, which provided him with an alibi. Lagwinowicz and Dmytryszyn p
drove a short way, and then set fire to the vehicle.

Nowak showed no emotion when Catherine’s remains were found. He was arrested that day, and the
were found guilty. On June 10, 2013, they were sentenced to life imprisonment.

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Corrie McKeague
5

Corrie McKeague, a 23-year-old RAF airman, was on a night out in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. At 1:20
walking unsteadily through the empty streets. He slept for an hour in a doorway. At 3:25 AM, he was
behind shops known as the Horseshoe. He was never seen again.

There is only one way into the Horseshoe, and it has no CCTV. The only clue came from his mobile pho
(12 mi) away. By 8:00 AM, it matched the movements of a bin lorry that had left the Horseshoe earlier

His family insisted that he would never climb into a bin, and police believe that the weight of his body
local rubbish site was searched, but no trace was found. Corrie remains missing.

Claire Tiltman
4

In January 1993, Claire Tiltman was a 16-year-old from Dartford, Kent. While returning from a friend’s
shortcut through an unlit alley. Claire was attacked from behind and stabbed to death. Witnesses saw
from the scene.

Colin Ash-Smith was a loner who lived with his mother, a local politician who later became mayor. He
police questioned him, his mother gave him a false alibi.

Ash-Smith was leading a secret life of stalking and attacking women. In 1995, he struck again. This ti
jailed. In prison, he confessed to Claire’s murder. Police sent Forensics to his home, but the beige jack

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vanished.

Police examined photos taken at Claire’s funeral and found a blurry shot of Ash-Smith lurking in the b
beige jacket he had worn to commit the murder.

In December 2014, Ash-Smith was sentenced to life. While clutching a photo of Claire’s deceased pare
to see justice served after 20 years.[7]

Marc Sutton
3

Marc Sutton was a vegetarian chef living in the French Alps. While cycling in the mountains, he was k
hunters. They had thought he was a deer. A Facebook message appeared stating:

“I hope you rot in hell. For any horrified people reading this, I’m not some vicious troll. I’m the woman

Sutton’s mother went on to claim that he had repeatedly raped his sister as a child. She continued:

“Karma called on you.”[8]

Debbie Linsley
2

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In 1988, 26-year-old Debbie Linsley boarded the 2:16 PM train to London from Petts Wood. Back then
seat compartments with no corridor.

The train pulled into Platform 2, Victoria Station, and Debbie was found dead with five stab wounds. S
two cigarettes and eat part of a sandwich before being attacked.[9]

A passenger later claimed to hear a woman’s screams. There was no murder weapon, and DNA has fa
murder led to the end of single compartments on trains due to public concerns over women’s safety.

Croydon Cat Killer

1

Since 2014, more than 400 cats have been found dead in and around Croydon near London. They have
missing tails and some decapitated. Owners have found heads and other body parts dumped on thei
garden walls. As the death toll rose, police blamed foxes.

A vet examined the corpse of a headless cat and claimed that a knife made the cut. Some people fear
of a serial killer. The police have now concluded that the deaths were due to road accidents and scave
stricken pet owners still disagree.[10]

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