Crimes That Shook Britain Episode Rating Graph

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

On an October evening in 1977, 2 girls were enjoying a night out in the World’s End pub in central Edinburgh. The following day, one body was found on a beach, the other in a field. The girls were seen leaving the pub with two men but the identity of the killer would remain a mystery for the next 30 years. In 2007, Angus Sinclair was charged with the girl’s murder after new DNA evidence linked Sinclair and his brother in law Gordon to the murders. However the trial sensationally collapsed when a piece of crucial evidence was withdrawn. Unbeknownst to the jury, Hamilton had a history of sex attacks starting at the age of 16 and culminating him serving a life sentence for the murder of a 17 year old woman in Glasgow in 1978. In 2014, following the development of new DNA technology, Prosecutors successfully applied for a change in a century’s old law of double jeopardy, consequently allowing the same man to be tried twice for the same crime. This time, the trial proved successful and Sinclair was jailed for a minimum of 37 years. He has been described as Scotland’s worst serial killer and the authorities believe he may well have been responsible for numerous other murders.

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