Peterborough ditch murders

The Peterborough ditch murders were a series of three murders which took place in England in March 2013. All of the victims were male and died from stab wounds. The bodies of all three men were discovered dumped in ditches outside Peterborough. The perpetrator was Joanna Dennehy, a local woman who was later sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole-life tariff.

In November 2013, Joanna Dennehy pleaded guilty to all three murders and two further attempted murders. Dennehy's sister Maria was unsurprised by the guilty plea and said, "I think she did that to control the situation. She likes people to know she's the boss." Dennehy has been held at HM Prison Bronzefield where Rosemary West was also held in recent years. Assessing psychiatrists later diagnosed Dennehy with "psychopathic, anti-social and emotional instability disorders" (the latter is also known as borderline personality disorder).

Two men, Gary Richards (known as Gary Stretch), then 47, and Leslie Layton, then 36, stood trial charged with a range of crimes assisting Dennehy, then 31. Neither agreed to enter the witness box, give sworn evidence or face cross-examination. The jury began considering their verdict on 4 February 2014. On 10 February Richards was found guilty of attempted murder. Layton was found guilty of perverting the course of justice. On 12 February Layton and Richards were convicted of all other charges.

On 28 February 2014 at the Old Bailey, Joanna Dennehy was sentenced to life imprisonment. The trial judge, Mr Justice Spencer, recommended that she should never be released. He said that this was justified due to the premeditation of each murder. Spencer said further that Dennehy was sadomasochistic, and lacked the normal range of human emotions. Dennehy is believed to be one of just three women in the United Kingdom to be told that her life sentence should mean life. The other two confirmed cases are Myra Hindley (now dead) and Rosemary West. Gary 'Stretch' Richards was also sentenced at the Old Bailey alongside Dennehy to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum term of 19 years. Leslie Layton was sentenced to a total of 14 years, and Robert Moore, then 55, who admitted to assisting an offender received a three-year prison sentence.

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