Rettendon murders

The Rettendon murders (also known as the Range Rover murders or Essex murders) occurred on 6 December 1995 in the village of Rettendon in Essex, England, when three drug dealers were shot dead in a Range Rover down a small farm track.

The incident was followed by a major police investigation – Operation Century – and has been the subject of many books and feature films.

On 6 December 1995, Rettendon was the scene of the triple murder of Tony Tucker (38), Patrick Tate (37) and Craig Rolfe (26), three drug dealers shot dead in a Range Rover down a small farm track. The three men were found the following morning by farmer Peter Theobald and his friend Ken Jiggins.

Friend of the victims, and only surviving member of the main alliance, Carlton Leach now lives in Essex and has written and talked about the murders and his memory of his late associates.

The sting "Operation Century" produced no arrests or evidence leading to a criminal prosecution. A prosecution that was eventually brought in connection with the murders was wholly based on police operations subsequent to the abandonment and closure of Operation Century.

Two men, Jack Whomes and Michael Steele, were convicted of the murders after police informer Darren Nicholls gave evidence against his former friends at their Old Bailey trial. However, questions were raised over the reliability of mobile phone records used to corroborate the informant's testimony.

The films Essex Boys, starring Sean Bean; Rise of the Footsoldier; Bonded by Blood; The Fall of the Essex Boys; Essex Boys: Retribution (2013); and Rise of the Footsoldier: Part 2 (2015) are all based – to varying degrees – on the crime.

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