Mapping the Ratcliffe Highway Murders

This year is the 200th anniversary of the Ratcliffe Highway murders, when seven people were killed in a gratuitous frenzy in the space of 12 days. But while 19th century Londoners would have recoiled at the mention of John Williams and his crimes, they probably mean little to the city’s present day inhabitants. Likewise the …

Off the Map: The case of James Smith

On the morning of December 4, 2010, the body of 28 year-old James Smith was found at an electricity substation near Penge West railway station in south London. The postmortem revealed he had been electrocuted. A murder investigation was launched by the British Transport Police and the incident was added to the murder map. James …

Off the Map: The death of Charles Bunyasi

The death of Charles Bunyasi began as a murder investigation but will now ‘drop off the map’. Why? Because it no longer counts as a homicide. Mr Bunyasi was run over by his own van after it was stolen by a thief. The exact circumstances are unclear but detectives have charged the suspect only with …

Off the Map: The tragic case of Mahesh Mehta

One of the most common complaints about the justice system is that the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. Either the sentence is too lenient or the law fails to reflect the seriousness of an offence. The death of 55 year-old businessman Mahesh Mehta is a case in point. The fruit… You must be a paid …