Bradford murders
Encyclopedia
The Bradford murders were three serial killings of female sex worker
s from the northern English city of Bradford
in 2009 and 2010.
43-year-old Susan Rushworth disappeared on 22 June 2009, followed by 31-year-old Shelley Armitage on 26 April 2010 and 36-year-old Suzanne Blamires on 21 May of the same year.
Stephen Shaun Griffiths, 40, was arrested on 24 May and subsequently charged with killing the three women.
Parts of Blamires's body were found in the River Aire
in Shipley
, near Bradford, on 25 May. Other human tissue found in the same river was later established to belong to Armitage.
No remains of Rushworth have been found.
, West Yorkshire
, was arrested and in May 2010 he appeared in the magistrates' court
giving his name as "The Crossbow Cannibal". At a crown court
appearance that afternoon he was remanded in custody until his next court appearance. He made a second appearance at crown court on 7 June via a video link from Wakefield Prison
where a trial date of 16 November 2010 was set.
While in custody, Griffiths has attempted to commit suicide on four occasions.
On 21 December 2010 Griffiths was convicted of all three murders after pleading guilty. He was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Police had been watching Griffiths for two years before he killed his victims and had already seized hunting weapons. They [the police] contacted the housing association which owns the flat in which Griffiths lived after Griffiths was observed reading books on dismemberment. The housing association shared the police's concerns and fitted a better CCTV system in anticipation of an incident. At the time of the murders, police had no evidence for an Anti-Social Behaviour Order
.
Sex worker
A sex worker is a person who works in the sex industry. The term is usually used in reference to those in the sex industry that actually provide such sexual services, as opposed to management and staff of such industries...
s from the northern English city of Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
in 2009 and 2010.
43-year-old Susan Rushworth disappeared on 22 June 2009, followed by 31-year-old Shelley Armitage on 26 April 2010 and 36-year-old Suzanne Blamires on 21 May of the same year.
Stephen Shaun Griffiths, 40, was arrested on 24 May and subsequently charged with killing the three women.
Parts of Blamires's body were found in the River Aire
River Aire
The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England of length . Part of the river is canalised, and is known as the Aire and Calder Navigation....
in Shipley
Shipley
Shipley may refer to:Places in England*Shipley, Derbyshire*Shipley, West Sussex*Shipley, West Yorkshire**Shipley People*Ann Shipley, Canadian politician*Burton Shipley, first Maryland Tarrapins men's basketball coach...
, near Bradford, on 25 May. Other human tissue found in the same river was later established to belong to Armitage.
No remains of Rushworth have been found.
Conviction of Stephen Griffiths
Stephen Shaun Griffiths, born on 24 December 1969 in DewsburyDewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, was arrested and in May 2010 he appeared in the magistrates' court
Magistrates' Court
A magistrates' court or court of petty sessions, formerly known as a police court, is the lowest level of court in England and Wales and many other common law jurisdictions...
giving his name as "The Crossbow Cannibal". At a crown court
Crown Court
The Crown Court of England and Wales is, together with the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal, one of the constituent parts of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
appearance that afternoon he was remanded in custody until his next court appearance. He made a second appearance at crown court on 7 June via a video link from Wakefield Prison
Wakefield (HM Prison)
HM Prison Wakefield is a Category A men's prison, located in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service, and is the largest maximum security prison in the United Kingdom...
where a trial date of 16 November 2010 was set.
While in custody, Griffiths has attempted to commit suicide on four occasions.
On 21 December 2010 Griffiths was convicted of all three murders after pleading guilty. He was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Post trial statements
Griffiths' criminal history included a 3-year sentence, when aged 17, for an unprovoked knife attack on a supermarket manager. Whilst in custody he stated that he saw himself becoming a murderer, and psychiatrists warned that he fantasised about becoming a serial killer. In 1991 he was diagnosed as a "schizoid psychopath" and the following year received a 2-year prison sentence for holding a knife to the throat of a girl.Police had been watching Griffiths for two years before he killed his victims and had already seized hunting weapons. They [the police] contacted the housing association which owns the flat in which Griffiths lived after Griffiths was observed reading books on dismemberment. The housing association shared the police's concerns and fitted a better CCTV system in anticipation of an incident. At the time of the murders, police had no evidence for an Anti-Social Behaviour Order
Anti-Social Behaviour Order
An Anti-Social Behaviour Order or ASBO is a civil order made against a person who has been shown, on the balance of evidence, to have engaged in anti-social behaviour. The orders, introduced in the United Kingdom by Prime Minister Tony Blair in 1998, were designed to correct minor incidents that...
.