Fred Dinenage Murder Casebook

Fred Dinenage takes a fresh new look at the murders that shocked the United Kingdom in the 20th century, and the killers that committed them. Dinenage was not only the official biographer to the Kray brothers, the foremost perpetrators of organized crime in London's East End during the 1950s and '60s, he has also been a serious crime journalist for over four decades. ... Read all

Genre: Documentary, Crime

Cast:Fred Dinenage , David Wilson , Clive Aitkins , Lee Caine , Nick Thomas-Webster , Colin Romero , Peter Revis , Miriam Issacs , Adam Nowell , Samantha Charity Hall , Cameron Beale , Daniel Knight , Nathan Webb , Bobby Cummines , Neil Burns , Neil Maddock , Rachel Stella Layton , Ali Somerville-Jones

1Season 1

S1.E1 ∙ The Acid Bath Murderer

Sun, May 1, 2011

The seemingly admirable and respectable middle class man, John Haigh, guilty of six grotesque murders in which each victim was drained of blood and later dissolved in acid. Haigh's calculated disposal of the bodies was an attempt to acquire their wealth in belief that this would prevent any risk of conviction. Was he a blood thirsty Satanist or one of the most cunning and callous killers who would do anything for money to feed his greed for money.

2Season 1

S1.E2 ∙ The Teacup Poisoner

Sun, May 8, 2011

Graham Young is the serial killer fascinated with poisons and toxic chemicals who began his fatal experiments at the mere age of fourteen when he poisoned his entire family. Released from jail fifteen years later he up-scaled his study, lacing cups of tea with deadly poison to a factory of workers.

3Season 1

S1.E3 ∙ Brides in the Bath

Sun, May 22, 2011

The heartless bigamist murderer George Joseph Smith left his victims with broken hearts, empty bank accounts and in some cases, dead. Drowning three of his seven wives, Smith was hanged for his murderous greed. Fred Dinenage examines how the early use of forensics helped police unmask the killer.

4Season 1

S1.E4 ∙ The Black Panther

Sun, May 15, 2011

Scarred by a traumatic and unstable upbringing, Donald Neilson was the serial burglar turned masked murderer obsessed with weapons and military conduct. The meticulous nature to his three murders, became increasingly violent ending in the kidnapping and brutal murder of seventeen year old heiress Lesley Whittle.

5Season 1

S1.E5 ∙ The Welsh Child Killer

Sun, May 29, 2011

Fifteen year old killer Harold Jones brutally murdered two young girls in 1921 giving the reasons for the murders as a 'desire to kill'. After narrowly escaping prosecution on his first attack, Jones was eventually caught red handed when the mutilated body of his second victim was discovered in his attic. Not yet 16 Jones escaped hanging merely by the virtue of his age. We'll examine new evidence that shows Jones may have later gone on to become 'Jack the Stripper', an unidentified serial killer in the 1960's.

6Season 1

S1.E6 ∙ John Christie

Sun, May 1, 2011

The extraordinary tale of deceitful compulsive liar John Christie, who murdered six women and stored them in his home in Rillington Place between 1943-53. Christie initially framed his neighbour, Timothy Evans, who was consequently hanged for the supposed murder of his wife and child, leading to a strong public outcry upon discovery and the eventual abolition of capital punishment.

7Season 1

S1.E7 ∙ Ruth Ellis

Sun, Jun 12, 2011

A brutal crime of passion that gripped the nation and saw Ruth Ellis hanged after murdering her estranged lover at the violent climax of a destructive relationship fuelled by jealousy. We'll examine what punishment may have been dealt out to Ruth had she committed the murder in today's modern age.

8Season 1

S1.E8 ∙ Derek Bentley

Sun, Jun 5, 2011

Derek Bentley, the nineteen year old executed at Wandsworth prison, for his part in the murder of PC Sidney Miles during a break in at a warehouse in Surrey. As a minor Bentley's accomplice Christopher Craig, who actually shot the officer, escaped execution and a long sentence leaving Bentley alone to take the fall. With the help of Criminologist Professor David Wilson we'll discover how his case changed the law.

1Season 2

S2.E1 ∙ Lord Lucan

Sun, Oct 7, 2012

Fred Dinenage looks back over the life of Lord Lucan; the aristocratic figure whose glamorous life became tainted by murder, mistaken identity and events that would launch the biggest manhunt in British history. Lord Lucan's life had gone from gambling, parties and weekends in the country to a bitter divorce, a custody battle for his children and huge debts. His only way out was to murder his wife - instead he murdered the nanny when he mistook her for Lady Lucan. He then attacked his estranged wife who managed to escape with severe injuries. Meanwhile Lord Lucan was making his own exit; he disappeared after the attacks, only visiting a friend briefly, he was never seen again. There have been many reported sightings around the world but the Lord Lucan mystery continues...

2Season 2

S2.E2 ∙ Peter Manuel

Sun, Oct 14, 2012

Fred Dinenage examines the horrific murders performed by Scottish serial killer Peter Manuel. Manuel was hanged at the age of 31, convicted of 7 murders but suspected of many more. He was a cold ruthless killer with no motive and an in controllable rage... who just wanted to be the centre of attention.

3Season 2

S2.E3 ∙ Mary Bell

Sun, Oct 21, 2012

Fred Dinenage examines the brutal crimes of Child Killer Mary Bell. At just 11 years old Mary Bell shocked the country when she was convicted of strangling two young boys aged just 3 and 4. What made this child commit such horrific acts and can children who have murdered change?

4Season 2

S2.E4 ∙ The Monster Butler

Sun, Oct 28, 2012

Fred Dinenage investigates one of Scotland's most enigmatic serial killer - Archibald Hall, known as the Monster Butler. Hall's lust for a luxurious lifestyle turned him from a conman into a callous murderer.

5Season 2

S2.E5 ∙ John Straffen

Sun, Nov 4, 2012

Fred Dinenage looks back over the life of John Straffen; at the age of 21 he strangled two little girls but escaped the hangman's noose due to his low IQ of just 58. After six months at Broadmoor Straffen escaped and committed a third murder on another young girl in a local village. This time he was reprimanded in maximum security prisons and remained so for the next 55 years. Straffen died in prison in 2007 but continues to carry the title of Britain's longest serving prisoner.

6Season 2

S2.E6 ∙ The Cannock Chase Murders

Sun, Nov 11, 2012

During the 1960s, fear spread through the local community of Cannock Chase. Children were being snatched from the streets, sexually assaulted and murdered. Fred Dinenage re investigates the brutal killings that sparked one of the biggest manhunts in police history, and led to the conviction of Raymond Leslie Morris. Fred meets detectives Conrad Joseph and John Farrall who worked first hand on the child killer hunt and finds out with Professor David Wilson how difficult putting together a photofit of a killer is.

7Season 2

S2.E7 ∙ Patrick MacKay

Sun, Nov 18, 2012

Obsessed with the Nazi regime and known for torturing animals, Patrick Mackay was certified a psychopath at seventeen. Later, he started befriending elderly people before brutally murdering them and then sitting with their bodies as they died. He was convicted of murdering three seniors, though he confessed to having many more victims.

8Season 2

S2.E8 ∙ The Blackout Ripper

Sun, Nov 25, 2012

Fred Dinenage looks back over the life and crimes of RAF cadet Gordon Cummins. During the London Blitz of 1942, terror stalked the war torn streets. It was not just the horror of German bombs falling from the sky... the fear was created by a spree killer. It just one week four women were brutally killed and two women attacked. Not since Jack the Ripper had there been such a gruesome spate of murders... earning Cummins the title... The Blackout Ripper.

1Season 3

S3.E1 ∙ Jack the Ripper

Tue, Nov 5, 2013

Fred Dinenage: Murder Casebook reinvestigates the most infamous murders from the 19th, 20th and 21st Centuries, exploring them from a modern perspective.

2Season 3

S3.E2 ∙ The Moors Murders

Sun, Nov 10, 2013

Ian Brady and Myra Hindley abducted, assaulted and murdered 5 children in the Manchester area, burying 4 of them on Saddleworth Moor. 50 years later, Fred Dinenage asks who were this young couple whose mug shots have haunted the public for so many years?

3Season 3

S3.E3 ∙ The A6 Murder

Tue, Nov 19, 2013

This episode investigates the story of the alleged ͚A6 murderer James Hanratty and explores the arguments for and against his conviction for murder and rape in an A6 layby.

4Season 3

S3.E4 ∙ Babes in the Wood

Tue, Nov 26, 2013

For twenty six years the public believed that two children found dead in Epping Forest in 1970 had died of exposure. Then in 1996 a convicted child murderer, Ronald Jebson, called police from Wakefield Prison.

5Season 3

S3.E5 ∙ The Cannibal of Rotenburg

Tue, Dec 3, 2013

In Germany in 2002, a case came to light that shocked the world. A man in a rural German village had filmed himself dismembering, killing and eating another man. Armin Meiwes was to become known as The Cannibal of Rotenburg. In this special episode Fred Dinenage travels to Germany and asks leading experts on the case: What would make one man want to eat another?

6Season 3

S3.E6 ∙ The Monster of Worcester

Tue, Dec 10, 2013

On Friday 13th April 1973 the bodies of three children were found impaled on garden railings. The murderer? The family's lodger David McGreavy. Fred Dinenage discovers the critical mistake that cost the children their lives and asks what caused the babysitter to embark on such a barbaric killing spree.