After completing his sentence in 1993, Honka was released from hospital and placed in a nursing home in Scharbeutz under the name Peter Jensen. No one knew his past. He remained rather withdrawn and did not form new relationships. By the end he was convinced that the room in which he lived, had the stench of decomposing bodies.

On 19 October 1998, at the age of 63, finally succumbing to a life ravaged by alcohol abuse, Fritz Honka died in a hospital in Hamburg.

In 1975, musician Karl-Heinz Blumenberg, under the pseudonym Harry Horror, released an album dedicated to Fritz Honka. The title became a major club hit at the time. RCA didn’t promote the album.

In 1989, German director Andreas Schnaas shot the low-budget horror film “Violent S**t” which was loosely based on the “exploits” of Fritz Honka. This film became a minor cult.

A year later, Simpson was on trial once more, this time a civil suit brought by Ron Goldman’s father against Simpson. This time, he lost and was ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages. This was due to the fact that in a civil suit, a defendant cannot plead the Fifth Amendment and refuse to testify. Also, the burden of proof in a civil action is much lower than in a criminal case.

Simpson paid a tiny percentage of the ordered damages. His house was repossessed and sold but he was practically bankrupt from the lawyers’ fees and owed back taxes and mortgage repayments. His NFL pension could not be touched by the courts. He also moved to Florida and under Floridian law, his earnings could not be seized to pay the damages awarded against in the civil trial.

The OJ criminal trial underlined how media-driven certain cases in America could become. Cases like van Bulow and OJ Simpson only serve to highlight the importance not only of an astute attorney versed in the law and the mechanics of the legal system but also of a shrewd manipulator of the media. The defence team served its purpose while earning large amounts of money. They cast doubt on the prosecution’s evidence and fought tooth and nail to confuse the jury that they had practically selected to be as favourable to their client as possible. The theatrics of Cochran, the incisiveness of Dershowitz and the canny erudition of Neufeld and Scheck all contributed to save Simpson, in the face of almost overwhelming forensic evidence, from years in prison.

A police search of the truck Roberts had used to drive to the school, revealed a checklist he had made in obvious preparation for his day of horror. Many items had been ticked off the list and matched items Roberts had taken with him into the school building. The list included binoculars, flashlights, earplugs, a hose, hammer, hacksaw, pliers, wire, screws, eyebolts, tape, candles and toilet paper, which led police to believe that Roberts had anticipated a prolonged siege and had planned carefully for this eventuality.In the rambling and largely nonsensical notes Roberts had left for his wife, he spoke of the death of his daughter, Elise, who had been born prematurely in 1997 and had sadly died only 20 minutes after birth. He claimed this was the reason for his anger at God and his sense of overwhelming emptiness and despair.Roberts also wrote of something he had done 20 years previously, when he was 12 years old. He said he had molested two of his young female relatives, then aged between three and five, and that he had been fantasising about repeating this crime. When police questioned Roberts’ two alleged victims, who were then adults, they both denied they had been abused.Despite the fact that Roberts had packed lubricant and only kept the girls hostage, whilst letting the boys free, no evidence of sexual abuse was found. Criminologists were of the opinion that Roberts was likely to have had violent erotic fantasies, or ’rehearsal fantasies’, for some time prior to his day of fateful shooting. All the evidence pointed to a carefully considered and cold-blooded plan of violence and death.On the day of the shooting, Marie Roberts made a public statement that “The man that did this today was not the Charlie I’ve been married to for almost 10 years. My husband was loving, supportive, thoughtful. All the things you’d always want and more. He was an exceptional father. Our hearts are broken, our lives are shattered, and we grieve for the innocents and lives that were lost today. Above all, please pray. Pray for the families who lost children today, and please pray too for our family and children.”Roberts’ funeral was held on 7 October 2006 and whilst neither Roberts nor his family were Amish, his funeral was attended by a large number of shocked Amish neighbours, who were determined to forgive Roberts his terrible sins. He was buried in his wife’s family plot behind the Georgetown United Methodist church, only a few miles from where the shootings had occurred. The one-room West Nickel Mines Amish School in Lancaster County was torn down 11 days after the tragedy.In the aftermath, police searched for clues as to what had driven Roberts to kill. They interviewed his parents and other relatives and it emerged that there was no known family history of violence or abuse. Roberts had no criminal record and had never been wanted by authorities for any crime.According to forensic psychologist Dr Katherine Ramsland, Roberts behaved in a similar way to other mass murderers, who believe that the only way to end their pain and bitterness is in a last display of public violence. She maintained that Roberts was not only filled with self-hate and had intended to die but that his chosen victims were symbolic targets for his rage. Dr Ramsland went on to explain that this often happens in childhood, when a person experiences some sort of trauma but is not able to deal with it at the time. Their fear and anger become sublimated but eventually find expression in fantasies of inflicting revenge or punishment on others.Similar casesPolice investigators believed that Roberts might have been inspired by other crimes of a similar nature. In particular, there were two cases of fatal shootings in the week preceding Roberts’ massacre.On Wednesday, 27 September 2006, Duane Morrison, 53, entered a classroom in a school in Bailey, Colorado. He made the boys leave and kept six girls hostage, forcing them to line up at the front of the classroom. Morrison later let four of the girls leave and he sexually assaulted the remaining two before the SWAT team burst into the room. Morrison shot at the two girls, fatally wounding Emily Keyes, 16, and then put the gun to his head and killed himself.Two days later, on Friday, 29 September 2006, a high school student from Madison, Wisconsin, fatally gunned down his principal after he had complained about being bullied and had been disciplined for carrying tobacco at school.Three days after that, on Monday, 2 October 2006, Roberts perpetrated his heinous crime.Other crimes that may have influenced Roberts had happened many years before. On 6 December 1989, Marc Lepine, 25, went on a killing spree at the University of Montreal’s Engineering School. He targeted random females, as he believed feminism was to blame for his lack of opportunities and his miserable life. Lepine had planned the shooting for months and was well armed. He killed 14 and wounded 15 people before killing himself.In 1966, Charles Whitman shot 44 people from a tower in Austin, Texas, killing 14. He had prepared for a long siege, taking with him barricades, a change of clothing, a large supply of ammunition, and even toilet paper.No one will ever know for certain what mental and emotional demons caused Roberts to commit his seemingly senseless act of violence against innocent school children. However, perhaps we can all try to emulate the Amish community in forgiving such a tortured soul.

A few months after Kot’s original conviction, writer Boguslaw Sygit interviewed him. The interview revealed extensive details of Kot’s crimes, and also revealed the workings of a criminal mind. This information was very useful to the work of forensic psychologists. Most of what we know today about Kot and his crimes comes from this interview, which was published in Sygit’s book.

“Wait till I come out”This courtroom threat was made by scuttler Alexander Pearson just days after William Willan had been sentenced to death. It seemed nothing could stop the scuttlers.The judge recommended the police flood areas known to be gang dominated. The police knew this ineffective. The Home Secretary demanded an end to scuttling. He suggested making membership of a gang a sackable offence. The mayors of Manchester and Salford suggested, predictably, for laws to allow flogging for scuttling. Neither of these was done. But policing and sentencing did increase. And parallel to this, there was the rise of the working lads’ club movement.TO BRIGHTEN YOUNG LIVES AND MAKE GOOD CITIZENS The club motto of The Salford Lads ClubFounded by the middle class, social reformers, and the liberal elite, the Lads clubs offered working class teenagers alternative activities such as football. They targeted school leavers, 12 and 13 year olds, in the worst areas. Ancoats had four Lads’ Clubs set up in just five years. The clubs began to divert recruits away from the gangs. On the opening night of the Salford Lads’ Club, 700 boys tried to join. One of these schemes resulted in the formation of St Mark’s Football Club. It is now known as Manchester City FC. Sports rivalry had replaced the fighting rivalry.By the time William Willan was released in 1900, scuttling was already starting to fade. Scuttlers were no longer kings of the street. Their 30 year reign was over.SCUTTLERS TO SOLDIERS And many scuttlers would go on to become fine soldiers. It was in fact the Boer War that revealed only 10% of recruits were completely fit. It emphasised again the need for The Lads Clubs. The health of urban youth had become a national concern. And with the demolition of the worst slums, the environment that had helped breed the scuttlers was largely destroyed.In 1908, The Children Act created juvenile focused courts and regulated the sale of alcohol to minors. It also prevented them from being sent to prison, the fate of many a scuttler…...Gangs would not terrorise the streets of Manchester to such an extent for many decades. But then a combination of high unemployment and a rapid rise in hard drugs made small gangs into big firms. And for them, killing to protect drug territory was just part of the job description.“Manchester is not the Wild West, but many of you treated the streets as if it were’’ Mr Justice Brian Langstaff sentencing the Gooch gang in 1989.

“I started rooting - you know, sticking up joints - with some older guys. By now I had gotten a taste of what the racket world really was - the glamour, the way they dressed, the way they always had a pocketful of money.” - Mickey Cohen“I didn't kill anyone that didn't deserve killing in the first place.” - Mickey Cohen

“I hate him. To rot in hell, right where I am...Every breath I take is like a breath of hell.   There ain’t no release, there’s no relent, there’s nothing.” Natalie SharpHazell had done his worse to destroy Tia’s family. But her mother Natalie is also a mother of two little boys and ‘she lives for them.’Her rage, her revenge, however, may never die:“He doesn’t even deserve to be in jail, he doesn’t deserve to die. He deserves to suffer. But he’ll never suffer will he? Not like I need him to.”

The leap Hazell made from petty criminal - none of his many convictions involved sexual or serious violence - to child sex murderer, concern many.Coincidentally, on the day Hazell was sentenced, The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre released it annual report. In it, they warned that the sheer volume of child abuse images and the growth of high-speed internet connections had increased the threat to children.In June 2013, Croydon council started demolition of the house where Tia’s body was found.In August 2013 the neighbour who was said to have seen Tia – after she was dead – was sentenced to five months for wasting police time.In November 2013, leading search engine companies such as Google and Microsoft finally gave in to huge public, press and political pressure. They agreed measures to make it harder to find child abuse images online. The tragedy of Tia Sharp was often cited in the campaign to force the change. Because Tia’s killer Stuart Hazell was sentenced to life imprisonment, he has no guarantee that he will be released after he’s served his minimum of 38 years. That will be up to the Parole Board.  

“I am not nippy enough to smash windows and jump into cars anymore.”In 1985 Fraser was released from jail for the last time. He says he owes his straight patch to his girlfriend, Marilyn Wisbey, daughter of the Great Train Robber, Tommy Wisbey. He met her again in his nephew’s wine bar near Charing Cross Road. She was the singer. Appropriately enough, she won him over with her rendition of Patsy Cline’s ‘Crazy.’Marilyn invited him to go with her to visit her dad in HM Prison Parkhurst. It was their first date. She forgot to include Fraser on the visiting order. Predictably, one prison officer recognised him and surprisingly, they let him in. After that, Marilyn and Fraser were inseparable. This was despite the fact that Fraser not only had a girlfriend, Val, but also a wife, Doreen. But Fraser wasn’t worried about marrying Marilyn without a divorce. As he said:‘Bigamy won’t matter with my record.’In 1991, ‘The Independent’ reported that Fraser had been shot dead outside a London club. Two years later the paper interviewed him, now aged 70, and admitted reports of his demise were ‘premature’. But he was shot at and Fraser is convinced it was undercover police that pulled the trigger. The police suspect a gangland hit. Fraser again credited Marilyn for saving him by pulling him out of the line of fire of the next shot.CON TO ICON Proving that the wages of sin are royalties, in 1995, Fraser released ‘Mad Frankie: Memoirs of a Life of Crime.’ This was to be the first of four books. In 1999 he published ‘Mad Frankie and Friends’. 2001 saw ‘Mad Frankie’s Diary: A Chronicle of the Life of Britain’s Most Notorious Villain’ and 2003 saw the release of his fourth cash in, ‘Mad Frankie’s Britain’.As part of his rehabilitation into civilised society, the BBC even made him into a series producer for its series, ‘The Underworld’. During these years, he became a cult celebrity appearing on numerous shows either as himself, or as a send up of himself. He earned money from after dinner speaking and criminal tours of his old stomping grounds.In 2009, an application was made to the Criminal Cases Review Commission over the ‘Torture Trial.’ The application was based on the fact that Fraser had approached Sir Lawton before and the judge, having a prior connection, should have recused (excused) himself. Fraser had claimed this for years.Fraser received an ASBO in 2011 for arguing with another resident at his care home in Bermondsey.In 2012, now aged 88, Fraser attended Charlie Richardson’s funeral. The career criminal now needed a cane. He still expressed no remorse for his past.“The only regret I have is being caught.”Interviewed in December 2012, Fraser said that he thought that Ray Winston would be a ‘very good’ choice to play him in a film of his life.

“From a neighbouring family – absolutely stunned” Inscription on floral bouquet left at the Foster family entrance.

In total, 12 fire crews dealt with the fire. And it took investigators seven days just to remove all the bodies.

On top of spent cartridges, they found a gun fitted with a silencer in the ashes.

On 2 April 2008, a two day inquest started. Those present were able to watch the house CCTV between 3:12am and 3:49.

“The footage was…unbelievable really, you couldn’t believe what you were watching and within the inquest it was absolutely silent. You could see what he was doing and it was like something out of a movie, it was unbelievable.” Kirsty Smallman, Crime Reporter

The CCTV captured the shooting of a horse. It showed Foster setting on fire his stables. It showed Foster driving the horsebox that he used to block the emergency services. Many commented on how calmly Foster had gone about the complete destruction of everything in his life.The inquest found that Foster had been drinking before the murders. It also found out that he was suffering from a heart defect. This was probably bought on by stress.

The coroner ultimately recorded that Christopher Foster unlawfully killed his wife and daughter before killing himself.The inquest did reveal that perhaps mercifully, both Jill and Kirstie were asleep when Foster shot them.

Everything to live for The coroner John Ellery said Mrs Foster and her daughter had had ‘everything to live for.’ He also offered the possibility that Foster looked like he had planned his exit. He suggested that perhaps he left the CCTV running as a witness of his actions for those remaining.

He also recommended that as the gun owning Foster had warned his GP of suicidal feelings, that GPs be informed of any application to pick up a gun license. It was a view endorsed by Foster’s surviving brother:

“We wish to highlight that preventative measures such as improved communication between GPs and police forces firearms officers in the future could help stop a similar tragedy happening to another family...We are encouraged to hear about the steps that are being taken to redress this issue.” Andrew Foster, brother of Christopher

The Association of Chief Police Officers and the British Medical Association announced planned guidelines to improve communications between GPs and police forces.

Suicide after homicide

Christopher Foster’s crime, though horrific, is far from unique. The killing of one’s family and then oneself may only represent 6% of homicides in England and Wales, but it is common enough that there is a term for it: The ‘Family Annihilator’;

“The domestic homicide perpetrator is more likely ...to be if you like respectable in some ways, slightly more educated, in employment etc. And they are men with a great deal to lose a great deal invested in their relationships, jobs, homes, children. And this terrible event of homicide followed by suicide is frequently triggered by events which are causing them to lose those important things in their lives.” Dr Marilyn Gregory, Sheffield University

One theory is that once the perpetrator decides on suicide, they are free to kill without consequence. Others believe that the suicide is only set upon after the homicides as intense feelings of regret overcome the perpetrator.The Foster family were laid to rest on 19 December 2008. The relatives decided to hold separate funerals. The first was for Kirstie and Jill.

A few hours later, their killer was buried.Present was his surviving brother. Andrew later stated he had no interest in claiming any stake in his brother’s estate. Creditors had until September 2010 to put in their claims.

The site where the Foster family house stood has now been cleared.In 2012 the property went up for sale. It had planning permission for another luxury three storey mansion to be built.

"We were an ordinary working-class family... Garry loved cars and music. Every Sunday he would wash his car religiously and mine as well...(now) The light has gone out of our lives-it’s like a piece of jigsaw has been lost forever.” Helen Newlove, widow of Garry19-year-old Adam Swellings was sentenced to life and ordered to serve a minimum of 17 years. Jordan Cunliffe, 16, was sentenced to life with a minimum tariff of 12 years. Stephen Sorton, 17, was sentenced to life with a minimum of 15 years. This was reduced to 13 years on appeal.Swellings and Cunliffe also appealed their convictions. They were both turned down. Cunliffe’s mother argued that it was unfair her son had been convicted through the law of joint enterprise. This meant that he could be found guilty of murder because he watched it happen and failed to act. She argued that Cunliffe suffered from keratoconus, an eye condition that meant his eyesight was impaired. She also believed that the massive publicity over the murder meant the case was rushed and those involved felt under enormous pressure to prove guilt and sentence accordingly.BROKEN BRITAIN The murder triggered massive debate everywhere from the papers to Parliament. The leader of the opposition, David Cameron cited the killing as evidence of a ‘Broken Britain’. The key concerns were: How effective the judicial system was with teenagers; The lack of parental responsibility for and control of teenagers; The easy access of teenagers to drugs; And the availability and acceptance of super strength alcohol and its effects:“I feel desperate. My officers use vast amounts of time policing alcohol culture." Peter Fahy, Cheshire Chief ConstableThe Newlove family tried as best they could to carry on. But Amy suffered flashbacks of her father’s death and Helen was on medication and couldn’t go back to work. Danielle posted an online tribute"Rip Dad, I'll miss you so much...You was one big hero who stood up for what was right."But life moved on. Garry had always told Zoe that she should try modelling because he thought her looks would soon earn her enough to buy him a Ferrari. And in honour of her father, and realising life is short, Zoe managed to earn a place on ‘Britain’s Next Top Model’.In 2010 Helen was invited to become a Peer in the House of Lords acting on behalf of victims and communities.“When I went for the induction day I did feel you know very much like Coronation Street Hilda Ogden. What am I doing here, somebody’s going to tell you have come in the wrong door.” Helen NewloveLike Doreen Lawrence, however, Helen was made for the role. In the years since becoming the Victims Commissioner she has toured the country meeting others who are trying to tackle anti-social behaviour. She also meets with youth offenders and talks at schools about the dangers of alcohol abuse.“I do what I do because I really can’t get my head round he’s gone. I can’t get my head round he had cancer and he didn’t die from cancer; he died from kicks to the head. I do what I do because I don’t want to live in this society that accepts that kind of crime.”In 2012, in a small ceremony, surrounded by her three daughters, Helen married again.Five years after Garry’s death, Cheshire police said anti-social behaviour had been reduced stating there’d been a reduction of more than 66% in cases involving the most serious violent crimes.In August 2013 Helen released a book entitled ‘It Could Happen To You.”All proceeds go to a victims’ charity.

"This is one of the most desperately sad cases that I have ever encountered." Defence counsel Mr Findlay, BBC, 8 Dec 2008

Although Ross is sentenced to a minimum of 25 years after being found guilty he still claims to be innocent.In 2010 he begins an appeal on the grounds that the interviews conducted by the police when he was 15 were prejudiced. His legal team argue that police interviews, carried out without lawyers present when Ross was 15 and 16, were “unfair”.

It is claimed that the Crown’s actions, in relying upon the evidence obtained during the interviews, are incompatible with his human rights.The convicted killer’s legal team further argue that the trial judge “erred” by refusing to allow the defence to read evidence from a psychologist. But Scotland’s top judge, the Lord Justice General Lord Hamilton, who heard the case with Lords Carloway and Bonomy, upheld the conviction.

The 33-year-old could still go to the Supreme Court in London to appeal. He does so and loses in May 2012.

"It is not the sanity of John Straffen that is in question, but the sanity of the law." Doctor at Straffen’s trial, 1952Although the public are horrified and shocked after Straffen’s escape and the murder of Linda Bowyer, they are equally disgusted at his treatment at court. The widespread reporting of Straffen’s mental age and ability causes many people to question the verdict and the way in which the mentally challenged are treated by the legal system. The government is forced to intervene.Straffen is reprieved by the Home Secretary on the grounds of insanity one month after his trial, on 29 August 1952. This reprieve means that in just one year Straffen has been declared insane, sane and then insane again.When the Criminal Cases Review Commission begins its work in 1997, Straffen submits his own case to them. He was still claiming his innocence for the murder of Linda Bowyer.In 2001, solicitors acting for Straffen call for his case to be reopened, saying that he should never have stood trial, as he has a mental age of nine and a half. Hadgkiss, Hughes & Beale, a Birmingham-based firm, say an eminent forensic psychiatrist has re-examined the original pre-trial reports on Straffen and says he was not fit to have been tried. They claim that because he was declared a "mental defective" in 1947 and committed to a "colony for mental defectives" and as he was found unfit to plead in 1951, he could not have effectively taken part in a trial nine months later. But the case was never reopened.After Straffen's escape from Broadmoor in 1952, a siren system is installed to alert local residents if an inmate was on the loose. The alarm is still tested every Monday morning.When he dies on 19 November 2007, in the healthcare unit at Frankland Prison in County Durham, Straffen is Britain's longest-serving prisoner. He was incarcerated for 56 years.

"I used to have nightmares and flashbacks reminding me of the events of the 12 November. My mum is no longer able to help me celebrate my successes and pull me through the disappointments. I will never get the chance again to tell her how much I love her and how much I now miss her." Caitlin Marsh, Heather Barnett’s daughter. BBC News Online, 30 June 2011Restivo has now also been linked to three unsolved murders in southern Europe.