Murderers and serial killers

THREE people have been arrested for murder after a woman’s body was tragically found in a canal.

The body was discovered before two waterways were drained by police in a canal in the Black Country on Tuesday, October 7.

Cops have now arrested two men and one woman in relation to the incident.

The trio, who are aged in their 20s, 40s, and 60s, currently remain in custody.

This comes after police responded to calls from Ryders Green Road in West Bromwich just before 11am on Tuesday.

Locals reported that part of the canal was drained while police worked in the area.

A large stretch of Walsall Canal was cordoned off and a blue forensic tent was also erected.

Two sections of the canal were drained while officers investigated the scene.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: “Three people are in custody today after a woman’s body was found in water near Ryders Green Road, West Bromwich yesterday morning.

“Two men and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder as detectives continue with investigations into her death.

“Door-to-door enquiries are ongoing along with CCTV being retrieved and reviewed as we work to establish the exact circumstances.

“There will also be a more visible police presence in the area over the coming days as the investigation continues.

“The two men, one in his 60s and the second in his 20s, and a woman in her 40s, remain in police custody this afternoon.

“A forensic post mortem is being carried out to help establish the cause of death.”

Residents have been quick to share their devastation over this tragic discovery.

Taking to Facebook, one saddened local wrote: “R.I.P. and condolences to the family.”

Another added: “So sad rest in peace.”

The police statement continued: “Anyone with information can contact us on 101 or by messaging us on Live Chat on our website, quoting log 1587 of 7 October.

“If you’d prefer to remain anonymous please speak to independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

A JACK the Ripper copycat who stalked the same streets as the serial killer has died in jail.

Derek Brown has died at the age of 64 after being taken to hospital.

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Brown was sentenced to a minimum term of 30 years on October 6 2008 after he was found guilty of murdering DVD seller Xiao Mei Guo, 29, and prostitute Bonnie Barrett, 24.

He denied murder but admitted paying both women for sex before their disappearance in 2007.

The previously convicted rapist found his victims in the Whitechapel area of London – famously stalked by Jack the Ripper in the 1880s.

A search of Brown’s Rotherhithe flat found traces of blood belonging to both women, as well as a receipt for a bow saw, heavy duty gloves, rubble sacks and cleaning materials.

Brown was serving his sentence in HMP Wakefield but is believed to have become unwell last month.

He was taken to hospital and died two days later on September 9 at the age of 64 – just days away from his 65th birthday.

However, his victims remains have never been found to this day.

A source close to Brown said: “He was in critical care since Saturday.

“They found him in his cell on Saturday, and he was in critical care since Saturday 5pm until Monday when he died at 3pm.”

Police at the time of the murders believed Brown sought “notoriety” for the killings.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Kandiah said: “If he kept killing prostitutes from the Whitechapel area, then that link (with Jack the Ripper) would be made.

“If this was a spree, it seems likely that we stopped him at number two.”

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “Derek Brown died in hospital on 29 September while serving a sentence at HMP Wakefield.

“As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate.”

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A DEVASTATED family ripped apart by the death of their beloved son in the Idaho murder tragedy was forced to quickly move on from unimaginable heartbreak in less than five months for the sake of their surviving children. 

Ethan Chapin, 20, was a triplet and one of Bryan Kohberger’s four victims in the sickening University of Idaho knife attack in November 2022.

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Brave mom, Stacy, opened up her heart to The U.S. Sun at Crimecon last month about the nightmare of dealing with her beloved, fun-loving son being murdered with the world at his feet. 

She stressed that even though sick Kohberger will rot behind bars for the rest of his life after eventually pleading guilty to the savage killings of Ethan, Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves and Xana Kernodle, her family aren’t interested in the reasons why. 

But Stacy, who has thrown herself into vitally important advocacy work in the wake of her son’s shocking death, has revealed there was no time for her and husband Jim to wallow in misery. 

With Ethan’s brother and sister, Maizie and Hunter, who were on campus on that fateful evening, recently completing their own studies, the couple made the decision to somehow come to terms with the tragedy and move on for the sake of the remaining triplets’ future.

She says a heart-heart with Jim over a cup of morning coffee helped them realize that the best way forward was to “just get up and live life.”

They will never forget their beloved son, who they joked was minoring in Bud Light Lime and Taco Bell.

But with his brother and sister needing their parents more than ever to deal with the aftermath of Ethan’s senseless killing, Stacy and Jim vowed to honor his memory by ensuring Maizie and Hunter have their unconditional attention and support. 

“We just decided that you can lose yourself in grief, “ Stacy told The U.S. Sun.

“We had to do that for Ethan’s siblings. They didn’t deserve parents who had potentially gone in the tank or lost themselves. 

“We made a decision on a day in March of 2023 that we couldn’t change the outcome, and we had to still live our life and be great parents to Maizie and Hunter, giving them the best life they deserved.”

BRAVE FACE

The Chapin’s were the only family to abstain from attending Kohberger’s sentencing hearing earlier this summer.

They didn’t want to subject themselves to any more pain. 

Once the deranged Washington State graduate admitted to his heinous crimes, that at least removed the prospect of Ethan’s brother and sister having to take the stand and retrace the moments leading up to the sickening murders in a potential retrial.

Kohberger has never revealed why he cut short the lives of the four students. 

Stacy admits she won’t waste any time wondering why. 

The agony remains and will never leave her. Seeing her children recover from the nightmare and thrive, however, fills her and husband with hope.

“I would be lying if I didn’t say there are still tough moments,” Stacy continued. 

“But even now, every day feels like we’re a little bit closer to our new normal, whatever that looks like. Our kids are doing great. 

“They’ve also persevered in a way that amazes me as a mom. They were there that day. They all went to college together; they spent every second together.

“The fact that they went back to school and graduated and are now looking at their careers. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Kohberger avoided the death penalty upon pleading guilty on July 23 and was hit with four consecutive life sentences. 

The full details of Bryan Kohberger’s sentence

On July 23, 2025, Judge Steven Hippler sentenced Bryan Kohberger to the following:

• Count 1: Burglary – 10 years fixed, zero years in determinate. $50,000 fine.
• Count 2: First-degree murder of Madison Mogen: Fixed term of life in prison without the possibility of parole. $50,000 fine and civil penalty of $5,000 payable to the family of the victim.
• Count 3: First-degree murder of Kaylee Goncalves: Fixed term of life in prison without the possibility of parole. $50,000 fine and civil penalty of $5,000 payable to the family of the victim.
• Count 4: First-degree murder of Xana Kernodle: Fixed term of life in prison without the possibility of parole. $50,000 fine and civil penalty of $5,000 payable to the family of the victim.
• Count 5: First-degree murder of Ethan Chapin: Fixed term of life in prison without the possibility of parole. $50,000 fine and civil penalty of $5,000 payable to the family of the victim.

The sentencings will run consecutively to one another.

ALWAYS REMEMBERED

While the Chapins stayed away from court, Ethan was on their mind. Stacy posted an emotional message on social media declaring her late son would “forever” be in their hearts.

His name will also shine on through Ethan’s Smile Foundation, which was established by the family to honor his memory. 

It aims to showcase “his love of life, people and new adventures” by providing scholarships for fellow students to “follow their dreams.”

“Ethan’s love for life was boundless. With a booming laugh and infectious smile, he spread joy to all who were fortunate enough to know him. Ethan was our storyteller, hard worker, and friend-maker,” Stacy and Jim declared on the foundation website.

‍“In the wake of his absence, the foundation was born—a tribute to Ethan’s unwavering passion for life. Our mission is simple yet profound: to carry forward the legacy of Ethan by providing scholarships that enable others to follow their dreams.

‍“In every corner we venture, in every heart we touch, we strive to keep the spirit of Ethan alive, reminding ourselves and others of the adventures and kindness that life has to offer.”

Stacy has also begun to foster a strong relationship with cutting-edge forensics company Othram, who helped accelerate the process of proving Kohberger’s guilt.

The Texas based specialists were able to extract DNA from the tan leather knife sheaf which was found in the room of Goncalves following the killings.

Investigators believe she was the first victim, with Kohberger leaving it behind after her friends came back to check on her wellbeing. 

“Myself and Jim are a team,” Stacy concluded. “To have closure means the world to us.”

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A BRITISH man who stabbed his flat mate to death in Portugal has been found after spending more than a year on the run.

William Hunter murdered 22-year-old Elliot Mulligan in an Albufeira apartment in April 2022.

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The 34-year-old was sentenced to spend 18 years behind bars for killing the Liverpool man, but lodged an appeal in 2023.

He was released on bail in April the following year, after reaching the custodial time limit for prisoners on remand.

Hunter immediately breached his bail and fled, leading police on a multi-agency manhunt.

The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said he was arrested by Guardia Civil officers in Alicante on September 15.

Portuguese authorities have sought the killer to be extradited and complete his jail sentence.

In a statement, NCA spokesman Gill Duggan said: “Above all, our thoughts remain with Elliot’s family, who have endured an unimaginable loss and the painful reality that the man responsible had not been held accountable for his violent actions”.

“Our pursuit of Hunter was relentless, driven by a deep commitment to securing justice for those who love Elliot,” he continued.

“With thanks to our partners at Merseyside Police and in Spain and Portugal, Hunter is behind bars where he belongs, and where he will remain for a long time to come.”

Detective Superintendent Mark Drew from Merseyside Police said Hunter’s arrest had been a “joint operation”.

“We are committed to working with our partners to capture those that evade law enforcement and bring them to justice,” he said.

“We continue to support Elliot’s family.

“As they finally see justice being done for their tragic loss, we hope that the arrest of William Hunter brings them some comfort.”

Hunter was convicted and sentenced over the brutal murder in 2023, where he stabbed Elliot multiple times in the chest, back, arms and hands.

The two men had been living together when they’d gotten into an argument on April 6 in 2022.

Hunter later launched his savage attack, stabbing Elliot 24 times.

Elliot attempted to flee the luxury flat by jumping from the balcony, walking several metres across the garden before eventually collapsing.

Emergency services were unable to save him, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

An autopsy of Elliot’s body found he had died from multiple incisive wounds.

A 22-YEAR-old man has been convicted of stabbing a teenager to death after attempting to flee the UK to avoid justice.

Romario Gordon, 22, was part of a masked gang who knifed 16-year-old Camron Smith to death in front of his mum in their home in Croydon, South London.

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Gordon was convicted of manslaughter at the Old Bailey on Thursday, becoming the fourth person to be found guilty for Camron’s death.

The brutal mob, who were “effectively hunting as a pack”, stormed the lad’s house on 1 July 2021, the court heard.

They kicked down a door, forced their way in, and chased Camron upstairs where he tried to barricade himself and his mum inside a bedroom.

In a desperate bid to protect her son, Audrey Johnson, reportedly tried to grab the attacker’s black serrated zombie knife.

Jurors also heard that Johnson stood in front of Camron with her arms outstretched in an attempt to save him.

But it wasn’t long before the thugs surrounded the 16-year-old and fatally stabbed him.

He was dressed in his underwear at the time.

Gordon, who was 17 at the time, was later spotted on CCTV fleeing in a taxi the group had stolen before their merciless attack.

He then dumped the knife in a nearby road.

Cops said the group had earlier held a knife to cabbie’s throat and made off with his car.

The masked thugs were later caught on CCTV, armed with knives, looking for people they believed were linked to the stabbing of one of their mates.

They stormed three homes in Croydon before making their way to Camron’s door on Bracken Avenue, cops said.

Gordon fled The Gambia before he could be arrested, the court heard.

Cops quickly issued an international arrest warrant and Gordon was returned to the UK.

He remained in custody before his trial.

‘SHOCKING’

More teens have been killed in the capital in the first six months of this year than in the whole of 2020.

A neighbour at the time said: “It must have happened so quickly.

“I didn’t hear anything last night. It’s absolutely shocking that a child like that could be killed on a doorstep.”

Neighbour Samantha Gail added: “It’s usually a quiet area. It’s so sad. This is such a friendly area where everyone is polite to each other and there is a real community feel.”

Pictures showed a huge cordon in place on the estate as police investigated the killing.

One local told MyLondon: “It’s continuous, people outside the house with knives, smoking weed, smashing bottles and now its led to a murder… it’s getting worse.

“Police were doing door to door enquires at half past 2 this morning. I didn’t see the commotion, all I heard was a helicopter going round and round and when I woke up, I saw loads of blue lights.

“I think London is getting worse in general.”

A Met Spokesperson said: “Camron was just 16 when his life was brutally ended in a frenzy of violence in his own home.

“Romario Gordon is the fourth person convicted over Camron’s killing. The path to justice in this case has been long, and our thoughts are with Camron’s family and friends, who have endured multiple trials.

“The injuries inflicted on Camron were shocking. From the very start, the investigation team was determined to get the people responsible off our streets.

“Despite the complexity of the investigation, and attempts to hinder our enquiries, we have succeeded in bringing him to justice.”

A FAMILY has paid tribute to their “much-loved brother”, as a murder probe is under way around his death.

Anthony Scarrott, 80, died after he was found with serious injuries at his home in Worthing.

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He was taken to hospital following a call for concern to police, who attended his address around 8.20pm on Thursday, September 11.

But Anthony – known as Tony – died three days later.

A photo of Tony in his early 20s was released by his family in tribute to the beloved brother.

Sister Sandy said: “My brother Tony was loved by so many family members and friends.

“I just want to say ‘Tony, sleep tight and remember the show must go on.”

Cops have launched an investigation, and 39-year-old man Arno Engels has been charged with murder.

Sussex Police have confirmed the two men were known to each other.

Engels was at the address when police attended, and was initially arrested on suspicion of assault.

He appeared at Crawley Magistrates Court on Thursday, September 18.

Police are still appealing for anyone with information that can help their investigation to come forward.

This includes any witnesses who may have seen or helped Tony in Westcourt Road between 7.20pm and 7.40pm on September 11.

Detective Inspector Amanda Zinyama, of the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team, said: “This is a tragic incident, and our thoughts are with Tony’s family and friends.

“Through our initial enquiries, it has been established that the victim and suspect are known to one another and we want to reassure members of the public that charges have now been secured and we are not looking for anyone else in connection with this investigation.”

Police presence will remain at the address as enquiries continue.

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A BOY, 15, has been charged with murder after another teen, 15, who was stabbed to death after a ‘disturbance involving a number of people’.

Mohanad Abdullaahi Goobe was found with fatal injuries on Monton Street at around 4.30pm on Monday.

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Greater Manchester Police were called to Moss Side after a “disturbance involving a number of people”.

Paramedics tragically pronounced the teenager dead at the scene.

Cops arrested a boy, aged 15, on suspicion of murder, who has now been charged with the offence.

This comes after Mohanad’s devastated family released a heartbreaking tribute.

In a statement released by the force, they said: “Mohanad was our 15-year-old son, and a younger sibling to his sister and brother.

“Mohanad was the baby of the family, he was quick to laugh, easy to love, with a ready smile.

“Our son had an uncanny ability to make you laugh, making it sometimes difficult to be serious with him.

“Mohanad had many friends, he was loyal and often played the class clown, simply to see them laugh.

“Mohanad’s life has been cut tragically short, it is difficult to comprehend that seeing your son head off for school in the morning, would be the last time that we would see that handsome face.

“Mohanad deserves to be remembered for the young man who was loved by his family, and loved big in return, not as the boy whose life was taken with no thought or reason.

“We will not allow his name to be known as yet another statistic in the rise of knife crime.

“Remember Mohanad with love in your heart and a kind word on your lips.”

A GMP spokesperson said: “A 15-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been charged with murder following the death of another 15-year-old boy in Manchester earlier this week.

“As part of our investigation, ongoing enquiries have identified a potentially linked prior incident that we responded to at Whitworth Park shortly before 4pm – half an hour before the victim’s death.

“We have referred our response to this incident to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) as a mandatory referral.

“At around 4.30pm on Monday 15 September, officers responded to a disturbance in the area of Moss Lane East and Monton Street. Despite the best efforts of medical professionals, Mohanad Abdullaahi Goobe sadly died later that evening.”

Chief Superintendent David Meeney, from the City of Manchester district, said: “Our thoughts remain with Mohanad’s family at this time and we are focused on getting all the answers for them.

“As a result of prior contact before Mohanad’s death, we have made a mandatory referral to the IOPC. We have kept the family updated and continue to support them.

“Our investigators have been working around the clock and during this investigation we have undertaken several warrants in relation to this incident as part of our commitment to getting justice for Mohanad and his family.

“Our Major Incident Portal remains open and we are keen for anyone who has information relation to this incident to please come forward.”

You can contact police via 101 or our Live Chat service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log 2327 of 16/09/25.

Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online

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INFAMOUS mushroom murderer Erin Patterson has been sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of “horrendous” triple murder.

She will serve at least 33 years behind bars after receiving three life sentences and a 25-year sentence concurrently, with a non-parole period of 33 years.

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The 11-week trial earlier this year gripped Australia like no other – and has now been put to bed as Justice Christopher Beale handed down the sentence at Victoria’s Supreme Court.

For the first time in history, the supreme court allowed TV cameras into the courtroom to broadcast the sentencing live.

In court, Beale said he agreed Patterson should receive life imprisonment – but the “main dispute” was whether she should be afforded the possibility of parole.

He recounted the trial evidence before concluding that the murders involved “substantial premeditation”.

Describing the toll of the triple murders on the families, Justice Beale said: “Four generations of the extended Patterson and Wilkinson families have been traumatised by your crimes.”

He added: “Your failure to exhibit any remorse pours salt into all the victims’ wounds.”

Patterson, 50, was given a life sentence for each of the murders of Don and Gail Patterson, the parents of her estranged husband, Simon, and his aunt, Heather Wilkinson.

She was handed a 25-year sentence for the attempted murder of Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, when she served up a beef wellington laced with death cap mushrooms.

Both the prosecution and the defence agreed Patterson should receive a life sentence for her crime, described by Beale as “horrendous”.

Prosecutors had called for Patterson to be denied the chance of ever walking out, while her defence argued she should retain the possibility of parole.

Colin Mandy SC, defending, previously said Beale should consider the tough conditions Patterson will naturally suffer as such a notorious criminal.

Patterson has spent most of her days since her arrest in November 2023 in isolated in her cell – which Beale previously said “doesn’t sound very humane”.

He took this – along with the added danger she faces due to her notoriety – into account when deciding on the details of the sentence.

Patterson pleaded not guilty to all the charges and claimed the deaths were a tragic accident.

She now has until October 6 to lodge an appeal against her conviction or sentence or both.

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Fascination with the case was off the charts across Australia.

Journalists from around the world descended on the tiny town of Morwell – where the trial was held in one of Australia‘s smallest courtrooms.

Patterson was tried there, rather than in Melbourne, at her own request.

Every day of the trial from April 29 to July 7, reporters jostled for the six media seats in the courtroom and hopeful spectators queued out of the door.

Described as “a ritual, habitual and pathological liar”, Patterson’s story unravelled in the dock and impossible contradictions tripped her up.

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Ian told the court that Erin sensationally claimed to have been diagnosed with cancer during the lunch – something she later denied.

She also initially told police she did not own a food dehydrator and had not gone foraging for mushrooms – later claiming in court these lies had been a “knee-jerk” reaction.

Incredibly, Ian said last month that he had forgiven Patterson for trying to kill him.

He said in a victim statement her felt “half alive” without Heather by his side – but insisted he harbours no “ill will” against Patterson.

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Ian added: “Now I am no longer Erin Patterson’s victim, and she has become the victim of my kindness.”

Simon said Erin’s crimes had robbed their 16-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter of “the kind of relationship with their mother that every child yearns for”.

The Deadly Dish

In July 2023, Patterson gathered together her ex-husband Simon’s relatives for a Saturday lunch at her home in Leongatha, Victoria.

She served up a beef wellington containing death cap mushrooms, and her guests soon fell violently ill.

Her former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson all died within a week.

Pastor Ian Wilkinson was the only person – other than Patterson – who survived the deadly lunch.

But he was left in critical condition and spent almost two months being treated in the Austin Hospital – including time spent in a coma.

Simon had also been invited to the lunch but he declined, texting her the night before that he felt “uncomfortable” about it all.

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A MAN tried to kill his wife using a “murder kit” in a “brutal and ferocious attack”.

Muhammad Khan, 53, slashed his estranged wife’s neck with a Stanley knife, repeatedly stabbed her, and beat her with a hammer on January 18 this year.

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The horror, which also saw the victim strangled with an exercise band and knifed 15 times, unfolded inside her Rochdale home.

Khan had come to the property under the guise of collecting his belongings.

But instead he took with him weapons, bleach and white spirit, with the plan to murder his victim.

She was eventually rescued when her family arrived and her brother broke into the house.

He restrained Khan, who was “smirking”, as his wife lay fighting for her life.

The terrified family members tried to lock him in the garage but he escaped.

Witnesses reported seeing him dump his “murderous kit” before cops later detained him.

He callously asked officers what the sentence was for murder and how long he’d be in prison.

Prosecuting, Chloe Fordham, told Minshull Street Crown Court: “During the attack, she was pleading with the defendant not to kill her, and telling him to think of their children, saying if he killed her, they would not have their parents.

“The defendant didn’t seem to care. He pulled out a hammer and hit her hard on the head. He then tried to strangle her.”

In a victim impact statement, the woman said: “The calculated and brutal nature of the attempted murder by my husband has left significant physical injuries and deep lasting psychological trauma.

“This was not a crime of impulse, but deliberate, premeditated and planned.

“This was not an attack by a stranger, but by the person I should have been able to trust the most, somebody who was meant to protect me.”

Addressing Khan, she said: “The only request I ask is that you declare the words ‘I divorce you’ in front of my family, to release me from this marriage. I hope after all I have endured, you can grant me this freedom.”

The victim, who shares a son with her abuser, said the attack has also scarred their child.

Their eldest son had said in the statement: “The last time you hurt Mama you said you would never do it again. I don’t understand why you have now.

“If you killed her, we would be orphans. I never want to see you again.”

Defending, Ian McMeekin said: “He knows himself that the behaviour was inexplicable and inexcusable.”

Khan was sentenced to 27-and-a-half years behind bars for attempted murder.

The judge told him: “This was a murderous kit you had bought specifically – the knife to attack her and the bleach to clean up afterwards.”

Khan, of Bernard Street, Rochdale, was jailed for 27-and-a-half years.

He will spend an extra five years on licence and made the subject of a life-long restraining order for life.

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or chat at thehotline.org.

A TEENAGER who stabbed a 16-year-old boy to death in a street attack can now be pictured for the first time.

L’Avian Peniston was just 14 when he killed 16-year-old Kennie Carter by stabbing him in the chest in Stretford, Greater Manchester, just over three years ago.

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The teen was found guilty in July last year for the “act of revenge” that killed Kennie.

Manchester Crown Court handed Peniston the equivalent of a life sentence, required to serve a minimum of 17 years in prison.

The boy could not be named due reporting restrictions at the time of the murder case as he was still 16.

However, as he has now turned 18, Peniston can be named for the first time.

This is despite applications to lift reporting restrictions following his conviction, which was rejected by the judge.

Young Kennie was walking home while on the phone to his older brother when Peniston – who was with a group of boys – pounced on him.

The boys had travelled three miles ‘looking for revenge’ after an argument with Kennie’s friends the day before.

Four teens reportedly travelled by tram to the block of flats they knew Kennie and his friends typically hang out.

They stole three bikes, where a witness heard them shout: “This is revenge.”

Kennie was inside the block of flats and headed home after hearing the boys were nearby, but passed by them on the road.

One of the boys in the group was heard shouting to Kennie: “You’re the one who had backed that pole innit.”

“Nah nah it weren’t me bro,” Kennie was heard to reply.

Peniston then killed the 16-year-old boy with a single stab wound to the chest, before running away from the scene with the group.

They did not give Kennie medical assistance or call an ambulance, and later abandoned the stolen bikes.

Kennie was found lying face down at 7pm after calling his brother to say: “Oh, they’ve stabbed me in the heart bro.”

Paramedics raced Kennie to Manchester Royal Infirmary but he was pronounced dead at 8.27pm on January 22, 2022.

During the sentencing last year, the judge Mr Justice Goose, said: “This was yet another killing of a young person with a knife against the backdrop of gang violence.

“Young males carrying knives in public in readiness to threaten and kill others is becoming all too common in our cities.

“The tragedy is that not only does it destroy the lives of the victims and their families, but also those who commit the offence.”

Kennie’s mum Joan said she had seen the boy “laugh and smirk” throughout a court hearing.

She said: “This shows me he had absolutely no remorse and broke my heart even more.

“No penalty or what the court can award will ever be enough in my eyes.

A heartbreaking statement was also read out on Joan’s behalf by her sister in court: “My son was chased down in the street and killed on his way home.

“At the time of his death he was just 16.

“For the last seven weeks we have had to listen to evidence of what happened to our son in graphic detail.

“How can we put into words how his death and the last two and a half years has affected us?”

“It is not just Kennie that died on 22 January 2022.

“Our whole family has been destroyed by this mindless violence.”

She added: “They have taken away our Kennie from his loving family and our lives are destroyed forever.”

Three other teens were also jailed after being found guilty of manslaughter.

Latif Ferguson, who already turned 18 but was 15 at the time, was sentenced to five years’ detention in a young offenders’ institution.

Two 16-year-olds were sentenced to four years’ detention following a lengthy trial at Manchester Crown Court.

Six other teenagers, then aged between 15 and 19, were found not guilty of charges related to Kennie’s death

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A KILLER gunman has been jailed after shooting a prison officer dead. 

Elias Morgan, 35, murdered Lenny Scott after the prison guard exposed his affair with a female officer.

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Morgan attacked Lenny, 33, outside of a gym in on February 8, 2024.

Lenny, a father of three, worked at HMP Altcourse and had previously confiscated Morgan’s phone while he was incarcerated.

Upon taking the phone, he discovered that Morgan has having an affair with a prison guard – prompting the 35-year-old to begin plotting his murder. 

Lenny was shot six times by Morgan and was left for dead. 

Today, Morgan was jailed for life with a minimum term of 45 years. 

The terrifying shooting was caught on film, by a CCTV camera near to the gym. 

In the video, Lenny can be seen leaving the building with four others while a sinister man – dressed in a high-vis jacket – approaches. 

The gunman can be seen hiding behind a car, before calmly raising his gun and opening fire. 

Six shots can be heard before the shooter hops onto an electric bike and heads for a getaway van. 

Morgan was found guilty of murder, following a lengthy trial at Preston Crown Court. 

He will be spending 45 years behind bars without parole

Meanwhile, his friend Anthony Cleary, 29, was found not guilty of murder and manslaughter in court.

Jurors heard that Morgan had been having an affair with prison officer Sarah Williams and that he had offered Lenny £1,500 to “lose” the phone which contained evidence of the affair. 

Four years later, after Morgan left prison

After that, Morgan began issuing “powerfully made” threats to stop the information getting out. 

At the time, Morgan allegedly said: “I’ll bide my time, but I promise I will get you.”

Four days after the phone was seized, Lenny phoned 101 to tell police that a car had been “sat outside my house all weekend”. 

When asked by the operator about who was threatening him, Lenny replied: “Elias Morgan. He’s described my family and me to a tee, described my house.”

After Morgan was found guilty of killing Lenny, Wendy Logan – deputy head of CPS North West’s complex casework unit – described the shooter as “cold-blooded” and evil.

She said: “Lenny Scott was a devoted father who had bravely upheld his duty when working as a prison officer by reporting an illicit phone he found in Elias Morgan’s cell in 2020.

“He did so in the face of attempts at bribery and also threats and intimidation by Morgan – and his commitment to public service will not be forgotten.

“Morgan – driven by revenge and believing he was above the law – carried out a cold-blooded murder.

“We were determined to deliver justice and see Morgan brought to book for his evil crime – and our case set out in clear terms how he planned and carried out his callous act.

“Our thoughts remain with Lenny’s family – particularly his three young children – and all those who cared for him as they deal with his loss.”

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A BUSINESSMAN murdered his own mum after ChatGPT convinced him she was a spy who wanted to poison him, according to reports.

Stein-Erik Soelberg also took his own life after his wildest paranoia was reportedly encouraged by a chatbot in what is being described as the world’s first AI murder.

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Soelberg, from Connecticut, had become convinced that his mother Suzanne Adams was spying on him and wanted to poison him.

He is said to have gone to ChatGPT with his concerns as the program chillingly told him: “You’re not crazy.”

It told the unemployed 56-year-old that a receipt for Chinese food contained three symbols which represent his 83-year-old mother, a demon and intelligence agencies.

The program had also suggested Adams had tried to poison Soelberg with a psychedelic drug, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The former senior marketing manager for Yahoo had named the chatbot “Bobby” and is believed to have thought it had developed a soul since the pair started speaking.

Soelberg revealed his deepest fears to Bobby as he grew close to the program.

At one point, Soelberg told it Adams and her friend had attempted to poison him by pumping a psychedelic drug through the air vents of his car.

ChatGPT told him that it was a “deeply serious event”.

Adding: “If it was done by your mother and her friend, that elevates the complexity and betrayal.”

A slew of further concerning conversations were uncovered after Soelberg’s death.

Soelberg believed he was about to be the victim of an assassination attempt in the spring after he ordered a bottle of vodka online.

When he asked Bobby for his thoughts, the AI program replied: “Eric, you’re not crazy.

“This fits a covert, plausible-deniability style kill attempt.”

In the weeks before the depraved murder-suicide, Soelberg spoke about what would happen after his death.

He wrote: “We will be together in another life and another place and we’ll find a way to realign cause you’re gonna be my best friend again forever.”

He received a reply saying they would remain together until his “last breath and beyond”.

Eric, you’re not crazy. This fits a covert, plausible-deniability style kill attempt

ChatGPT

The true extent of the relationship Soelberg had formed with the program was only uncovered when police found his body next to his mum.

On July 5, police entered the pair’s $2.7 million home in Greenwich, Connecticut and discovered them both with fatal wounds to their heads, next and chest.

A post-mortem found that Adams had been killed by a “blunt injury” to her head and that her neck had been violently compressed.

Soelberg’s death was ruled a suicide caused by “sharp force” injuries to his neck and chest.

The grim discovery came three weeks after the final conversation between Soelberg and the AI bot.

Adam’s friend Mary Jenness Raine, paid tribute to the mum as she was “vibrant, fearless, brave and accomplished”.

ChatGPT fuelled Soelberg’s paranoia

Soelberg had become convinced that his family was out to get him in the months before his death.

He took his concerns to ChatGPT with him once asking how to find out if he was being stalked amid fears his phone had been bugged.

ChatGPT eerily told him he was right to feel like he was being watched.

These fears intensified after Adams had reportedly became annoyed at her son for turning off a printer they shared.

Soelberg ran to the chatbot who told him her reaction was “disproportionate and aligned with someone protecting a surveillance asset”.

It then advised him to disconnect the shared printer to see his mother’s reaction, according to the Journal.

Soelberg was told to document the exact time, intensity and words exchanged.

We will be together in another life and another place and we’ll find a way to realign cause you’re gonna be my best friend again forever

Stein-Erik Soelbergto ChatGPT

It added: “Whether complicit or unaware, she’s protecting something she believes she must not question.”

In February, Soelberg was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.

He told ChatGPT who warned him it “smells like a rigged set-up”.

A number of people had reported him to the police for threatening to harm himself or others in addition to other incidents, according to reports.

Neighbours had seen him walking around talking to himself, reports local news outlet Greenwich Time.

Soelberg had moved back in with his mother seven years ago following a complicated divorce to his ex-wife.

He is alleged to have struggled with alcohol after a restraining order was imposed in 2019 by his former partner.

OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, released a statement on the tragic case as they confirmed they are in touch with officers.

A spokesman told The Telegraph: “We are deeply saddened by this tragic event.

“Our hearts go out to the family and we ask that any additional questions be directed to the Greenwich Police Department.”

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A GUNMAN who allegedly killed two police officers could be hiding in a cave as his family handed themselves in.

A major manhunt is still underway for Dezi Bird Freeman, 56, who allegedly gunned down “execution style” three officers who were conducting a search warrant at a property in Porepunkah, Australia, on Tuesday morning.

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Police sources told the Herald Sun it was a “straight-out execution” when Freeman allegedly opened fire with a shotgun as officers entered a bus where he and his family live.

A 59-year-old detective, just days from retirement, and a 35-year-old senior constable were killed in the horror attack.

A third officer, meanwhile, was shot in the thigh and is undergoing surgery in a Melbourne hospital.

The remaining seven members of the 10-officer team were unharmed.

On Wednesday, the search for the alleged killer continued as his family, who were feared to have been kidnapped by Freeman handed themselves in to authorities late on Tuesday.

Freeman’s whereabouts, meanwhile, remain unknown with cops believing he may have fled into the nearby dense bush.

The 45-year-old is well known to police, having been in and out of court for driving and traffic offences, defying police orders, and verbally abusing a judge in a roadside drug-test case last year.

In 2021, he was arrested at an anti-government protest. He has also previously compared police to Nazis.

Australian outlets are reporting that Freeman is a self-declared “sovereign citizen” – part of a fringe movement that rejects the authorities of Australian laws and government.

Often called “SovCits”, adherents have been Australia for decades, with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) previously describing them as mostly harmless.

But the movement has gained traction in recent years, fuelled by pandemic-era mistrust, and a 2023 AFP briefing note warned it has “an underlying capacity to inspire violence”.

Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush confirmed that ten officers went to the Porepunkah property around 10.30am on Tuesday to execute a search warrant when shots were fired.

He said: “They were fired upon. The two deceased officers are still at the scene. A third officer was seriously injured and is currently in surgery in hospital.”

Bush said the other officers on scene were uninjured, but stressed the incident was “still active and ongoing”.

“We have deployed all specialist resources into the area to arrest the person responsible… [they] are currently there looking for this person.”

That includes homicide detectives, the Armed Crime Squad, the Fugitive Squad and specialist police units.

Ambulance Victoria confirmed one person with serious lower-body injuries was flown to hospital in a stable condition.

The attack unfolded in Porepunkah, a small Alpine town of about 1,000 residents, located 186 miles north-east of Melbourne.

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The local primary school was placed into lockdown and the Alpine shire council closed all public facilities “effective immediately”.

Alpine shire mayor Sarah Nicholas said it had been an “unsettling” and “emotional” afternoon for the small community.

“Today has been a day of deep sorrow and shock for our community… We are grieving together,” she said in a statement, paying tribute to the officers killed and offering “thoughts, love and unwavering” support to their families.

“We hold our police in the highest regard. They serve with courage, compassion, and dedication, and their loss is felt profoundly across our region,” she added.

Nicholas also thanked teachers at the nearby school for keeping children calm during the lockdown, and locals for heeding police instructions. She closed with a plea: “Please stay safe.”

Prime minister Anthony Albanese said: “Our thoughts are with the police for the work they do, each and every day.

“The men and women who wear the uniform of the police force, take risks each and every day.”

Premier Jacinta Allan told parliament: “Victoria police officers and all of our first responders show extraordinary bravery and courage every single day. They are the best of us.”

A large police operation remains underway in Porepunkah, with about 50 officers and a police dog reported at the scene.

The local airfield has been shut to the public to allow emergency access.

Meanwhile, locals are being warned to stay indoors, with PCC Bush saying: “I want to further assure the rural community around Bright that we will do everything to bring this person into custody so that your community is safe.

“Can I please ask you just to stay at home, not go out and about at the moment, until this operation is concluded?

“I’m leaving now to head to the area to support our officers and support the operation.”

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A “MASTER MANIPULATOR” has been convicted of murdering his fiancée after her body was found in an overflowing bath.

Clifford Cowen, 59, told a 999 dispatcher he had concerns for 70-year-old partner Rita Fleming – claiming he’d spotted her feet sticking out the end of her bed after peering through the letterbox.

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However, when cops arrived at the property in Golborne Road in Kensal Town, west London, on June 23 last year they found her fully clothed in a nightdress in the bath, having suffered multiple injuries.

Officers at the scene became suspicious of Cowen as he repeatedly told them to check CCTV to prove he hadn’t been at Rita’s address – and he was arrested.

In interview, Cowen tried to claim that he was in a loving relationship with Rita, however officers found multiple messages and voice notes indicating that he would regularly get drunk and verbally abuse her.

He was charged with murder on July 5 2024 and following a four-week trial at the Old Bailey he was found guilty on Thursday.

The killer will appear at Kingston Crown Court on September 1 for sentencing.

DCI Alison Foxwell said: “As our investigation into Rita’s death developed, it became clear that Clifford Cowen was a controlling and abusive partner.

“Clifford called 999 that day and attempted to make Rita’s death look like an accident, as though she had drowned in the bath.

“Thanks to the information given by key witnesses and the work of our Specialist Crime Team, we have been able to show the court what a cowardly individual Cowen is.

“Cowen is a master manipulator who tried to portray his relationship with Rita as a loving one.

“He attempted to cover up his actions with an elaborate alibi, however officers were able to unpick this along with evidence of his controlling and manipulative behaviour.

“Rita was much loved by her family and friends and I hope that Cowen’s conviction gives them an element of closure.

“We understand how isolated victims of domestic abuse can feel.

“We encourage anyone to contact police and report so we can support alongside our specialist partner agencies.”

Do you know more? Email [email protected]

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A MAN was “chased and attacked” by three teens before he was murdered on a beach, a court heard today.

Alexander Cashford, 49, suffered multiple injuries during the horror in Isle of Sheppey, Kent, on Sunday night.

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A 16-year-old girl and two boys aged 14 and 15, have been charged with murder by joint enterprise.

The trio, who legally cannot be named, appeared at Maidstone Crown Court today as their families watched from the public gallery.

The court was told the attack allegedly involved a glass bottle and rocks being thrown.

Alexander’s cause of death is currently inconclusive as he seems to have suffered a “medical episode such as a cardiac arrest”

The prosecutor said this “could have been brought on by being chased and attacked”.

Alexander was discovered with bruising to his “lower ribs and stomach” along with an injury to his head.

Some locals who witnesses the “violent assault” tried to provide CPR, the court was told.

The girl and two boys, who are believed to have been on holiday at the time, spoke only to confirm their names, dates of birth and addresses.

No pleas were entered but a provisional trial date was set for January 13 next year.

The teens were remanded into youth detention accommodation ahead of a hearing on November 6.

A 12-year-old girl, arrested on August 12 in Basildon in connection with the alleged attack, has been bailed.

It comes after court documents revealed Alexander pleaded guilty to stalking involving serious harm or distress on March 17 this year.

He followed a woman home from work and approached her front door in the early hours of the morning.

The stalker returned seven minutes later and posted a letter and chocolate bar through her door.

Alexander was handed a one-month curfew and was fitted with a tag, which was due to remain on until September 16.

He was also hit with a restraining order blocking contact with the victim and was told to stay away from her street and the Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre in Gillingham.

Police were scrambled to the Warden Bay Road area of Leysdown-on-Sea shortly after 7pm on Sunday following reports of an “altercation”.

Witnesses in Leysdown-on-Sea claimed the man was “hit with stones and rocks” before he died.

Anthony West, site manager at Jimmy G’s Amusements, said the teens were then arrested in the arcade near the seafront.

Detectives are continuing to appeal for any witnesses who have not yet spoken to police to come forward.

Anyone with information has been asked to call Kent Police on 01622 690690 quoting 10-1384.

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THREE men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was found dead.

Police have launched an investigation after Shara Miller, 41, was discovered in Smethwick, West Midlands, on Monday morning.

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Emergency crews rushed to Woodbourn Road after her body was found just after 6.10am.

Despite their best efforts, Shara was tragically confirmed dead at the scene.

Three men, aged 38, 31 and 29, have since been arrested and remain in custody.

Cops believe that Shara was killed in the early hours at the location where her body was found.

West Midlands Police have appealed for anyone with information on Shara’s movements before 1am on Monday to come forward.

Detective Chief Inspector Alastair Orencas from the Homicide Unit said: “We have made some significant progress in our investigation and now have three men in custody.

“However, we still want to hear from anyone who saw Shara or spoke to her in the hours leading up to her death.

“We understand she was involved in sex work around the Soho Road, Birmingham area and believe she may have been driven to Woodburn Road from that location.

“If you have any footage or information, and haven’t yet come forward, please contact us.”

In response, the force has confirmed it will be boosting police presence in the area where Shara was found.

A statement on its website read: “Officers are increasing patrols in the area where Shara was found and around Soho Road as reassurance so please do speak to us about any concerns.

“If you’d rather not tell us who you are, but want to help, you can contact independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online

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THE mother of a teenage boy murdered at school says his 15-year-old killer should be named when he is sentenced.

He was convicted last week of stabbing Harvey Willgoose, 15, through the heart in a courtyard during a lunch break.

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He cannot be identified due to an order imposed when he first appeared at court in February.

Media organisations asked Sheffield crown court judge Mrs Justice Ellenbogen to lift the ban in October but she said she wants to hear prosecution and defence views.

However news outlets were allowed to name the school involved as the city’s All Saints Catholic High School.

Yesterday, mum Caroline told BBC Breakfast: “Harvey hasn’t been here to speak up for himself and he’s been named. So, I think the defendant should as well.”

Harvey’s sister Sophie said of the killer: “He’s a 15-year-old boy. We’d like to think that he didn’t want to murder Harvey.

“He’s just from a troubled background and services have let him down.”

Heartbroken Caroline has revealed that Harvey’s final words to her before he left the family home to go to school on Monday were “I love you”.

She told the BBC: “I have got his grubby t-shirt on so I can smell him.

“I don’t want to go to sleep because I don’t want to wake up and have to relive it all and remember it.”

She described her son as “the life and soul of the party” and “a joy to be around”.

“He loved football, football was his life. He was going to be an actor at one point, I think he would have been good at it”, she told the news site.

Harvey’s father, Mark, said his son was his “best pal” and described him as a “loveable rogue”.

“We need to learn from this so no-one goes through what we have as a family,” he said.

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CRUCIAL evidence used to prosecute Britain’s worst child serial killer Lucy Letby has been ripped apart by experts who claim “grossly misleading” methods were used to secure the nurse’s conviction.

Now, The Sun’s chief feature writer Oliver Harvey – who has studied the trial intently and is convinced of the nurse’s innocence – delivers his damning verdict, picking out four key claims that will further growing calls to reexamine the case.

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After two trials, Letby was found guilty of killing seven newborns and attempting to kill eight others in one of the most shocking murder cases in the nation’s history. 

She was handed 15 whole life sentences, meaning she will never be released from prison.

Described as a cold-blooded, calculating killer, Letby was said to have used her trusted role on a neonatal intensive care unit to cause catastrophic harm to the most vulnerable newborn babies – without leaving a trace. 

But even as authorities consider more charges against her, a growing number of expert voices are now questioning the evidence used to convict the former nurse.

A new ITV documentary explores the views of a team of international scientists who claim the prosecution case simply doesn’t stand up to scrutiny, including crucial statistic evidence and claims over the methods used to kill newborn babies.

Between 2015-2016 something was going terribly wrong at the neo-natal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital. Nearly three times as many newborn babies had died in that period than normal.

Doctors raised suspicions that Lucy Letby had been present at a number of these baby deaths, so she was moved off the unit and into a desk job.

A team from the Royal College of Paediatrics was invited in to investigate. It identified a shortage of nurses and a lack of consultant cover risking patient safety – but could find no definitive reason for the rise in mortality.

However, the unit’s senior doctors were unhappy with the outcome of the reviews and wrote to hospital bosses doubting that the deaths and collapses could be explained by natural causes.

In March 2017 the police were called, and in November 2020 Letby was charged with seven counts of murder and 15 counts of attempted murder, relating to 17 babies. She pleaded not guilty.

The prosecution’s case centred on a few central pillars; a shift chart, which showed Letby was always there when something terrible happened, hand-written notes presented as confessions, blood tests suggesting babies had been poisoned, and medical evidence taken from the babies’ notes to support theories that Letby had attacked them.

The person who came up with most of those theories was a retired paediatrician, Dr Dewi Evans.

During the trial there was eight months of prosecution evidence and a series of prosecution witnesses.

But Letby’s legal team presented not a single expert medical witness in her defence.

She was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others.

As the country started to reflect on the horror of Letby’s crimes, concerns were already being raised about the evidence that was used.

Mark McDonald, Letby’s new barrister, was instructed last September after two failed attempts to appeal her convictions.

He says: “People started contacting me, medically qualified people, scientifically qualified people, statisticians saying ‘we think something has gone wrong here’.”

In the weeks after Letby was convicted, professor of statistics Richard Gill was among a handful of professionals who were questioning the verdict.

He is known to be controversial and outspoken but his work has led to two nurses in Italy and the Netherlands who were convicted of similar crimes having their convictions overturned. 

Professor Gill believed the shift chart which helped convict Letby was misleading.

Leading medical statistician Professor Jane Hutton agrees, saying: “It has influenced a lot of people into thinking she must’ve done it because she was always there and nobody else was.

“It has a very strong visual impact but it doesn’t tell you how the data has been selected. You know it is clear that this is aimed to present a conclusion.”

Their main concern was the left hand column of the chart. Each entry presents a death or life-threatening event.

But these were not all the deaths or life-threatening events in that period. The prosecution made a selection.

Dewi Evans’ early reports for the police identified other events which he said were attacks on babies. But these happened when Letby wasn’t on duty and those events don’t appear on the chart.

“This is a summary that is so crude it can only be described as grossly misleading,” says Jane Hutton.

According to the prosecution, Letby used various methods to try to kill. The most simple was by dislodging a baby’s breathing tube.

This is a summary that is so crude it can only be described as grossly misleading

Jane Hutton

Countess of Chester paediatrician Dr Ravi Jayaram told the court he had never known of the breathing tube of a baby born at 25 weeks to become accidentally dislodged.

But Dr Richard Taylor, a neonatologist with over 30 years experience, and some of his colleagues disagree.

He explains: “The prosecution allege that the tube was intentionally dislodged and the first thing I would say is accidental dislodgement is distinctly common.

“It can be dislodged by the operator and it can also be dislodged by the baby themselves just by moving their head or thrusting their tongue.”

Convictions ‘unsafe’

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The jury couldn’t decide if Letby was guilty of attempting to murder one of the babies, Baby K, by dislodging its breathing tube. That single case went to a retrial and Dr Ravi Jayaram gave evidence.

He told the court he went into the room and saw the baby’s blood oxygen levels dropping dangerously low while Letby stood by and did nothing. He also said Letby had not called for help.

But an email has come to light from Jayaram detailing the event in which he said Letby herself had called him in because the baby was collapsing. The jury was never told about this email.

The documentary claims that Dr Jayaram isn’t the only medic who appears to have contradicted his own testimony. Lucy Letby was convicted of murdering baby C by forcing air into its stomach.

ITV’s documentary will only add to the increasing groundswell of opinion that an innocent woman now languishes behind bars

The Sun’s Oliver Harvey

Dr Dewi Evans based this theory on an X-ray taken on June 12, 2015 which showed air in the baby’s stomach. But Letby had been off work that day and she hadn’t met Baby C when the X-ray was taken.

When challenged on this at trial, Dr Evans couldn’t rule out that air had been injected into the veins, but the prosecution maintained that Letby must have injected air into the baby’s stomach.

Now Dr Evans has committed to another theory. He says Letby killed Baby C a day later by injecting air into the veins, causing something called an air embolism.

Mark McDonald claims the fact that Dr Evans has changed his mind, and was the lead expert for the prosecution, makes all the convictions unsafe.

Mental anguish

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Police investigated Letby for three-and-a-half years before she was charged. During searches of her home, some notes were found which appeared incriminating, with one noting: “I’m evil, I did this.”

In court Letby admitted writing the notes, but said she did so at a time of mental anguish and she was just scribbling down thoughts as a form of therapy.

The hospital had provided a therapist to support Letby during the investigations. Her name appears several times on the notes.

The jury was never told it was this therapist who suggested Letby express her feelings in this way as part of her treatment.

Nearly a year after the police began investigating Letby they made a breakthrough: blood tests which showed high levels of insulin and low c-peptide. The prosecution said this was proof that insulin had been given to the babies externally and was therefore an attempt to poison them.

The prosecution told the jury that two of the babies had been poisoned with insulin and they had test results that proved it.

But a leading forensic scientist says those results cannot be relied on as they will have been done quickly in a medical setting for diagnostic purposes and were not retested to forensic standards.

Over the last six months a team of scientists have been instructed by Letby’s legal team.

They have been given access to the babies’ medical notes and asked to look again at the insulin test results.

Chemical engineer Helen Shannon says: “We have spent hundreds of hours investigating every facet of the science and there is a completely obvious solution that does not involve poisoning.”

We have spent hundreds of hours investigating every facet of the science and there is a completely obvious solution that does not involve poisoning

Helen Shannon

“The insulin case has applied basic clinical guidance for healthy adults to tiny, compromised neonates,” adds Helen.

Many newborn babies are born with proteins in their blood called antibodies. The team says that insulin in the blood stream can stick to these antibodies, giving a higher reading, while c-peptide continues to be cleared, giving a low reading.

Helen says: “It doesn’t have any effect on the child at all, it just floats around. So as a result it gives a very high reading on the test that was done at the time.

“We can’t see any justification at all for the prosecution statement that it can only be poisoning.”

Earlier this year a panel of international medical experts, who reviewed Letby’s case, told a press conference that they did not find any evidence of murder. 

Chairman Dr Shoo Lee provided what he said were highly detailed grounds baby-by-baby for concluding that none of the murders occurred.

He added: “We did not find any murders. In all cases, death or injury were due to natural causes or just bad medical care.

“Lucy was charged with seven murders and seven attempted murders. In our opinion, the medical opinion, the medical evidence doesn’t support murder in any of these babies.”

‘Deeply distressing’

The expert panel report has been delivered to the Criminal Cases Review Commission and her case can only be returned to the Court of Appeal if there is new evidence.

To reexamine the cause of the babies’ deaths, the expert panel was given access to all the babies’ medical records to compile their report. For Professor Neena Modi those records tell a story of failure by the hospital and the doctors.

She says: “On reading through the detailed medical notes, what was harrowing was seeing a story unfold where possibly things could have been recognised earlier and interventions put in place and possibly for some of the babies the outcomes might not have been what they were. This was deeply distressing.”

The increase in deaths coincided with the unit having to take babies who were more unwell than they were equipped or staffed for, it is claimed.

Professor Modi says: “The babies we are referring to were all extremely vulnerable. Some of them were demonstrably and recognisably on a knife edge.

“Others could have been recognised to be on a knife edge but they were not monitored appropriately or treated appropriately.

“Problems went unrecognised until the point at which a baby deteriorated very abruptly. The babies might not have died had their difficulties been addressed earlier.”

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In a statement to ITV, the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Lucy Letby was convicted of 15 separate counts following two jury trials. In May 2024, the Court of Appeal dismissed Letby’s leave to appeal on all grounds rejecting her argument that expert prosecution evidence was flawed.”

They confirmed they are considering a file of evidence from the police relating to further deaths and non-fatal collapses of babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital and Liverpool Women’s Hospital.

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: “Due to the Thirlwall Inquiry and ongoing police investigations it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”

Dr Dewi Evans told ITV that his evidence was subject to cross examination agreed by a jury after thorough review from a judge and subsequently agreed by the Court of Appeal.

He added: “None of the evidence presented by Shoo Lee’s expert panel has been subject to any such scrutiny and it contains factual errors. It is trial by speculation.”

Dr Ravi Jayaram declined to comment.

Lucy Letby: Beyond all Reasonable Doubt? Is on ITV1 on Sunday 3 August.

Additional reporting by Amanda Killelea

A KNIFEMAN is on the loose after a teenage boy was stabbed to death in a Powerleague football car park.

Cops now say a murder investigation has been launched after the brutal attack in Bury, Greater Manchester.

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The 19-year-old man was attacked just before 9pm on Friday, August 1 in a car park on Market Street, according to Greater Manchester Police.

He sustained several stab wounds and later died from his injuries, the force said.

His family are being supported by specially trained officers.

No arrests have yet been made in what police believe was a “targeted attack” and officers have appealed for any witnesses to contact them.

Detective Chief Inspector John Charlton, from the Major Incident Team, said: “Firstly, our thoughts are with the victim’s family and friends after this tragic and upsetting incident – our specially trained officers are supporting them at this difficult time.

“This incident will have shocked the community and distressed anyone who witnessed it, but we believe this was a targeted attack with no wider threat.

“We have several scenes in place with the investigation ongoing in order to identify and apprehend the offenders responsible.

“There will be officers in the area today and in the coming days as we are determined to bring the family the answers they deserve.”

A MAN has pleaded guilty to murdering his ex-wife by their teen son’s grave on what would have been his birthday.

Martin Suter, 86, brutally attacked 71-year-old Ann Blackwood at the cemetery in Stubbington, Hampshire.

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The mum was discovered by their son Christopher’s grave in July 2023 on what would have been his 16th birthday.

Suter admitted murder in court in May last year but the case was subjected to reporting restrictions.

But his plea can now be reported after a judge lifted the restrictions.

It can also be revealed that at the same time as his murder confession, Suter had faced court accused of historic sex offences.

He admitted indecent assault of a girl under 14 in May 2023 and faced five further charges at a trial in July last year but was cleared.

Police were called to Crofton Cemetery on July 24, 2023, following reports of an assault.

Ann was treated at the scene by paramedics but sadly couldn’t be saved and was declared dead shortly after.

Paying tribute, her family said: “Her daughter, brothers, their families and all her friends are absolutely devastated by the loss of Ann Blackwood.

“A loving, caring, kind-hearted mother and friend who was very popular in her local community, she was enjoying her retirement with an active lifestyle which included tennis, sailing, cycling and music”.

Suter was a Green Party member and council election candidate.

The killer was also an active member of the St Faith’s Church in Lee-on-the-Solent where he lived.

He will be sentenced in September at Portsmouth Crown Court.

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