Every month, we look back over the previous years of history and detail some of the most notorious crimes. These are those true crime anniversaries for August.
4th August: Soham Murders took place (2002)
The Soham Murders, which saw the abduction and killing of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, both just 10 years old, remain one of the most chilling examples of child murder in history.
Ian Huntley, a caretaker at their school, lured them to his home before murdering them and disposing of their bodies near RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk. The girls’ bodies were not discovered until almost two weeks later.
Throughout the time of their disappearance, police activity and media coverage were extensive, with the search recognised as one of the most extensive in British criminal history. Huntley was convicted of murder in December 2003, with his girlfriend, Maxine Carr, convicted of perverting the course of justice by providing him with a false alibi.
8th August: The Great Train Robbery (1963)
One of the most notorious crimes in world history, the Great Train Robbery saw a Royal Mail train robbed of around £2.6 million. The train was travelling from Glasgow to London when the criminal gang struck.
The story of the gang’s lives since the crime has also become part of the legend. The story of Ronnie Biggs in particular has become a remarkable piece of British criminal history.
8th August: The gang murder of Jermaine Groupall (2017)
Jermaine Groupall was a 15-year-old student murdered in a premeditated attack in August 2017. He was stabbed to death by a group of teenagers and drill music videos posted to YouTube were used as part of the prosecution in one of the first cases of its kind. The prosecution suggested that Jermaine’s murder had been foreshadowed in the video.
Jermaine was apparently chosen at random when he and a group of friends were ambushed by masked members of the CR0 gang. The trial for Jermaine’s murder took place in January 2018 with three gang members convicted of premeditated murder and one further convicted of manslaughter.
10th August: The racially aggravated murder of Mushin Ahmed (2015)
Mushin Ahmed was an 81-year-old grandfather racially abused, attacked and murdered in Rotherham. His attackers, Dale Jones and Damien Hunt, began by hurling abuse at Mushin before punching, kicking and stamping on him. Mushin was in hospital for 11 days before eventually passing away due to his injuries. DNA and forensic evidence saw both attackers convicted, Jones of murder and Hunt of manslaughter.
25th August: Shana Grice murdered by her stalker ex-partner (2016)
Shana Grice was a British teenager murdered by her ex-partner Michael Lane, despite multiple attempts to warn the police that he was a significant danger to her. Shana’s murder led to criticism of the local Sussex Police as they failed to take her complaints of stalking seriously. Shana repeatedly informed the police that Lane was stalking and threatening her.
On 25th August he let himself into her home once again, slit her throat and set fire to her bedroom. He was quickly caught and convicted of her murder in 2017.
