Arguably Britain's most infamous serial killer, Peter Sutcliffe became known as The Yorkshire Ripper when he began murdering women in Yorkshire during the 1970's.

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

The horrific murder of Lin and Megan Russell in 1996 made headline news worldwide. Lin and her two daughters, Megan and Josie, were bludgeoned whilst walking down a country lane after a swimming lesson. Remarkably Rosie survived. Michael Stone was convicted of their murders in 1998. In this episode Shaun Russell, Lin’s husband, reveals his tragic story. How he heard the dreadful news, what happened on the day of the tragedy and the aftermath. We also speak with police and family friends about the case and reconstruct the family's tragic journey on that day.

Beverley Allitt was thought to be a 'model' nurse.

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

In the summer of 2010, the nation watched as police mounted one of the largest manhunts in British history. Raoul Moat went on the run after he shot and wounded his ex-girlfriend and killed her new partner in Newcastle.

The Hungerford massacre shocked the nation in 1987 when the heavily armed Michael Ryan, 27, took to the streets and began firing at anyone in his path. By the end of the afternoon, the horrific massacre was finally over. Ryan had killed 16 people, including his mother, wounded 15 others and seriously transformed the lives of everyone who was unlucky enough to be there that day. The tragedy is told through the eyes of the people at the core of the killings; a survivor, heroes who tried to save lives, police and a nurse at the hospital.

General Practitioner Harold Shipman was convicted of killing 15 patients in 2000. An official report after his sentencing took that figure to 215. He was sentenced to life in prison and committed suicide in his cell 2004. This exclusive documentary lifts the lid on the shocking discoveries made by his colleagues in early 1998; how police were alerted but the killer was left to murder three more women before finally being arrested in September 1998.

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.

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.

In June 2020, as the country enjoyed a short respite from COVID restrictions, three men were fatally stabbed in broad daylight while chatting in the park. But the nation’s shock at the terrorist attack soon turned to anger, as details of the killer were revealed - he was known to be dangerous, volatile, and aggressive. As authorities had been warned that an attack was inevitable, this was a deadly terrorist attack that was entirely avoidable.

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.

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.

In broad daylight on a busy Woolwich street on 22nd May 2013, serving soldier Fusilier Lee Rigby was attacked and murdered by Islamic extremists Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale. The men used their car to strike the soldier from behind as he crossed the road. They then proceeded to use knives to hack at Lee’s body in an attempt to decapitate him before dumping him in the middle of the road. These sickening events were caught on camera phones by horrified onlookers and the killers were filmed claiming to have carried out the attack in the name of Allah. In a dramatic sequence of events, police arrived at the scene within minutes and shot at the two men as they ran towards them holding up their weapons. Both Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale were found guilty of murder at the Old Bailey. In this programme we speak to witnesses to the attack and experts on terrorism to examine how two young British men could be radicalized to such an extent that they killed an innocent man in the name of religion.

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

A chilling look at the crimes of Stephen Port, the east London serial killer who poisoned four young men with lethal doses of a date rape drug.

For the first time since the terror attack in May 2017, we hear from the survivors, victims' families and emergency responders about that tragic night.

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

A closer look at the crimes of Steve Wright, who was dubbed 'The Suffolk Strangler' after murdering five women in Ipswich in 2006.

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

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. 

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.

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.

Estate agent, Suzy Lamplugh, disappeared in July 1986 after going to meet a client at a house in Fulham. Witnesses said they saw her arguing with a man near the address and then getting into a car. She has never been seen since. For almost thirty years police have followed many lines of enquiry – one being to identify who ‘Mr Kipper’ is that she went to meet. So far they have reached a dead end. In 1994 she was officially declared dead, presumed murdered. The strongest theory to date is that convicted rapist and killer, John Cannan, killed Lamplugh. But as yet, this hasn’t been proven. Cannan is already serving a life sentence with the recommendation he never be released.

With exclusive, first time access to Dennehy’s mother and father, we hear from the murderer’s parents and how the crimes of their daughter have shattered a family. Joanne Dennehy is the first woman in the UK to be handed a whole life tariff by a Judge. The judge ordered that she should die behind bars for the brutal murders of three innocent men. Dennehy showed no remorse for the killings. Her reason – “to see if I was as cold as I thought I was. Then it got moreish and I got a taste for it". In this episode we delve into the mind of such a cold hearted killer and look at what drove her to become one of Britain’s most notorious female criminals. We also hear from the officers who handled the case and an acquaintance of Dennehy’s who she bragged to.

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.

The unsolved murder of TV presenter and newsreader Jill Dando, who was shot outside her house in Fulham, London, in 1999.

When several bodies were discovered buried in the back garden of their Gloucester home in 1994, a media furor surrounded the couple after it was learned that most of their victims – which included two of their own children - died following episodes of sadistic rape and torture. Whilst Fred was first held accountable as the instigator, we highlight new information which uncovers Rose as a cold blooded killer single handedly guilty of several murders of her own. Featuring exclusive interviews with Rose’s solicitor, surviving victim Caroline Roberts and the man who led the investigation - former Detective Superintendent John Bennett. As Rose West serves her life sentence in prison, 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of the first body discovered at the family home.

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.