Serial killer Joanna Dennehy showed wheelie bin corpse to girl
Court hears new details about 'man woman' who stabbed three men to death in 10-day spree
A WOMAN who stabbed three men in the heart during a ten-day killing spree, stuffed the body of one of her victims into a wheelie bin, and "casually" showed it to a teenage girl, a court has heard.
Joanna Dennehy "stunned" the Old Bailey late last year when she admitted killing three men and dumping their bodies in ditches in Cambridgeshire. The 30-year-old from Peterborough, who is awaiting sentencing, also pleaded guilty to the attempted murders of two other men.
The trial of Dennehy's two alleged accomplices has revealed more details about an intimidating "man woman" who has a green star tattooed beneath her right eye and lured men to their deaths with offers of sex, the Daily Telegraph reports. Jurors heard that Dennehy "cast a spell" over Gary Stretch and Leslie Layton encouraging them to cover up the "terrible truth".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Dennehy's first victim, 31-year-old heroin addict Lukasz Slaboszewski, was lured to her house on 19 March last year by a series of text messages, the court heard. She kept his body in a wheelie bin and even showed it to a teenage girl before she wheeled it to a remote ditch where she discarded the corpse.
Ten days later, Dennehy murdered two more men. John Chapman, a 56-year-old Falklands veteran, was high on drink and drugs when he was stabbed to death. The court heard that Dennehy invited Stretch and Leyton to her home after the murder and Leyton took pictures of Chapman's body on his phone.
Dennehy killed her third victim, her 48-year-old lover Kevin Lee, on the same day. After she had stabbed him through the heart, she dressed his body in a black sequin dress before dumping it in a ditch.
Prosecutor Peter Wright QC told the court: "We say this was deliberately engineered in an act of post-death humiliation."
On 2 April, Dennehy and Stretch drove to Hereford allegedly to find more victims. She selected Robin Bereza and John Rogers, "entire strangers" who were left for dead, the court heard.
Stretch, 47, denies three charges of preventing the lawful burial of all three men and two counts of attempted murder. Layton, 36, denies perverting the course of justice and two counts of preventing the lawful burial of the bodies of Chapman and Lee.
The trial continues.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why Bhutan hopes tourists will put a smile back on its face
Under The Radar The 'kingdom of happiness' is facing economic problems and unprecedented emigration
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
7 beautiful towns to visit in Switzerland during the holidays
The Week Recommends Find bliss in these charming Swiss locales that blend the traditional with the modern
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
The Week contest: Werewolf bill
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
Home Office worker accused of spiking mistress’s drink with abortion drug
Speed Read Darren Burke had failed to convince his girlfriend to terminate pregnancy
By The Week Staff Published
-
In hock to Moscow: exploring Germany’s woeful energy policy
Speed Read Don’t expect Berlin to wean itself off Russian gas any time soon
By The Week Staff Published
-
Were Covid restrictions dropped too soon?
Speed Read ‘Living with Covid’ is already proving problematic – just look at the travel chaos this week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Inclusive Britain: a new strategy for tackling racism in the UK
Speed Read Government has revealed action plan setting out 74 steps that ministers will take
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sandy Hook families vs. Remington: a small victory over the gunmakers
Speed Read Last week the families settled a lawsuit for $73m against the manufacturer
By The Week Staff Published
-
Farmers vs. walkers: the battle over ‘Britain’s green and pleasant land’
Speed Read Updated Countryside Code tells farmers: ‘be nice, say hello, share the space’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Motherhood: why are we putting it off?
Speed Read Stats show around 50% of women in England and Wales now don’t have children by 30
By The Week Staff Published
-
Anti-Semitism in America: a case of double standards?
Speed Read Officials were strikingly reluctant to link Texas synagogue attack to anti-Semitism
By The Week Staff Published