The Case of Stephen Downing

The Case of Stephen Downing
Author: Stephen Downing
Publisher: Pen and Sword True Crime
Total Pages:
Release: 2020-02-19
Genre:
ISBN: 9781526742025

On 12 September 1973 a seventeen-year-old naïve and vulnerable young gardener Stephen Downing returning from a short lunch break encountered the badly beaten and unconscious figure of thirty-two year old Wendy Sewell lying on the footpath of Bakewell Cemetery close to Catcliff Wood and the consecrated chapel where she had been attacked. Stephen ran to the nearby workmen's building and in the meantime the perpetrator of the attack who had been hiding, dragged Wendy's body out of sight to a second location where she was subsequently found soon after. There then occurred a horrifying sequence of events which were to change his young life forever. He was immediately taken into custody and questioned at length without a solicitor and eventually signed a false confession statement and Wendy was to die some two days later from her injuries. Following a very biased prosecution based three day trial during February 1974 Downing was found guilty by a jury, convicted and sentenced to what was eventually a full life sentence. Just eight months later during October 1974 there followed an appeal with fresh evidence from an eye witness who saw Wendy Sewell alive after Downing left the cemetery for lunch, however the prosecution rubbished this evidence and the appeal failed. In the many years which followed Downing's incarceration he was moved from prison to prison, continuing to maintain his innocence and in doing so jeopardised any chance of parole as he was "In Denial Of Murder" until eventually his plight reached journalist Don Hale, whose tireless efforts eventually led to a Criminal Cases Review and appeal in which Downing was released as a middle aged man after some twenty-seven years, the longest miscarriage in the United Kingdom legal history.

The Case of Stephen Downing

The Case of Stephen Downing
Author: Stephen Downing
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2020-02-19
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1526742039

The memoir of a man wrongfully convicted of murder and his 27 years spent in the U.K. prison system until his conviction was overturned. On September 12, 1973, seventeen-year-old, naïve gardener Stephen Downing returned from his lunch break to discover the badly beaten, unconscious, thirty-two-year-old Wendy Sewell lying on the footpath of Bakewell Cemetery close to Catcliff Wood and the consecrated chapel where she had been attacked. Stephen ran to the nearby workmen’s building, and in the meantime Wendy’s attacker returned and dragged her body to a second location where she was subsequently found soon after. Despite having learning difficulties, Downing was immediately taken into custody, questioned at length without a solicitor, and eventually signed a false confession statement. Wendy died some two days later from her injuries. Following a very biased, three-day trial during February, 1974, Downing was found guilty by a jury, convicted, and sentenced to what was eventually a full life sentence. Just eight months later during October, 1974, there followed an appeal with fresh evidence from an eye witness who saw Wendy Sewell alive after Downing left the cemetery for lunch. However, the prosecution trashed this evidence, and the appeal failed. In the years following Downing’s incarceration, he was moved from prison to prison, continuing to maintain his innocence—and in doing so, jeopardizing any chance of parole, as he was “In Denial of Murder”—until eventually his plight reached journalist Don Hale. Hale’s tireless efforts led to an appeal in which Downing was released after some twenty-seven years, the longest miscarriage of justice in the United Kingdom’s legal history.

Yorkshire Ripper - The Secret Murders

Yorkshire Ripper - The Secret Murders
Author: Chris Clark & Tim Tate
Publisher: Kings Road Publishing
Total Pages: 343
Release: 2015-06-29
Genre: True Crime
ISBN: 1784186902

In 1981, Peter Sutcliffe, the 'Yorkshire Ripper', was convicted of thirteen murders and seven attempted murders. All his proven victims were women: most were prostitutes.Astonishingly, however, this is not the whole truth. There is a still-secret story of how Sutcliffe's terrible reign of terror claimed at least twenty-two more lives and left five other victims with terrible injuries. These crimes - attacks on men as well as women - took place all over England, not just in his known killing fields of Yorkshire and Lancashire.Police and prosecution authorities have long known that Sutcliffe's reign of terror was far longer and far more widespread than the public has been led to believe. But the evidence has been locked away in the files and archives, ensuring that these murders and attempted murders remain unsolved today.As a result, the families of at least twenty-two murdered women have been cheated of their right to know how and why their loved ones died: the pain of living with that may diminish over time, but it never fades away completely. Five other victims survived his attacks: their plight, too, has never been officially acknowledged.Worse still, police blunders and subsequent suppression of evidence ensured that three entirely innocent men were imprisoned for murders committed by the Yorkshire Ripper. They each lost the best parts of their adult lives, locked up and forgotten in stinking cells for more than two decades.This book, by a former police Intelligence Officer, is the story not just of those long-cold killings, of the forgotten families and of three terrible miscarriages of justice. It also uncovers Peter Sutcliffe's real motive for murder - and reveals how he manipulated police, prosecutors and psychiatrists to ensure that he serves his sentence in the comfort of a psychiatric hospital rather than a prison cell.

Town Without Pity

Town Without Pity
Author: Don Hale
Publisher: Don Hale
Total Pages: 248
Release: 2002
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 071261530X

Don Hale's fight to clear Stephen Downing of murder, and the trail of clues the authorities want to hide. In 1973, a woman was brutally murdered in a graveyard in a picturesque market town. Stephen Downing, aged seventeen but with the mental age of eleven, was working as a gardener in the graveyard. He was charged with the crime and served 27 years in prison. Six years ago, Don Hale, the editor of the local newspaper, began his own investigation into the murder. This is the story of one man trapped in a web of evil, and of another's courageous fight to free him.

Citizenship for You

Citizenship for You
Author: Bhavini Algarra
Publisher: Nelson Thornes
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2002
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 9780748767748

It has been developed in partnership with the widely respected Institute for Citizenship after considerable research into teachers' needs and expectations. Suitable for all ability ranges, it can be used as a stand-alone resource but also builds seamlessly on the work covered in the Activate! series at Key Stage 3 to ensure effective progression through the key stages. Comprehensive teacher support is provided in a Teacher File, with flexible lesson plans to suit different approaches to Citizenship teaching. Online case studies provide up-to-date resources for project work. The topical nature of these will enhance students' interest.

Report

Report
Author: Maine. Department of Attorney General
Publisher:
Total Pages: 264
Release: 1909
Genre: Attorneys general's opinions
ISBN:

Unsolved Murders of the UK

Unsolved Murders of the UK
Author: Phil Drake
Publisher: Pen and Sword True Crime
Total Pages: 245
Release: 2024-04-30
Genre: True Crime
ISBN: 1399032577

Unsolved Murders of the UK: Cold cases from 1951 to Present Day delves into the mysterious and haunting cases of individuals who were brutally taken from this world, yet their killers were never brought to justice. From mysterious disappearances to seemingly motiveless killings, as well as other cases that continue to perplex law enforcement, this book takes a closer look at the victims, the crimes and the police investigations, as well as the theories surrounding each case. With a focus on the cold cases that have remained unsolved for decades, this book offers a comprehensive examination of the most intriguing and disturbing murders in the UK’s recent history. Join us as we explore the twisted minds of the killers and the relentless pursuit of justice for the victims and their families. This book will captivate true crime enthusiasts and armchair detectives alike.

Practical Resources for Teaching Citizenship in Secondary Classrooms

Practical Resources for Teaching Citizenship in Secondary Classrooms
Author: Ruth Tudor
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 160
Release: 2013-04-15
Genre: Education
ISBN: 113660829X

Based on the New Curriculum for Citizenship, this book provides practitioners in secondary schools with the essential tools needed to teach citizenship. The authors provide an overview of the citizenship order and give guidance on how to fulfill its three main elements: social and moral responsibility, community involvement and political literacy. The book focuses on curriculum developments, teaching, learning and assessment issues and includes a rationale for planning schemes of work in citizenship for the whole school. It also includes lesson plans, teaching ideas and resources, and step-by-step guidance on assessment. Emphasis is placed on including all pupils and references are made to cross-curricular links with other subjects.