David Smith (murderer)
David Smith | |
---|---|
Born | 1956 (age 67–68) sexually assaulted |
Country | England |
Imprisoned at | HM Prison High Down (1999[3]), HM Prison Wakefield (between at least 1999 and 2005[4]) |
David Smith (born 1956) is an English repeat murderer,
In May 2023, Smith was re-tried of the murder of Sarah Crump under 'double jeopardy' legislation introduced in 2003, and this time was found guilty.[3]
Background
Smith was a
Smith was also known to frequent woodlands as a
At 6ft tall, 18st and with unusually large size 14 feet, he was nicknamed "Lurch" or "The Honey Monster" by workmates.[5][6] He was a martial arts expert.[1]
Murder of Sarah Crump
Smith was put on trial in 1993 for the murder of 33-year-old
Later, in 2003, legislation was introduced under the
Fired as taxi driver, vetting campaign
In 1998 Smith, who had returned to working as a taxi driver, was sacked by his employer after they discovered his conviction for raping a woman in 1976.
Murder of Amanda Walker
On 25 April 1999 Smith
Smith had already been arrested by the time the body was discovered, as police had checked the database of local sex offenders and found that Smith's DNA matched exactly to blood found on Walker's clothing.[1] While in prison he then boasted of murdering and mutilating Walker to his cell mate, who informed police.[1] At his 1999 trial Smith put forward the same defence that he had used in the Crump trial, claiming he that had met up with her and engaged in sexual acts but he left her unharmed and did not murder her.[2] He claimed his blood being found on Walker's clothes was the result of him tripping and hitting his face on the pavement after leaving the party earlier in the night, causing him to bleed on her when he met up with her.[2] The jury did not believe his story and convicted him of the murder.[2] In his final remarks, the trial judge noted that Smith had shown no remorse, stating "you are extremely dangerous to women and clearly will remain so".[2] The lead detective of the inquiry, DCI Norman McKinlay, said that Smith was a "very dangerous man".[2]
Public reaction
After his conviction it was widely reported in the media that Smith had already been acquitted of an "almost identical" and "carbon-copy" murder 6 years previously, with the BBC reporting that Smith "beat" the earlier murder charge.[8][2][1][12][6] At the conclusion of the trial Sarah Crump's mother released a statement saying she was relieved that Smith had finally been jailed, saying "I truly believe Smith to be guilty of the murder of my daughter Sarah. I said at the trial he would kill again".[2] Because of the double jeopardy rules enforced in the UK at the time, Smith could not face trial again for Crump's murder.[11][5]
Further police inquiries
After his conviction in 1999, police forces across the country examined unsolved murders of sex workers to see if they could have been connected to Smith, and his details were circulated to all UK forces.
The rules on double jeopardy were changed in Britain in 2005 after the Criminal Justice Act 2003 came into force, meaning that cleared suspects could now be tried again for the same crime if new evidence became available.[11][5] This led to the investigation into Crump's murder being re-opened with Smith still the prime suspect, but by 2021 he had not been re-tried for her murder and the case remained unsolved.[5][11]
2023 'double jeopardy' Crump conviction
In 2021 the
At the time of his 2023 conviction, it was noted that the 2005 inquest into serial killer Harold Shipman had revealed that Smith and Shipman were friends in prison at HM Prison Wakefield and often played cards together.[4]
See also
- Double jeopardy in the UK post-2003
- List of serial killers in the United Kingdom
- Murdered sex workers in the United Kingdom
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Police probe killer sadist Life for lorry driver who was cleared of carbon-copy murder of prostitute in 1993". HeraldScotland. 9 December 1999. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa "Prostitute murderer gets life". BBC News. 8 December 1999. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Sarah Crump: Man found guilty of unsolved 1991 murder". BBC News. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Ripper-style killer found guilty of Southall sex worker murder 30 years after being cleared of crime". ITV News. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Widdup, Ellen (13 April 2012). "'Bigfoot' print may link killer to vice girl deaths". Evening Standard. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Rapist linked to vice girl murders". Lancashire Telegraph. 24 December 1999. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ a b c "Danger: beware illegal minicabs". NewsShopper. 11 October 2002. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Killer beat earlier murder charge". BBC News. 8 December 1999. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Double jeopardy law used to convict man of 1991 murder". Metropolitan Police. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ "Ripper-style killer convicted of murdering west London escort 32 years ago". Evening Standard. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Hope, Christopher (28 November 2008). "David Smith's size 14 feet could link him to three more murders". The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ a b c "Jailed rapist still faces investigation". The Independent. 9 December 1999. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Six of the most notorious unsolved murders". Sky News. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d "The 'East Lancs Ripper' brutally murdered and sexually mutilated two women – he was never caught". Manchester Evening News. 7 January 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ "Murder trial witness told court worker 'you're beautiful' in break in evidence". Evening Standard. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- ^ Jackson, Siba (26 May 2023). "David Smith: 'Honey Monster' killer handed life sentence for double jeopardy murder". Sky News.