Still At Large Podcast

By mid-February 1965 the Police in London had six young women who had been murdered in a short space of time. Two other women had been murder in the years prior to this, an as February 1965 came to a close, they hadn't been connected, yet.

At the head of the investigation was Chief Superintendent John Du Rose. A seasoned detective approaching the end of his career. A career that had seen him involved with such infamous characters of John George Haigh, the acid bath murderer. Over the course of his time in the police he had developed a reputation for the rapidity with which he solved complex investigations. He had even earned himself the nickname of 'Four Day Johnny' - the efficacy of his methodology has since been questioned. None more so than during the investigation into the Hammersmith Nudes, but we will return to that matter later. For now, at least, we will stay in 1965.

London was a city undergoing a massive change. World War two had reduced much of the capital to rubble and the rebuilding of it was the primary focus of the 1950s. Towards the end of the 50s, a serial murderer was beginning a reign of violence against the working girls of London. His methods would lead to him being dubbed Jack the Stripper by the press, although the series of killings is more correctly known as The Hammersmith Nude Murders.

On Monday, 30 December 1957, 17-year-old Anne Noblett disappeared whilst travelling to her home in Marshalls Heath, Hertfordshire. A month later, on 31 January 1958, her fully clothed body was found in woodland near Whitwell. Her remains showed signs of having been refrigerated and the case was dubbed the "Deep Freeze Murder" by the press.

On Monday, 30 December 1957, 17-year-old Anne Noblett disappeared whilst travelling to her home in Marshalls Heath, Hertfordshire. A month later, on 31 January 1958, her fully clothed body was found in woodland near Whitwell. Her remains showed signs of having been refrigerated and the case was dubbed the "Deep Freeze Murder" by the press.

At 7pm on November 5th, 2001, mother of one, Michaela Hague climbed into a Blue Ford Sierra in Bower Street, Sheffield. The driver was a white male, clean shaven and wearing a wedding ring. Bonfire night was another working night for Michaela. Prostitution had become her line of trade to make ends meet.

The next time this delicately featured young woman with almond shaped eyes, dark brown hair and an impish grin would be seen, she was semi-conscious and bleeding heavily from nineteen stab wounds to her neck and back. Discovered by a friend in the Spittalfields area of Sheffield, Michaela was able to give a brief description of her attacker to the first policeman on the scene, PC Twigg, who wrote the description on the palm of his hand.

At 7pm on November 5th, 2001, mother of one, Michaela Hague climbed into a Blue Ford Sierra in Bower Street, Sheffield. The driver was a white male, clean shaven and wearing a wedding ring. Bonfire night was another working night for Michaela. Prostitution had become her line of trade to make ends meet.

The next time this delicately featured young woman with almond shaped eyes, dark brown hair and an impish grin would be seen, she was semi-conscious and bleeding heavily from nineteen stab wounds to her neck and back. Discovered by a friend in the Spittalfields area of Sheffield, Michaela was able to give a brief description of her attacker to the first policeman on the scene, PC Twigg, who wrote the description on the palm of his hand.

Two weeks before her 18th birthday, Victoria Hall, known widely as Vicky, was murdered in the early hours of September 19, 1999, no more than a couple of hundred yards from her home in Faulkeners Way, Trimley St Mary, Suffolk.

She was last seen by her friend, Gemma Algar, when they parted company at around 2:30am after a night out at the Bandbox Nightclub in Felixstowe. As part of their journey home, the two young women had stopped at fish and chip shop briefly, before continuing to walk home.

Two weeks before her 18th birthday, Victoria Hall, known widely as Vicky, was murdered in the early hours of September 19, 1999, no more than a couple of hundred yards from her home in Faulkeners Way, Trimley St Mary, Suffolk.

She was last seen by her friend, Gemma Algar, when they parted company at around 2:30am after a night out at the Bandbox Nightclub in Felixstowe. As part of their journey home, the two young women had stopped at fish and chip shop briefly, before continuing to walk home.

Linda left the house where she was living at about 11.30pm on 8 December, to visit a friend in Sultan Road, Portsmouth. It must have only been a brief visit as she was reported as leaving that address at shortly after midnight on the 9th to make her way back South to Linda Gray’s house in Victoria Road North. Roughly twenty or so minutes’ walk along suburban and reasonably well-lit streets.

At some time between half past twelve and one o’clock in the morning, Linda Cook was viciously raped, strangled and stamped on. The ferocity of the attack is extremely distressing. Linda had been so violently stamped on that it crushed her larynx, broke her jaw and caused her spine to fracture. The perpetrator had used such force that he left the impression of his shoe on her skin, leading this to be dubbed by the sensationalist press of the time as, somewhat distastefully, The Cinderella Murder.

Linda left the house where she was living at about 11.30pm on 8 December, to visit a friend in Sultan Road, Portsmouth. It must have only been a brief visit as she was reported as leaving that address at shortly after midnight on the 9th to make her way back South to Linda Gray’s house in Victoria Road North. Roughly twenty or so minutes’ walk along suburban and reasonably well-lit streets.

At some time between half past twelve and one o’clock in the morning, Linda Cook was viciously raped, strangled and stamped on. The ferocity of the attack is extremely distressing. Linda had been so violently stamped on that it crushed her larynx, broke her jaw and caused her spine to fracture. The perpetrator had used such force that he left the impression of his shoe on her skin, leading this to be dubbed by the sensationalist press of the time as, somewhat distastefully, The Cinderella Murder.