Peterborough ditch murders

The Peterborough ditch murders were a series of serial murders which took place in Cambridgeshire, England, in March 2013. All three victims were male and died from stab wounds. Their bodies were discovered dumped in ditches outside Peterborough. In Hereford, two other men were stabbed, but survived. The perpetrator was Joanne Christine Dennehy, a Cambridgeshire woman, who was later sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order.

Victims

Kevin Lee was a property developer, landlord and lover of Dennehy.[1][2] He was killed on 29 March 2013, and his body found the next day near Newborough.[3] Dennehy dressed Lee's body in a black sequined dress before dumping his corpse.[4] Lukasz Slaboszewski met Dennehy through a shared interest in drink and drugs, and John Chapman was a housemate of Dennehy.[1] Slaboszewski, a Polish national, was killed on 19 March, and Chapman on 29 March.[3] They were both found on 3 April near Thorney with stab wounds.[5]

After the killings, Dennehy was driven by an accomplice, Gary Stretch,[6] to Hereford where she stabbed two men, chosen separately and at random, both of whom survived.[7] Both men were dog walkers; she stole the second's dog.[6] Another man travelling in the car, unwillingly, was later cleared of criminal involvement in the attacks.[6]

Victim selection and motives

Dennehy, a 30-year-old absent mother of two young children at the time of the killings, specifically targeted men during her killing spree, telling her acquaintance Lloyd that she did not wish to kill a woman and especially not a woman with children. Mark Lloyd stated Dennehy had wanted to kill nine men in total, seeking to be like Bonnie and Clyde.[8] Dennehy stabbed men for the purpose of "entertainment", telling Gary Stretch, "I want my fun. I need you to get my fun." She later told a psychiatrist that she had found murder to be "moreish" and that after the first killing she "got a taste for it."[2][9]

Court proceedings

In November 2013, Dennehy pleaded guilty to all three murders and two further attempted murders.[10][11] Her sister Maria was unsurprised by the guilty plea and said, "I think she did that to control the situation. She likes people to know she's the boss."[12] Dennehy has been held at HM Prison Bronzefield.[13] Assessing psychiatrists later diagnosed Dennehy with psychopathic, anti-social and borderline personality disorders.[14]

Two men, Gary Stretch (formerly known as Gary Richards), 47, and Leslie Layton, 36, stood trial charged with a range of crimes assisting Dennehy. Both decided not to give evidence or face cross-examination.[15] The jury began considering their verdicts on 4 February 2014.[16][17] On 10 February, Richards was found guilty of attempted murder and Layton was found guilty of perverting the course of justice.[18][19] On 12 February, Layton and Richards were convicted of all other charges.[20][21][22]

On 28 February 2014, at the Old Bailey, Dennehy was sentenced to life imprisonment. The trial judge, Mr Justice Spencer, recommended that she should never be released due to the premeditation of each murder. Spencer said further that Dennehy was sadomasochistic, and lacked the normal range of human emotions.[23] Dennehy is believed to be one of just three women in the United Kingdom to be given life imprisonment without parole, after Myra Hindley and Rosemary West.[24]

Richards was also sentenced at the Old Bailey alongside Dennehy to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum term of 19 years. Layton was sentenced to a total of 14 years, and Robert Moore, 55, who admitted to assisting an offender, received a three-year prison sentence.[25][26][27]

After the trial

After the trial it emerged that the Probation Service was supervising Dennehy at the time of the murders as she had been convicted of assault and owning a dangerous dog. It was later concluded that the staff dealing with her were inexperienced.[28][29]

Escape plot

While Dennehy was on remand before the trial, prison staff found an escape plot in her diary. This involved killing or seriously injuring a prison guard, cutting off one of the guard's fingers and using the amputated finger to fool the biometric system in the prison. Because of the plot, Dennehy was placed in solitary confinement from September 2013 (before the court proceedings) to September 2015 (after the proceedings). She claims isolation left her 'tearful and upset' and led to self harm.

The High Court rejected Dennehy's claim that her human rights had been violated. Government lawyers argued isolation was necessary due to the nature of Dennehy's offences and the risk she could pose to the public if she were to escape. Mr Justice Singh found solitary confinement was "in accordance with law (...) at all material times it has been necessary and proportionate". At the time, Dennehy was incarcerated in HMP Bronzefield, Surrey.[30][31][32][33][34][35]

Imprisonment

In 2019 Dennehy was moved to Low Newton Prison in County Durham. Upon her arrival she threatened to kill Rosemary West, who had been moved to another prison.[36]

gollark: Oh please, even dragons can.
gollark: I've also got an IOU for reds and balloons, which ought to help somewhat.
gollark: So I just need 60 in a month and a half, which seems practical.
gollark: 439/400.
gollark: I'm aiming for 500 by year's end, which seems possible, but is hard.

References
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  3. "Woman admits murdering three men found stabbed to death in ditches". The Guardian. 18 November 2013. Archived from the original on 19 November 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  4. "Dennehy 'cast a spell on victims'". MSN News. 15 January 2014. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  5. Dixon, Hayley (18 November 2013). "Female serial killer admits three murders". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 19 November 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
  6. "Joanna Dennehy: Serial Killer".  . 18 April 2019. ITV. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2019.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  7. "Peterborough murders: Joanna Dennehy driven by a thirst 'for blood'". BBC News. 21 January 2014. Archived from the original on 21 January 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
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  14. "Peterborough murders: Joanna Dennehy was mentally ill". BBC News. 23 January 2014. Archived from the original on 26 January 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
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  24. Vikram Dodd "Joanna Dennehy: serial killer becomes first woman told by judge to die in jail" Archived 20 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine, The Guardian, 28 February 2014
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