Kevin Childerley was found dead when the police arrived, and it was reported that his wife had certainly been left for dead. Mansfield Woodhouse is among the top 10 most dangerous small towns in Nottinghamshire, and is the 53rd most dangerous overall out of Nottinghamshire's 236 towns, villages, and cities. 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 scale of the couple's deviousness in maintaining the charade that the Wycherleys were still alive in order to cash-in was exposed. It's rare in these days of advanced DNA techniques and blanket CCTV coverage for serious crimes to go unsolved for very long. 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. Something went wrong, please try again later. It was a warm night and Mr Wilson wore a suit. 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. The 36-year-old had sustained head and neck injuries during the early hours of Monday October 5, 1992. Hospital appointments were cancelled. Check our listings here. "It would seem that the vast majority of their money was spent on memorabilia, on authenticated autographed items on people that they admired. They had been murdered by their daughter, Susan. For that charge, they would go to trial at Nottingham Crown Court in June. After shooting her mother, Susan said she hid the bodies under a bed before driving home to London, and that it was only after stopping for fish and chips on the way to Mansfield the following week that she told her husband what had happened. It was found the next day in a Basford garden. They were each sentenced to life with a minimum of 25 years. A week after the discovery of the remains, the investigation turned into a murder inquiry. He was right. Her husband was usually out for 15 to 20 minutes. 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 Please ensure the tag is appropriate for the record. Susan Edwards and her husband Christopher had killed her parents to solve their financial problems, and then embarked on an extraordinary cold-blooded deception. We had our kitchen completely remodelled including wall removal, taking up floors, structural. 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.". He remains in hospital after sustaining head injuries, Report highlights difficulties in tackling organised crime across East Midlands, East Midlands Special Operations Unit is 'inadequate' in tackling serious and organised crime - while Nottinghamshire Police was rated 'adequate', Man jailed 20 years after sexual assaults on Nottinghamshire teenager, Police say the offender 'underestimated the bravery' of his victim, Driver arrested after being found hiding in back garden. 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 Close. 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. But staff there never saw him and Mr Stevens, who lived in Harlaxton Drive, never returned home. A Mansfield perspective on news, sport, what's on, lifestyle and more, from your local paper the Mansfield and Ashfield Chad. Ethsham Ul Haq Ghafoor was shot twice as he sat in his cab once in the side and once in the head. 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. Please could you notify the UK Border Force at Lille Europe so that they may expect us.". 83 places sorted by traveler favorites 2022 1. It is possible that only parts of the record can be opened. How does the Care Funding Advice Service work? The UKs bestselling monthly subscription magazine. 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. Cleary appealed and was released after serving 9 years. get the latest news, interviews and reviews with Saga Magazine. Are you looking for a job in Nottingham? This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. The killing of pub landlord George Wilson is Notts' oldest unsolved murder. 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. In the early hours of the following morning, the 33-year-old would be stabbed 87 times. With the Wycherleys gone, the Edwardses set about covering up their cold-blooded crime in a deceit which would last 15 years. If you don't have an account please register. Note: The naming of a defendant within this catalogue does not imply guilt Date: 1976-1980 Held by: The National Archives, Kew: Former reference in its original department: 1156/76: Legal status: This obviously fitted with the Wycherleys. She said that she heard Kevin Childerley's wife say, 'What have you come here for?' Mansfield. A month after the murder investigation was launched in 2013, Det Ch Insp received a surprising email marked high importance it was from Christopher. 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. Sign up for it here. Mr Watson, 24, of Top Valley, died soon afterwards at the Queen's Medical Centre from a single gunshot wound. Search must begin with a year to activate, current year will default, edit to suit your requirement. and 'Kev, help!'. But on October 30, DCI Griffin found an email sitting in his inbox. We are based in Mansfield. They were each sentenced to life with a minimum of 25 years. They took the Wycherley's private pensions, industrial injuries benefits, winter fuel payments and Christmas bonuses. But to begin with there was no hard evidence of who they were. His stepmother went to the police at the beginning of October, 2014. Leila Borrington, who fractured the arm of Harvey Borrington, will be sentenced next month. When they were arrested at St Pancras, their luggage amounted to just a few worn suitcases. He said, 'Having experience of people desperately trying to fill a gap, however much she may feel this a genuine memory, it isn't'. The 19-year-old has been hunted since 2003 when Arnold jeweller Marian Bates was killed during a robbery. 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We've just launched our Crime and Punishment Newsletter that focuses on big crime stories and court reports. Police believe Christopher shot both his in-laws with a World War Two .38. "Its staggering to think that's what they spent their money on, but that's what they did.". It was one of the few clues police had when faced with the task of tracing the killer. However, she denied that she was prepared to lie about the 32-year-old man. . They admitted obstructing a coroner in the execution of his duty by burying the bodies between May 2 and May 10, 1998. The latest crime news from Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. 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. You should not rely on this information to make (or refrain from making) any decisions. The man was described as being aged between 25 and 30, about 6ft 2in tall and with a slim build. National News. 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. 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? After hearing the medical evidence, the judge said that it would not be safe to convict the men. His 32-year-old wife was also injured in the attack. THE body of lorry driver Kevin Coniam was dumped in the back of his gold Volvo Estate in a lonely spot near Mansfield. A team of 60 detectives, including senior officers from Scotland Yard, investigated the murder. Susan and her husband Christopher, 57, had previously been living in a rented flat in Dagenham, East London, but in 2012 they had moved to live in Lille, France. Mr Keetley, a production worker at Riverside Bakery, in The Meadows, was found without his mobile phone, a gold neck chain with an "R" pendant attached and an Armani watch. 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. The latest crime news from Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Prosecutors say that he and his wife shot dead the couple, Patricia Wycherley, 63, and William. The police noted that although the man that had killed Kevin Childerley's brother had been released from prison, they said that there was absolutely no connection between him and Kevin Childerley's murder. However, the man denied that he held a grudge against Kevin Childerley or his wife. Police believe several people knew who his killer, was but were too worried about their own safety to come forward. 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 reasons for that move would later become crystal clear. A jury of eight women and four men took six hours to convict unanimously Susan and Christopher Edwards of murder. AROUND 40 people saw Theresa Jacobs gunned down outside a city nightclub but still the identity of her killer remains a mystery. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Two men were charged with his murder but were acquitted at Nottingham Crown Court on 7 March 1991. 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.. He even claimed to recall watching the Eurovision Song Contest before bringing the bodies downstairs to bury them, which, if true, would mean the burials had taken place a week after the murders. However, his wife said that she did recieve 'funny phone calls' on the weekend before the murder. Kevin Childerley's wife also said that her accusation that the 32-year-old man was the attacker was based on a 'gut feeling in my heart'. Mr Howker also said Susan Edwards and her husband had lived an 'isolated' life which had made her 'vulnerable and naive' for her age. "She also reminded herself of the cynical and determined exploitation of the ill-gotten gains, consequent to the murders, which the appellant had enjoyed over years and in more than one jurisdiction.". 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". And in 2011 she sent a Christmas card to Mr Wycherley's niece saying her father, was "having his second youth". Read tagging guidelines. Including breaking news, reports from Nottingham Crown Court and in-depth features. Help us improve catalogue descriptions by adding tags. 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. Follow the latest news for Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, England, UK - Local news and information in your area. This record is closed and cannot be viewed or reproduced as a digital or printed copy. The caravan was found secure and nothing had been stolen, leading police to assume Mr Cope had invited his attacker inside. NG19 7FJ. In the documentary A Murder in Mansfield, airing on Investigation Discovery on November 17 at 9 p.m., Collier Landry (he now uses his middle name as his last name)confronts his imprisoned. A 30,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and subsequent conviction of David Draycott's murder still stands. 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. Investigators would later argue the Edwardses had been motivated to carry out their crime by two things: money and revenge. There have been some arrests, but no-one has ever been convicted, Never miss a crime story with our free email updates. Now, he returns to face the haunting effect that his mother's. 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.". A couple, presumed by the neighbours to berelatives, appeared every few weeks to check up on the house and mow the lawn. Subscribe today and access a range of benefits, free. Now Oscar-winning actor Colman, 47, is taking the lead role in a four-part Sky series written by her husband, Ed Sinclair, about the murders. . The murder weapon believed to be a semi-automatic handgun was never found. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. 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. 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. Huthwaite is a village in Nottinghamshire, England, located to the west of Mansfield, close to the Derbyshire boundary. And the Edwardses pocketed 66,000 from the sale of the Mansfield house where the Wycherleys were secretly buried. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. a town that lies within striking distance of Nottinghamshire's former coalmines, was a student . Susan (Olivia Colman) and Christopher Edwards (David Thewlis) killed the couple to steal their money syphoning off more than 250,000 in savings and benefits payments while pretending the couple were enjoying a happy retirement. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. But they stuck to their story about the killings, denying that they'd murdered the Wycherleys. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. 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. 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. It was there that her battered body was found on Wednesday, July 14, 1976. Coordinates: 530730N 11804W / . There seemed to be an element of folie deux madness shared by two people, says criminologist Professor David Wilson, of Birmingham City University. Eventually the property was sold and no one gave much thought again to Patricia and William Wycherley. Kevin Childerley was an ex-miner. In fact Pat and Bill, as they were known, had been shot and buried by their daughter Susan Edwards and her husband Christopher. The couple also helped themselves to their private pensions and benefits. THE murder of Donald Stevens was surrounded by an absence of motive. Convicted. 1729 Mansfield's first workhouse was built on Nottingham Road. Bizarrely, both perpetrators fled into the same. Mrs Wilson went upstairs to the pub's private quarters at 12.20pm . He and his family had only lived in Sherwood Street for the previous five months. The prosecution never believed that Susan Edwards had been visiting her parents on her own over the bank holiday weekend. THIS killing had all the hallmarks of a professional execution. Buried in the garden were the bodies of Patricia Wycherley, 63, and her 85-year-old husband William, who had moved into the house back in 1987. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. But we took it seriously and that is when the investigation started. The 32-year-old man was acquitted after the court heard evidence from a medical expert. They were found guilty in 2014, with the judge calling Susan "an accomplished liar and a fantasist". 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. But she was dramatically freed by the Court of Appeal in 1998, when her conviction was declared unsafe. 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. She said she went into the bedroom to find her father on the floor and her mother holding a revolver. He also admitted that he had initially lied to the police about an axe that his father had given him, which he said that he had lost before he moved into Stainforth Street. 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. Officers think Mr Landa picked up the customer before driving to Cyprus Road, about a mile away. He added that it was only an outside chance that she had suffered from psychogenic or emotionally-induced amnesia and that after having read all of her previous statements and hearing her describe her memory recall, the evidence did not agree with his experience or with relevant medical textbooks. And the results of the post mortem not yet been finalised. 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. Teacher made 'catastrophic mistake' before crash that killed pensioner, 73-year-old Yvonne Roberts was on her way to a friend's house, Man arrested over 'nasty assault' in Notts village that left another man with head injuries, It was reported a man in his 20s was assaulted. She said: "I felt sympathetic towards them early on because of what Ed had been finding out. Inspiring options. 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. 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. 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. Just over three hours later, his body was found in the driver's seat at the former Gedling Colliery sports field in Lambley Lane. Which was, indeed, what had happened. Jason Ward, 23, left 87-year-old Gladys Godfrey. Mr Landa's shift was due to end when he was dispatched to Peel Street at about 4am to pick up a fare waiting at a telephone box. 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. Kevin Childerley was attacked in his bedroom by men wielding a chisel, axe and a knife. Peter Williams, 19, was jailed for 22 years after being convicted of murder. Once your FOI request has been received it will be processed and you will receive a response within 20 working days. . 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. She and Christopher had been living in a rented flat in Dagenham, east London, but in 2012 had moved to Lille in France. 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. But what police discovered would eventually reveal a shocking story of greed, deceit and murder. 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. But the court head that an accomplice believed to be Brodie fired the fatal shot. 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. 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. By then, the Edwardses had sold the Blenheim Close house, in 2005, for 66,938, with a false signature. 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. 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. At about 11pm, Mrs Wilson heard a knock on the door but no one was there. The 45-year-old, from Germany, went out for a quiet drink on the evening of Friday, September 24, 1965. 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. As part of the review we will consult the responsible government department. DCI Griffin decided to alert British police anyway to meet the next Eurostar to arrive at London St Pancras International from Lille in the slim hope that the Edwards would be on board. This information will help us make improvements to the website. [Name withheld] (age 16): murder of Valerie Marjorie WARD on 3 January 1976 at Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. 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. John is a police community support officer and can't believe that the biggest crime Mansfield has known happened right under his nose. In February 2015, Susan Edwards lost an appeal against her 25-year minimum sentence. They had lived in a terraced house in Sherwood Street, Mansfield Woodhouse. The pathologist said that the post-mortem examination found a blood-stained footprint on Kevin Childerley's back as well as extensive injuries to his forehead that he considered had been caused by an axe. When you purchase through links on our site or newsletter, we may earn affiliate commission. But a police spokesman later said they had been forensically tested and eliminated as the murder weapon. FOURTEEN years on from James Brodie's disappearance, his body is yet to be found. 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'. Ms Godfrey was attacked and raped in her own home A man has been jailed for life after admitted raping and battering an elderly woman to death. They were each handed a life sentence with a minimum of 25 years. The 19-year-old, of St Ann's, was chased from a city takeaway to the Two in the Bush pub, in Radford on Sunday, November 30, 1997. View our online Press Pack. They acted as if her parents were still alive. Six men accused of his murder were acquitted and the trail to Mr Thompson's killers seems to have gone cold. 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. Carlisle United 0-4 Mansfield Town. In the meantime there were still gaps in the police's knowledge about the couple. It was the horrified stepmother who went to the police at the start of October 2013. 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. An artist's impression of the long-haired man in his 20s was released but police never found him. DETECTIVES trying to track down the killer of Omar Watson were met with a wall of silence. Murder squad detectives said she was the victim of a deliberate "hit" and not a random shooting. League Two. 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. 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. When financial investigators looked at their assets, they found that Mr Edwards only had 17 left to his name in a bank account. "They didn't lead a particularly lavish lifestyle," Det Ch Insp Rob Griffin, of the East Midlands major crime unit, told the BBC. 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