The Dark Oak

Episode 107: The Murder of Penny Bell


Listen Later

On June 6, 1991, Penny Bell, a 43-year-old businesswoman and mother of two, was brutally stabbed over 50 times in her Jaguar in the busy Gurnell Leisure Center parking lot in Greenford, London, in a frenzied attack that left no witnesses despite the public setting. Penny, a happy and successful director at a recruitment agency, lived in an affluent Buckinghamshire neighborhood with her husband, Alistair, and their children, Matthew and Lauren. That morning, she left home for an unspecified 9:50 a.m. appointment, mentioning it to builders renovating her home, but no record of it was found. Three days prior, she withdrew £8,500 from a joint account, an unusual act possibly linked to her murder. Witnesses reported seeing a man enter a blue Jaguar, a slow-moving Jaguar with hazard lights, and Penny mouthing “Help me” with a passenger, but no one intervened. The investigation, which interviewed over 8,000 people, was hampered by compromised forensic evidence and no clear motive, though the attack’s savagery suggested Penny knew her killer. Suspects like Alistair, a former neighbor, John Richmond, and serial killer Robert Napper were cleared. In 2021, Penny’s daughter, Lauren, who was nine at the time and has no memories of her mother, renewed efforts with a £20,000 reward and media campaigns, believing the killer was motivated by personal rage. The case remains unsolved, leaving Lauren to honor her mother’s vibrant legacy by naming her daughter Penny.
 
Sources:

McMahon, J., & McMahon, J. (2024, August 9). The Inside Story of Britain’s Most Notorious Cold Case Murder. VICE. https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-inside-story-of-britains-most-notorious-cold-case-murder/

 

Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to the Dark Oak
2:25 Penny Bell
53:09 The Brand of Hope - JED Foundation
 
 

Join The Dark Oak Discussion:

Patreon

The Dark Oak Podcast Website

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

Youtube

This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Dark OakBy Just Us Gals Productions

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

54 ratings


More shows like The Dark Oak

View all
Missing by Crawlspace Media

Missing

3,320 Listeners

The Vanished Podcast by Wondery

The Vanished Podcast

15,320 Listeners

The Trail Went Cold by Robin Warder

The Trail Went Cold

3,137 Listeners

Crimelines® True Crime by Crimelines True Crime

Crimelines® True Crime

4,238 Listeners

Already Gone Podcast by Nina Innsted

Already Gone Podcast

3,985 Listeners

Gone Cold - Texas True Crime by Gone Cold Productions

Gone Cold - Texas True Crime

1,897 Listeners

Trace Evidence by Steven Pacheco

Trace Evidence

4,007 Listeners

MURDERISH by Cloud10

MURDERISH

3,436 Listeners

Last Seen Alive by Studio 222

Last Seen Alive

901 Listeners

Coffee and Cases Podcast by Cloud10

Coffee and Cases Podcast

619 Listeners

THEY DISAPPEARED by Host: Pat Draven

THEY DISAPPEARED

266 Listeners

Missing Persons by AbJack Entertainment

Missing Persons

462 Listeners

And Then They Were Gone by Little Monster Productions

And Then They Were Gone

860 Listeners

Where are they? by Where are they?

Where are they?

404 Listeners

Twisted Travel and True Crime by Twisted Travel and True Crime

Twisted Travel and True Crime

281 Listeners