Rachel Hudson

Rachel Hudson
Born	Rachel Helen Hilda Manger 4 August 1983[1] Leicester, England
Died	17 March 2004 (aged 20) Nottingham, England
Body discovered	at the same time
Nationality	English
Education	Lutterworth Grammar School
Occupation	Hairdresser
Spouse	Craig Hudson
Children	two
Parent(s)	Helen Woodier and David Woodier

Rachel Helen Hilda Manger Hudson (4 August 1983 – body discovered 17 March 2004)

By February 2003, she was working at the Highfields Nursing Home in Bulwell, and living with the Hudson family, on Overdale Road, in the Stockhill area of Nottingham. Co-worker Penny Taylor described her as changing from "outgoing, talkative" to "quiet and unforthcoming".

The house was overcrowded, and she and her husband moved several times, first in December 2003 to Goverton Square, Bulwell, then, after complaining to the Nottingham City Council that they were still being harassed by their overbearing family, to temporary accommodation in St Ann's, Nottingham. The family reported them missing so the police would reveal their address; Craig applied to be re-housed in Lincolnshire to escape the family's influence, but that application was rejected.^[4] When no permanent place became available, the Hudsons moved back to the family home in Stockhill, where the violence towards her began.

Systematic abuse

After the attempt to escape into a home of her own with Craig, Rachel Hudson lived in the family home in Overdale Road, Stockhill as a virtual prisoner. She wasn't allowed to speak to her parents or even her husband. She was only let out of the house with 'a minder'.^[5] The Hudsons feared she would take Craig away from them. After initially siding with his wife, Craig joined the other Hudsons in participating in the abuse.^[7]

She was subjected to regular beatings, some with a baseball bat known as "Mr Woody" and a piece of wood known as "Captain Plank". She was made to eat cat food.^[5]

On 21 November 2003, the Hudsons forced Rachel to make a videotaped "confession", in which she claimed she tried to split up the family, wanted to kill her children, had stolen money from her husband, and had enjoyed working as a prostitute.^[8] This was her last recorded sighting alive, and her parents last heard from her five months before her death.^[7] From December 2003, the Hudsons denied any knowledge of where she was, and claimed she had abandoned her family to run off with another man.^[5] In January 2004, copies of a letter from Rachel were sent to her father, police and Nottingham City Council social services, saying

You must stop sending the police to the Hudsons' house. They have done nothing wrong. Please leave me being your lost little girl alone... If you start causing trouble for me I'll make sure the Hudsons make trouble for you.^[7]

Death

Her battered body was found 18 March 2004, in a rolled-up carpet on the grounds of

On 21 December 2005, Rachel's husband, Craig Hudson; Craig's parents, Ron and Trudi Hudson; his brother Ronald; and Elisabeth Hogg, who lived with the family as the girlfriend of another brother, Shane, were convicted of her murder. The Hudson parents were sentenced to a minimum of 20 years, Ronald Junior to a minimum of 17 years, and Craig and Hogg to a minimum of 14 years each. Shane, Charlene and Emile Hudson were convicted of conspiring to pervert the course of justice by covering up the repeated abuse, and later sentenced to 4 years' imprisonment, three-and-a-half years' imprisonment and 3 years' supervision, respectively.[12]

See also

• Rosemary West

References

External links

• "Cloaked in horror", Julie Bindel, 11 January 2006, The Guardian.