Latest news with #AnnetteSmith
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews 24 Hours In Police Custody: The Butcher Of Suburbia: Armchair sleuths will have cracked this case before the first ad break...
When I am murdered, as I inevitably shall be if I carry on being rude about every actor on TV, what I don't want is for the crime to be investigated by estate agents. But that's how Bedfordshire police behaved when they arrived at the house of a missing woman, chronicled in the two-part documentary 24 Hours In Police Custody: The Butcher Of Suburbia. 'It looks like an old chapel,' mused one copper, arriving at the dormer bungalow in Fairfield on Sunday's episode, after lodger Scott Paterson reported that he hadn't seen his 74-year-old landlady, Annette Smith, for six weeks. 'Quite big, isn't it?' the officer added, on footage captured by his bodycam. 'There's an upstairs as well,' he marvelled. Channel 4 is agog for anything to do with homes and properties, but the serious crime squad should leave guided tours to Phil and Kirstie. Police forces give film crews access to their investigations because they want the publicity. Solving messy homicides, they reason, will make them look efficient, dedicated, implacable. But shows like this have become commonplace, and viewers are growing adept at deciphering the clues even before the first ad break — which can make detectives appear to trail far behind. It wasn't until three months later, when Paterson, pictured, was picked up for drink-driving, that they began to suspect the lonely lodger wasn't as innocent as he acted Chilly seas of the week Crime reporter Martin (Luke Arnold) went back to the surfers' paradise where he grew up, in Aussie drama Scrublands: Silver (BBC2). Old pals sauntered by holding surfboards, but none of them actually went in the water. Filmed in winter, perhaps? While the bobbies from Beds were taking note of the house's potential for modernisaton, we armchair sleuths had already spotted one glaring contradiction in the lodger's story. Paterson claimed Annette failed to return after packing a suitcase for a trip with a friend. But the house was almost stripped bare. How big was that suitcase? Even her bedclothes were gone. Paterson clearly wasn't expecting the old girl to return. He dabbed away a few tears as he told investigators how mystified he was. He couldn't have been less convincing if he'd pretended she was abducted by aliens. Incredibly, the police sent him away with a promise that he'd let them know if Annette turned up. It wasn't until three months later, when Paterson was picked up for drink-driving, that they began to suspect the lonely lodger wasn't as innocent as he acted. Belatedly, the Beds feds pursued a few old-fashioned lines of inquiry. They discovered that emails purportedly written by Annette had been sent from her home, weeks after she vanished. And her jewellery kept turning up with an online cash-for-gold merchant. It wasn't until a detective constable thought to ask an obvious question that guilt was established beyond doubt. 'Are you responsible for the death of Annette Smith?' she wondered. Paterson paused dramatically for a few seconds, and then agreed that yes, he'd killed her, dismembered her body and distributed her remains in public bins. A keen chief inspector, scenting more confessions, asked: 'Have you ever done anything like this before?' Another extended pause. 'Not that I can think of,' Paterson said. The detectives seemed satisfied with this denial. Move along now, nothing to see here.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The loving friendship that turned to murder: Chilling messages between 'gentle giant' lodger and his elderly landlady before he suffocated her with a pillow and chopped up her body
Chilling messages and phone calls between a lodger and his 74-year-old landlady before he murdered her have been revealed today for the first time. Scott Paterson, 45, suffocated vulnerable Annette Smith with a pillow at their shared home before dismembering her body and hiding her remains in a storage unit. He tried to cover up her murder and pretended she was still alive by using her email account to send Christmas messages and Moonpig cards to family and friends. Paterson, of Fairfield, Bedfordshire, used a kitchen knife and saw to cut up her body in November 2023 - and was jailed for at least 19 years in November last year. Now, Channel 4 's new series of 24 Hours In Police Custody, which airs this Sunday, has revealed their friendly chats - including a text exchange before he moved in. Paterson wrote: 'Hi Annette would Weds next week be ok to move in? x' Ms Smith replied: 'elo luvly Supa... pls start moving on Wed. Whoopee! A xxx' And Paterson said: 'Thanks Annette, can't wait! Xx' The programme, which follows the police investigation, also featured recordings of two calls between the pair - with one featuring her arranging dinner for him. It began with Paterson saying: 'Hello.' Ms Smith then said: 'Hello darling, just to let you know, I've ordered you salmon and pilau rice, so you've got something to eat when you get in.' Paterson replied: 'Brilliant, that's lovely, thank you.' And Ms Smith said: 'I'll see you soon' A text exchange between lodger Scott Paterson (right) and his 74-year-old landlady Annette Smith (left) before he murdered her was revealed in Channel 4's 24 Hours In Police Custody The second call saw Ms Smith organise a drink for Paterson because he was tired. It started with Paterson saying: 'Oh hi darling, it's Scott.' Ms Smith replied: 'Hiya darling, you must be knackered?' Paterson said: 'Yeah.' And Ms Smith told him: 'Would you like me to get you a drink or something?' He replied: 'Yeah that's great, lovely, thank you.' The documentary also reveals Paterson talking about the loving friendship he had with Ms Smith after reporting her missing - despite having already murdered her. Paterson claimed to police that Ms Smith had been missing for several weeks and he last saw her being collected from the house by a woman after packing a suitcase. He also said Ms Smith told her she would be gone for a few days – and the video showed him becoming emotional while telling detectives about their friendship. Paterson said: 'I'd known Annette for maybe nearly 15 years. She offered me somewhere to stay. Initially it was going to be 12 months and it turned into 12 years. 'We'd get on like a house on fire. We'd go to the theatre, we'd go out for dinner, we'd go on holidays. So we always just got on really well.' Pictures of Annette Smith also form part of the new programme airing on Channel 4 on Sunday He then appeared to choke up, with the detective saying: 'We can have a break if you want a break, yeah?' Paterson replied: 'Sorry' – but she said: 'No, no, it's alright.' Attempting to cover up her murder, Paterson tried to pretend Ms Smith was still alive by sending emails and cards to friends and relatives. However, in April 2024, concerns were raised by relatives and an investigation was launched by the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire (BCH) Major Crime Unit. Detectives discovered her passport and clothing were still at the home, with her laptop which had sent the Christmas messages. After being arrested, Paterson was asked whether he was responsible for her murder in a police interview – and simply replied: 'Yes'. He also directed police to a storage unit where he had hidden her remains –and was later sentenced to life imprisonment at Luton Crown Court. The court heard that they had met 14 years earlier and Ms Smith had offered him rent-free accommodation in her home after Paterson experienced a 'relationship breakdown'. In 2018, Ms Smith suffered a stroke which limited her mobility and Paterson took on caring responsibilities, including collecting prescriptions and doing her shopping. In 2023, her estranged husband Peter Smith, who held a 20 per cent stake in the home, had asked her to sell the property because of his struggling business. Ms Smith initially did not want to move out, but Paterson claimed he 'felt pressured' to encourage her to go through with a sale. He also said she had become 'more demanding' since her stroke five years earlier. Eventually Ms Smith agreed to speak to estate agents, who continued to market the property after her death. On November 8, 2023, Paterson entered Ms Smith's bedroom and suffocated her with a pillow. He left her in her bed and drank a bottle of wine before dragging her body into the bathroom and wrapping it in a green blanket. Prosecutors told the court he had continued to talk to her about 'every day things like normal'. He moved the body to a cupboard under the stairs after receiving notice that a photographer from the estate agent would be coming to take pictures of the house. Paterson, who was working on a deli and butcher counter at a farm shop at the time, later dismembered Ms Smith's body with a kitchen knife and saw. He wrapped parts of her body in plastic bags and hid her torso inside a black suitcase, which he took to the storage unit in Letchworth. In an effort to pretend she was still alive, Paterson used his victim's email address to send Christmas messages and Moonpig cards to family and friends. However, in January 2024, Ms Smith's family raised concerns with Bedfordshire Police about her welfare. Officers initially said there was insufficient evidence to deem Ms Smith a missing person, but in April that year launched a high-risk missing person investigation after her family found her passport, mobile phone and other personal belongings in her home. When he was arrested, Paterson made a full admission and directed police to a storage unit where he had hidden her remains. He said he had considered killing Ms Smith at least twice before and had only stopped himself when he reached her bedroom door. He also told officers he had racked up £30,000 in credit card debt and admitted that he had been stealing jewellery from Ms Smith, both while she slept and after her death. He had been selling the jewellery on Cash4Gold, the court heard. Ms Smith's stepson, Jason Smith, described his stepmother as a 'very kind and caring person' who was 'always there for me throughout the years'. Paterson, wearing a blue polo shirt and grey trousers, bowed his head and kept his eyes closed as Mr Smith spoke in court. He told the courtroom he had initially believed the defendant, described by other witnesses as a 'gentle giant', was a 'nice guy', but that in reality he was an 'evil man'. He added: 'I will never forgive (him) for what he did, I hate him from the bottom of my heart.' A tribute from Ms Smith's family read: 'We are totally heartbroken and devastated that Annette has been taken away from us in such a cruel and senseless way. 'She was a beautiful, caring, trusting and generous lady, who meant so much to so many people. Annette, rest in peace with those who will love and take care of you.' Buckinghamshire Police Detective Chief Inspector Katie Dounias, who led the investigation, said of the documentary: 'This two-part episode captures the meticulous work of our detectives as we pieced together CCTV footage, forensic evidence, digital footprints and witness statements to uncover the truth about what happened to Annette. 'In the show, our care for Annette as a victim is evident, and the team really do stop at nothing to ensure that we seek answers on behalf of her and her family. 'This was a case which shook the community of Stotfold and Bedfordshire more widely. 'It also highlights some of the most complex aspects of modern-day policing and showcases the professionalism of our officers in the face of the most horrific of crimes.' Bedfordshire Police Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst added: 'As always, 24 Hours in Police Custody offers an unfiltered look at the police service, highlighting the dedication, compassion, and resilience of officers who are often working under intense pressure, on some of the most traumatic incidents most people could ever imagine.' 24 Hours in Police Custody: The Butcher Of Suburbia starts this Sunday at 9pm on Channel 4, and concludes the following evening, Monday, at 9pm on Channel 4
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
'Disturbing' case of body in locker on 24 Hours in Police Custody
Warning: This article contains spoilers about the documentary. A grisly murder enquiry that began as a missing person report will feature in a fly-on-the-wall TV documentary that follows a real police body of Annette Smith from Stotfold, Bedfordshire, was discovered in a suitcase concealed in a storage locker in May 2024.24 Hours in Police Custody follows "one of Bedfordshire Police's most harrowing investigations" across the first two episodes of the new Channel 4 Ch Insp Katie Dounias said the crime "shook the community" and highlighted "some of the most complex aspects of modern-day policing". The double bill, entitled "The Butcher of Suburbia", tracks the case after Ms Smith was reported missing in January 2024 by her lodger, Scott told police she had "left with a friend", so detectives did not investigate until a family member reported her missing in then 45, had been living rent-free in Ms Smith's spare room in exchange for company and running errands. They were friends and had gone on holiday together, but he became her carer after she had a later transpired that he had covered up her disappearance for months, using her email account to send Christmas messages and e-cards to family and friends."This was a really interesting case, because we didn't know it was a murder at the beginning and it was only over time it became that," said the programme's executive producer Simon Ch Insp Dounias said it was "a particularly disturbing case" that required "meticulous work" by detectives."We were trying to work out where Annette was and what happened to her. It's painstaking. There's lots of detail we need to trawl through," she said. In an unexpected twist, Ms Smith's killer calmly confesses to the crime during a police interview."When he was arrested he did not want a solicitor, and you kind of think at that point, is he going to confess or tell us what happened?" said Det Ch Insp Dounias."And then there's a feeling almost of - I don't like to use the word excitement because it sounds sensational - but it's excitement, because actually we might find Annette. "He might tell us where she is and we can try and repatriate her with her family and allow her a burial," she Ford also spoke about the key interview. "We are used to filming these cases where somebody has a solicitor and nine times out of of 10 there will be 'no comment' interview. "But if someone is going to to comment from the beginning, it's always going to be more interesting," he said. 24 Hours in Police Custody: The Butcher Of Suburbia starts Sunday 29 June at 21:00 BST on Channel 4, and concludes on Monday 30 June. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Today's top TV and streaming picks: The Sunday Game Live, My Policeman and The Charles Ponzi Story
The Sunday Game Live RTÉ2, 1.15pm Joanne Cantwell is at Croke Park for the last two All-Ireland Senior Football Championship quarter-finals. Highlights can be seen at 10.15pm. Walking with Dinosaurs BBC One, 6.25pm The final episode profiles the long-necked Lusotitan, one of the largest dinosaur species. But as we're about to discover, it was a gentle giant that had just one goal — to find the perfect mate. Live Women's International Football RTÉ2, 7.30pm Having missed out on a place at Euro 2025, which begins this week, the Republic of Ireland team have to make do with another friendly against an impressive USA squad, which should provide them with a stern test. 24 Hours in Police Custody: The Butcher of Suburbia Channel 4, 9pm Two-part documentary focusing on the hunt for the killer of 74-year-old Annette Smith, whose remains were found in a storage locker in Hertfordshire in late 2023. Initially reported as missing by her lodger, detectives were left reeling as the truth emerged. Concludes Monday. North By Northwest BBC Two, 1.50pm One of Alfred Hitchcock's most stylish and popular thrillers sees Cary Grant play an advertising executive who's mistaken for a spy, prompting him to go on the run across the US, chased all the way by a foreign agent. James Mason and Eva Marie Saint co-star. My Policeman RTÉ One, 9.30pm Romantic drama dealing with the love triangle between a police officer, his teacher wife and their museum curator friend during the 1950s, as well as the feelings of loss and regret they experience 40 years later. Harry Styles and Emma Corrin star. Squid Game Netflix, streaming now Brace yourselves… In the wildly anticipated third and final season of Squid Game, Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae, aka player 456) returns. Haunted by incremental loss, he's determined to end the deadly competition once and for all. His clash with the enigmatic Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) escalates into a (surprise, surprise) grave battle of strategy and morality, as new games and old enemies collide. With the expected level of twists — including a baby being added to the mix and the viral Gachapon craze (plastic vending balls to you) putting in a pivotal appearance — the stakes are high. As surviving players face progressively brutal choices, the line between justice and tainted vengeance increasingly blurs. Can humanity survive the harshest reality? As the world awaits the final answer, writer-director Hwang Dong-hyuk promises a powerful conclusion to the global phenomenon. I think we'll be the collective judges of that. The Charles Ponzi Story AppleTV+, streaming now We've all heard of Ponzi schemes, but what do you know of their namesake? He was a broke immigrant based in 1920s Boston, who rocketed to wealth and infamy in mere months by orchestrating what would become known as the infamous scheme, one of history's boldest financial frauds. For more stories inspired by true events, try Smoke starring Taron Egerton, John Leguizamo and Greg Kinnear. Nary a Rachel Riley or a giant clock in sight in this LAPD-set moody number.
The Sun
5 days ago
- The Sun
I looked ‘Butcher of Suburbia' in the eye after he slaughtered landlady & chopped up body…how Moonpig card snared him
IT was a cold-hearted murder that shocked the sleepy village of Fairfield in Bedfordshire to its very core. A much-loved local pensioner, murdered, dismembered and callously discarded in public bins by the person she'd come to think of as family. 15 15 Annette Smith, 74, had lived with Scott Paterson, 45, for 11 years - she'd invited him to stay with her for free in 2012 in exchange for running errands and keeping her company, after he split from his ex and sold their home. Annette, who'd split from her husband 14 years previously, and Paterson had become best friends, even holidaying together, hosting dinner parties and occasionally sharing a bed. But when she had a stroke in 2018, callous Paterson grew tired of caring for her, and on November 8, 2023, he suffocated her with a pillow while she slept. Sickeningly Paterson - who had previously worked as a butcher - then dismembered her body using a saw and kitchen knife, before going to great lengths to cover his tracks. He was eventually snared when police tracked Moonpig cards he'd been sending while posing as Annette from the home they shared - despite telling her friends and family she'd gone away. The harrowing case is examined in the new series of 24 Hours in Police Custody, which features the chilling moment he finally confesses to his sinister crime. Speaking to The Sun, DCI Katie Dounias, who led the murder investigation, said there were alarmingly few red flags when police first interviewed Paterson in the wake of Annette's disappearance. "He came across as a very meek and mild person," she said, adding he had no previous convictions. "There was nothing that immediately rang alarm bells with him... nobody had a bad word to say about him or against him." She added: "They [Paterson and Annette] had a really good relationship by all accounts. They were best friends, which just makes it all the more harrowing, really, that he went on to do what he did." 15 15 15 In the show Annette's stepson, Jason, revealed his shock at her brutal murder at the hands of someone he thought loved her. Jason said: "I trusted him so much. He is a manipulative murderer and someone that knew what he was doing. "There is no forgiveness for what he has done and I hope he rots in prison." In the early years of living together Paterson and Annette "got on like a house on fire", with the latter coming to see her lodger "like a son". But following her stroke the dynamic changed and Paterson became her carer, as her mobility issues prevented her from doing basic domestic tasks. It was Paterson who reported Annette as a missing person, claiming he last saw her climb into a woman's car with a packed suitcase. He claimed she told him she'd be gone a few days, but he never saw her again. Moonpig card clue 15 Suspicions began to arise when family members realised that despite receiving emails, Moonpig cards and gifts from Annette, they hadn't seen her for several months. Police struggled to identify the woman described by Paterson as "white" and "plump-ish but not fat" who he claimed collected Annette, and there was no CCTV or witnesses to support his claim. Cracks started to show in his story; DCI Dounias said: "Speaking further with friends and family, it became evident that Annette was quite infirm… it just didn't tally with what Paterson was saying. "Friends and family started to raise concerns about whether she was capable of getting herself out of bed, packing a suitcase and leaving.' Detectives traced the IP address of emails and cards allegedly sent by Annette while she was 'away' to her address, and a search of the property revealed Annette's passport and clothing inside. Annette's neighbour Lois recalled how Paterson "really changed in his demeanour" when the missing person investigation ramped up. She said: "I saw him one day parked outside the tree which was Annette's space. He'd gone from being this flamboyant extrovert to trying to go unnoticed, if you like. "He'd put weight on, his hair was longer, he was drinking more, it was almost like there was two sides to him." On April 30, 2024, Paterson was arrested, and it didn't take long before he broke down under interrogation and confessed to the brutal killing. A chilling moment in the documentary shows the moment Paterson calmly told police how he killed Annette in a premeditated attack. Prior to killing Annette, Paterson took several weeks off work, claiming he needed an operation to remove a tumour. Instead he was plotting the sinister murder. Recalling the moment he placed a pillow over her face, Paterson said: "I was weirdly calm, had the TV on. I think because I'd been thinking about it for quite a few weeks it was just something that had played over in my mind. "So it was almost like I was ready when the time seemed right. "I went downstairs after Annette had fallen asleep and I put a pillow over her face until she stopped breathing and I left her in bed for the night." Chilling confession 15 15 The next morning Paterson moved Annette to the under stairs cupboard, where he left her for "quite some time". When asked by police where Annette is, Paterson chillingly replied: "There isn't a full body." Paterson told how after several weeks he took a knife and a hacksaw and removed Annette's feet, followed by her hands, admitting that was particularly strange because it was like "holding hands with Annette". Having worked in a butchers, Paterson claimed he had seen "the way they do it", along with inspiration from horror films. The only time the criminal became emotional was when he described decapitating Annette's head. Over several weeks Paterson chopped Annette into 10 pieces and discarded them in plastic bags in public bins around Letchworth. He then confessed that he crammed her torso into a suitcase and stashing it in his storage unit. He claimed living with her had "become difficult" after her stroke because she was constantly calling him for help. DCI Dounias recalled how he'd come "to the end of his tether", adding: "He describes her as being quite demanding and he'd just had enough. "Whether that is the full truth, I can't really say, and it may be something that we never know. "I think what I would say is that he seems to be quite a complex character. There almost seems to be various different sides to him. "So it's difficult to know whether he was genuinely remorseful of what he did, or whether the remorse was because he was found out, or because of the relief. It's really difficult to read his reactions." It later emerged Paterson had been in £30,000 of credit card debt, and had stolen Annette's jewellery before selling it online for £5,000. This added to the hypothesis of a financial motive, according to DCI Dounias. Sinister pause When asked by police if he had killed before, Paterson paused - something that "concerned" DCI Dounias. "We did pick up on that pause... it was a little bit of a surprise and a concern, shall we say," she said. "So we did make some inquiries into whether there could have been any previous history... but we didn't uncover anything that we could certainly offer any proof for." Paterson was sentenced to a minimum term of 20 years' imprisonment on November 4, 2024. At sentencing Judge Justice Murray said: 'You had been contemplating killing Annette Smith before you had finally killed her. 'This shows you had been thinking about and planning her death for some time. After you killed Annette Smith, you told elaborate lies.' Despite an extensive search, Annette's entire body was never found. DCI Dounias admitted she was "pleased" with the sentence, adding: "For him to receive 20 years, even though he pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity, I think is quite telling of the magnitude of what he did to Annette." 24 Hours in Police Custody: The Butcher of Suburbia airs Monday 30 June on Channel 4 at 9pm. 15 15 15
