Crimes That Shook Britain Episode Rating Graph

Christmas Eve 2022, 26-year-old beautician Elle Edwards was enjoying a night out with friends and family in a local Merseyside pub. Shortly before midnight, she stepped outside for some fresh air. Minutes later, she was struck down in a torrent of machine gun bullets as the unintended victim of a gangland shooting. As the nation reeled from the breaking news on Christmas morning, Merseyside Police launched their biggest-ever murder investigation. But as they faced obstacles and delays, the local community had to break their wall of silence to help bring the killer to justice

Drug dealer Dale Cregan hit the headlines in 2012 when he murdered police officers Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone. Dermot Murnaghan examines the tragic case

One of the UK’s biggest sex trafficking rings was uncovered in Rochdale in 2012. In a horrific catalogue of abuse, girls as young as 13 were subjected to rape and torture by a gang of nine men. One 15-year-old girl was even ‘recruited’ by the gang to lure other girls into the trap. After plying them with alcohol and money, the victims would be raped by up to twenty men at a time. The gang were sentenced to between four and nineteen years for their crimes.

When a young goth couple, Sophie Lancaster and Rob Maltby, were set upon by a ‘pack of feral thugs’, the vicious attack leaves eyewitnesses afraid to speak up. Despite the very public attack, a wall of silence falls around the offenders. Police investigators tried innovative tactics to gain the trust of the witnesses, but it was Sophie’s death two weeks later that shocked the close-knit community into action.

Failed businessman Christopher Foster killed his wife and daughter before burning their mansion in Shropshire to the ground in August 2008.

The brutal murder of 16-year-old Brianna Ghey shocked the world. The trans-teenager was a vulnerable victim, who lived almost her entire life online and found friendship in her thousands of social media followers. Brianna was manipulated by her killers, who posed as friends to lure her to her death. With the two offenders at large, the police investigation moved at speed to uncover shocking evidence of a cold and calculated murder.

During the height of lockdown, families and friends were separated from their loved ones. The death of Shakira Spencer was the culmination of systematic cruelty at the hands of people she originally believed to be friends with. Separated from her family and even her own children, Shakira was tortured and abused during a time when people were rarely allowed to visit one another.

10-year-old Jack Lis was at his friend’s house when he was savagely attacked by a powerful and aggressive dog. Despite desperate attempts by first responders, his injuries were catastrophic. Jack’s death was one of the first in a series of deadly dog attacks that were sweeping the UK. With over 50,000 XL Bullies in the country, their massive size, strength, and potential for aggression created a wave of fear in communities. Following newspaper campaigns and public demands for action, dog owners feared a knee-jerk reaction that would punish innocent animals. But as the list of fatalities continued to grow, action had to be taken.

Double murderer, John Sweeney, brutally murdered two of his girlfriends, dismembered their bodies and dumped them in canals. Handed two life sentences he was told he will die in prison. In a macabre twist, a key detective on the case tells how Sweeney allegedly hid clues to his killings in abstract paintings he produced, and how FIVE other girlfriends of his are currently missing as well.

Garry Newlove, a married father of three, was beaten to death outside his home in Warrington, Cheshire in August 2007.

Police and witnesses reflect on David Copeland's nail bomb terror in 1999, when blasts in Soho, Brixton and Brick Lane killed three and injured over one hundred.

The parents of innocent 11-year-old Rhys Jones, shot on his way home from football club in Liverpool 2007, speak about the harrowing day when they lost their son.

Peter Tobin is one of the most notorious serial killers in the UK. From 1991 – 2006 he raped and murdered three young girls, Dinah McNicol, Vicky Hamilton and Angelika Kluk. Yet even prior to these horrific murders he had a history of violence, raping two 14-year-old girls and leaving them for dead. Luckily they survived. 

An inside look at the series of mysterious deaths that occurred at the Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport, Greater Manchester, in 2011.

Examining the murder of EastEnders actress Gemma McCluskie, who was killed by her older brother in the east London flat they shared in 2012.

In this special episode, we focus on those criminals who have been brought to justice for one crime only to be released to commit further terrible acts. We speak to legal professionals to discover if the system is at fault or have these killers exploited legal loopholes. We talk to victims and relatives of killers who preyed on their loved ones – if the perpetrators had been kept inside – would their loved ones still be alive? And we discuss with campaigners what can be done to ensure the justice system can both rehabilitate but also ensure our safety.

Documenting the landmark case of Stephen Lawrence, who died at the hands of a racist gang on 22 April 1993 while waiting for a bus in Eltham, south-east London.

The tragic story of Ann Maguire, who was stabbed to death by a pupil while teaching a Spanish lesson at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds.

When a missing person is found dead in North London, investigators discover the sadistic killer has already struck before. Iuliana Tudos was a popular 22-year-old who disappeared on Christmas Eve. Her friends launched a frantic search and discovered her mutilated body themselves. In a shocking twist, the police were able to link her killer to an unsolved murder from weeks earlier – where a retired civil servant was found bound and gagged in her own bedroom.

A father/son trip to the capital ended in horror as 51-year-old Lee Pomeroy fell victim to a ferocious knife attack on a commuter train. Lee was brutally stabbed 18 times in 25 seconds and died in the arms of his 14-year-old son. The attacker, who was already known to the police and mental health workers, fled the scene as British Transport Police scrambled to track him down. Once apprehended, it was up to investigators to prove that Lee’s murderer was as unprovoked, as it was ruthless.

Eight year-old Sarah Payne's disappearance and murder shocked the nation.

Myra Hindley and Ian Brady were convicted of murdering five young boys and girls between 1963 and 1965. Until 1985 both killers maintained their innocence, but eventually confessed and led police to all but one of the bodies – Keith Bennett, who remains missing until this day. We investigate the brutal murders through relatives and officers, and look into new information held by Bennett’s brother that could finally reveal his resting place.