Serial killers

Netflix has released a new four-episode series that follows a serial killer who strikes terror in Italy by targeting couples parked in lovers lanes – and viewers have been urged to check it out

Netflix subscribers are being urged to watch a gripping mini-series that will have you hooked from the very first episode. Film enthusiast Eccy Reviews, who shares the latest film and TV recommendations on social media, has told his followers they must watch The Monster of Florence.

The four-part series tells the true story of a “serial killer who strikes terror in Italy by targeting couples parked in lovers lanes, authorities explore a case from 1968 that may be key to identifying The Monster of Florence”. Directed by Leonardo Fasoli and Stefano Sollima, the programme features performances from Francesca Olia, Liliana Bottone, and Marco Bullitta.

Discussing the series, Eccy Reviews said: “You need to stop whatever you’re doing because Netflix just dropped a brand new series and it honestly might be one of the best shows of the year.”.

“It’s based on a true story. Now, trust me when I tell you that the first episode will have you absolutely hooked. It made me binge the entire thing and I honestly can’t recommend it enough.

“It can’t go under the radar. Everyone needs to watch it, everyone needs to talk about it. So make sure to get this show on your watch list and get it watched.”

Responding to his recommendation, one viewer said: “When I say my jaw just kept hitting the floor! This was a lot to take in but I did like it.”

Another commented: “Straight out of a Criminal Minds episode.”

A third wrote: “I always follow your recommendations, I’m starting it now.”

One viewer shared their thoughts on IMDb, stating: “I’d never heard of these murders until I watched this series.

“It’s well-acted and portrays the changing look and feel of the time periods in which it is set – a 20 year time span – through decor, cars, fashions and background music.

“The treatment of women is absolutely disturbing – not just the horrific murders but also the total misogyny and disrespect that they lived under in some family units.

“Apart from the detectives investigating these crimes – and the innocent victims – I don’t think there is one man featured who has any redeemable qualities.

“It was interesting but at times repetitive in that the same event was shown several times, albeit from different people’s perspective.”

Another viewer chimed in with: “This crime thriller is based on true events. After long time finally a solid psycho murder episode from Italy on Netflix.

“I find it is actually on short supply to see good series or movies from Italy on Netflix. The first episode was for me too slow paced and I thought already to stop.

“But the longer I watched it the more interesting the story got. There are many flashbacks to reconstruct the mystery puzzles and help so the audience to understand what was really going on.

“The atmosphere and filming locations have been wonderfully created from the 60s to the 80s.

“The actors played the characters respectably and I think the director did a great job too.

“If you liked the other two psycho killer series on Netflix Jeffrey Dahmer or Ed Gein this is for you. Final vote: 7/10.”

Despite his notoriety Ed Gein was not really a serial killer

The latest true crime series now streaming on Netflix revisits one of the most notorious real-life horror tales of all time. The horrifying story has even served as inspiration for a number of iconic horror movies.

Monster: The Ed Gein Story is now available for streaming on the streaming platform. Gein is not only remembered for his confirmed crimes, as well as a number of others he is suspected of having carried out, but also the shocking discoveries made at his home.

But who were Ed Gein’s victims? What were his crimes? And what happened following his trial? Here’s all you need to know.

How many people did Ed Gein kill?

Despite his notoriety, Ed Gein cannot really be classed as a serial killer, unlike many of the characters he may have inspired, having only confessed to two murders. These included 58-year-old Plainfield hardware store owner Bernice Worden, who disappeared from her place of work in November 1957.

While the business saw just a few customers during the day, Bernice’s son, Deputy Sheriff Frank Worden, went into the store around 5pm and found the cash register open with blood stains on the floor. Gein was reported to be expected to return to the store that morning for some anti-freeze – and a sales slip for the killer was the last receipt written by Bernice on the morning she disappeared.

Gein was arrested and officers searched his farm, where they found Bernice’s body, decapitated and hung upside down like a deer in a shed. It was determined she had been shot before being mutilated.

Gein also admitted that he shot 51-year-old tavern owner Mary Hogan, who had been reported missing on December 8, 1954. Her head was found in Gein’s home, but he later claimed he could not remember details of the killing.

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What were Ed Gein’s other crimes?

Gein also admitted to stealing from at least nine graves. He told authorities he made around 40 trips to cemeteries, digging up bodies and turning parts from them into various items that were found in his home.

Some of these included bowls made out of skulls, lampshades and masks made of skin, and a belt made of nipples. He also made a suit made of skin, which many believe was supposed to resemble Gein’s mother. However, he denied ever having sex with any of the bodies.

Was Ed Gein suspected of other murders?

Ed Gein was linked with a number of other suspicious deaths. He was a suspect in seven unsolved cases.

This included two children who went missing. Georgia Jean Weckler, eight, and Evelyn Grace Hartley, 14, disappeared when babysitting. There were also neighbours who vanished, including James Walsh, 32. Gein had carried out chores for James’ wife following her husband’s disappearance.

However, Gein passed lie detector tests when confronted with these cases. Psychiatrists also claimed Gein’s violence and crimes were only directed towards women who physically resembled his mother.

What happened to Ed Gein?

While charged with first degree murder in 1957, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and declared unfit for trial. He was sent to the Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.

But in 1968, doctors decided he was able to stand trial, which lasted just one week and was held without a jury. A psychiatrist testified and claimed Gein told him he did not know if Bernice Worden’s death was accidental or not.

A second trial took place over Gein’s sanity. A judge ruled he was “not guilty by reason of insanity” and ordered him committed to Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.

Ed Gein died at the Mendota Mental Health Institute due to respiratory failure, on July 26, 1984, aged of 77.

Monster: The Ed Gein Story is streaming on Netflix.

Hollyoaks viewers are convinced that Mercedes McQueen will have a new romance with one of the show’s most beloved characters in the wake of her son Bobby’s death

Hollyoaks fans are speculating that Mercedes McQueen (portrayed by Jennifer Metcalfe) is on the brink of a new romance following the tragic death of her son Bobby Costello (Zak Sutcliffe).

In recent episodes of the Channel 4 drama, Tony Hutchinson (Nick Packard) was wrongfully arrested and jailed for Bobby’s murder. Bobby, an escaped prisoner, had crossed paths with Jez after discovering that the serial killer had taken the life of his social worker Ian.

Jez Blake (Jeremy Sheffield) went to extreme lengths to hide his crimes, leading to the brutal murder of Bobby in shocking scenes. His body was subsequently run over by Tony.

Mercedes is determined to prove that Chester legend Tony is responsible for her son’s death. However, upcoming scenes reveal that Diane Hutchinson (Alex Fletcher) is organising a fundraiser at The Dog to assist Tony with his legal costs, something Mercedes won’t take lightly.

But bringing Tony to justice might not be the only thing occupying Mercedes’ thoughts. Observant viewers are predicting she will start a new romance with Darren Osborne (Ashley Dawson), reports the Manchester Evening News.

Darren and his wife Nancy (Jessica Fox) have been fraught with worry following their daughter Morgan’s disappearance, causing tension between them.

However, more heartbreak is looming as it’s confirmed Darren is not Morgan’s biological father, revealing his wife’s infidelity.

Hollyoaks fans are convinced that the grieving Mercedes and troubled Darren will find solace in each other and begin an affair.

One fan speculated on X: “Gonna make some theories for what I think will happen in #hollyoaks within the next year: Darren will end up in a relationship with Mercedes.”

Another chimed in: “Bet with the Tony and Nancy stuff, Mercedes and Darren are gonna be a item next #hollyoaks.”

A third responded: “Oh dear god don’t even come up with that.”

“I definitely think Mercedes and Darren are gonna end up having an affair or something #hollyoaks,” another added.

While another declared: “Loving the Mercedes and Darren interaction #Hollyoaks.”

Hollyoaks airs Monday to Wednesday on E4 at 7pm and first look episodes can be streamed Channel 4 from 7am

All hell will break loose in bombshell scenes as Robert Sugden goes above and beyond to save his ex-husband Aaron Dingle from John Sugden’s grasp – but things will go awry.

Two lives are left hanging in the balance next week and it may mean trouble for Robert Sugden as he’s left to grapple alone with the aftermath.

Ryan Hawley’s Robert Sugden goes all out to protect his ex-husband Aaron Dingle from John Sugden’s clutches in Emmerdale – even if it means putting himself back on the firing line.

“His suspicions are renewed when he hears Tracy talking to Charity,” says Ryan. “She says there’s something more going on. He then finds out that Aaron and John are away at this cottage. He’s worried about Aaron, who’s in danger. That’s his primary focus.”

Aaron (Danny Miller) has been torn between love and loyalty in recent months. John (Oliver Farnworth) offered him security but Robert’s return to the village reopened old wounds – and old passions.

But from the moment he met his half-brother John, Robert sensed trouble. “He thinks there are too many things that don’t add up,” Ryan says, “He’s always had the suspicion there’s something wrong about John.”

John, who has blood on his hands from Nate’s death and Mackenzie’s disappearance, knows Robert is circling. To keep his crimes under wraps, he isolates Aaron and tightens his grip.

But when Robert tracks them down with help from Eric Pollard, the façade breaks wide open. Robert accuses John of murder, triggering an explosive confrontation.

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“He suspects that John is to blame for Nate’s murder,” Ryan says. “Robert gets banged out in one go. He’s not very good at fighting.” The drama escalates in the woods, as Robert regains consciousness and gives chase. Paranoia then collides with betrayal. “John instantly thinks that Aaron’s been lying to him,” Ryan says.

“He knows that Aaron and Robert have had an affair so he instantly suspects there’s more betrayal. Then John comes up with his own survival instinct plan.”

That plan turns deadly. As truths about Nate and Mackenzie emerge, John drags Aaron into his spiral – literally. In a shock move, John pulls Aaron with him down a gorge, leaving Robert horrified.

“There’s so much going on,” Ryan says, “They’re on the edge of a cliff, there’s a revelation about Mack and another about Nate. It’s a very perplexing situation. He approaches the gorge and looks over. And he sees two lifeless-looking bodies at the bottom.”

But the nightmare doesn’t stop there. For Robert, who only walked free on parole in May after serving time for Lee Posner’s murder, the fallout could be catastrophic.

“I don’t think he realises at that moment,” Ryan says. “It’s only later in the hospital that people start accusing him.” Could the accusations send Robert straight back to prison?

Behind the scenes, the intense stunt work tested everyone involved. Filming the gorge scenes took a gruelling three days. But Ryan reveled in the challenge. “It’s fun to see people do cool things and make the scenes look great,” he says.

For Ryan, who returned to Emmerdale after six years of absence, this storyline has been worth the wait. “I’m very much enjoying it,” he says, “I get to work with everyone.”

And while Robert’s future hangs by a fragile thread, John’s fate seems much darker. “It’s a great climax, a great ending to the story of this serial killer,” he says, “I read every single scene in it all the way through. I loved it.” Are the walls finally closing in on John?

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

Bonnie Blue insists she is happy but there is a cost to her fame and she does not live a normal life

Bonnie Blue has made millions from porn, inviting multiple fans to have sex with her and posting film of what some people would call orgies, but she calls “events”, online.

Her biggest event was in January, when she had sex with 1,057 men in 12 hours, the inspiration for the title of a new Channel 4 documentary, 1,000 Men and Me: The Bonnie Blue Story.

At a screening of the documentary, Bonnie insisted she was “very happy” with her life. But her notoriety, and her boasts of sex with married men, who, she says, should not feel guilty about cheating on their wives, come at a price.

In the film, Bonnie, a 26-year-old former NHS recruitment worker from Derbyshire, whose real name is Tia Billinger, says: “The last time I went out by myself was probably about six months ago. Now it is not that safe.

“I get 100s of death threats a day, so it is not that safe when I walk around.

“I say, ‘It is going to happen at some point, someone will come and give me stick’ and fair play to her, at least they are getting up off their sofa. My worst one is acid, if someone did acid, and I could see some spiteful girl doing that.”

READ MORE: ‘I saw real Bonnie Blue behind closed doors – there’s one dark truth people don’t see’

Bonnie has split from her husband and her closest friends seem to be Josh, who posts her videos, and a stylist. She says: “My sort of circles got smaller, but my team are also my best friends.”

Director Victoria Silver followed Bonnie for six months, gathering footage of her having sex, and was at her January marathon for a couple of hours.

At the documentary screening, Bonnie expressed surprise at the amount of explicit footage used. Asked if she was expecting complaints, Victoria said: “If I was making a film about a musician or some kind of other performer their work would be in there. I think it is important to see what she does.”

And Bonnie is clearly proud of her work. Of her sex marathon, she says: “I love the fact that I was able to experience that day with over 1,000 subscribers, fans, people that spent time out of the day to come meet me.

“But, yeah, I also need money to be able to take time out of my days to be able to do that, to hold these events. These events aren’t cheap by the time you pay for staff, security, the venue.”

But she says she has earned more than £1million in some months, and the documentary shows the increasingly extreme lengths she will go to for clicks and views.

In one stunt, she creates a school classroom for a sex show, with other, younger, contributors taking part after being sent invites.

The director’s voiceover says they are not paid but “appearing in their socials with Bonnie is payment enough”.

At the shoot in Birmingham, one girl called Codie says: “She got quite big quite fast, so it will be nice to see how she does things. No, I am not being paid today, it’d just be that I get tagged and then hopefully get followers and subs from that and then roll on to my page.”

She admits she does not normally do anything “adventurous” on her OnlyFans page and that this is the first time she has taken part in filmed group sex. She adds that making sex films is better than having to do an office job.

Another contributor, Leah, says: “I got a DM to see if I wanted to take part. As soon as I heard Bonnie Blue’s name I was intrigued because she’s everywhere at the minute.”

Leah says this is the first time she has been with other people in a room having sex and she is “definitely” nervous.

But Bonnie does not seem bothered or concerned by the fact the girls look a bit shy and intimidated. Bonnie says: “The fact they are so nervous works in my favour, because their reactions will be more realistic. Or if they feel intimidated, obviously, I want them to say, but sometimes sex is intimidating, so it’s going to be good.”

Another scene shows Bonnie at home with mum Sarah, who speaks with pride about how her daughter was a great dancer as a child.

She also seems proud of her career as a porn star. She says: “Would it be something that I chose for her to do, no. I was really, really shocked, but now would I want her to do anything else? No, not at all. It’s her choice.”

Sarah and other relatives have given up their jobs to be on Bonnie’s payroll.

Sarah says: “People I know always liked us both, but think it’s OK to make nasty comments.

“Most of the time I just laugh. I’m like, ‘If you could earn a million pounds in a month, your morals would soon change, and you’d get your bits out’. I don’t care what people say.”

Bonnie says: “My family started to put up with hate, I get that, but I also get the life I live and the money. So it’s like I also want them to receive some of the rewards.”

The documentary ends as Bonnie is about to head to Romania to meet influencer Andrew Tate, who is facing rape and human trafficking charges, which he denies, and is a self proclaimed misogynist. Bonnie says: “He’s probably just as controversial as I am. Whether people love him or hate him, he’s a marketing genius.”

Director Victoria asks her: “You talk about female empowerment, but how do you square that with aligning yourself with the most misogynistic male on the internet?”

Bonnie says: “Piers Morgan interviews serial killers all the time. It’s not messed up his brand. He [Tate] has been labelled multiple things by the media, and so have I. We’re probably the two most misunderstood people out there at the moment.”

Channel 4 defended the documentary, telling the Mirror: “The explicit content is editorially justified and provides essential context.”

And at the screening, commissioning editor Tim Hancock said: “We are very proud to do films like this.”

* 1000 Men and Me: The Bonnie Blue Story, Channel 4, Tuesday, 10pm.

As a victim of ‘Babes in the Wood’ killer Russell Bishop describes how the monster has cast a dark shadow over her life, we speak to the Detective Inspector responsible for putting him behind bars

Malcolm Bacon’s first major inquiry as a Detective Inspector was more than 30 years ago but he can remember the details as if it were yesterday. Rachael Watts was just seven years old when she was kidnapped in broad daylight before being sexually assaulted and strangled.

The schoolgirl survived against the odds and helped to convict evil Russell Bishop, who had been wrongfully acquitted of murdering Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway a few years before in the infamous ‘Babes in the Wood‘ case. Now 42, Rachael is the subject of a new Sky documentary about the impact of the monster’s attack on her life.

Retired police officer Malcolm appears in the two-part programme and is convinced Bishop would have struck again if he hadn’t been caught. “He was a psychopath, a really dangerous person who would absolutely have killed again,” he told The Mirror. “I’m fully convinced he thought he had killed Rachael. He thought he could get away with it but she turned into an incredible witness.”

READ MORE: Family of Sarah Everard murdered by police officer slams major jail change plans

Rachael became a victim of predator Bishop in 1990, soon after moving to the Brighton area of East Sussex with her family. She had planned to roller skate to a friend’s house but bumped her head, returned home and was given a pound by her father to buy sweets from the local shop.

The schoolgirl took a wrong turn on her way home and asked a man for directions. It was Bishop, who was tinkering with his red Ford Cortina. Without saying a word in reply to her, he threw her in the boot of his car and drove his victim to a well-known beauty spot in the South Downs.

“When the information came in that a girl had been discovered at Devil’s Dyke, the main thing was to preserve the scenes,” said Malcolm. “The first ‘scene’ was Rachael herself and the second was the Dyke, which was a huge area. There were only a few roads in and out, so once we sealed them off, we were fairly happy we had a sterile area.”

When the predator reached Devil’s Dyke, he put Rachael on the back seat of his car and removed her clothing before sexually assaulting and strangling her. He then discarded her underneath some gorse bushes.

“He disposed of me like he was flytipping,” said the survivor, fighting back tears in the documentary. “Just like I was an old mattress or something, just thrown into a bush somewhere. He left me thinking I was dead.”

The terrified schoolgirl came around in the dark, and as she stumbled out of the bushes, a nearby couple who had been enjoying the sunset wrapped her in a blanket and sought help. Heartbreakingly, she asked them: “You two aren’t kidnappers, are you?”.

The former DI is convinced Bishop thought he had killed his victim, saying: “She was strangled and suffocated to the point what’s known as petechial haemorrhages took place (tiny pinpoint spots of bleeding under the skin caused by straining for a long time) which are quite indicative of a strangle injury. Usually, they only come out at the point of death, really. That’s how close to death she was.”

The young girl’s memory of her ordeal until she was strangled unconscious would prove vital. “Rachael was a fabulous witness,” said the retired cop. “She was able to explain everything she saw, the man in the red car with a moustache. In the boot of the car, she saw a can of WD40, the same that her dad used. She found a hammer too and started banging on the boot lid.”

Incredibly, Rachael had the presence of mind to take off her roller skates in the boot of the car, to aid any chance of escape once the boot was opened. “She formulated an escape plan,” said Malcolm. “She offered Bishop the pound she had been given if he would let her go.”

Four years earlier, a double child murder had taken place in Brighton’s Wild Park, which became known as the ‘Babes in the Wood’ murders in the press after the children’s tale of the same name. Nicola and Karen were nine-year-old schoolgirls when they went out to play and never came home.

Their bodies were found in the park close to their homes the next day. They had known Rachael’s future attacker, Bishop, then 20 and a local labourer and petty criminal, and he was charged with killing them.

But the monster’s then-girlfriend, Jennifer Johnston, changed her story in the witness box after previously saying a blue sweatshirt found close to the scene had been his. And to the horror of police and psychologists involved in the case, Bishop was found not guilty by a jury at Lewes Crown Court in December 1987.

With the predator free to roam the streets once more, the experts’ worst fears came true. Rachael was his next victim, with retired DI Malcolm describing her as an “articulate, intelligent seven-year-old girl who met a monster”. This time, Bishop wouldn’t be able to evade justice thanks in large part to the bravery of his victim, who picked him out of an identity parade and testified against him in court.

“Her first account got us all going,” said Malcolm. “The red car was mentioned in a first briefing, and an intelligence report had come through days before saying Bishop had been seen in a red car.

“He went on to admit to driving it and put himself at the point of the abduction at the relevant time. I arrested him on suspicion of kidnapping and indecent assault, and we got his car, opened up the boot and in there was WD40 and a hammer with chip marks on the boot, corresponding to what Rachael had said.”

“He tried to become chatty with us,” added the former police officer. “‘What’s going on? You trying to fit me up? Of course, it’s not me. He was a psychopath; his whole entity was to look after himself. He would try and manipulate things, but he wasn’t very bright.”

Bishop was later jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 14 years for attempted murder, kidnapping and indecent assault.

“He was prowling, we suspect he had been following other little girls around,” said Malcolm. “We did get another report from another girl who was followed by a man in a red car. If the circumstances were correct, she might have been another victim.”

Dubbed ‘Britain’s bravest girl’ for stopping a paedophile killer from striking again, Rachael’s life was irreparably blighted by Bishop, suffering from crippling depression, agoraphobia and complex post-traumatic stress along the way.

As a teenager, she had frequent nightmares where the predator would climb through her window and kill her. The survivor had four children and, in the course of her adult life, moved around a lot and changed her name a couple of times in a bid to remain anonymous.

But in 2022, Rachael told her children the secret she was “going to take to my grave” after Bishop died from brain cancer. Today, she’s speaking out in public to rid herself of the “boulder” of a secret that has cast a dark shadow over her life.

As for the families of the ‘Babes in the Wood’, they finally achieved some form of justice in 2018, after the 2005 scrapping of the ‘double jeopardy’ rule combined with advances in forensic technology meant evil Bishop was able to be tried for a second time. This time, he was rightfully convicted for his abhorrent crimes, receiving two life sentences and ordered to serve a minimum of 36 years behind bars.

In April last year, Nicola and Karen’s families received apologies from Sussex Police for failures in the original investigation into their murders. And in 2022, Bishop’s ex-girlfriend, Johnson, who had changed her evidence at his original trial to devastating effect, was jailed for six years for perjury and perverting the course of justice.

Watch The Girl Who Caught a Killer on Sky and streaming service NOW