Today, 31 January 2025, marks 25 years since British GP Harold Shipman, known as Fred to his family and friends, was sentenced to 15 whole life tariffs by Mr Justice Forbes following his conviction for the murder of 15 of his patients. A subsequent Public Inquiry concluded Shipman had killed at least 284 patients over the course of his career as a doctor from 1975 to 1998 whilst working at Pontefract General Infirmary, and as a GP in the rural Yorkshire town of Todmorden, then later in Hyde in Greater Manchester, where his most prolific crimes occurred. Shipman remains the only doctor in British history convicted of killing his patients, though a number of nurses have also been convicted of murder. Most, though by no means all, of his victims were elderly women. His youngest victim is believed to have been a four-year old girl murdered in Pontefract.

A young Shipman

The murder of Kathleen Grundy and the forged will

In March 1998 concerns were raised by GP Dr Linda Reynolds with the coroner and local police about the high death rate at Shipman's solo GP practice, and in particular the number of cremation forms she was being asked to countersign for elderly women. However, the police investigation found no evidence and was closed on 17 April 1998. Meanwhile, local taxi driver John Shaw was also becoming concerned about the number of his elderly customers who were dying in Shipman's care, and also began to suspect the doctor. However, it was not until the death of former Hyde Mayoress Kathleen Grundy on 24 June 1998 that Shipman was finally about to be exposed.

Kathleen Grundy

Kathleen Grundy, 81, fit as a fiddle and a tireless worker on behalf of the elderly, opened the door of her £150,000 cottage between 8.30am and 9am on the morning of June 24 1998 to greet her long-standing, highly-respected GP, Dr Harold Shipman. He had arrived, by arrangement, to take a routine blood test. He unpacked his equipment from his medical bag, selected a needle and wiped Mrs Grundy's arm in preparation. But instead of drawing blood, Shipman pumped the former mayoress of Hyde with a lethal dose of morphine. Within three hours, she was dead.

Despite her advanced years, Mrs Grundy was, according to her daughter Angela Woodruff, "a very vibrant, energetic, lively, happy, talkative, smiley person. She was brilliant. She was more like a 60-year-old". She had also admired and trusted her GP. "If a doctor says you need something doing, you say 'fine'. If a doctor says you need an injection, you say 'fine'," Mrs Woodruff said last night, adding that her mother had sought out Shipman because "she respected and trusted him hugely".

Mrs Grundy's fully-clothed body was discovered at 11.55am on the sofa in the sitting room of her unlocked home by two colleagues who had become anxious when she had failed to turn up at her pensioners' luncheon club. They called Shipman, who gave Mrs Grundy's body a cursory once-over and pronounced her dead, later to certifying that her cause of death was old age. Two weeks earlier, Mrs Grundy had consulted Shipman at his surgery in a line of shops close to Hyde's market place. She chatted to the doctor about whether she needed to have her ears syringed before Shipman excused himself. He went into the waiting room to ask two patients, Claire Hutchinson and Paul Spencer, if they could witness Mrs Grundy's signature. He presented a sheet of folded paper; they obliged.

Shipman's surgery in Hyde

After her unexpected death, Shipman advised her grieving friends to contact local solicitors Hamilton Ward, who he said handled Mrs Grundy's affairs. Shipman knew that the firm had a will because he had typed it himself on the battered old Brother manual typewriter that police found in his surgery. He had dated it June 9 and signed it, forging Mrs Grundy's signature; he also forged the signatures of the witnesses, Ms Hutchinson and Mr Spencer, who had unknowingly given him examples to copy. "I give all my estate, money and house to my doctor," Shipman typed on a standard will form he could have bought at the newsagent's next to his surgery. "My family are not in need and I want to reward him for all the care he has given to me and the people of Hyde." He left behind a fingerprint which was later found by forensic scientists. It was not a neat job: it was written entirely in upper case, with missing letters where the typewriter had failed to keep up with his greedy fingers. "It was a cack-handed attempt at forgery," said Detective Superintendent Bernard Postles, who led the murder inquiry.

The will purported to leave Shipman an estate worth £386,402, including Mrs Grundy's home and a house she owned in Stockport. Hamilton Ward received it on June 24, the day Mrs Grundy died. It was accompanied by a letter which Shipman wrote on the same typewriter he had used for the will. He dated it June 9 and signed it "K Grundy". It said: "Dear Sir, I enclose a copy of my will. I think it is clear in intent. I wish Dr shipman [sic] to benefit by having my estate but if he dies or cannot accept it, then the estate goes to my daughter. "I would like you to be the executor of the will. I intend to make an appointment to discuss this and my will in the near future." Staff at the Hamilton Ward office in Hyde were puzzled: they had never acted for Mrs Grundy. They filed the will and awaited developments.

On June 30, they received a letter, without an address, dated June 28 and typed on the now familiar Brother typewriter. "Dear Sir, I regret to inform you that Mrs K Grundy of 79 Joel Lane, Hyde, died last week. I understand that she lodged a will with you, as I as a friend typed it out for her. Her daughter is at the address and you can contact her there." It was signed S or F Smith. Shipman had ticked the "cremation" box on the will form. But Mrs Grundy was not cremated: she was buried at Hyde Chapel on July 1 after a funeral service attended by hundreds of friends. Shipman was not among them

A couple of weeks later, staff at Hamilton Ward managed to contact Mrs Grundy's daughter Angela Woodruff, herself a solicitor living in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. She was surprised to hear about the will because she had a will signed by her mother leaving the estate to her. When she saw it, she at once suspected it was a forgery. "The whole thing was just unbelievable," Mrs Woodruff said, giving evidence at Shipman's trial. "The thought of mum "signing a document so badly typed leaving everything to her doctor just didn't make any sense. It was inconceivable."

Mrs Woodruff began her own inquiries: contacting the will's supposed witnesses and comparing the signatures. Last night, she spoke of the "credibility gap" she had to traverse in order to accept her own conclusions. "For us to believe that the doctor had possibly forged a will, had possibly killed my mother, was a huge gap to cross," she said in a BBC interview. When she told police of her concerns on July 24, she sparked what eventually became one of the world's biggest investigations into the activities of a serial killer.

Shipman had never before attempted to profit from his killings; the first time he tried, it led to his downfall. No one knows why he changed tack and he has given no explanation.

Mrs Grundy's body was exhumed on August 1 1998 and morphine was found in her muscle tissue. Shipman had not just taken Mrs Grundy's life; he tried to destroy her good name to cover his tracks. He altered her medical records to suggest that she was abusing codeine, which can break down into morphine after death. He made up an entry suggesting she had come to see him on December 10 1996 and that her pupils were small, a sign of a persistent drug user. He added in near illegible handwriting: "Constipated. Drug abuse at her age? Codeine - wait and see?" Kathleen Grundy's death was the last in a long line of murders carried out by Shipman. His method was consistent: a swift, injection of morphine.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/feb/01/shipman.health14

Shipman at conviction

Shipman committed suicide in Wakefield Prison, Yorkshire on 13 January 2004, having served just 4 years of his life sentence and without ever confessing or explaining his crimes. He was interviewed by West Yorkshire Police following his conviction about possible murders in Pontefract and Todmorden but refused to cooperate. No further charges were ever brought. However, it is apparent that without tenacity of both Angela Woodruff and Dr Reynolds this prolific serial killer may have continued killing for much longer, if indeed he was ever caught. The case, and the subsequent Public Inquiry, has changed policing, the NHS and the coronial system in the UK forever with the aim of preventing such crimes by a doctor in a trusted position from ever happening again and, should the worst occur, of identifying the crimes sooner.

Kathleen Grundy was Shipman's last victim. For information about his first confirmed victim, Eva Lyons, visit this excellent post

Sources:

An article published by the BBC today about people in Hyde with direct experience of Shipman and their suspicions and concerns about him: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2qnvjj39jo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Shipman

The murders

On 20 May 1999 police following a lead in a missing persons case in the previously unremarkable rural South Australian village of Snowtown entered a disused bank vault and discovered the worst case of serial killing in Australian history.

The bank

The bank vault

Inside the vault they recovered six barrels filled with acid and the dismembered remains of eight people, as well as evidence of torture and murder. Further investigation led to discovery of a total eleven victims:

• Clinton Tresize
• Ray Davies
• Suzanne Allen
• Michelle Gardiner (formerly Michael Gardiner)
• Vanessa Lane (formerly Barry Lane)
• Thomas Trevilyan
• Gavin Porter
• Troy Youde
• Frederick Brooks
• Gary O’Dwyer
• Elizabeth Haydon
• David Johnson

All were murdered between 1992 and 1998 by four perpetrators - John Bunting, Robert Wagner, James Vlassakis and Mark Haydon - with the remaining deposition sites of the bodies in various parts of northern Adelaide. The motives for the murders appear mixed and unclear, with ringleader Bunting apparently having convinced the others that the victims were either paedophiles, homosexuals (Wagner himself was gay and a number of the victims were his partners) or "weak." As well as torturing the victims in a number of cases, including with electrocution, the killers often stole the victims identities, social security numbers, bank account details and valuables, collecting an estimated $97,200. The torture utilised appears to have escalated as the killing spree progressed. Many of the victims were vulnerable, with learning difficulties, from marginalised backgrounds, had health problems, little family support, lack of financial resources and/or were living on the margins of society.

An excavated deposition site

Bunting, Wagner and Haydon

Snowtown and Tourism

Whilst not well known globally, the Snowtown murders were a media sensation in Australia, with extensive coverage about the gruesome nature of the killings and depictions of the victims emphasising their disadvantaged backgrounds and existence at the edges of society. This coverage culminated in the 2011 release of a film based on the killings called Snowtown. The nature of the crimes and media coverage led to huge interest in Snowtown, though only one of the murders was committed there, none of the victims or perpetrators had connections to the town and the remains in the barrels had only been moved to the bank a few months before discovery. Snowtown was simply a deposition site yet became the focus of ‘dark tourism’ (tourism to places of death or disaster) and remains so, with up to 200 car-loads of people per day coming to the town in the immediate weeks following discovery of the remains, and tourists still visiting the abandoned bank building 20 years on.

The situation in Snowtown is by no means unique or new. Dark tourism to sites linked to serial killing, mass shootings and other murders dates back at least 200 years. Indeed, academic research conducted in Snowtown by Kim and Butler in 2015 found that a significant portion of residents were supportive of dark tourism, seeing it as an opportunity for economic revival of a town deeply impacted by the downturn in Australia’s agricultural economy in the late twentieth century. Local businesses expanded opening days from three to five days a week and developed new business opportunities due to increased visitor numbers. One local business owner wished to buy the bank building and reopen it as a museum and education centre, though was thwarted her attempt by lack of political engagement. Those who objected to dark tourism tended to be longer standing residents who argued about ethical concerns and the impact on the reputation of their hometown.

Resident concerns also reflected that, due to lack of support from authorities, the town was unable to develop infrastructure to support tourism. When demolition of the bank building had been considered authorities ruled this out due to expense of removing asbestos within. However, the alternative option of turning the building into a museum and education centre was also not supported. Lack of legal ownership of the property and support from local government in resolving the issue, despite the huge implications of its presence, left the community with the empty bank vault a permanent reminder of the gruesome events which had occurred on their doorstep but no way to turn those events into a positive contribution to the community. As a result, some locals perceived an unwelcoming atmosphere had developed towards visitors and some citizens took advantage of interest by selling ethically dubious, perpetrator-focused souvenirs.

A souvenir fridge magnet

More \"souvenirs\"

Discussion points

I am interested in this, and similar cases of crime-related dark tourism, as my academic research focuses on true crime, dark tourism and the links between them. For my PhD I am researching Irish true crime documentaries, how the audience engages with them, how the impact on how audiences view Ireland and whether it changes their desire to travel there. Your thoughts on of course Snowtown, which is a shocking and interesting case in itself, but also on true crime and dark tourism would be really interesting to hear.

https://preview.redd.it/vqa9oacgsqfe1.jpg?width=203&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e4db830dda0654f7eb9a8cf676dbbc12ee93070f

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowtown_murders

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-20/can-snowtown-ever-shake-off-its-dark-past/11082778

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-21/were-the-snowtown-killings-inspired-by-george-orwell/11087930

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14766825.2014.918621

Today marks 80 years since the liberation of the largest Nazi concentration camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, by the Russian Army in the last months of World War II, and also marks Holocaust Memorial Day. Auschwitz was actually a complex of over 40 connected camps, both to hold prisoners for slave labour and for extermination, situated close to the Polish town of Oświęcim. The camp became central to the Nazi's Final Solution, with at least 1.1 million people (mostly Jews) murdered there during its operations and at least 1.3 million prisoners passing through or living in the camp during that time.

The train line which carried prisoners on trains to Auschwitz, where they were selected for extermination or slave labour

The camp gate

As the Soviet Army approached the camp the SS tried to destroy evidence of Nazi crimes at Auschwitz, blowing up the gas chambers and destroying archives which recorded the murderous activities which they had meticulously and proudly documented, before sending all prisoners who were still able to walk on Death Marches to camps in Germany and Austria during which countless more, weakened by starvation and slave labour, died. Those left behind at Auschwitz were very ill and left to fend for themselves without supplies and await liberation, which finally came when the Soviets entered the camp on 27th January 1945.

Death March routes

Images of prisoners held at Auschwitz-Birkenau

Auschwitz-Birkenau is recognised as the site of the largest mass murder to ever take place in one single location. The vast majority of these murders took place through gassings in gas chambers, with the bodies being burned in crematoria or buried in mass graves. However, many also succumbed to starvation and disease, were executed by the SS through shootings or beatings, or died as a result of horrific medical experiments conducted by camp doctors such as Dr Mengele.

Detail of the horrors perpetrated in the name of Nazi ideology at Auschwitz-Birkenau can be found at the following sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz_concentration_camp

https://www.auschwitz.org/en/home-page-80/

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/31/

On this 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau lets remember the victims of the Holocaust and ensure we all play our part in preventing this horror from ever happening again.

The 1996 murder of Sophie Toscan du Plantier in West Cork, Ireland is a high-profile and mysterious case which has attracted significant media attention, particularly in recent years due to Netflix and Sky documentaries and a successful podcast covering the case.

Background

Sophie Toscan du Plantier (born Sophie Bouniol) was a French film producer, married to famous French TV and film producer Daniel Toscan du Plantier, and with a 15 year old son from her first marriage. She lived with them in Paris but kept a second home in a small hamlet of three cottages close to the rural village of Schull in West Cork, Ireland where she visited regularly. Sophie was well liked by locals, and enjoyed the peaceful coastal countryside, particularly the view of the Fastnet lighthouse from her cottage.

Sophie Toscan du Plantier

The Murder

In the early hours of 23rd December 1996 Sophie, aged 39, was attacked outside her cottage, where she was staying alone before returning to France for Christmas. Sophie's body was discovered by a neighbour at 10am lying near the gate at the bottom of the driveway entrance to her home.

Sophie's cottage seen from the driveway where her body was found

Clothed in nightwear and boots, her long-john bottoms were caught in the barbed wire fencing next to where she lay. She had been beaten in the head with a concrete block and piece of slate, with bloodstains found on the gate, the surrounding driveway, and her clothing. Her head injuries were severe, with little chance of survival even if found, and she had defensive wounds on her hands as well as scratchers from the bramble bushes next to to her. Her facial injuries were do severe she could not be formally identified by her neighbour. Sophie's body was left lying outside for 28 hours until the State Pathologist arrived from Dublin, compromising the ability to determine time of death. Cause of death was determined to be "laceration and swelling of the brain, fracture of the skull, and multiple blunt head injuries."

The crime scene

The concrete block

The investigation

Gardai (the Irish police) have been heavily criticised for their handling of the investigation into Sophie's murder, which was complex from the beginning, without clear leads or suspects immediately apparent. Over the years several items of evidence have "gone missing", including the blood stained gate, there have been allegations of witness coercion, and pages of the investigation file have disappeared or been altered.

However, within weeks British journalist Ian Bailey, resident of the area for some years, was identified as the prime suspect. Bailey worked as a freelance journalist (sometimes publishing under the Irish spelling of his first name, Eoin), fish farm worker and market stall holder. An alcoholic for much of his adult life, Bailey lived with his partner Jules Thomas, against whom he perpetuated a number of incidents of domestic violence, including an assault which left her hospitalised and for which he was convicted in 2001.

Ian Bailey in 1996

Bailey came to the attention of Gardai as the first journalist on scene on the morning of the murder, which some wondering how he got there so quickly or even knew where the murder had occurred. . Several witnesses report being told by Bailey before noon that he was reporting on the murder of a French woman when this information had not been made public, raising the question of how he knew the victim was French. Others report being offered crime scene photos by him at about 11am. Bailey was observed to have scratches on his arms, which he claimed occurred when cutting down a Christmas tree, and a wound on his face, which he said was the result of a turkey kicking him. Witnesses with him the evening before the murder could not recall seeing these wounds, and investigators couldn’t replicate them by cutting down trees as he had described.

Bailey continued to write about the murders for the newspapers, making unsubstantiated claims that Sophie had “multiple male companions” and appearing to be steering suspicion towards a suspect in France rather than Ireland. He claimed not to have known Sophie, but several witnesses report that the two were acquainted, including Sophie’s neighbour Alf Lyons, for whom Bailey did gardening work and who states he introduced the pair. Bailey and Jules gave conflicting and changing stories about the night of the murder, with Jules initially claiming they were both in bed all night but later saying Bailey had got up at approximately 11pm and came back at 9 am with a new injury to his forehead. Ian also changed his story, saying he got up at 4 am, went to a second property the couple owned nearby to write an article for about 30 minutes before returning to bed.

A number of witnesses claim that Bailey made confessions about committing the murder to them, although Bailey disputes this and claims that on some occasions this has been a misunderstanding of his British sense of humour. Another witness, Marie Farrell, claims she had seen a man she later identified as Bailey at Kealfadda Bridge at 3 am on the night of the murder, this being significant as Kealfadda Bridge is at the bottom of the road which leads up to Sophie’s cottage. She gave public evidence to this affect at a libel trial brought by Bailey against a number of newspapers (which he subsequently lost), reporting being intimidated by him and asked to retract her statement in the wake of that trial. 10 years later she did retract her statement and gave evidence supporting Bailey in a civil case for wrongful arrest (which he also lost).

One of the newspaper articles by Bailey which raised suspicions

Legal developments

Over the years Bailey was arrested twice but never charged. However, Sophie's family continued to campaign for this to happen and in 2019, after a long legal battle, Bailey was convicted in absentia by the French court. The Irish courts refused his extradition both before trial and after conviction, so he never served his 25 year prison sentence. Bailey maintained his innocence throughout. He also faced civil litigation in Ireland in a case brought by Sophie's family, with a High Court judge ruling he was liable for her death as the most likely person to have committed the murder.

Ian Bailey in later life

However, the case remains controversial for a number of reasons:

- Was Bailey guilty? Bailey's involvement has been hotly debated. He courted publicity and made statements considered incriminating. His behaviour on social media also raised concerns, with a clear streak of misogyny apparent. A psychiatrist's report prepared for the French trial described his personality as "constructed on narcissism, psycho-rigidity, violence, impulsiveness, egocentricity, with an intolerance to frustration and a great need for recognition. Under the liberating effects of alcohol, he had the tendency to become violent." After his unsuccessful Irish libel case, the judge described Bailey as "a man who likes a certain amount of notoriety, that he likes perhaps to be in the limelight, that he likes a bit of self-publicity." However, there was no direct evidence linking him to the crime and Jules has continued to defend him, despite the couple having split in 2021.

- The French trial: The French court's decision to convict Bailey in absentia helped bring some resolution to Sophie’s family. However, it raised questions about the fairness of a trial which some observed seemed designed to convict and was held without Bailey’s presence or any defence conducted on his behalf (although this was Bailey’s choice).

- Other suspects: There have been various theories about the identity of the killer, including a local connection, random attack or links to France, but no suspects have been identified.

Current status

The murder of Sophie remains officially unsolved in Ireland, with her family frustrated and angry at the lack of answers and accountability. Her son still owns her cottage in Cork and visits regularly.

Jean-Pierre Gazeau, Sophie’s uncle, has stressed the family’s desire for a meaningful investigation into all the circumstances of Sophie’s murder and the legal processes which followed. He called for a public inquiry, stating “the case continues to be a source of considerable public disquiet. It is only right and proper that a public inquiry be held to establish for the family and the public the facts of both the crime and the investigation.”

Ian Bailey died of a heart attack on 21 January 2024, aged 66. If he really did have the answers to the mystery of Sophie’s death it appears he took them to his grave, although following his death Gardaí searched his flat, taking potential evidence including a laptop, memory sticks, notebooks and personal items which may yield a DNA profile. Evidence has been sent to the FBI for DNA investigations and a cold case review continues. Whether Bailey was a killer remains unclear but his behaviour in the years after the death, courting media attention, playing up to the cameras, making provocative statements and undertaking civil litigation, undoubtedly only made the suffering of Sophie’s family that much worse and raises questions about how being at the centre of the case of a notorious death can make people behave in strange, ethically questionable ways, as well as what it may indicate about their guilt or innocence

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Sophie_Toscan_du_Plantier

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/the-story-of-the-sophie-toscan-du-plantier-murder-investigation-a-chronology-1.2158891

https://news.sky.com/story/nobody-would-talk-about-it-film-producers-murder-in-tiny-irish-town-remains-shrouded-in-mystery-12336396

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13610226/

https://www.westcorkpodcast.com/

MASSIVE TRIGGER WARNING: SEXUAL VIOLENCE

On Friday 13th February at 3:50pm, having caught the train from Southend-on-Sea, eager to stay the weekend, see the sights and tuck into the delicious suet pudding her mum had promised to bake, 15 year old Barbara Joan Lowe, entered 9/10 Gosfield Street and knocked on the door of flat 4…

…but here was no reply. She knocked again. Nothing. Having spotted a brown paper parcel at her feet, post-marked with Monday’s date, Barbara queried with the neighbours who confirmed it was odd that they hadn’t seen or heard from her mother in days, and gripped with a queasy feeling of dread, Barbara called the Police.

At 4:30pm, Detective Sergeant Leonard Blacktop of C Division from West End Central police station on nearby Saville Row arrived at 9/10 Gosfield Street to investigate the possible disappearance of a 43 year old alcoholic, nothing more. Unable to access flat 4 owing to a locked door and Barbara having no key, DS Blacktop deduced that most alcoholics (prone to lapses in memory) would likely keep a spare key nearby, and having found one under her doormat, the detective entered the flat.

On initial inspection, although (with the lights off, the electricity metre money having ran out and the windows covered in blackout curtains) the flat was in total darkness, but as DS Blacktop shone his torch around her tiny congested sitting room, nothing seemed disturbed, out-of-place or damaged.

As he walked along the thin dark passageway towards the cramped kitchenette in the backroom, DS Blacktop noticed what looked like the contents of her handbag, strewn across the kitchen table; a few letters, three ration books, a pink lipstick, two Yale keys and a six-inch metal torch, but no money, no handbag and (unusually for a heavy smoker) no cigarette case. As well as a bottle of stout, which was three quarters full, but no glasses. And with the kitchen cupboards opened, rifled and their contents scattered, spilling all manner of cutlery (including forks, knives and a can-opener) across the work-surfaces, it looked like a burglary, but so far, there was still no sign of Margaret.

The only room left to try was her bedroom. With the door locked, no suitable key found and three days having passed, with Barbara’s permission, DS Blacktop forced her bedroom door. And although the room was dark, in the middle, lying on her bed, he saw the unmistakable sight of the strangled and mutilated body of 43 year old Margaret Florence Lowe.

Having escalated the case up to Chief Inspector Edward Greeno of Scotland Yard, this was now no longer a hunt for a missing person, this was a murder investigation.

In an unnervingly similar crime scene to that of Evelyn Oatley, it didn’t look as if a struggle had taken place; the coal fire had been on, the bedside lamp was off, her clothes were neatly folded and placed on a wooden chair, and on the mantelpiece was a half full glass of stout, which two people had shared. In fact, the only detritus in the room was a used condom and the broken handle of a fire poker.

Just like Evelyn Oatley, Margaret Lowe was semi-clad and lying flat on her back; her lifeless body spread diagonally across her double divan bed, as resting on a blood-soaked pillow was her purple swollen head, as the wide inky black pupils of her bloodshot eyes stared vacantly towards the door.

And as before, his attack was swift, violent and shocking, as having struck Margaret across the left side of her face, head and jaw with a metal fire-poker, he used such force that the poker broke. With his victim suitably subdued, grabbing a black stocking off the chair, he tied the taut nylon so tightly, it left a one inch indentation around her neck, and having securely knotted it, with the blood forcing her swollen purple face to rupture and mucus to seep from her nose and mouth, as she gasped her last few gulps of air, during her last few moments alive, he set about mutilating the rest of her body.

With her nightdress rucked-up around her bare breasts, her legs spread wide and her knees drawn-up to her hips, lying between her thighs (as if he was showing off his trophies) was a white handled bread knife, a black handled table knife, a potato peeler and a broken piece of fire-poker.

Across her abdomen was a five inch wound, so deep it exposed her intestines and sliced her uterus. Along her right thigh was a ten inch slash, so deep it severed her great saphenous vein, bleeding so profusely her bed was soaked with blood. And all of which he did when she was either alive, dying or unconscious. And in a final act of humiliation, with her electric metal torch in the kitchen and nothing else to hand, he inserted a six inch candle deep into her vagina, almost as if it was his birthday.

Photo and text from https://www.murdermiletours.com/blog/archives/04-2018

Additional resources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Cummins?wprov=sfla1

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Mbg3ajVzPV9jPfVzdmaps?si=WSdPZZqHQ9yIMo3GPZqk1w

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4fRLivLHDSiYRQX7ZsmpMn?si=ShQnPslBRyCtcj2K1Vwc2g