"He spoke to her solicitor who said she was a very shy, gentle, well-read, [a] nice woman. Shutters set for King's Mill Reservoir activity centre after spate of crime Andrew Topping. In the meantime, Nottinghamshire detectives had tried to contact the Edwards by phone and e-mail, but after receiving one response there had been nothing more. A second jury then found her guilty at a retrial after the judge refused to allow the jury to hear certain evidence after ruling that it had no bearing on the case. Colman revealed to Sky News that Ed had uncovered a fresh side to the villainous couple. In February 2015, Susan Edwards lost an appeal against her 25-year minimum sentence. He said that the lack of defensive injuries indicated that Kevin Childerley had been asleep when he was attacked. It was heard that her memory had come back to her ten months later after watching a Crimestoppers TV film and she had named the 32-year-old man as the assailant. When she asked why they had gone to France, he told her what had happened - saying that Susan had shot her mother, and he had helped his to bury her parents in the back garden, but not admitting to their murders. Her right eye was so badly damaged that it had to be removed. "The imposition of this minimum term will probably result in her dying in prison.". For other inquiries, Contact Us. An artist's impression of the long-haired man in his 20s was released but police never found him. At the trial, it was heard that one of the men tried had lied about an axe and a diary, but the court heard that that was not enough to convict him of murder. It should have been her day off. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Kevin Childerley's wife was left blind in one eye from the attack. Despite the breakthrough, the e-mail still posed a difficult problem for the police. After hearing the evidence the judge said 'I have come firmly to the view it is my duty to stop the case because no jury, properly directed by me, could possibly return any verdict other than a verdict of not guilty'. Now, he returns to face the haunting effect that his mother's. The truth about their fate emerged shortly afterwards. But once there, they continued to struggle for money. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Within the space of a few weeks, a former mining community was rocked by two gruesome killings, completely separate but just a few miles apart. View the catalogue description for. Worked for Notts police for 25 years and didn't even . Search must begin with a year to activate, current year will default, edit to suit your requirement. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Kent-born Mr Coniam had driven HGVs since 1988 and was an agency driver for several companies in Notts and Derbyshire, making regular runs to Italy, Spain and the Netherlands as well as domestic work. But staff there never saw him and Mr Stevens, who lived in Harlaxton Drive, never returned home. Everything about Landscapers is magical, there is nothing like it.". The couple's grim plot to get away with murder began with a bang on the May bank holiday weekend of 1998. Subscribe today and access a range of benefits, free. Her husband was usually out for 15 to 20 minutes. The irony was that the Edwards didn't even succeed in paying off their debts. For that charge, they would go to trial at Nottingham Crown Court in June. She had been bludgeoned to death. Mansfield. The remains of Patricia, 63, and William, 85, were soon discovered wrapped in duvets and buried on top of one another. Sign up for it here. The widow was found in a pool of blood at her home in Loughrigg Close, The Meadows on March 28, 1992. The benefit is paid every four weeks, either on a Monday or a Tuesday - and there is no limit to how many children a parent or guardian can claim for. The UKs bestselling monthly subscription magazine. I saw the 32-year-old man'. We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. FOURTEEN years on from James Brodie's disappearance, his body is yet to be found. Just over two decades ago Susan and Christopher Edwards shot the former's parents dead on a quiet cul-de-sac in Mansfield. But what police discovered would eventually reveal a shocking story of greed, deceit and murder. An old part of Forest Town known as The Avenues is the high-density housing built as homes for the workers from the nearby Crown Farm Colliery (also known as 'Mansfield Colliery'), once a . Mr Draycott had just pulled up outside his Sutton-in-Ashfield home in a black Mercedes when he was shot ten times at about 9.15pm on October 7, 2002. Police data is usually published two months in arrears, so December 2022 are the latest figures. By that time, the post mortem examination had established that both people discovered in the garden at Blenheim Close died as a result of being shot. The couple killed Susan's parents and buried them in the back garden, Never miss a crime story with our free email updates. A forged document relating to the sale of the house in Blenheim Close in 2005. It was heard that they were charged mainly on Kevin Childerley's wife's memory coming back to her ten months later, but at the trial it was heard that it was unlikely or impossible that her memories could have been real. It's thought that the Wycherleys had kept an inheritance from Susan's step-grandmother that was meant for Susan, and the murders were part of a dark plot to reclaim the cash. This included the proceeds of the sale of the house in Blenheim Close, sold in 2005 for 66,938 using a false signature. THE murder of Donald Stevens was surrounded by an absence of motive. In December 2021, Mansfield was the worst major town in Nottinghamshire for bicycle theft, with 3 crimes reported and a crime rate of 0.04 per 1,000 inhabitants. The scale of the couple's deviousness in maintaining the charade that the Wycherleys were still alive in order to cash-in was exposed. We are based in Mansfield. The former librarian claimed she had visited the house in Forest Town over the early May bank holiday weekend in 1998, and had been woken on the Sunday, May 3, by a loud bang. They were each handed a life sentence with a minimum of 25 years. THE case of Beatrice Greig is unusual in the sense that two convictions have been brought. Under the cover of darkness, he and Susan wrapped the pensioners' bodies in a duvet and carried them downstairs and into the garden where they buried the couple. Christopher shot Patricia and William Wycherley twice with a Second World War revolver inside the back bedroom of the victims' semi-detached home. [1] Before 1907 the village was known as Hucknall-under . The overall crime rate in Nottinghamshire in 2021 was 76 crimes per 1,000 people, and the most common crimes were violence and sexual offences, which happened to roughly every 30 out of 1,000 residents. The overall crime rate in Mansfield Woodhouse in 2021 was 60 crimes per 1,000 people. It took sixteen years before the truth came to light and the pair were imprisoned for murder. Some of the companies Mr Coniam drove for told police they became suspicious of his activities when he consistently took longer than expected to complete journeys. The material is for general information only and does not constitute investment, tax, legal, medical or other form of advice. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. / 53.125; -1.301. However, the prosecution insisted that the Edwardses had both been present on that fateful weekend and it was most likely that, as a former gun club member, Christopher himself had fired the shots from a Second World War vintage .38 revolver. If you provide contact details, we will be in touch about your request within 10 working days. He was also seen half an hour later in Silverdale Road, Basford, carrying the drawer. Here we uncover the shocking true story behind the drama series which landed the Edwardses in prison for life. Neighbours also recalled seeing him up to his waist digging in the garden at the time. The murder weapon believed to be a semi-automatic handgun was never found. Kevin Childerley was found dead when the police arrived, and it was reported that his wife had certainly been left for dead. Van driver rammed police cars during M1 chase. A black wig with red tints was seen on the ground after Mr Watson's murder. Of course, they'd already been dead and buried for 13 years. On the first day that banks were open again after the two killings, Susan Edwards went to the Halifax in Mansfield, and withdrew all the money (about 40,000) from two joint accounts which were in the names of her parents. His stepmother went to the police at the beginning of October, 2014. Something went wrong, please try again later. It was on October 9, 2013, that the bodies of Mr and Mrs Wycherley were discovered in the garden of the house in Blenheim Close. While Susan and Christopher admitted they had buried the Wycherleys in the garden, they denied murder. Despite the cash grab, they still ended up owing 160,000 to creditors at the time of their arrest thanks to splurging thousands on strange items including signed photos of 1950s film star Gary Cooper. When she was accused of lying, she said, 'What am I going to gain by putting an innocent man down, because that means the real man is still about. Edwards, with the help of her husband Christopher, murdered her parents in order to plunder their bank accounts, splurging thousands on celebrity autographs and other Hollywood memorabilia. Mansfield. 16-year-old knocked man unconscious in defence of autistic boy under attack, A scuffle broke out in Nottingham Railway Station, Neighbours 'very scared' as huge police response called to attack on young man, 'Selfish' gang of graffiti vandals branded 'idiots' after defacing trains, They used the cover of darkness to spray large 'tag' names on carriages, What is Cuckooing? A Mansfield perspective on news, sport, what's on, lifestyle and more, from your local paper the Mansfield and Ashfield Chad. At some point, she threw the gun on the bed. Murder charge man committed for trial A MAN charged with the murder of eightyear-old Mansfield Woodhouse girl, Kar in Griffin, has been committed for trial at Nottingham Crown Court. He left the New Foresters pub in St Ann's Street at 2.40am on Sunday, April 29, and was last seen on CCTV walking along Huntingdon Street. However, she said that she thought nothing of it and went back to sleep. The 32-year-old man was acquitted after the court heard evidence from a medical expert. But it was the details of their deception that beggared belief. The Edwardses were sentenced to life with a minimum of 25 years each. His body was found in St Ann's Hill Road shortly before midnight with stab wounds to the chest and abdomen. They settled in South Dakota, where they remained for several years before Mrs Maschek returned to the city alone to move into a bedsit in Douglas Road, Lenton. But eventually their elaborate web of lies unravelled and they handed themselves in to cops in Lille after fleeing to France. The murder of the Wycherleys gave them the opportunity to get out of those difficulties. The second set of remains belonged to a well-built white woman, who was aged 40 or older. The court also heard from a consultant neurologist who said that he knew of no other comparable case and said that in his view it could not be a genuine memory recall, even if Kevin Childerley's wife thought it was. . Hospital appointments were cancelled. The 56-year-old had last been seen by work colleagues two days before. Loose Women star lined up to be Strictly's first contestant in wheelchair, GMB's Kate Garraway reveals crippling cost of caring for her husband Derek, Katie Price quits her big money TV comeback plunging show into chaos, Pregnant Dani Dyer shows off growing bump as she prepares for twin girls, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events, All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated, DPP - Records of the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP 2 - Director of Public Prosecutions: Case Papers, New Series, More information about the Freedom of Information review process, About our However, they said that tests would have to be carried out to confirm their identities. Please rate this website. Investigators would later argue the Edwardses had been motivated to carry out their crime by two things: money and revenge. "We would prefer to do this since my wife is already sufficiently frightened. But then, DCI Rob Griffin, who headed the investigation, received an email from Christopher that read: Later on today, we are going to surrender ourselves to the UK Border Force authorities at the Eurostar terminal at Lille Europe station. In 2014, Susan and Christopher Edwards were found guilty of the murder of Susans parents, whom they shot and buried in the couples back garden. get the latest news, interviews and reviews with Saga Magazine. MR Cope was found in a pool of blood in his caravan at Radcliffe-on-Trent Caravan Park, in Wharf Lane, on October 9, 1964. Read tagging guidelines. She had been struck with a flat instrument. DCI Griffin said the couple had acted with "cold calculation and meticulousness". They did this by diverting the Wycherley's pensions and benefits to themselves, and they even applied for loans and credit cards in the dead couple's name. He said: "We submit that it does have the potential to have been a slow-burning provocation over the years, and that the judge, if she did reject it, was wrong to do so.". Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Hospital appointments were cancelled. She said: "I felt sympathetic towards them early on because of what Ed had been finding out. Prosecutors also didn't believe the bodies had been left for over a week before being buried. The babysitter said that she was woken up by the sounds of Kevin Childerley's wife screaming and Kevin Childerley's moaning. A police officer was out in a marked vehicle when a Toyota Yaris failed to stop in Leeming Lane, Mansfield Woodhouse, shortly before 8.30pm on Monday, February 27. But they stuck to their story about the killings, denying that they'd murdered the Wycherleys. Suspicion eventually fell on a "scruffy" young man who would chat with Joan about classical music and ballet. Including breaking news, reports from Nottingham Crown Court and in-depth features. Published: Thursday 04 April 1991 Newspaper: Mansfield & Sutton Recorder Place: Sherwood Street, Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottingham. The house in Blenheim Close and (inset) Susan Edwards and Christopher Edwards. Check our listings here. The 62-year-old's attacker walked into Yeomans Army Stores, in Mansfield Road, at about 2.15pm on Friday, July 26, 1991 and hit her around the head with something like a hammer or a bottle. The father-of-one, also known as Noel Rydenna, was gunned down in Nefertiti's Secret hair salon in Peveril Street, Radford, at 1pm on Friday, November 7, 2003. Does equity release affect inheritance tax? They took the Wycherley's private pensions, industrial injuries benefits, winter fuel payments and Christmas bonuses. She was freed after 21 months when the Court of Appeal quashed the murder conviction on a technicality. They also pleaded guilty to theft of a credit balance from a Halifax bank account between May 4, 1998, and October 31, 2013 - an early clue of what lay behind the whole story. What finally panicked the Edwardses was a letter in 2012 to Mr Wycherley from the Centenarian Society, which helps people to celebrate their 100th birthdays, asking for a face-to-face meeting. Nottinghamshire is among the top 20 most dangerous counties in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. and 'Kev, help!'. * Original reporting by Rebecca Sherdley, Chris Breese, Dominic Howell, Alexander Britton, Jon Robinson and Bryan Henesey. Speaking about the Sky Original drama, Thewlis said: "This is without doubt the very finest project I have worked on for many years. Because Mr Ghafoor was a popular man, and well-liked by his colleagues, police investigating his death were baffled by the lack of response to their repeated appeals for information even after they brought in interpreters to encourage people from the Asian community to come forward. [Name withheld] (age 16): murder of Valerie Marjorie WARD on 3 January 1976 at Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. He went on to add that the only evidence linking the 21-year-old man to the murder was that of Kevin Childerley's wife and noted that the whole case hinged on her memory, stating that after recovering from her injuries, she had had no recollection of the events to enable her to identify her assailant or assailants, even if they were known to her. We continue to look into any new information surrounding these crimes. Mr Edwards, a former accounts clerk, said he had agreed to help bury his in-laws because he believed his wifes version of events and he didn't want to "throw her to the wolves" by going to the police. He and his family had only lived in Sherwood Street for the previous five months. In fact over just two years, Christopher Edwards spent 14,000 on mementos of movie star Cooper. Something went wrong, please try again later. 1752 The Moot Hall was erected by Henriette Cavendish Holles (d. December 1755), Countess of Oxford and Mortimer, then Lady of the Manor. Police say the club, near the junction with Radford Boulevard, was closing and there were about 40 people outside. They thought that Christopher Edwards had also been present on that weekend when the Wycherleys were killed. By then, the Edwardses had sold the Blenheim Close house, in 2005, for 66,938, with a false signature. However, the man denied that he held a grudge against Kevin Childerley or his wife. Eventually the money ran out and their lies came crashing down as they asked another relative for cash. NEIGHBOURS of Patricia and William Wycherley believed the couple had left their sleepy village near Mansfield but really they were dead and buried in a shallow grave in their own back garden.. By means of forged signatures and the setting up of joint accounts in her and her mothers name, Susan did not just empty 40,000 from their building society account, she obtained loans and credit cards by the same method. It was also stated by the prosecution that the 27-year-old man had admitted playing a part in the murder and to having driven the 32-year-old man to Kevin Childerley's house in Sherwood Street. A jury at Nottingham Crown Court found the pair guilty of murder just over 16 years after they committed their crime. Most bizarrely, perhaps, they had spent much of the stolen money on Hollywood memorabilia, which they bought and sold, including 14,000 on autographs of Gary Cooper and 20,000 on a signed photograph of Frank Sinatra. He said that he also had a wound to his chin that he thought had been made with a tool such as a chisel. They were each sentenced to life with a minimum of 25 years. He was stabbed 14 times at the base of his skull as he walked the family's pet dog, Blackie, in the early hours of. Timed at 1.34pm and marked as of high importance, it was from Christopher Edwards, and said: "Later on today we are going to surrender ourselves to the UK Border Force Authorities at the Eurostar terminal at Lille Europe station. In fact Pat and Bill, as they were known, had been shot and buried by their daughter Susan Edwards and her husband Christopher. Another 30 minutes passed and Mr and Mrs Ash left before Mr Wilson rang a taxi for Mr Smith at 12.15. Bizarrely, both perpetrators fled into the same. Instead of going along with it, Christopher's stepmother called the police, who in turn found the bodies buried in the garden. Mrs Edwards then shot her mother, she said, left the house and called her husband from a phone box - without revealing what had happened - before returning to the house, wrapping the bodies in blankets and hiding them under the bed. DCI Griffin said: "When we received that call on October 1, it was difficult to believe that what she said had happened could have happened. Two days later, an examination of the remains by an anthropologist revealed that one set of remains belonged to an elderly white man who was older than 60. A BBC One crime drama examines how murder ignites the deep divides in a former mining community. Bizarrely, his wife said they had then watched the Eurovision Song Contest on television, before bringing the bodies downstairs and burying them in the garden. Cleary appealed and was released after serving 9 years. Susan insisted she had shot Mrs Wycherley after extreme provocation, claiming, She said I was an unwanted child, and said her mother also knew she had been abused by her father as a child. Three people were arrested in February 2008 in connection with his death, but all were released. He was knocked to the ground and beaten to death by a group of between six and eight youths some armed with wooden clubs. They were both also acquitted of the attempted murder of Kevin Childerley's wife. On the first working day after the killings, Susan swiped 40,000 from her parents' accounts. A jury of eight women and four men took six hours to convict unanimously Susan and Christopher Edwards of murder. They worked on the basis that the Edwards had a plan to kill the elderly couple and then pretend they were still alive in order to take their money - whether that was pension payments, benefits, borrowing money in their names, or even selling their house. The aim of this article is to provide a brief overview of street level crime in Mansfield using the latest Police statistics. Her co-star, Harry Potter actor David Thewlis, added the truth was stranger than fiction. . In another twist, the court heard that letters Christopher believed the couple had been receiving from actor Gerard Depardieu were actually written by his wife. As Mr Wycherley's 100th birthday approached, the Department for Work and Pensions wrote to him requesting a face-to-face interview. Instead, the Edwardses took the next Eurostar to the UK, and were arrested at St Pancras International by officers sent by Griffin. Edwards, 57, made the statement shortly after beginning his evidence in his defence on Thursday. AROUND 40 people saw Theresa Jacobs gunned down outside a city nightclub but still the identity of her killer remains a mystery. She and Christopher had been living in a rented flat in Dagenham, east London, but in 2012 had moved to Lille in France. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. But she was dramatically freed by the Court of Appeal in 1998, when her conviction was declared unsafe. His 32-year-old wife was also injured in the attack. Mr Howker also said she is likely to die behind bars and will probably never see any visitors as she had no-one except her husband - who she might never see again. Earlier this year, familial DNA was used to identify the suspected Golden State Killer, a man thought to have committed multiple rapes, murders and burglaries across California in the 1970s and . Mrs Edwards wrote to relatives in 2007, explaining that her parents had decided to sell the house and were touring Ireland "because of the good air" and might decide to settle there permanently. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. It was heard that Kevin Childerley's wife had received poisonous pen letters about Kevin Childerley three years earlier, but that they had later stopped and it was thought that they had no bearing on Kevin Childerley's murder. However, it was also heard at the trial that the 27-year-old man had confessed to a woman that he had known for ten years, telling her that he had driven the 32-year-old man to Kevin Childerley's wife's house on the night of the murder. EXACTLY how Robert Keetley came to die still remains unclear. They admitted obstructing a coroner in the execution of his duty by burying the bodies between May 2 and May 10, 1998. 2. She said that, over a fish and chip supper, she told Christopher what had happened and that the bodies were still upstairs. 53.125N 1.301W. There was also a 20,000 signed photograph of Sinatra. Convicted. Two men were charged with his murder but were acquitted at Nottingham Crown Court on 7 March 1991. 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"They didn't lead a particularly lavish lifestyle," Det Ch Insp Rob Griffin, of the East Midlands major crime unit, told the BBC. Terence Shane McCready (29) of no fixed abode, also faces charges of . Police believe several people knew who his killer, was but were too worried about their own safety to come forward. He was right. An argument followed. Her daughter Patricia Bass was first found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in February 1995 at Nottingham Crown Court. It was the horrified stepmother who went to the police at the start of October 2013. Susan and Christopher found the letter and panicked, fleeing London for Lille in northern France. The most meaningful clue was that the killer was a hooded man. She said she went into the bedroom to find her father on the floor and her mother holding a revolver. Including breaking news, reports from Nottingham Crown Court and in-depth features.