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. Exciting destinations. Prosecutors say that he and his wife shot dead the couple, Patricia Wycherley, 63, and William. The police were alerted after Kevin Childerley was found by neighbours downstairs in a semi-conscious sate, moaning and covered with blood and with serious head and facial injuries. In March 2014, during an appearance at Nottingham Crown Court, Susan and Christopher Edwards admitted for the first time that they had buried the Wycherleys in the garden of the house in Blenheim. 1729 Mansfield's first workhouse was built on Nottingham Road. 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. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Coordinates: 530730N 11804W / . 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. Worked for Notts police for 25 years and didn't even . He had been wearing paint-stained decorator's overalls, a brown leather jacket and a dark pon-pon hat. Find Ryedale homes, property for sale and to let including houses, flats, bungalows, detached, semi-detached, terraced, town house, and cottages. The golden age of Hollywood with which they were so fixated could hardly have come up with a more improbable script. The truth about their fate emerged shortly afterwards. Everything about Landscapers is magical, there is nothing like it.". Dismissing the appeal, Lady Justice Rafferty said the crown court judge was entitled to reach the conclusions she did when setting the minimum tariff. David Thewlis as Christopher Edwards in Landscapers. Neighbours said they believed the reclusive couple who had previously lived at the house had emigrated, although one admitted: "I found it a bit weird that they would have done that, because thats something you do in your 50s and they seemed to be quite elderly.". Sherwood Street, Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottingham. AROUND 40 people saw Theresa Jacobs gunned down outside a city nightclub but still the identity of her killer remains a mystery. She had been struck with a flat instrument. The material is for general information only and does not constitute investment, tax, legal, medical or other form of advice. AT the time of Shane Thompson's death, gang culture was rife on Nottingham streets. 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'. 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. He said Mrs Wycherley had shot her own husband, and then Susan had shot Mrs Wycherley after being provoked. FOURTEEN years on from James Brodie's disappearance, his body is yet to be found. An argument developed during which Susan Edwards claimed her mother told her she had had a sexual relationship with Christopher - Susan's husband - in 1992. The Edwardses were sentenced to life with a minimum of 25 years each. In the meantime there were still gaps in the police's knowledge about the couple. 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. For that charge, they would go to trial at Nottingham Crown Court in June. Follow the latest news for Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, England, UK - Local news and information in your area . When the case went to trial at Nottingham Crown Court in June 2014, Susan admitted manslaughter of her mother on the basis that she was provoked. Forest Town is a former mining village on the outskirts of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England.After continuous development it is no longer a separate entity, nowadays being simply an area within Mansfield. Convicted. A week after the discovery of the remains, the investigation turned into a murder inquiry. Then, over the next 15 years or so, the Edwards systematically took money that was not theirs, forging signatures where necessary to keep receiving benefits. The killing of pub landlord George Wilson is Notts' oldest unsolved murder. see Mansfield & Sutton Recorder - Thursday 17 May 1990, see Mansfield & Sutton Recorder - Thursday 01 March 1990, see Mansfield & Sutton Recorder - Thursday 28 February 1991, see Mansfield & Sutton Recorder - Thursday 07 March 1991, [**NEW January 2021**] not all cases are tagged. IT was not unusual for taxi driver John Landa to be out all night and as he got into his cab on Friday, August 13, 1982, he paused to share a joke with his daughter. 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. Tel: 01623 615 219. 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. DCI Griffin said the couple had acted with "cold calculation and meticulousness". They also wrote letters and cards pretending to be the Wycherleys to keep the ruse rolling. According to the former librarians version of events, she had been woken by a loud bang on the Sunday morning of the May Day bank holiday weekend in 1998. But there are still more than a dozen historical murder cases in Notts which are over ten years old and remain unsolved. Check our listings here. * Original reporting by Rebecca Sherdley, Chris Breese, Dominic Howell, Alexander Britton, Jon Robinson and Bryan Henesey. The police said that they were interested in tracing a man that was seen running from the direction of their house in Sherwood Street at about 2am Monday 19 February 1990. DETECTIVES trying to track down the killer of Omar Watson were met with a wall of silence. Everything's taken care of on a Saga escorted tour, so you can see and do more. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. He was knocked to the ground and beaten to death by a group of between six and eight youths some armed with wooden clubs. 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. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Inspiring options. His body was found in St Ann's Hill Road shortly before midnight with stab wounds to the chest and abdomen. The man then picked up the till drawer containing 250, wrapped it in a green curtain and walked out, locking the door and leaving Mrs Egner undiscovered for nearly three hours. But they stuck to their story about the killings, denying that they'd murdered the Wycherleys. The 33-year-old, of Bulwell, was killed by a single bullet to the back of her head as she left The Drum, in Ilkeston Road, on November 9, 2002. EasyJet launches huge March sale with flights to Europe for under 20 The man was described as being aged between 25 and 30, about 6ft 2in tall and with a slim build. Please could you notify the UK Border Force at Lille Europe so that they may expect us.. Despite the breakthrough, the e-mail still posed a difficult problem for the police. She said that she told him to go into the kitchen and to not panic, and added that he had seemed more frightened than anything else when he had told her. They took the Wycherley's private pensions, industrial injuries benefits, winter fuel payments and Christmas bonuses. In his evidence, Christopher said he had agreed to bury his in-laws because he believed his wifes story and didnt want to throw her to the wolves by going to the police. Sitting with Mr Justice Jeremy Baker and Mrs Justice Carr, she added: "She did so having reminded herself that 15 years had elapsed since this young woman had left home, before she returned and murdered the people she said she hated. It was found the next day in a Basford garden. 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. If you have information about any of these cases please get in touch with us on 101.. When she asked why they had gone to France, he told her what had happened, though he claimed his wife had shot her mother. Clearly, the Edwards knew that was a meeting which would never be able to happen. 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. He had been in bed with his wife at the time of the attack and it was thought that Kevin Childerley had been asleep when the first of seven heavy blows struck him. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Despite wounds to his chest and abdomen, he managed to get to a neighbour's front door where he was given first aid and an ambulance was called. A year later, the couple were married. 14 Feb. Police car rammed by stolen van on M1. There, they quickly ran out of money and Christopher called his own elderly stepmother asking for cash, relaying a wild story about why they'd fled. Still, it wasn't long before police were publicly speculating about the bodies being the Wycherleys, even though they had not yet been identified. Christopher would pose as the Wycherleys' nephew and the killers told neighbours and relatives their victims had moved away to various places, including to Ireland for the "good air". "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. It was the horrified stepmother who went to the police at the start of October 2013. We've just launched our Crime and Punishment. Please note that in certain circumstances the review process will take slightly longer. Something went wrong, please try again later. 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. Place: Sherwood Street, Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottingham. Enter the tag you would like to associate with this record and click 'Add tag'. However, they said that tests would have to be carried out to confirm their identities. At London's Criminal Appeal Court her barrister, David Howker QC, said the term did not take enough account of mistreatment she claimed to have suffered at her father's hands, which he argued was a 'slow-burning' form of provocation. 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. Select tags from below. Susan lost an appeal against her sentence in 2015, and the couple remain in jail today. Inspired by real events, the drama is set against the backdrop of a Nottinghamshire mining community still dealing with the hangover of the 1984 strikes, as police try to hunt two unrelated killers. In 2011, Mr Wycherleys niece received a Christmas card from Susan insisting that her father was having his second youth. Ten days later, on May 8, his body was found near Trent Bridge. The overall crime rate in Mansfield Woodhouse in 2021 was 60 crimes per 1,000 people. They had lived in a terraced house in Sherwood Street, Mansfield Woodhouse. 53.125N 1.301W. A bullet was found lodged in Mrs Wycherleys spine. Detectives sought to contact Susan. NG19 7FJ. Kevin Steven Childerley - Unsolved Murder 1990 - Sherwood Street, Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottingham - Kevin Steven Childerley Unsolved Mysteries UK Unsolved Murders Tags Kevin Steven Childerley Age: 30 Sex: male Date: 19 Feb 1990 Place: Sherwood Street, Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottingham 83 places sorted by traveler favorites 2022 1. "It would seem that the vast majority of their money was spent on memorabilia, on authenticated autographed items on people that they admired. His grave is near the junction of Southwell Road and . In 2007, Susan wrote to a relative, saying her parents had been travelling around Ireland, because of the good air, on and off for some years. The 25-year-old had moved out of his family home just a few weeks before his body was found by a neighbour at his new flat in Chiltern Way, Bestwood. And police had also been trying to get in touch with the couple's daughter - 55-year-old Susan Edwards. SWEPT away by the American soldiers who filled Wollaton Park in the months before D-Day in June 1944, Joan Smith was just a teenager when she met her future husband Clarence Maschek. League Two. 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. Help us improve catalogue descriptions by adding tags. Prosecutors also didn't believe the bodies had been left for over a week before being buried. 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. Vicar Water Country Park 240 Nature & Wildlife Areas Parks Open now By Newbie1958 Great dog walk 3. Over the years, Notts detectives have searched at a number of locations for his body, including at Maize Farm, in East Heckington, Lincolnshire, in February 2013. When they were arrested at St Pancras, their luggage amounted to just a few worn suitcases. "We would prefer to do this since my wife is already sufficiently frightened. If the Edwards surrendered themselves to French police, they would remain under French jurisdiction, and police in Britain would have no power to arrest them. Her co-star, Harry Potter actor David Thewlis, added the truth was stranger than fiction. What police do know is that Mr Ghafoor visited a petrol station at the junction of Mapperley Plains and Woodthorpe Drive in the early hours of Tuesday, November 22, 1994. 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. There seemed to be an element of folie deux madness shared by two people, says criminologist Professor David Wilson, of Birmingham City University. 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. As part of the review we will consult the responsible government department. 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. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Sherwood Pines 854 Parks Forests Open now By annie_is_lovely We did the gruffalo trail with the kids which they enjoyed and also spent time in the play areas. The UKs bestselling monthly subscription magazine. It was one of the few clues police had when faced with the task of tracing the killer. John is a police community support officer and can't believe that the biggest crime Mansfield has known happened right under his nose. Discover your ideal travel experience. An inquest ruled it was unlikely his death was a suicide or an accident. Something went wrong, please try again later. The 32-year-old man was acquitted after the court heard evidence from a medical expert. She said: "I felt sympathetic towards them early on because of what Ed had been finding out. At about 11pm, Mrs Wilson heard a knock on the door but no one was there. She said she went into the bedroom to find her father on the floor and her mother holding a revolver. They were both also acquitted of the attempted murder of Kevin Childerley's wife. Murder squad detectives said she was the victim of a deliberate "hit" and not a random shooting. Christopher Edwards also launched an appeal but his was rejected on paper at an earlier stage and he did not pursue his case to a full court hearing. Please ensure the tag is appropriate for the record. 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. Wayne Keaton, 10 year old Murdered at Bestwood (1985) Convicted: Atherton & Cleary. Peter Williams, 19, was jailed for 22 years after being convicted of murder. A letter sent by Susan Edwards in 2007 saying her parents were travelling around Ireland. Neither William nor Patricia were ever reported missing and we can find no evidence of either of them being alive or dead," said Detective Chief Inspector Rob Griffin. 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 September 8, 1963. Kevin Childerley's wife had said that she remembered waking up to see the 32-year-old man with his hand over Kevin Childerley's mouth and striking out at him. Police also said the female remains had a distinctive feature in their anatomy - understood to be a spinal condition - which Patricia Wycherley was known to have. She closed the accounts, and opened a new joint account in the name of herself and her mother (giving Mrs Wycherley's address for correspondence). A jury of eight women and four men dismissed the couple's story and took just over six hours to unanimously convict them of murder. And in 2011 she sent a Christmas card to Mr Wycherley's niece saying her father, was "having his second youth". Sarah Harper, Abducted from Leeds and drowned in the Trent @ Wilford (1985?). Or at least they didnt until October 2013, when - about 15 years after anyone last recalled seeing them - a police forensic tent appeared in the back garden of the Wycherleys former home in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. Colman revealed to Sky News that Ed had uncovered a fresh side to the villainous couple. The 37-year-old disappeared after a night out in Nottingham on Saturday, April 28, 2007. He had been shot dead some time between 3.30am and 10.30am. THE case of Beatrice Greig is unusual in the sense that two convictions have been brought. It is in the Huthwaite and Brierley ward of Ashfield District Council. Cleary appealed and was released after serving 9 years. Three days later, they were charged with murder. Gladys Godfrey was killed at her home on the Ladybrook estate in Mansfield in September 2002. Her husband was usually out for 15 to 20 minutes. She went back home, but returned the following weekend, this time with her husband - and stopping on the way to buy fish and chips. Please could you notify the UK Border Force at Lille Europe so that they may expect us.". Police say the club, near the junction with Radford Boulevard, was closing and there were about 40 people outside. "And you go, 'okay, well that's not what everyone has told us?! You need to sign in to tag. Hospital appointments were cancelled. We would prefer to do this since my wife is already sufficiently frightened. Investigators would later argue the Edwardses had been motivated to carry out their crime by two things: money and revenge. 2. 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.. A BBC One crime drama examines how murder ignites the deep divides in a former mining community. 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. WHILE the motive for Sheila Egner's murder seemed clear, who the killer was still remains a mystery. A jury at Nottingham Crown Court found the pair guilty of murder just over 16 years after they committed their crime. And the Edwardses pocketed 66,000 from the sale of the Mansfield house where the Wycherleys were secretly buried. This is the story of how the murderous treachery of the Edwards came to light. Here, in reverse chronological order, are 16 Notts murders and suspected murders which are still unsolved. 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. Another 30 minutes passed and Mr and Mrs Ash left before Mr Wilson rang a taxi for Mr Smith at 12.15. Kevin Childerley was found dead when the police arrived, and it was reported that his wife had certainly been left for dead. In fact their debts continued to mount, and when they were arrested they owed more than 160,000. Registered Office: Enbrook Park, Folkestone, Kent, CT20 3SE. "We would prefer to do this since my wife is already sufficiently frightened. The couple also helped themselves to their private pensions and benefits. "In the days that followed, we started to see that perhaps it was all true, and that was confirmed when we started the excavation in the garden and discovered Patricia and William were there.". But we took it seriously and that is when the investigation started. You can submit a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to The National Archives to review the reasons why it is closed and to request that it is opened. Have you found an error with this catalogue description? This record is closed and cannot be viewed or reproduced as a digital or printed copy. 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. Mansfield. TWO days before his death on Thursday, November 7, 2002, John Shippam was assaulted at a fireworks display at the Anchor pub, in Gunthorpe. Paul Hutchinson has admitted. For other inquiries, Contact Us. The house was, to the outside eye, an unremarkable property - a semi-detached home on on the corner of a small cul-de-sac, with neat little gardens front and back. Detectives believe he had given someone a lift home. But they continued to deny that they had murdered the couple between May 1 and May 5, 1998. 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. The evening before Mr Wilson's death was a busy one. Mr Watson, 24, of Top Valley, died soon afterwards at the Queen's Medical Centre from a single gunshot wound. He said, 'Having experience of people desperately trying to fill a gap, however much she may feel this a genuine memory, it isn't'. High levels of cover from an award winning provider, 3-year fixed price with no tie-ins - T&Cs apply. A jury of eight women and four men took six hours to convict unanimously Susan and Christopher Edwards of murder. With the British police having no jurisdiction in France, finding the couple and bringing them back to the UK could have taken months. "They didn't lead a particularly lavish lifestyle," Det Ch Insp Rob Griffin, of the East Midlands major crime unit, told the BBC. The couple killed Susan's parents and buried them in the back garden, Never miss a crime story with our free email updates. Of course, they'd already been dead and buried for 13 years. The caravan was found secure and nothing had been stolen, leading police to assume Mr Cope had invited his attacker inside. "We have yet to formally identify the remains and so cannot say with 100 per cent certainty who we have found, but its not a great leap to imagine it might be the Wycherleys.. 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.". Search must begin with a year to activate, current year will default, edit to suit your requirement. 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. In fact over just two years, Christopher Edwards spent 14,000 on mementos of movie star Cooper. "The imposition of this minimum term will probably result in her dying in prison.". She was freed after 21 months when the Court of Appeal quashed the murder conviction on a technicality. . She said that they were both drug addicts and that the 27-year-old man had come to her house in late April 1991 in a nervous stating and looking for drugs. Her daughter Patricia Bass was first found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in February 1995 at Nottingham Crown Court. He usually met up with a business friend but as he was on holiday, Mr Stevens went alone, telling his wife he was going to the Albert Hotel. The Edwards had married in 1983, and had been in financial difficulties for much of their relationship. 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. When you purchase through links on our site or newsletter, we may earn affiliate commission. Neighbours and relatives were told that the Wycherleys had gone travelling or had moved to the coast for health reasons. 24 reviews / 4.91 5. We are based in Mansfield. William's background was being filled in, but little was known about Pat, although it was thought she was born in Fulham and her maiden name was Moore. Read tagging guidelines. Officers think Mr Landa picked up the customer before driving to Cyprus Road, about a mile away. Always obtain independent, professional advice for your own particular situation. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Police - who, as we shall see, already had a very good idea of the identity of the remains - initially only said that two bodies had been found by officers following up information received the previous week about an 'alleged incident' dating back to the 1990s. THE body of lorry driver Kevin Coniam was dumped in the back of his gold Volvo Estate in a lonely spot near Mansfield. As far as the neighbours were concerned, the couple had gone travelling in 1998, and simply never returned. The aim of this article is to provide a brief overview of street level crime in Mansfield using the latest Police statistics. Nottingham. And when his friends from St Ann's and Radford clashed with a rival group from The Meadows, the consequences were fatal. 14 Feb. 33. It's rare in these days of advanced DNA techniques and blanket CCTV coverage for serious crimes to go unsolved for very long. While Susan and Christopher admitted they had buried the Wycherleys in the garden, they denied murder. 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. 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. "The discovery in their former garden last week may be the reason why. Police believe he was the victim of a robbery and was either forced into the Trent either by the robbers, or went into the river when he tried to flee them. Eventually, the couple would end up stealing some 286,285 from their victims. The house in Blenheim Close and (inset) Susan Edwards and Christopher Edwards. It was there that her battered body was found on Wednesday, July 14, 1976. We had our kitchen completely remodelled including wall removal, taking up floors, structural. Ethsham Ul Haq Ghafoor was shot twice as he sat in his cab once in the side and once in the head. *map pointers are rough estimates based on known location details as per Place field above. privacy policy, The naming of a defendant within this catalogue does not imply guilt, Closed Or Retained Document, Closed Description, Personal information where the applicant is a 3rd party, Need more context? Her right eye was so badly damaged that it had to be removed. It was heard that the 32-year-old man had bought the house that Kevin Childerley had formerly lived in in Stainforth Street in 1989 and that he had had a grudge over a cooker that should have been left behind and some faulty central heating. Eventually the money ran out and their lies came crashing down as they asked another relative for cash. When the couples assets were later investigated, Christopher had 17 in his bank account.