Winding north out of West Rainton, Marks Lane is a secluded country road used by dog walkers who want to avoid the busier streets of the town. Always unlit, on this particular night Mark’s Lane was only lit up as a vehicle passed. Just after 7.30pm, a passenger in a car noticed something on the verge.

Lying in a pool of blood, a man lay on the side, appearing to have suffered serious head injuries after what looked like a hit and run. When the ambulance arrived, he was found to be alive - but barely...

Sign up to Crime+Investigation for a free 7-day trial today and stream the TV show Murdertown now.

Murdertown is a Crime+Investigation original podcast hosted by Benjamin Fitton, written and researched by Anna Priestland, with editing by Joel Porter, production by Kim Sergeant and is series produced by Sam Pearson.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.