On the 1st of December, 1996, at around 10:45 PM, a man named Richard Maine left Keeper’s Cottage in Coopers Hill, Alvechurch and was just about to get into his car when he heard some alarming noises nearby. It was the sound of a commotion mixed with a woman’s calls for help. As Richard walked closer, he saw a young woman standing by the driver’s door of a car covered in blood from head to toe. At her feet on the country road lay a man also covered in blood, but unlike the woman, he was totally still and quiet. In horror, Richard ran to call for help.

Bates’ mother said of her first meeting with Smith after the two had started living together: “As soon as I saw Smith the hairs on the back of my neck went up. I tried everything I could to get Kelly Anne away from him.”

When American pop rock band, The Scissor Sisters came up with its name back in the early 2000s, it was derived from New York’s nightlife and gay culture. After being signed with British label Polydor and releasing their debut album in 2004, the band went to No 1 in the UK. And not long after that, their name began to appear in Irish news—but not because the band was gaining popularity in their neighbouring country. Unfortunately for the band, the moniker “The Scissor Sisters’ was given to real life sisters, Charlotte and Linda Mulhall, due to the nightmarish nature of their crime.

Can pre-meditated murder be justified? To some, the idea of murder is more palatable if it was committed in self-defence or in the effort of saving someone else’s life.

But what if the victim was the perpetrator of years of abuse and neglect and the offenders felt that the only way out was for to take their tormentor’s life? Do the means justify the end?

On a cold and wintery night in Worcester England, neighbours hear high-pitched screams pierce through the tranquil darkness. Even to the untrained ear, the screams sound as if they are coming from terrified children. Neighbours peer through their blinds in the direction of the screams. They are coming from the usually quiet home of Elsie and Clive Ralph – But nothing appears out of place at the home. A cautious neighbour decides it’s better to be safe than sorry and decides to call Police just in case one of the children is in trouble.

At about 4 PM on September 21, 2001, 32-year-old Aidan Minter was walking his usual route back home over Tower Bridge in central London. It was Friday afternoon, and usually, the area would have been filled with people. But since the 9/11 attacks had taken place a little over a week prior, not everyone felt comfortable being around major landmarks, and Aidan was crossing the bridge alone.