Rettendon triple murder

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The triple murder of Rettendon ( Engl. : The Rettendon Triple Murders , also Essex Range Rover Murders ) is a murder case from the drug scene, which occupied the British justice for years.

Circumstances

On December 7, 1995, the bodies of three men were discovered in a Range Rover on a remote dirt road in Rettendon . The circumstances of the crime indicated an execution: the three men had been shot in the face with a forearm repeater . All three victims were the drug scene of Essex assigned and there were known as the "Essex Boys".

Victim

Tony Tucker, Craig Rolfe and Pat Tate were all part of the London club scene . In 1986, Bernard O'Mahoney was released from prison. He worked as a bouncer at the Raquels nightclub, which was known for its brawls. In 1993 Tony Tucker became his partner. Tucker ran a security company selling bodybuilding equipment. He was also the bodyguard of professional boxer Nigel Benn for a while . After the club was freed from the violence, Tony Tucker and partners Craig Rolfe and Pat Tate took over the ecstasy trade . Rolfe and Tate were both known as drug dealers. At the time of the crime, Rolfe was suspected of killing a rival drug dealer. Tate was also known for his violent actions. The group later became known as the Essex Boys and was one of the largest drug traffickers in Great Britain. They are also believed to have supplied Leah Betts , the UK's first popular ecstasy death.

Carlton Leach , head of a security company and friends with the "Essex Boys", describes in his book " The Rise of the Footsoldier " how Tucker and his friends slipped more and more in the drug environment and regularly consumed drugs and steroids . Shortly before the murder, a bigger thing was planned.

The alleged perpetrators

The police investigation initially focused on the Essex drug scene. In May 1996, a police informant named Darren Nicholls reported to the police. He said he was the getaway driver of the alleged perpetrators Mickey Steele and Jack Whomes. According to the testimony, Nicholls was accepted into the witness protection program. Mickey Steele was also involved in the drug trade and was known as "Mickey the Pilot". He is also said to have had an affair with Pat Tate's wife.

In September 1997, the proceedings against Steele and Whomes began at the Old Bailey . The two were sentenced to life imprisonment in January, largely based on what Nicholls said. After that, Steele would have gone to Workhouse Lane with Tucker, Rolfe, and Tate to do a deal in cocaine . Steele got out on the pretext of having to go to the toilet. Whomes would have waited nearby in the snow and handed him the murder weapon. After that, Steele would have shot Tucker, Rolfe and, last, Tate. After that they were picked up by Nicholls. The motive for the act is said to have been a stretched delivery of cannabis , which is said to have caused a dispute among the five men.

In January 2000, the book was published Bloggs 19 by Tony Thompson , based on the memories of Nicholls. "Bloggs 19" was the alias used by Nicholls in the witness protection program. In the course of the publication it emerged that the contract for the book had already been signed several months before the trial against Steele and Whomes. The credibility of the witness was thus no longer given beyond doubt and so the lawyers of Whomes and Steele sought a new trial. A hearing was held on February 22, 2006, but it failed. The case was not reopened as the judges found Nicholls' testimony to be credible. They did not believe that the book contract would influence witnessing. In 2007 Michael Steele's attorney called the European Court of Justice because his client had not received a fair trial. The police and the court withheld evidence that undermined the credibility of the witness.

Edits

In addition to Tony Thompson's Bloggs 19 , two other authors have published books dealing with the murder. Bernhard O'Mahoney wrote several books about his time with the Essex Boys, in which the act was a major part. He doubts the perpetrators of Steele and Whomes. Two of his books were filmed: Essex Boys as " Gangsters - The Essex Boys " (2000) and Bonded by Blood in 2010 as Footsoldier 2 . O'Mahoney also operates its own website on the subject.

Carlton Leach describes the murder as a turning point in his criminal career in his memoir Muscle . The memoir was filmed in 2007 as Rise of the Footsoldier . The film adaptation ends with the triple murder.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e The witness, a book deal and the Epping murders. The Observer , January 1, 2006, accessed October 22, 2011 .
  2. ^ Carlton Leach: Rise of the Footsoldier . John Blake Publishing, London 2008, ISBN 978-1-84454-630-5 , pp. 47 .
  3. ^ Carlton Leach: Rise of the Footsoldier . 2008, ISBN 978-1-84454-630-5 , pp. 57 .
  4. ^ Carlton Leach: Rise of the Footsoldier . 2008, ISBN 978-1-84454-630-5 , pp. 57 .
  5. ^ Carlton Leach: Rise of the Footsoldier . 2008, ISBN 978-1-84454-630-5 , pp. 59 .
  6. ↑ 'Essex boys' murder appeal fails. British Broadcasting Corporation , February 22, 2006, accessed October 22, 2011 .
  7. ↑ Fresh hope for 'Essex Boys' pair. British Broadcasting Corporation , April 17, 2007, accessed October 23, 2011 .
  8. ^ Bernhard O'Mahoney: Essex Boys - The Rettendon Triple Murders. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011 ; Retrieved October 23, 2011 .