https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11286451/The-hidden-life-Britains-hated-woman-Maxine-Carr.html

The hidden life of Britain's most hated woman: How Maxine Carr had plastic surgery and has been moved 10 times in 18 years to keep her identity secret amid fears new Soham murders drama could blow her cover and force taxpayers to fund moving her AGAIN

    Maxine, starring Jemma Carlton and Scott Reid, starts on Monday October 10 at 9pm on Channel 5
    The release date comes 20 years after the murders of schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, both 10
    The plot will look at Maxine's tumultuous relationship with Ian Huntley why she lied for him to hide murders
    Carr who provided him with a false alibi was jailed for perverting the course of justice but released in 2004
    Her new identity, homes and protection has cost the British taxpayer millions of pounds over the years

By Martin Robinson, Chief Reporter For Mailonline

Published: 16:53, 6 October 2022 | Updated: 05:41, 7 October 2022

A controversial drama about how Maxine Carr helped cover up her lover Ian Huntley's child murders will air on Monday amid fears that Britain's most hated woman may be moved with the taxpayer again picking up the bill.  The first trailer for the new mini-series, Maxine, documenting the Soham murders through the eyes of killer Huntley's fiancée was released last week ahead of the broadcast of the first episode on Monday on Channel 5.  Jemma Carlton and Line of Duty's Scott Reid star as Maxine Carr and Ian Huntley star in the drama but critics have decried the decision to make the show so close to the 20th anniversary of the murders of schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, both aged 10 when they were killed in May 2002.  Despite her part in one of the most heinous crimes in modern British history, Carr has enjoyed a new life bankrolled by the taxpayer. She is reported to have been moved to at least 10 different safe houses since her release 18 years ago after just 21 months behind bars.  With the state protecting her identity, and guarding her around the clock, a dozen women are feared to have been abused or attacked by people who falsely believed they were Carr, who is now believed to be married with at least one child.  An insider has said the new drama will likely drum up interest in Carr's deceit and could see her move again with Britons picking up the bill. A source told MailOnline: 'Too much time and public money has been spent on her secret identity. They won't hesitate to move her again if her cover is blown'.

Carr left Foston Hall jail in 2004 after serving just 21 months and the cost of her new name, identity and police protection has cost taxpayers £2.5million or more.  Following her release taxpayers even picked up her £8,000 bill for dental work and cosmetic surgery to change her appearance.  Her hair colour and style will also have been changed. It was also claimed that Carr asked to have her shrinking breasts enlarged on the NHS for mental health reasons, claiming she was depressed because her breasts were too small.  On top of fees for a makeover, there is also the cost of probation officers and a psychologist to 'care' for her.   Carr moved repeatedly because of the reaction of people living in the area and in 2020 she was outed on social media, according to The Sun.  Her alias, location and a recent photo were reportedly posted and then deleted - but police were said to have moved Carr to a safe house after the leak and arrangements were made to relocate her, her husband and son.  The Soham liar is just one of a small number of criminals in the UK to be given a secret identity upon her release, believed to cost the taxpayer up to £500,000-a-year.  She was also give a home and is rumoured to be married and have children. Her alias and location is unknown and she is protected by a lifelong anonymity order making it illegal to reveal her new life.  Huntley, who received two life sentences for the murders in 2003, killed Holly and Jessica in his house after he invited them inside, but he insisted their deaths were accidental.   It is only recently that he has admitted he was guilty of their murders - and has said that he will never apply for parole out of respect for their families.  Before his conviction, he had told detectives that Carr who worked as a teaching assistant for their class at St Andrew's Primary School was in the house, but she had actually gone back to Grimsby to visit relatives.  Carr was jailed for three-and-a-half years for perverting the course of justice by covering for Huntley but only served half of her sentence.  Since her release from prison in 2004 it has cost the taxpayer millions to provide Carr with a new identity and police protection.  At one point she was living in the same coastal town as Tracey Connolly the cruel mother of Baby P. The area was dubbed the 'monsters-by-the-sea resort'. Furious locals complained that the town is being used as a 'dumping ground' for criminals.  It was chosen because of cheap housing and a high turnover of visitors and casual workers which should make it harder to identify ex-convicts. But this has not prevented residents from recognising their infamous faces.  In 2011 Carr gave birth to her first child a son at the safe house where she had been living under a secret identity. She said previously it was her 'life's dream' to have children around her.  However, the terms of the injunction are so stringent that their child cannot be told of its mother's true identity or her role in covering for Huntley. It means the baby could grow up never knowing its mother became one of the most reviled women in the country after the murders in Soham, Cambridgeshire.  And a separate court order may be necessary to ensure the child's identity is also protected. She is said to have miscarried twice after becoming pregnant by different lovers.  In 2014 she married her boyfriend who was willing to forget her past at a luxury wedding venue where his family were said to be 'horrified'. Her husband was described as being 'absolutely besotted' with her.  Maxine was given away by her mother who was jailed herself in 2004 after intimidating a witness who gave evidence against Carr.  A source said at the time: 'The families of Holly and Jessica will never get to see their daughters marry'.

Carr is one of only around five former UK prisoners protected by a lifelong anonymity order along with child killer Mary Bell and James Bulger's murderers Robert Thompson and Jon Venables. The most recent example is Britain's worst mother, Karen Matthews, who abducted her daughter Shannon and hid her in a divan bed to collect the reward money.  Played by Scott, a desperate Ian is then seen with his head in his hands, shouting: 'I can't go to prison,' before Jemma, playing Maxine, reassures him that nobody will be going to jail.

She is then seen standing on the doorstep of their home, where a policeman tells Maxine: 'Your story might jog a memory, help find them,' to which Maxine smiles and says: 'We want to help, don't we.'

Recreating real-life scenes which were broadcast to the nation on television news as she described the missing girls, Maxine says of Holly and Jessica: 'They were ever so funny. They were brilliant, they were kind to everybody.'

The police are then heard speculating that Maxine be keeping a secret, with a detective pondering: 'She used past tense because she knows they're dead?'

Maxine is then seen in the interrogation room as she insists Ian did not do anything to the girls.  In further chilling scenes, Maxine is then seen practicing looking serious in the mirror after Ian shouts at her: 'You tell me don't look so guilty. You don't look so cheery!'

The disappearance of the schoolgirls, which happened after a family barbecue in August 2002, sparked Britain's biggest-ever missing persons' enquiry but came to a tragic end when their bodies were found dumped in a remote ditch.  School caretaker Huntley then 28 had lured the girls to his house and murdered them before dumping their bodies and burning their clothes.   His then-fiancée Carr who provided him with a false alibi but was in Grimsby visiting her mother at the time of the murders was jailed for perverting the course of justice but released in 2004 with a new identity.  She was dubbed 'The Most Hated Woman In Britain' following the trial, which saw Huntley admit to killing the children, but claiming their deaths were accidental.  Channel 5 said in a statement about the drama: 'Maxine will examine the investigation of school assistant Maxine Carr and her caretaker fiancé Ian Huntley, who was later imprisoned for the double murder of schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, the tragic case that shocked the nation  The three-part drama will explore their tumultuous relationship through Maxine's perspective; why she lied for him and how she became public enemy No.1, as well as reflect the scale of the police investigation and subsequent media frenzy around the biggest manhunt ever seen in British history.' 

Sebastian Cardwell, Deputy Chief Content Officer UK, at Paramount, said: 'The series marks a new venture into the true crime genre for Channel 5 drama and will give viewers an in depth examination of Maxine Carr and her role in one of the most notorious crimes in recent British history.'

Mike Benson, Managing Director at Clapperboard added: 'Few crimes have embedded themselves in the national psyche more than the tragic events of Soham in 2002. It was a case which was unique in recent history in terms of the sheer scale of the media coverage and how this affected and nearly derailed the investigation and subsequent trial. We will explore this within the drama alongside the role played by Maxine Carr – dubbed 'The Most Hated Woman in Britain.' 

Huntley was found guilty of killing both girls at his 2004 trial and later sentenced to two life terms, with a minimum 40-year tariff at the maximum security Frankland prison in Durham.  He was a caretaker at the local Soham Village College and was arrested after the girls' bodies were discovered 13 days after their disappearance.  During a two-week appeal to find the girls, Huntley gave TV interviews and joined in searches while his then-girlfriend Carr gave him a false alibi.  He was jailed for life in 2005.  During his trial, he said that he had 'killed the girls accidentally' but later admitted the killing in leaked tapes from prison.  In a 2018 tape he said: 'I know the people of Soham took me into their community, they trusted me, gave me a job and a home, and I betrayed them in the worst possible way.  And I am sorry for what I have done, sorry for the pain I have caused to the families and friends of Holly and Jessica, for the pain I have caused my family and friends, and for the pain I have caused the community of Soham.  I am genuinely, genuinely sorry and it breaks my heart when it is reported I have no remorse, that I relish something. I do not.'

He added: 'I can't change anything. I cannot remove that day from history, what I have done. I know those girls would be 26 this year with families of their own, jobs and lives. I thought about them when they were turning 21 and when they were turning 18. I know no matter what I say that people are not going to think any better of me but I would much rather people have the truth about how I feel. I have nothing to gain by saying these things.  I know I am never getting out. I have accepted that from day one.'

Huntley said he does not want to be freed from prison and insisted he will not apply for parole out of 'consideration' for his victims' families.  Maxine starts on Monday 10 October at 9pm on Channel 5.

Other women who received new identities after leaving jail

KAREN MATTHEWS:

Matthews was convicted of abducting her daughter Shannon in February 2008 in order to cash in a £50,000 reward.  She made emotional TV appeals for the return of her daughter who was being hidden in a Divan at her then-partner's uncle's.  In January 2009, Matthews was jailed for eight years but was released in April 2012 with a new identity.  She has been banned from seeing any of her children.

MARY BELL:   

Bell was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1968 having been found guilty of the manslaughter of two boys aged three and four who she strangled 'solely for the pleasure and excitement of killing'.  Bell killed Martin Brown, 4, and Brian Howe, 3, in Scotswood, Newcastle.  She was handed a new identity when she was released under licence from jail in 1980.

TRACEY CONNELLY:

Connelly was convicted of causing the death of her 17-month old son Peter, better known as Baby P in November 2008.  She was handed an indefinite life sentence in 2009 and was recommended for release by the parole board in 2013.   SHe was sent back to prison in 2015 having breached the terms of her licence but was again released earlier this year, despite ministerial objections.

A six-year-old goes to the hospital with his grandma to visit his grandpa. When they get to the hospital, he runs ahead of his grandma and bursts into his grandpa's room.  "Grandpa, Grandpa!" he says excitedly, "As soon as Grandma comes into the room, make a noise like a frog!"

"What?" said his grandpa.

"Make a noise like a frog because Grandma said that as soon as you croak, we're going to Disneyland!!!"

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11216931/JANET-STREET-PORTER-royals-dont-want-Britain-shut-Queen.html

JANET STREET-PORTER: Please stop this mourning madness. The royals don't want Britain to shut down for the Queen so why on earth are shops, GPs and even food banks so desperate to close as a ‘mark of respect’?

The Queen's funeral: All the latest Royal Family news and coverage

By Janet Street-Porter For Mailonline

Published: 19:36, 15 September 2022 | Updated: 01:48, 16 September 2022

Next Monday, the eyes of the world will be focused on the Queen’s funeral. This historic event celebrating the dedicated life of our longest-serving Monarch will be watched by millions. Meanwhile, the UK will grind to a halt.  If you need to see a doctor, grab a pint or a sandwich- forget it.  If you promised the kids a ride at the fun fair no chance.  Need shopping?

Go hungry, like the people who rely on food banks.  Thought you could collect your state benefits? Sorry, post offices will be shut.  Shops and schools will be closed, trains will be cancelled. The sick won’t be able to see a GP and weddings and funerals must be rescheduled. Long-planned operations will not take place, so the NHS waiting lists will grow even longer.  Heathrow airport is even cancelling flights during the funeral, so the noise will not be a distraction. I hope you won't be grounded.  If you’d planned a movie, a visit to the theatre, or a holiday break at Center Parcs?

Forget it. Not possible.  Supermarkets, restaurants and shops have been falling over themselves to announce they will be closed on Monday, as will much-needed food banks and post offices.  We have been told over and over again that every closure and inconvenience is happening ‘out of respect’ to the late Queen.  The Palace has let it be known this is not their wish - that they hoped the funeral could be held with minimal disruption to others. But when the government decided to make Monday a bank holiday the result is a national shutdown in the name of showing ‘respect’.  As he mourns his darling Mama, King Charles didn’t ask us to stop cycling, to only issue one weather bulletin a day, switch off the music in supermarkets and silence the tills.  The news of the Queen’s death last Thursday shocked us all, even though this remarkable 96-year-old had seemed frailer in recent months. We just weren’t prepared for the inevitable.  And then, after the official announcement, things started to go a little bit weird as big business, local councils, celebrities and pop stars all rushed to make sure the world knew how much they were grieving. Showing ‘respect’ in their own ostentatious way.  The Met Office immediately announced we would only expect one weather bulletin or warning a day ‘as a mark of respect’.  I bet (like me) you are secretly pleased not to be bombarded with amber weather warnings, hourly reports of mist and murk issued by a parade of women in cocktail frocks with double-jointed wiggly fingers, ordering us to ‘take care’ and not forget to pack our raincoats.  The day after the Queen’s death was announced, I was shopping in Morrisons and thought I was having problems with my hearing. The shop floor was eerily silent. No braying messages on the tannoy. No annoying jingles about super-deals. No bleeps from the till. Staff talking in whispers and even the customers were lowering their voices.  I went home confused and discovered that someone at Morrisons HQ had ruled that normal supermarket noise was disrespectful at such a sensitive time. It must be silenced ‘to show respect’.  Later, the store claimed there had been ‘miscommunication’ and the edict had simply been to ‘turn down’ the noise of the tills.  Even so, is this the best way to honour a beloved monarch?

Have the bosses of Britain PLC lost their sense of proportion?

At Center Parcs, bosses announced that they would close down completely for 24 hours from 10am on funeral day ‘as a mark of respect and to allow as many of our colleagues as possible to be part of this historic event’. Meaning that all residents and holidaymakers would have to pack up and leave.  There was a huge outcry from families whose holidays (already paid for) would have been disrupted. Where were they supposed to go?

Center Parcs relented and graciously said the villages would remain open for guests, adding facilities would be still be closed and anyone affected would receive a discount.  Mourning madness takes many forms: you may be surprised to know that cycling on the same day as the funeral is considered inappropriate after British Cycling issued a ‘strong recommendation’ that people did not cycle during the royal funeral.  After being widely mocked, they slightly revised their advice, condemning club rides, coaching sessions and community events.  All this is routinely justified with the tag ‘it’s what she would have wanted’.

I am quite sure the Queen would have wanted people to remember her in their own individual way. To have a quiet moment or two, but to get out and enjoy themselves. Not to be inconvenienced in their daily routines by her departure from this world.  Sadly, an army of pompous prats are making that virtually impossible.  In the days following the news of the Queen’s death, businesses rushed to let us know how much they cared about the late Queen. From Marks and Spencer to P&O Ferries and even the makers of sex toys like Ann Summers, no one wanted to be left out in this display of conspicuous mourning. Estate agents have been covering up for sale boards with black cloths or the royal coat of arms.  Cynics might say it’s a good way to link your brand with reliability, long service and dedication.  Even Transport for London decided to ban buskers during the period of mourning, conveniently forgetting that the musicians need to play to earn a living. It’s as if anything remotely fun or lighthearted must be swept away and replaced with grim austerity until the Queen’s burial is completed and she’s lying in the family vault in Windsor.  Kite festivals and Guinea Pig Awareness Week have been culled ‘out of respect’. Funfairs are closed, and cinemas will not be screening block busters in case they send the wrong message.  At least the Vue Cinema in London is staying open on Monday- you can watch the funeral on the big screen for free, and get a bottle of water thrown in. God forbid free popcorn or a packet of Maltesers is included- that could be seen as ‘disrespectful’.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/royals/meghan-markle-harry-monumental-row-27578854?utm_source=mirror_newsletter&utm_campaign=royal_family_newsletter2&utm_medium=email&pure360.trackingid=1d98e5a4-56c1-4dc0-99ba-a0c256dd40d1

Meghan Markle and Harry had 'monumental row' with royals ahead of final official event

Harry and Meghan joined the Royal Family at the Commonwealth Day Service in 2018 and author Tom Bower claims a 'monumental argument' ensued

By Rebecca Russell Royal Writer

13:19, 26 Jul 2022 Updated 16:21, 26 Jul 2022

Tom Bower's earth-shattering new book 'Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War between the Windsors' claims to offer a behind the scenes insight into Prince Harry and Meghan's relationship with other members of the Royal Family.  The author reportedly spoke to 80 people who personally know the couple to reveal what really happened at some of the most talked about royal events of recent times.  One appearance that will be remembered thanks to visible family tensions and icy greetings was the annual Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey in 2020.  The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the event as it marked their final engagement as senior royals along with the likes of The Queen, The Prince of Wales and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.  Bower's explosive book addresses the service and explains how a "monumental argument" took place after "Palace officials decided to publicly humiliate [Harry and Meghan]".

Bower wrote: "Reality hit two days later, on 9th March. A monumental argument blew up after Harry was told that he and Meghan could not join the family’s procession through Westminster Abbey for the annual Commonwealth Day Service.    Although the order of service listed Harry and Meghan walking behind the Queen, Palace officials had revised their decision. Suspicious about the Sussexes they decided to publicly humiliate them.  Harry was told that having stepped down from royal duties, he and Meghan would sit and wait with the congregation. The prospect of the televised image of their isolation in the Abbey appalled them.  "By then they were keenly aware of Kate and William’s antagonism. William had not offered a brotherly welcome and Kate was outright distant towards her sister-in-law.  Eventually, to end the dispute, William and Kate agreed they too would wait with Harry and Meghan. As the members of the Royal Family filed into the Abbey, the frayed relationships could not be concealed.  Kate had blanked the Sussexes and William’s greeting was cold. Harry looked strained. Meghan’s face showed bemusement."

Further explosive claims from Bower's book involve the infamous row between Meghan and The Duchess of Cambridge over the bridesmaid dresses at her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.  The author claims that Kate was already irritated with Meghan over complaints that she was allegedly bullying her staff accusations she has always strongly denied.  Bower explains that Kate was exhausted in the run up to the wedding as she had just given birth to Prince Louis. He claims that she was too tired to "cope with a disagreement about whether the bridesmaids should wear tights."

While this point of contention was known, Tom Bower writes that the pair had a second argument as Kate reportedly thought Princess Charlotte's dress was too short and did not fit.   The author says: "Kate burst into tears. Kirstie Allsopp, a friend of Camilla, would later confirm that Kate was reduced to tears by Meghan bullying her staff.  After leaving that unhappy scene Kate decided to make amends. She crossed the Kensington Palace corridor and presented Meghan with a bunch of flowers. Kate also told Meghan not to speak rudely to her staff. 'That’s unacceptable.’  What followed can never be irrefutably established. In Kate’s version, Meghan slammed the door in her face and threw the flowers in a dustbin.  Meghan would tell Oprah Winfrey that the tears were shed by her, not Kate, and the flowers were an apology. 'I think that’s where everything changed,’ Meghan rightly said."

The royal family have declined to comment on the contents of Bower's book.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11043497/Britains-forgotten-serial-killer-Patrick-Mackay-brutally-murdered-11-people-freed.html

Britain's 'forgotten' serial killer Patrick Mackay, 69, who brutally murdered up to 11 people including grandmother and a priest could be freed from jail before Christmas after spending 47 years behind bars

    Britain's longest-serving prisoner, Mackay has confessed to killing eleven people
    The so-called 'Devil's Disciple', 69, jailed for life in 1975 after axe murder of priest
    Maniac Mackay also killed pensioners Isabella Griffiths, 87, and Adele Price, 89
    Mackay, who now goes by David Groves, is a 'model prisoner' in soft open facility
    'It will be a strong board who approve his release the public will be outraged'

By Adam Solomons For Mailonline

Published: 11:34, 24 July 2022 | Updated: 12:00, 24 July 2022

'Devil's Disciple' serial killer Patrick Mackay, who confessed to eleven murders and has spent the last 47 years behind bars, could be released before Christmas.  Axe murderer Mackay, 69, is set for a parole hearing as soon as September.  The Kent and Essex killer, who split Catholic priest Anthony Crean's head in half with an axe in March 1975, admitted to a total of eleven murders.  He was convicted in 1975 for three: Father Anthony's, and those of pensioner Isabella Griffiths, 87, and grandmother Adele Price, 89, in Chelsea.  Having been locked up ever since, Mackay is Britain's longest-serving prisoner.  Now known as David Groves, the convicted killer is reportedly a 'model prisoner' at his soft open jail and is reportedly optimistic about his chances for a swift release.  A prison source told The Mirror: 'He really believes he finally has a chance to be released. He’s seen as a model prisoner.  In theory, there’s little reason to keep him behind bars, but it will be a strong board who approve his release the public will be outraged.'

Parole board decisions tend to take months, but can be made in a few weeks.  A swift decision to release Mackay would see him back on Britain's streets by the end of the year.  Mackay later retracted the eight other confessions, including the murder of Southend cafe owner Ivy Davies, 48, in February 1975.  Ivy's son Victor said he cannot give an account to the Parole Board as Mackay was not convicted of her murder.  He said: 'Everyone knows he did more. He hasn’t shown any remorse. But there’s not a lot I can do about it.'

A Parole Board spokesman told the paper: 'We can confirm the case of Patrick Mackay has been referred to the Parole Board. It is awaiting a date to be listed.'

Often described as 'Britain's forgotten serial killer', Mackay was born in 1952 and raised in an abusive household. He was regularly beaten by his alcoholic father.  Medical professionals saw that he had psychopathic tendencies and he was sectioned as a 16-year-old in 1968. Mackay was released four years later.  The murderer quickly developed a fascination with Nazism and often referred to himself as 'Franklin Bollvolt the First', frequently speaking of his desire to 'wipe out' the elderly.  Mackay's first identified victim was 87-year-old widow Isabella Griffiths, who was strangled and stabbed at her home in Cheyne Walk, Chelsea.   Next was Ms Price, 89, strangled at her home in Lowndes Square, Kensington.  Mackay then killed Father Anthony in a frenzied attack using his fists, a knife and an axe in the picturesque village of Shorne, Kent, leaving the 63-year-old's mutilated body floating in a bath full of bloody water.  Two days later he was arrested.  Yet Mackay's horrifying crimes probably did not end there.  Although he was charged with five counts of murder, Mackay's convictions were only for three counts of manslaughter due to diminished responsibility.  The other two cases were allowed to lie on file, meaning prosecutors believed they had enough evidence, but a trial was felt not to be in the public interest.  The first victim in this group was 73-year-old widow Mary Hynes. She was choked and stabbed at her home in Willes Road, Kentish Town.  Second was 62-year-old shopkeeper Frank Goodman. He was battered with a piece of metal pipe at his premises in Rock Street, Finsbury Park.  Finally, there were five unsolved murders, which Mackay allegedly confessed to while in jail, later telling police he was not responsible. The victims in those cases were 18-year-old Heidi Mnilk, Stephanie Britton, Christopher Martin, Sarah Rodmell and Ms Davies.  Mackay also admitted to killing an unidentified homeless man by pushing him into a canal. The body was never found.  He retracted his confessions for all but four killings, including the three for which he was convicted.

Patrick Mackay: A timeline of his killings

Patrick Mackay had between three and 11 victims as not all were confirmed. He was sentenced to prison for life in 1975.

1965: Institutionalised for trying to set fire to a Catholic Church

1967: At the age of 15 Mackay was diagnosed as a psychopath by a psychiatrist, he was committed to Moss Side hospital for four years

1972: Released from hospital

1973: Befriends Father Anthony Crean and soon begins stealing from him

1973, July: Kills Heidi Mnilk, an au pair girl, by hurling her from a train near New Cross

1973, July: Mary Hynes beaten to death in her Kentish Town apartment

1974, January: Stephanie Britton and her four-year-old grandson were stabbed to death at Hadley Green, in Hertfordshire

1974, January: Tosses a homeless person from Hungerford Bridge

1974, February: invaded the Chelsea home of Isabella Griffith, strangling her to death and knifing her

1974: Bludgeoned a 62-year-old tobacconist to death

1974: Sarah Rodwell, age 92, was beaten to death on her doorstep in Hackney

1974: Ivy Davies, slain with an axe

1975: Kills Father Crean with an axe

1975, March: Strangles Adele Price

1975 March 23: Arrested 

1975: Confesses, but not all crimes were charged to him 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10881529/Queens-Platinum-Jubilee-thanksgiving-service-held-St-Pauls-Cathedral.html

Harry and Meghan are reunited with the Royal Family as they arrive at St Paul's for Platinum Jubilee thanksgiving service - but the Queen is forced to watch at home on TV

    Prince Charles will officially represent the 96-year-old monarch at the service in London this morning
    It will also be attended by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for first joint royal engagement in two years
    Queen will miss the event following after she experienced 'discomfort' at Trooping The Colour yesterday
    * Follow MailOnline's liveblog covering the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations today by clicking here *

By Mark Duell and Harry Howard For Mailonline and Rebecca English, Royal Editor For The Daily Mail

Published: 10:42, 3 June 2022 | Updated: 11:24, 3 June 2022

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrived at St Paul's Cathedral today for the Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen, who is watching on television from Windsor Castle after she was forced to pull out last night.  Prince Charles is officially representing the 96-year-old monarch at the service in London this morning, which is also being attended by Harry and Meghan for their first joint royal engagement in more than two years.  But the Queen will miss the event following a last-minute decision announced by Buckingham Palace at 7.30pm yesterday after she experienced 'discomfort' during Trooping The Colour events earlier in the day.  There will also be no appearance at St Paul's from Prince Andrew after he tested positive for coronavirus. The Queen will be watching the service from her Berkshire residence, and it will be broadcast nationally on BBC One.  Political guests arrived ahead of the royals, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie, former prime minister Sir Tony Blair and his wife Cherie, Sir John Major and other ex-prime ministers Gordon Brown, Theresa May and David Cameron, and their spouses. Cabinet ministers Sajid Javid and Liz Truss were also there.  Soon after, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon arrived with her husband, and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. Members of the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force lined up on either side of the Great West Door.  The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had seats in the second row of the congregation, with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands, and Lady Sarah Chatto, the daughter of Princess Margaret, and her family.  Harry and Meghan were seated behind the Earl and Countess of Wessex who are in the front row with their children, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and Viscount Severn, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.  Across the aisle, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, who have ornate chairs, had seats alongside them for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Princess Royal and her husband, Vice Admiral Tim Laurence.  Earlier, a member of the Royal Air Force in the military guard of honour lining the steps to St Paul's collapsed, but was able to get to his feet and was helped away. Then, a second member of the military personnel also collapsed, but was also able to get to his feet and was helped away on foot, despite a stretcher being brought out.   The Queen is understood to have had episodic mobility issues yesterday and, in a statement, Buckingham Palace revealed the Queen 'greatly enjoyed' her birthday parade and flypast but 'did experience some discomfort'.  It said: 'Taking into account the journey and activity required to participate in tomorrow's National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral, Her Majesty, with great reluctance, has concluded that she will not attend.'

It is understood the decision ahead of the service, which begins at 11.30am today, was considered regrettable but sensible due to the length of the journey and time involved and the physical demands the service would require.  Senior members of the monarchy attending this morning also include the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who will be joined by the extended royal family.  Tributes will be paid to the Queen's '70 years of faithful and dedicated service' in front of 2,000 people including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Cabinet ministers, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and former prime ministers.  Public service is the theme at the heart of the religious event, with 400 people who are recipients of honours, including NHS and key workers who were recognised for their work during the pandemic, invited.  The Archbishop of York, the Most Rev Stephen Cottrell, will deliver the sermon to the congregation after stepping in at the 11th hour after the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, contracted Covid-19.  Hundreds of people gathered outside St Paul's, some wearing Union flag hats and others hanging flags and bunting over the railings on the approach to the cathedral and many guests had their photographs taken outside the Great West Door, where members of the Royal family are also due to enter the cathedral for the event.  Mayor of London Sadiq Khan was cheered as he passed by the crowds already amassing outside, although the numbers appeared to be smaller than those seen at the Trooping the Colour festivities yesterday.  Today will be a first joint engagement with senior royals for Meghan and Harry since the frosty Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in March 2020 shortly before they officially stepped down as senior royals.  And while the couple are set to remain below radar in public, the Queen had lunch with them and other senior royals behind closed doors yesterday and also met her great-granddaughter Lilibet for the first time.  The Sussexes introduced their little girl to the Queen nicknamed Lilibet as a child - yesterday at Windsor after attending a private Royal Family lunch at Buckingham Palace following Trooping the Colour.  Harry and Meghan are expected to remain mostly low-profile over the four-day Jubilee weekend, with no sign of the Netflix cameras that followed them around at the Invictus Games in the Netherlands in April.  The Sussexes, who are staying at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor while visiting from California, were not allowed on the Buckingham Palace balcony yesterday and instead watched proceedings from Horse Guards Parade.  Meanwhile key workers, charity volunteers and members of the armed forces have been invited to the Queen's service of thanksgiving at St Paul's today in recognition of their contribution to public life.  More than 400 people, who have been making a difference either nationally or locally, are among the guests and many have been working tirelessly during the pandemic.  They will join members of the royal family at St Paul's Cathedral to celebrate the monarch's 70-year reign, although the Queen herself will not attend after experiencing 'some discomfort' during Thursday's events following previous mobility issues.  The Bishop of London said today that she is 'excited' ahead of the thanksgiving service. Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally, who will be leading the blessing at St Paul's, told BBC Breakfast: 'I'm excited, I think.'

She added that she was nervous about the ceremonial regalia she needs to wear. 'It's a coat called the George V coat.  'It's quite an old coat, which is a cape and it sits on me, but of course it was designed for men because I'm the first woman who happens to be the Bishop of London,' she said. 'So, it doesn't sit quite as well on me, so I'm slightly nervous.'

She said that Her Majesty's Christian faith has 'always shaped her' and she feels privileged to play a part in the service and 'give thanks' to The Queen for her service to the country.  And the Dean of St Paul's said today's thanksgiving service represents the nation 'picking up the baton' from The Queen as a thank you for her years of service.

The Very Revd Dr David Ison told BBC Breakfast: 'I think, for me, what this service is about, is saying not only thank you, but also we are picking up the baton of what The Queen has done. We ourselves are committing to how we can make the world a better place.'

He said of the service: 'I always get nervous. You can't help it because you want it to go well and therefore you're nervous to make sure it does goes well and worried about what might go wrong.'

He also spoke about an incident during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee when his cape ripped.  'I put on my cape and I was bounding down the stairs of the vestry and I caught the cape on the door latch and ripped it and this is in the afternoon, before the service.  So, they had an emergency embroiderer who came in early in the morning to stitch it back up again.'

Later, Dr David will say in The Bidding: 'We come together in this Cathedral Church today to offer to God our thanks and praise for the reign of Her Majesty the Queen and especially for her 70 years of faithful and dedicated service.  As we gather from communities across her realm and the Commonwealth of Nations, we rejoice in the diverse and varied lives of all those whom she serves, and in the beauty and abundance of the world in which we live.  Inspired by words and music, we pray that God will continue to bless and guide Her Majesty, and that we may all receive grace to honour life and to live in harmony with one another; and we continue to pray for those whose lives are marred by conflict, suffering and tragedy.  And mindful of the call of God to look to the needs of others, we commit ourselves afresh to caring for our world and all for whom it is home, striving always to seek out and nurture that which is good in people and in all creation.'

Those invited in recognition of their service have all been recipients of honours in the New Year or Birthday Honours lists and their number also includes public servants and representatives from social enterprises and voluntary groups.  Boris Johnson, who will give a New Testament reading, and members of his Cabinet are among the guests along with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, first ministers of the devolved governments and former prime ministers.  The diplomatic world will be represented by high commissioners and ambassadors from across the world and also attending are governors general and clergy from world faiths.  The Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell will give the sermon after the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tested positive for Covid-19.  The Dean of the Chapel Royal, Dame Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London, will give the Collect and the Blessing, and the Dean of St Paul's will conduct the service.  Young people representing countries where the Queen is head of state will lead the 'Act of Commitment' celebrating the life and reign of the monarch, led by the Reverend Robert Kozak.  During the day, one of the country's largest bells, the Great Paul, will be rung before and after the service, the first time it will have been heard at a royal occasion.  The event will feature a new anthem by Judith Weir, Master of the Queen's Music, that sets to music words from the third Chapter of the Book of Proverbs.  Bible readings, hymns and prayers to express thankfulness for the Queen's reign, faith and service will also be heard by the congregation as the nation marks the monarch's 70 years on the throne.  Before the service begins, the Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines Portsmouth (Royal Band), will play as the congregation arrives and the State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry will perform to mark royal arrivals, while the Fanfare Trumpeters of the Central Band of the Royal Air Force will accompany later in the service.  The choirs of St Paul's Cathedral and Her Majesty's Chapel Royal will join together to sing the Vivats, I Was Glad by Sir Hubert Parry, performed at every coronation and now for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.  News of the Queen's meeting with Lilibet yesterday which comes ahead of her first birthday tomorrow was revealed on BBC Breakfast this morning by royal commentator Omid Scobie, who is friendly with the Sussexes.   He said: 'I think people are expecting some sort of big birthday extravagant event, that we're going to see photographs from. From what I'm told, we shouldn't expect anything.  Those moments with Lilibet are very much private between them and the Queen and of course we know how much she's been looking forward to it.  They've been held back by a pandemic. Of course the times that Harry has been here it's just been by himself for quite sombre occasions. And so this really was the first time.  Of course we know the Queen went back to Windsor Castle yesterday, the couple went back to Windsor as well where they're staying at Frogmore Cottage. So that would have been the first moment or the first chance for her to meet her namesake.'

Yesterday, Harry and Meghan made a concerted effort not to be seen by prying eyes as they watched Trooping the Colour yesterday, arriving incognito at Horse Guards Parade and studiously keeping away from most although not all of the waiting photographers.  The couple arrived in the UK on Wednesday afternoon, flying in by private jet from Los Angeles to Farnborough Airport in Hampshire, where they were picked up by royal bodyguards and taken to Frogmore Cottage.  Yesterday a Range Rover with a modest escort swept them into Central London and onto Whitehall, where they took up position in the Major General's Office overlooking the parade ground ready for the other royals to arrive.  Among the first to greet them were Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edo, as well as the Queen's grandson Peter Phillips.  Meghan was seen kissing his elder daughter, Savannah, 11, as his younger daughter, Isla, 10, held Zara and Mike Tindall's younger daughter Lena, almost four.  As Princess Beatrice's husband, Edo Mapelli-Mozzi, looked on, Meghan, 40, appeared to be sharing a secret with the youngsters, who were joined by the Tindalls' eldest daughter Mia, eight.  Meghan, wearing a large wide-brimmed navy and white hat, put her finger mysteriously to her lips as the girls mimicked her, laughing.  Her husband, Harry, 37, who looked tanned in a lounge suit rather than military uniform, was also seen later entering into the spirit of things, apparently urging Lena to 'shush'.  The couple were later seen chatting to the Queen's cousin, the Duke of Kent, 86, before he left the family gathering to join the monarch at Buckingham Palace, where they took the returning military salute together.  Last month Buckingham Palace revealed that the Queen had personally decided to only invite working members of the Royal Family and some of their children onto the Buckingham Palace balcony with her.  This neatly sidestepped the tricky issue about what to do with Harry, Meghan and Andrew who have all quit royal duties.  But while Andrew wasn't invited to join the family following his shaming over his links to billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, she did extend an olive branch to the Sussexes to join other family members at Horse Guards to watch the parade from the windows of the Duke of Wellington's old office.  Those on the Buckingham Palace balcony also included the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duchess of Cambridge and her three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis after they had arrived by carriage along with the Earl and Countess of Wessex and their two children, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and Princess Anne's husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.  Princess Alexandra, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent were also present as well as the children of Princess Margaret, Lord Snowden and Lady Sarah Chatto, and their families.  As for Harry and Meghan, Mr Scobie told BBC Breakfast today that he 'spoke to people close to the couple' who said that the couple 'wanted to be as low profile as possible during this trip'.

He continued: 'It is almost hard to believe, but I think that yesterday at Trooping the Colour was a great example. We didn't really catch sight of them on TV cameras. There were a few grainy photos of them in existence online but that is about as far as it goes.  And for them being here is all about honouring and really celebrating the life and legacy of the Queen. Someone that they have continued a very warm and close relationship with.   Of course we know that is not the same with the other family members and today will be very interesting to see them alongside some of them.  I was with the couple on their last day in the UK, on Meghan's last engagement, and of course we remember they also went on to that Westminster Abbey Commonwealth service.   Very awkward moments between the Sussexes and the Cambridges. It was almost sort of at the peak of the tensions between them and the institutions of the monarchy.  A lot of that has softened since then. It doesn't mean that the relationships have necessarily gotten back on track to how they once were. I think all eyes will be on them today just to see how they all are with the other members of the family.  But of course everyone is here to celebrate the faith, the reign and the lifetime of service of the Queen.  And I think for them, despite the fact that they broke away from the firm, they always said that they had carried out their work. Holding, upholding the same principles and values as Her Majesty.'

However, royal expert Angela Levin told Talk TV: 'I felt when I saw them 'what are you doing here, you are irrelevant, why are you here? I was very angry when they wound the window down of their car.’

She added: 'My instinct was that 'what are you doing here'. I don't think you can trash someone and then turn up with smiles.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10833355/Serial-killer-obsessed-Indie-band-guitarist-Cody-Ackland-24-jailed-30-years.html

Chilling moment Ted Bundy-obsessed Indie guitarist, 24, calmly handed himself in three days after he bludgeoned Bobbi-Anne McLeod, 18, to death and acted out his secret 'fantasy' murder as he's jailed for a minimum of 31 years

    Judge Robert Lindford told Ackland that 'there is a strong possibility you may never be released from prison'
    Ackland had been driving around Plymouth looking for victim when he randomly chanced upon Bobbi-Anne
    After parking, he crept up on the teenager along path behind the bus stop before hitting her with a hammer
    Twisted Ackland said attack was meant to 'be it' but he kidnapped Bobbi-Anne after noticing she was still alive
    Drove her 19 miles to car park at Bellever Forest, on the fringes of Dartmoor, where he killed her with hammer
    Fiend then drove further 25 miles towards the coast of Plymouth Sound where he dumped her body in woods

By Rory Tingle, Home Affairs Correspondent and Nick Constable for MailOnline

Published: 13:30, 19 May 2022 | Updated: 15:02, 19 May 2022

This is the chilling moment Ted Bundy obsessed killer Cody Ackland calmly walked into a Plymouth police station three days after he bludgeoned 18-year-old Bobbi-Anne McLeod to death to enact his twisted 'fantasy' as he was jailed to life with a minimum of 31 years.   The Indie band guitarist, 24, was unknown to police when he murdered Bobbi-Anne with a claw hammer after kidnapping her as she waited for a bus in Plymouth on November 20 last year.  Ackland spent the next 48 hours after the savage murder socialising with friends, and even attended a pub lock-in. Friends said the only time they had seen the killer so happy was at one of his band's gigs.  Three days after killing he eventually turned himself in and confessed, with a video showing him walking into Charles Cross at 1.30pm with his arms behind his back. He was wearing a facemask and a high-vis jacket he used for his work as a garage car valet.  After confessing to Bobbi-Anne's murder, Ackland asked for a map and directed detectives to Bovisand where police found her body hours later. Bobbi-Anne's battered body was identified using dental records, while phone data corroborated the killer's story.  Today, Ackland looked at the judge throughout his sentencing remarks and nodded as his sentence was passed. As he left the dock, Bobbi-Anne's brother Lee shouted: 'You're a dead man, you dirty c***'.

Judge Robert Linford, sitting in Plymouth Crown Court, told Ackland: 'You subjected Bobbi-Anne McLeod to a prolonged, savage and merciless attack.  She was a young, popular and much-loved person, you caused outrage and fear in this part of the country and with good reason, it was utterly motiveless.'

Judge Lindford, who sentenced Ackland to 30 years and 190 days, told Ackland that he would remain indefinitely a 'highly dangerous person', adding: 'There is a strong possibility you may never be released from prison.'

Ackland had been 'acting out his dark fantasy' when he kidnapped and murdered the teenager on the evening of November 20 last year, the court heard today.  He drove around Plymouth looking for a victim when he randomly chanced upon Bobbi-Anne, who reminded him of one of his past girlfriends. After parking his car, he crept up on the teenager along a path behind the bus stop before striking her over the back of the head with a claw hammer.   The 4ft 11in college student fell to the ground and as 'their eyes met' he hit her over the head again, he later told police. Ackland said this initial attack was meant to 'be it', but as he walked back to his Ford Fiesta he saw Bobbi-Anne moving, so drove back and kidnapped the bleeding teenager by violently bundling her in the footwell.  Ackland then drove her around 19 miles to a car park at Bellever Forest, on the fringes of Dartmoor, where he repeatedly hit her with a hammer, causing 'multiple catastrophic injuries to her head and face' during a 'prolonged, frenzied, sadistic attack'. He recalled Bobbi-Anne say 'I'm scared' shortly before the savage assault.

Describing the moments after he battered the teenager in a police interview, Ackland said: 'It's not funny but she started to make a noise and I thought ''f****** hell, wow, I mean hats off to her''.'   

After finally stomping on her neck, Ackland put her body into the boot of his red car and drove more than 25 miles to Bovisand, on the eastern side of Plymouth Sound, where he stripped her of her clothes and some jewellery and dumped her body in undergrowth down a slope.  Prosecutor Richard Posner said: 'She had been dumped face down in the dirt and foliage. Her body was completely naked. Tragically, Bobbi was dead. The scene was closed off while her body was recovered. There were 14 lacerations to her head and face. Her body was identified through dental records.'   

After the attack in November 2021, callous Ackland threw away her clothes in an allotment before going out partying with friends.  Witnesses told how he was laughing, joking and hugging people and went to a pub-lock-in before later ordering pizza. He also attended a practice session with his rock band. Friends said the only time they had seen the killer so happy was at one of the band's gigs.  Meanwhile, Bobbi-Anne's worried family tried to find her after she failed to meet her boyfriend, Louie Leach, in Plymouth.  Three days later, Ackland a car valet turned himself in and confessed, telling detectives where he had dumped her body. At a previous hearing, Ackland, of Southway, Plymouth pleaded guilty to murder.  Richard Posner, prosecuting, told the court Ackland was leading 'a double life' and harboured a fascination with serial killers in the UK, Australia, US and Russia.  Mr Posner said Ackland had conducted extensive searches about 'their crimes, the aftermath of such crimes, and the bodies left behind in days leading up to Bobbi-Anne (McLeod's) death'.

He said he had also been searching the web pages of DIY stores for 'hammers, crowbars and cutting tools'.  'Cody Ackland led a double life. When he left home on November 20 and drove through Leigham in Plymouth towards the bus stop where Bobbi-Anne was,' the prosecutor said.

'He held such an unhealthy fascination and desire to imitate serial killers. His fascination was to become an unimaginable wicked reality for Bobbi-Anne.'

In disturbing police interviews, Ackland told how he had 'panicked' at seeing Bobbi-Anne was still alive after the initial attack at the bus stop.   'I did it again, I hit her again with the hammer and went to get back in the car and was going to drive away,' he said.

Ackland described his reasoning as 'an industrial way of thinking' adding 'I just thought, right, get rid of the problem.'

He said Bobbi-Anne was still able to walk when they arrived at Bellever Forest car park.  The killer said he had lifted Bobbi-Anne McLeod and supported her as they walked towards woodland.  He said she had said something like 'I am scared'.

Ackland told police: 'I said (to Bobbi-Anne) so am I, I never done this, I've never seen this', but I meant to say 'I've never done this'.

He described striking her 12 times to the head with a hammer to the head and face, but she was still breathing.  The twisted murderer said in interview: 'It's not funny but she started to make a noise and I thought 'f****** hell, wow, I mean hats off to her'.'

He added that he had also trodden on her neck to suffocate her.  At 5.45pm on November 20, Bobbi-Anne left her home in Leigham to meet her boyfriend and walked to the nearby bus stop on Bampton Road, where she was last seen alive at 6.15pm.  By 7.15pm, the teenager's family were starting to worry and a member of the public found her abandoned mobile phone and Apple AirPod case in the bus stop.  The teenager's boyfriend contacted her family at 9pm asking where she was, and they immediately went out looking for her and appealing on social media.  Devon and Cornwall Police launched a missing person inquiry.  On Tuesday at lunchtime, he left work to walk to a police station to confess to murdering Bobbi-Anne.  He asked for a map and directed detectives to Bovisand where police found her body hours later in woodland near a disused military fort.  Forensic evidence and phone data corroborated Ackland's story, the court heard.  Crime scene investigators located the clothes at the allotments and his blood-stained trainers were found in his wardrobe. Bobbi-Anne's blood was found in and around his car.  Rakuda, who released their first EP in August last year, announced in November they would disband 'with immediate effect', but weeks later said they would be taking a 'short hiatus from the music scene' with a view to reforming in the spring of 2022.   Ian Wilkinson, senior crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service in the south-west of England, said: 'Bobbi-Anne was just 18 years old when her life was taken away in the most cruel and shocking manner.  As this case reaches its end, our thoughts are very much with Bobbi-Anne's family as they continue to live with what Cody Ackland did.  The CPS were involved with the case from the start of the investigation following the discovery of Bobbi-Anne's body.  We worked closely alongside our partners in the police to build the strongest possible case to ensure that Ackland was held responsible for what he did.  Violence against women and girls has a devastating effect on victims and their families.  The CPS is dedicated to working with our partners in the criminal justice system to bring offenders to justice and make the public safer.'

Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Stephanie Blundell, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said of Ackland's sentence: 'I welcome today's sentence, however today does not bring cause for celebration.  This was a shocking and brutal crime which led to a young life being tragically cut short and changed the lives of Bobbi's family forever. The details of the case heard today were harrowing, particularly for Bobbi's family.  I would like to thank the investigators who worked on this case, including the detectives, uniformed officers, forensic investigators and all of the support teams who conducted themselves professionally and sensitively in a case of such distressing nature.  I would like to commend Bobbi-Anne's family Donna, Adrian and Lee for the strength, courage and resilience they have demonstrated throughout the investigation process and in particular, today's hearing.  'The senseless and evil acts of one man have devastated their lives and I hope that today's outcome brings them a sense of justice.  'The impact of this case has been felt far and wide across the communities of Plymouth, particularly in Leigham.  It has been heartening to see the community come together in support of Bobbi's family. I hope the community can now focus on healing and recovery, knowing that Ackland will be in prison for a substantial length of time.'
 
Indie band guitarist who idolised US monster Ted Bundy: Bobbi-Anne McLeod killer Cody Ackland was obsessed with serial killers and researched human mutilation online before he bludgeoned petite 24-year-old to death and dumped her body in woodland

By Nick Constable for MailOnline

The Indie band guitarist who snatched teenager Bobbi-Anne McLeod from a bus stop before murdering her and dumping her body on a beach was obsessed with serial killers, researched human mutilation online and idolised US monster Ted Bundy, MailOnline can reveal.  Detectives found almost 3,000 graphic, grisly images of dead and dismembered people on Cody Ackland's phone a horrific window into his grotesque double life.  Ackland, 24, was morbidly fascinated by Bundy, who was executed in 1989 after kidnapping, raping and murdering at least 30 women and girls during the 1970s.  Investigators found from August to November last year, Ackland had looked for information about several murderers, including Ted Bundy, Golden State Killer Joseph DeAngelo Jr, Andrei Chikatilo, Ivan Milat, Fred West and Tommy Sells.  In the week before killing Bobbi-Anne McLeod, Ackland carried out further searches for Ted Bundy, Fred West and 'Fred West's house'.  Two days the murder, he also looked up Richard Chase, the Vampire of Sacramento, and 'Richard Chase bodies'. The day before handing himself into police, Ackland also searched for serial killer Ed Kemper.  Richard Posner, prosecuting, said: 'His interest in the macabre presents as deep-rooted; a fascination with death, murder and murderers and the means to commit murder.'

Despite this, Ackland successfully managed to hide his dark obsession from all who knew him. Speaking at Devon and Cornwall Police headquarters in Exeter, Detective Superintendent Mike West said investigators had been through Ackland's past 'with a fine toothcomb' and found nothing to link him to previous crimes.  Ray Tully QC, defending Ackland, told Plymouth Crown Court his client's obsession with images of murder victims had to be viewed through the 'prism' of his troubled childhood and mental health struggles.  'Psychiatrists characterise it as a kind of self-harm, someone who has developed an addiction to seeking out material, going back to it again and again,' he said.

'(Ackland) describes it as self-medicating, if he can shock himself he might shock himself out of what he felt he had become capable of doing.  He felt the storm clouds gathering and felt incapable of addressing them.'

He said Ackland had been diagnosed with special educational needs by aged seven, and at the age of nine was already contemplating suicide.  Ackland was diagnosed with ADHD, dyslexia, depression and anxiety and by the age of 19 'had a seven-year depressive history', Mr Tully said.  Mr Tully said Ackland had not received 'much comfort' from either his home or his school life and that the his father and other male role models had not provided much 'in the way of succour or support'.  He said Ackland viewed Bobbi-Anne's murder as 'the culmination of everything that has gone on his life, stemming from childhood'.  Mr Tully added: '(Psychiatrists) describe him as leading a sad and isolated life from a young age, someone who is self absorbed but not in a narcissistic way, it is not self-loving we are dealing with here, it is self-loathing.  He grew up to hate himself, angry with the world, angry with everything, and he did at time seek assistance and help about that, but it wasn't particularly forthcoming.'

Ackland was so unmoved by his brutal claw-hammer attack on 18-year-old Bobbi-Anne that in the hours immediately after stripping and dumping her body he was out partying with friends.  Witnesses told how he was laughing, joking and hugging people and went to a pub-lock-in before later ordering pizza. He also attended a practice session with his rock band.  Friends said the only time they had seen the killer so happy was at one of the band's gigs.  After Ackland was sentenced today, Bobbi-Anne's mother Donna, father Adrian and brother Lee released a joint family statement in which they described her as 'the best daughter, the best sister, the best friend to so many people.'  'Everybody who knew Bobbi loved her,' they added.

'We have been robbed of our beautiful girl in the worst possible way and our lives will never be the same without her.'

They went on: 'Our lives have changed forever. We have not been able to say goodbye to Bobbi-Anne and we can only imagine the things he did to her - the thoughts are continually going around in our minds.  Why Bobbi-Anne? Why make her suffer? To know her final hours were spent being tortured destroys us inside.  Bobbi-Anne was so loved and had so many life plans. He cruelly ripped that life away from her and us.  We can't even contemplate a future without her in it. There will never be anything the justice system can impose that will ever come close to what he deserves.'

Ackland didn't know Bobbi-Anne and randomly chose her as his victim as she stood at a bus-stop near her family's home in Leigham, Plymouth, at 6.05pm on Saturday November 20th last year, heading for a night-out with her boyfriend.  He attacked her and walked backed to his car nearby, later telling police: 'That was meant to be it.'

But when he saw her move he returned, bundled her into the footwell of his red Ford Fiesta and drove 19 miles to Bellever Forest on Dartmoor where he repeatedly battered her around the head with the hammer, causing 'catastrophic' injuries.  Her naked body was later found in woods near a disused military fort at Bovisand, Plymouth. Her clothes were found tossed into an allotment.  Outside court Det Supt Mike West, head of major crime for Devon and Cornwall Police, said analysis of Ackland's phone revealed how he scrupulously planned the murder, modelling it on Bundy's sickening techniques.  'Ackland was leading a double life and had a secret a morbid interest in a significant number of serial killers from around the world, particularly US killer Ted Bundy whose kidnap and murder of young women bore similarities to Ackland's crime.  There were pictures of Bundy and the weapons he used on the phone.  In the days and weeks leading up to Bobbi-Anne's death, Ackland searched the internet for information about serial killers' crimes, their aftermath and the bodies left behind.  He kept a huge supply of grisly images on his phone, depicting dismembered or dead bodies, post mortem examinations and murder scenes.  Over the days and hours before the murder Ackland browsed for remote locations on Dartmoor and for potential weapons such as helmets, hammers, crowbars and cutting tools.  Ackland also searched sportswear websites for items such as ski masks, waterproof clothing and balaclavas, actively trying to replicate the actions of the serial killers he was so fascinated by.'

By 7.15pm on the evening she went missing, Bobbi-Anne's family were already starting to worry that they hadn't heard from her.  When her boyfriend called at 9pm saying she hadn't arrived, they began to search and make appeals on social media.  By 10pm Police had launched a missing persons enquiry and made a public appeal for anyone who had seen her to come forward.  Three days later Ackland left his job as a garage car valet, sent 'strange' messages to friends and family saying he had 'done something' and walked into a Plymouth police station to confess.  He told detectives: 'I did it. I was responsible for it'.

He then revealed where he had left the teenager's body, claimed he wanted to help police and Bobbi-Anne's family and said he had a 'tendency to overthink things.'

He said he'd gone out on the night of the murder because he was 'feeling low' and 'wound up' and needed to get out of the house.  Moments later he attacked Bobbi-Anne at the bus stop with frenzied blows from his hammer.  Det Supt West went on: 'He intended to go out socialising for the night and cut through Leigham to save time.  It was then that he spotted Bobbi-Anne, who he didn't know but who resembled girls he'd dated in the past.  Ackland will claim that he wasn't looking for somebody anybody in particular it was just a coincidence. He described his actions as 'an industrial way of thinking' to get rid of a problem.  He thought about taking her to hospital but instead, to use his expression, decided to dispose of her body so he drove 19 miles to Bellever Forest, arriving at 7.45pm.  It was here he attacked her repeatedly with the hammer, outside the car, before burning her handbag nearby along with other items from the vehicle.'

Ackland told police he 'went into problem-solving mode', headed for the wooded lane at Bovisand, dumped Bobbi-Anne's body in undergrowth, drove to his Plymouth family home and went to bed.  The following morning he claimed he asked himself 'what had actually happened' before going for pizza with a friend.  He was, according to the friend, 'chatty and having a laugh and 'hugging people', said Det Supt. West.  'Friends recalled him being happier than usual and said the only time they had seen him so happy was before one of his gigs.  He told detectives that the killing was not on his mind because it was 'so out there' and extreme that it was almost like a film or fantasy, something that hadn't really happened.  He told police he did not know how he felt about the murder, that it felt like someone else had committed the crime but he knew deep down it was him.  He blamed childhood issues and a failure to be given help when he was younger. In fact, Ackland blamed everybody apart from himself.  Bobbi did not stand a chance on being attacked by a man using a claw hammer, who was intent on delivering a callous and sustained assault in Leigham, and then in a secluded forest on Dartmoor.  Ackland's sentencing will deliver a degree of justice to Bobbi-Anne's family. But we know only too well that their loss will be suffered for a long time.'

Det Supt West said that, even if Ackland had not handed himself in, he would have been tracked through mobile phone signals placing him near to Bobbi-Anne, CCTV footage and 'covert' techniques which he declined to specify.  'I am certain he would have been located and caught and we would have identified where Bobbi-Anne's body had been deposited,' he said.

However Ackland had no file on the Police National Computer and had not engaged with police either as a victim or a suspect prior to the murder.  He appeared to have led a 'secret life operated clandestinely' and his offending had 'come as a really significant shock' to those who knew him best.  The attack had happened without warning 'no one could have recognised the level of risk that Ackland presented.'

Forensic teams found no evidence of a sexual motivation and Ackland claimed the reason he stripped Bobbi-Anne was to try and prevent her being identified if she was found at some stage in the future.  'He wanted to make it clear that there was no sexual motivation,' said Det Supt West.

'He was calm, he was measured and there was no requirement for any mental health support.  I have yet to see any remorse on Ackland's part despite numerous opportunities for him to convey that.'

He added that while there was no indication that Ackland had ever been involved in any form of offending, women or girls who believed they might have been targeted by him should contact the police.  Attacks on lone girls were 'exceptionally rare' and there had been 'no trigger' to suggest Ackland was likely to launch one.

Check following prosecutor quotes at Plymouth Crown court hearing tomorrow quotes from Crown prosecutor Richard Posner

Prosecutor Richard Posner told Plymouth Crown Court that Ackland's interest in death was 'sinister and relevant to his motivation.'

Mr Posner added: 'His interest in the macabre presents as deep-rooted; a fascination with death, murder and murderers and the means to commit murder.  He had viewed and kept extreme and graphic images of dead and dismembered people, bodies of purported murder victims, post-mortem, deposition sites and artefacts linked to murders such as weapons and soiled and tainted items.  Ackland possessed images linked to serial killers and historic missing persons appeals by US police.'

He went on: 'There are numerous images of the American serial killer Ted Buddy in his telephone and images of weapons he used to kill his victims.  Bundy approached his victims in public places and knocked them unconscious before killing them.  It is not a coincidence that Bobbi-Anne McLeod met her fate the same way.'

In their statement Bobbi-Anne's family thanked both police and the public for their help in trying to find her and, later, to bring Ackland to justice.  'The help and support from everyone, not just friends and family but everyone, everywhere, who helped with all of the posters, posts and messages to bring our baby, our Bobbi, home thank you.  To everyone in the police, the investigation team and all of the services, we thank you for everything you have done and for finally getting justice for Bobbi-Anne.'

Ted Bundy: 'Shy and attractive' psychology student who could be responsible for as many as 100 murders across multiple US states

The name Ted Bundy is synonymous with serial killer after the shy and attractive psychology major embarked on a killing spree in the 1970s that left more than two dozen women dead. There is speculation he could be responsible for up to 100 murders.  In 1974, witnesses saw a young man, who introduced himself as Ted, approach two young women at Seattle State Park and ask for help with his sailboat. They were never seen alive again and became his first known victims.  It was in the same year that several young women disappeared from college campuses in Washington and Oregon - including a 21-year-old radio announcer called Lynda Ann Healy.  Later that year, Bundy relocated to Utah to attend law school in Salt Lake City. In November, Carol DaRonch was attacked by a man she described dressed as a police officer but escaped.  She gave the first clear description and a blood sample from her jacket. Miss DaRonch also told police that he was driving a tan VW Beetle. As Miss DaRonch was giving her statement, 17-year-old Debbie Kent disappeared.  A short time later, hikers found the bones of missing women in a Washington forest. A rough sketch was drawn a tall, thin attractive man who approached young, white women looking for help and called himself 'Ted'.  Police also noted common factors among the victims they were all thin and had long hair parted in the middle. All the women were targeted in the evening and bludgeoned with blunt objects. The victims had also been raped.   At the beginning of January 1975, Caryn Campbell vanished from a Colorado ski resort. Her naked body was found a month later in a ditch by the side of the road. Five more women were founded murdered in a similar manner in the following months.  In August, police pulled Bundy over for a driving offence. When Miss DaRonch picked him out of a line-up, he was charged with attempted kidnapping.  He was sentenced in 1976 to 15 years in prison and later police connected him to the murder of Caryn Campbell.  On December 30, Bundy escaped from prison and turned up in Tallahassee, Florida renting an apartment near Florida State University under a false name.  On January 14, 1978, Bundy struck again. He broken into the Chi Omega sorority house and bludgeoned and strangled to death two women, raping one of them and viciously biting her body.  He almost murdered two others by beating them over the head with a log before a roommate interrupted his spree.  Almost a month later on February 9, Kimberly Leach, who was 12, was kidnapped and mutilated by Bundy. The serial killer was picked up a week later while driving a stolen car before witnesses placed him at both the sorority house and outside Kimberly's school.  Charged with three murders killing the two sorority women and another Kimberly LaFouche Bundy believed he could beat a guilty verdict and turned down a plea bargain of three life sentences. He went on trial in Florida on June 25, 1979, found guilty and sentenced to death.  Prior to his execution, Bundy gave the details of the murder sites of more than 50 women. He also said that he kept the heads of some women at his home to engage in necrophilia.  Bundy was electrocuted on January 24, 1989 at 7.13am.

Defence lawyer: Ackland 'grew up to hate himself' and was 'angry with everything' during troubled childhood 

Ray Tully QC, defending Ackland, told Plymouth Crown Court his client's obsession with images of murder victims had to be viewed through the 'prism' of his mental health struggles.  'Psychiatrists characterise it as a kind of self-harm, someone who has developed an addiction to seeking out material, going back to it again and again.'

'(Ackland) describes it as self-medicating, if he can shock himself he might shock himself out of what he felt he had become capable of doing.  He felt the storm clouds gathering and felt incapable of addressing them.'

He said Ackland had been diagnosed with special educational needs by aged seven, and at the age of nine was already contemplating suicide.  Ackland was diagnosed with ADHD, dyslexia, depression and anxiety and by the age of 19 'had a seven-year depressive history', Mr Tully said.

Mr Tully said Ackland had not received 'much comfort' from either his home or his school life and that the his father and other male role models had not provided much 'in the way of succour or support.  He said Ackland viewed Bobbi-Anne's murder as 'the culmination of everything that has gone on his life, stemming from childhood'.

Mr Tully added: '(Psychiatrists) describe him as leading a sad and isolated life from a young age, someone who is self absorbed but not in a narcissistic way, it is not self-loving we are dealing with here, it is self-loathing.  He grew up to hate himself, angry with the world, angry with everything, and he did at time seek assistance and help about that, but it wasn't particularly forthcoming.'

'Why Bobbi-Anne? Why make her suffer': Family question brutal killer 

In a statement released by Devon and Cornwall Police after the sentencing, the family of Bobbi-Anne McLeod said: 'Bobbi was a beautiful girl who lit up our lives and the lives of everyone she ever met. She was kind, funny, and loyal. She was the best daughter, the best sister, and the best friend to so many people. Everybody who knew Bobbi loved her.  We have been robbed of our beautiful girl in the worst possible way and our lives will never be the same without her. I want Cody Ackland to know that he has taken away our world. We will never see her beautiful face or hear her laugh, see her get married or have the children she so wanted. So many everyday things have been taken away. Her not being here is still unimaginable.  Our lives have changed forever. We have not been able to say goodbye to Bobbi-Anne and we can only imagine the things he did to her the thoughts are continually going around in our minds. Why Bobbi-Anne? Why make her suffer? To know her final hours were spent being tortured destroys us inside.  Bobbi-Anne was so loved and had so many life plans; he cruelly ripped that life away from her and us. We can't even contemplate a future without her in it. There will never be anything the justice system can impose that will ever come close to what he deserves.  We do want to say thank you to everyone. There is no piece of paper, bulletin board, flyer, or anything big enough out there on which we can say thank you. The help and support from everyone, not just friends and family but everyone, everywhere, who helped with all of the posters, posts and messages to bring our baby, our Bobbi, home thank you.  To everyone in the police, the investigation team and all of the services, we thank you for everything you have done and for finally getting justice for Bobbi-Anne.' 

Cop: You know how fast you were going?

Guy: Sorry officer, I was just trying to catch up with traffic.

Cop: What traffic? The road is empty.

Guy: Yeah, that's how far behind I am.