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[dramatic music]
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[Narrator]
Deep in the English countryside,
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two teenagers on a journey to murder.
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[Christopher]
They would never have become involved
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had it not been for the persuasive powers
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of Thelma Purchase.
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[Narrator] Thelma Purchase, a mother,
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a carer, a lover.
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When I heard her say
that she loved Mr. Baker,
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it completely made me squirm inside.
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[Narrator] Thelma's was a world of men,
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some innocent, some gullible,
others in her sights.
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She had previously asked
some local criminals
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to kill someone for her.
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[Narrator] A story of contract killings
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and hired assassins was developing
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deep in the English countryside.
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What part did Thelma Purchase play
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in the death of Greg Baker?
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One comes back
to that telling phrase of Greg,
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why are you trying to kill me?
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[dramatic music]
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{\an8}- [duck quacking]
- [dramatic music]
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{\an8}[Narrator] On the canal boat
where he lives,
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{\an8}Kelvin Amos reminisces about the woman
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{\an8}that he fell in love with.
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He called her Yvonne.
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Full name Thelma Yvonne Purchase.
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[Kelvin] I met her
like through the children
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when she moved in close by.
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{\an8}We got knowing the kids
through taking them to karate
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{\an8}and stuff and that's how we become
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{\an8}then the relationship started.
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[Narrator] Both had been
married before and were parents.
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Kelvin then had enough money
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to own a pleasant house in Staffordshire.
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After a while, the couple moved
into Kelvin's place.
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[Kelvin] Everybody got on.
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It just seemed
the right thing to do, you know.
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Instead of paying for, like, two places
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and spent most of the time in one of them,
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it's just inevitable that
we moved in together.
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[Narrator] Amongst the extended family,
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Thelma Yvonne's son, Lance,
and his younger brother.
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[Kelvin] They were just boys, I think.
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Lance is more into, like, war games
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or stuff like that.
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But yeah, they all just seemed normal.
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[birds chirping]
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[Narrator] Thelma was working as a carer
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whilst sharing her life with Kelvin.
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She was looking after this man,
Greg Baker.
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He already had two nurses
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to help him get on
with his daily routines.
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{\an8}Christopher Hotton is
a prosecuting barrister
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{\an8}destined to discover
much about Greg Baker.
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As a child, he had
the misfortune to contract polio,
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which left him
quite significantly disabled.
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And then, later in life,
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he contracted muscular dystrophy.
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So by the time he was in
his 50s and early 60s,
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he was very significantly disabled.
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{\an8}[Narrator] Roberta Babb is a psychologist
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{\an8}and relationship expert
who has considered the events
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{\an8}and people surrounding
the life of Greg Baker.
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Living with a rare, progressive,
muscle-wasting condition
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like muscular dystrophy
is likely to have been
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very challenging for Greg.
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Either in terms of his psychological
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and emotional wellbeing,
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but also his sense of independence,
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his sense of self,
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and the sense of his future.
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[Christopher] For all that he was
physically disabled,
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he was intellectually all there.
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He was a bright man,
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an intelligent man,
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an interesting man.
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One of the ways in which
he'd earned money over the years
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was to give private tutoring lessons.
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[Narrator] Making a living
by tutoring maths
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and living in a house
that he had inherited,
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Greg's life appeared comfortable.
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His disability did not mean a sex life
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was out of the question.
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{\an8}Having polio, having muscle wasting,
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{\an8}does not mean that
your normal urges go away.
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{\an8}It has no impact on your hormones.
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And Greg Baker was able
to perform sexually.
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{\an8}[Narrator] It was around 2005,
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{\an8}whilst setting up home with Kelvin Amos,
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that Thelma Yvonne Purchase
entered the life of Greg Baker.
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[Christopher] For a number of years,
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Thelma Purchase worked for a care agency.
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And so she,
along with a number of other people,
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became a client of his.
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She came in regularly
to see him and to care for him.
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[Roberta] When we think about a carer,
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the sort of person that usually
goes into this profession
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is someone who wants to help others,
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who understands the impact
of physical and mental illness
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upon one's sense of self,
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their self-esteem,
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their ability to do things,
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and is someone that is
nurturing and caring
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and usually genuinely wants to help.
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[Narrator] Some of Greg's closest friends,
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mostly drawn
from the church community in Alton,
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provided him with contact.
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People like Andrea Stafford.
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[Andrea] I didn't meet her very often,
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but I always felt uneasy around Yvonne.
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{\an8}And I didn't know why I got
this uneasy feeling, really,
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{\an8}but I just knew that
there's something not right.
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[Christopher] Quite what the true nature
of that relationship was
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is a matter of speculation.
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Thelma described
her relationship with Greg
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as being that of a father-daughter.
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Other witnesses paint
a very different picture.
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Two of the other carers recalled
seeing occasions
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when Thelma was sitting
on the lap of Greg,
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cuddling him and kissing him.
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And there was a strong inference
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that there was rather more
than the father and daughter
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sort of affection between them.
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[Sarah] So it's not remotely surprising
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that his sexual urges
and his sexual desires
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became fixated
on the one object of his affection.
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The one person that he could
realistically fantasize
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about having a relationship with.
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[Andrea] I couldn't understand why Greg
was getting involved with her
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because she just wasn't his type at all.
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And I know opposites attract,
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which is, you know, a fact,
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but they wouldn't have anything in common
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to talk about because he was
such an intellectual.
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[Narrator] Greg was soon
spending lavishly on Thelma.
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He demonstrated the way he felt for her
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by giving her a large number of gifts.
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He provided her
with a significant sum of money,
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which enabled her to purchase
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the small Citroen Saxo motor car.
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And that's why I didn't say anything
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because I didn't want to burst his bubble
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if he was in love with her.
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I mean, I hadn't actually cottoned on
to the fact that he was in love with her,
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but other people seem to think he was.
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I know he was very close to her
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and he thought a lot about her
and he bought her that car.
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He used to give her money,
and he used to help her out.
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We used to make food
for her and all sorts.
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She used to take food home.
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[Narrator] He would help out
her son, Lance, too.
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[Roberta] Greg offered Thelma's son
a maths tuition.
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And she would often come
round to his house
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for a social visit rather than
in the line of care and duties.
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Greg was in a vulnerable position.
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However, he obviously felt
quite warm feelings to Thelma.
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He wanted to have her in his life
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in some shape or form in the future,
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and marriage seemed to be
an option for him
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that he wanted to progress.
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[Narrator] Meanwhile, back home,
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Kelvin thought nothing of the relationship
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between Thelma and Greg.
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[Kelvin] Yeah, I thought she was his carer
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or whatever and she used to go over.
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And he was a teacher, you know,
extra lessons or whatever.
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Just a good friend of hers,
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you know, that was all I thought he was.
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[dramatic music]
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{\an8}[Narrator] By 2006,
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{\an8}Lance had become a troublesome teenager.
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It led to big family rows
for Thelma and Kelvin
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over Lance's drug use.
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[Kelvin] He got caught at school
smoking cannabis and stuff.
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He got expelled from school.
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And he just seemed to go worse and worse.
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The argument started through Lance,
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but then she just seemed
to want me out the house,
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if you know what I mean.
And it was just...
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it just got to where it's not very nice.
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[Narrator] The couple decided to separate.
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Arguments broke out
over who should get what.
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And when Thelma didn't get her way,
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she would call the police,
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claiming falsely that
Kelvin had abused her.
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I think I got arrested a couple of times.
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It was just over things what she'd said,
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and there was no truth in it,
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and I just felt like, oh, I don't know.
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It was an horrible time, actually,
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'cause I was feeling like
I was losing my house.
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If I hadn't had got my son with me,
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I'd have been out,
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and she would have had the house.
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[Narrator] The mother of three had been
short of money when she met
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and moved into Kelvin's house.
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The end of the relationship and moving
set her back to square one.
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She wasn't in great financial shape
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and was probably in need
of some money from somewhere.
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{\an8}[Narrator] Ken Raper was
the senior investigating officer
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{\an8}who would one day discover
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{\an8}that Thelma Purchase was
ready to take drastic action
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to get her way when it came
to ending her relationship
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with Kelvin Amos.
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[Ken] There's one particular individual
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who we knew quite well,
she was a well-known criminal,
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who came forward,
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provided us with some evidence
in relation to Thelma
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trying to have someone...
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offering to pay people
to kill her former boyfriend.
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The issue was around insurance.
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That if he died, she'd be
benefiting from the insurance.
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[Narrator] Kelvin had
no idea that Thelma wanted
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to put out a contract on his life.
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Luckily for him, Thelma found nobody
willing to carry out the killing.
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But this was the woman
caring for Greg Baker,
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a vulnerable man falling more
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under the spell of Thelma Yvonne Purchase.
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The two carers who gave
firsthand eye witness evidence
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of witnessing an intimate...
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degree of intimacy between Greg and Thelma
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was given at court.
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Those two ladies came to court.
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They repeated their account
of what they'd seen.
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[Narrator] What dangers lay ahead
for the vulnerable Greg Baker?
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[Roberta] Greg Baker and Thelma Purchase
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lived in two very different worlds.
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Greg Baker lived in a community
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where he felt safe enough
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to leave his doors open at night,
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and Thelma lived in a community
where murder was an option
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in terms of getting ahead
and getting what she needed.
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[Narrator]
And how would Kelvin Amos avoid death
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at the hands of a contract killer?
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I phoned the police and I says,
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"I think you're gonna get
a phone call saying...
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Just saying, you know,
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that she's claiming I was assaulting her
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and what have you.
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[dramatic music]
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{\an8}[dramatic music]
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{\an8}[Narrator] Living alone, but receiving
regular visits from carers and friends,
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{\an8}by 2005, Greg Baker was growing
fonder of Thelma Purchase.
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I realized, as it went along,
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{\an8}that it was a little bit
more that Greg felt
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{\an8}than just this getting to know
his care worker really well.
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It was affecting his emotions,
250
00:11:22,203 --> 00:11:24,883
and he was getting tied up with it.
251
00:11:24,963 --> 00:11:26,843
[Christopher] There's no doubt at all
252
00:11:26,923 --> 00:11:31,923
that Greg had deep feelings
of affection towards Thelma.
253
00:11:32,003 --> 00:11:33,523
He liked her.
254
00:11:33,603 --> 00:11:35,043
He may have loved her.
255
00:11:35,123 --> 00:11:39,243
{\an8}He gave her what he could,
which was money,
256
00:11:39,323 --> 00:11:42,123
{\an8}and he assisted her in every way.
257
00:11:42,203 --> 00:11:47,603
He bought presents for her,
and he trusted her.
258
00:11:47,683 --> 00:11:50,163
She said that, "I love Mr. Baker."
259
00:11:50,843 --> 00:11:52,643
Firstly, I believe that
if she did love him,
260
00:11:52,723 --> 00:11:54,563
she would have called him Greg
and not Mr. Baker
261
00:11:54,643 --> 00:11:55,803
because it's a bit informal.
262
00:11:55,883 --> 00:11:59,363
But when I heard her say
that she loved Mr. Baker,
263
00:11:59,443 --> 00:12:01,723
it completely made me squirm inside.
264
00:12:01,803 --> 00:12:03,283
[Narrator] For Andrea and others
265
00:12:03,363 --> 00:12:04,723
in Greg's church community,
266
00:12:04,803 --> 00:12:08,763
any affection from Thelma was
motivated by just one thing.
267
00:12:09,963 --> 00:12:11,963
I believe that Yvonne didn't love Greg
268
00:12:12,043 --> 00:12:13,803
for himself as a person.
269
00:12:13,883 --> 00:12:15,603
She loved him for his money
270
00:12:15,683 --> 00:12:17,003
and what she could get out of him.
271
00:12:19,043 --> 00:12:22,003
[Christopher] Thelma had
a considerable taste for money.
272
00:12:22,083 --> 00:12:27,483
One thing we know is that
some little time before Greg died,
273
00:12:27,563 --> 00:12:31,683
Thelma had received
eight and a half thousand pounds
274
00:12:31,763 --> 00:12:34,883
in back-pay
from the job that she was doing.
275
00:12:34,963 --> 00:12:37,323
She'd got through
that money pretty rapidly.
276
00:12:37,403 --> 00:12:40,243
And one of the people
who visited her house
277
00:12:40,323 --> 00:12:42,523
after she was arrested
278
00:12:42,603 --> 00:12:45,923
described her council houses
looking like a show home.
279
00:12:46,003 --> 00:12:49,803
So, she undoubtedly had a taste for money.
280
00:12:49,883 --> 00:12:55,883
Her son, Lance, said that
his mother was greedy.
281
00:12:56,883 --> 00:12:58,883
{\an8}[Narrator] By 2006, around the time
282
00:12:58,963 --> 00:13:01,083
{\an8}her relationship with Kelvin was failing,
283
00:13:01,163 --> 00:13:03,843
Thelma decided to get a better paid job,
284
00:13:03,923 --> 00:13:06,603
but she didn't cut Greg out of her life.
285
00:13:06,683 --> 00:13:10,963
{\an8}She continued to keep visiting
Mr. Baker at his home.
286
00:13:12,603 --> 00:13:15,483
{\an8}and there were various
sort of rumors circulating
287
00:13:15,563 --> 00:13:17,363
in the village about that relationship.
288
00:13:18,203 --> 00:13:21,923
[Narrator] Each visit, she would get
a cash present from Greg.
289
00:13:22,003 --> 00:13:24,203
[Ken] We were informed by family members
290
00:13:24,283 --> 00:13:27,643
and people local to Mr. Baker,
who did know Mr. Baker,
291
00:13:27,723 --> 00:13:30,243
that there were occasions
when money had changed hands.
292
00:13:30,323 --> 00:13:32,163
I don't think anybody could really prove
293
00:13:32,243 --> 00:13:35,563
the amount of money
or the frequency of that money,
294
00:13:35,643 --> 00:13:38,723
but it was something that
everybody was aware of.
295
00:13:38,803 --> 00:13:43,443
She was using Greg,
using the development of what he thought
296
00:13:43,523 --> 00:13:45,603
was a sort of romantic relationship
297
00:13:45,683 --> 00:13:47,563
to take advantage of him.
298
00:13:47,643 --> 00:13:50,643
[Narrator] Around this time,
Greg made a fateful decision,
299
00:13:50,723 --> 00:13:54,443
one born out of a desire
to show gratitude to his friends.
300
00:13:54,523 --> 00:13:58,643
He included them
in his last will and testament.
301
00:13:58,723 --> 00:14:01,483
In the will, there was
two main beneficiaries.
302
00:14:01,563 --> 00:14:04,083
[Narrator] One of whom was
Thelma Purchase.
303
00:14:04,163 --> 00:14:05,803
[Christopher]
She was the principle beneficiary,
304
00:14:05,883 --> 00:14:09,563
so when he died, she stood
to make a very substantial
305
00:14:09,643 --> 00:14:11,523
sum of money out of his death.
306
00:14:11,603 --> 00:14:14,883
Greg actually told us about the will,
307
00:14:14,963 --> 00:14:16,963
and on one of the few occasions
308
00:14:17,043 --> 00:14:19,123
that we were both at his house...
309
00:14:20,083 --> 00:14:22,163
Greg actually told us
both at the same time
310
00:14:22,243 --> 00:14:25,923
that he said he was so grateful to us
311
00:14:26,003 --> 00:14:27,363
that he wanted to thank us
312
00:14:27,443 --> 00:14:29,443
by leaving us something in his will.
313
00:14:29,523 --> 00:14:30,963
[Narrator] Thelma Purchase would complain
314
00:14:31,043 --> 00:14:33,803
to Kelvin Amos that she wanted more money.
315
00:14:33,883 --> 00:14:36,723
She had teenage sons, a home to run.
316
00:14:36,803 --> 00:14:40,763
Without a partner,
cash was in short supply.
317
00:14:40,843 --> 00:14:44,123
But now she stood
to gain up to 75,000 pounds,
318
00:14:44,203 --> 00:14:47,003
if only Greg Baker was to die.
319
00:14:47,083 --> 00:14:50,763
I was actually amazed
when he said this to us,
320
00:14:50,843 --> 00:14:52,963
that he was going to leave
something in his will.
321
00:14:54,043 --> 00:14:57,083
I was just blessed
and amazed by his generosity.
322
00:14:57,763 --> 00:14:59,923
But I was also concerned about
323
00:15:00,003 --> 00:15:01,443
why he was giving something to her
324
00:15:01,523 --> 00:15:04,283
because he hadn't known her very long.
325
00:15:05,723 --> 00:15:07,803
{\an8}[Narrator] June 15th, 2007.
326
00:15:07,883 --> 00:15:09,523
{\an8}Thelma Purchase's birthday,
327
00:15:09,603 --> 00:15:10,963
{\an8}something Greg knew.
328
00:15:11,043 --> 00:15:13,643
{\an8}[Christopher] He'd given one
of his carers a sum of money
329
00:15:13,723 --> 00:15:18,363
to go and buy perfume
for Thelma as a birthday present.
330
00:15:18,443 --> 00:15:20,443
[Narrator] In contrast to Greg planning
331
00:15:20,523 --> 00:15:21,963
a surprise gift for Thelma,
332
00:15:22,043 --> 00:15:23,923
she had other plans.
333
00:15:24,003 --> 00:15:26,643
[Christopher]
Being the greedy woman that she was,
334
00:15:26,723 --> 00:15:30,963
she didn't want to wait
for Greg to die of natural causes.
335
00:15:31,043 --> 00:15:33,883
Who knew how long that might be?
336
00:15:33,963 --> 00:15:36,563
It might be very many years.
337
00:15:36,643 --> 00:15:40,883
And who knew
what might happen in those years?
338
00:15:40,963 --> 00:15:44,323
The relationship between them might come
to an end.
339
00:15:44,403 --> 00:15:48,643
There might be some other person
whom he felt affection for
340
00:15:48,723 --> 00:15:51,363
and chose to change his
will and cut her out.
341
00:15:52,323 --> 00:15:55,723
[Ken] Thelma had been short of cash.
342
00:15:55,803 --> 00:15:57,643
She was struggling financially.
343
00:15:57,723 --> 00:16:00,683
She knew she was
in the will belonging to Mr. Baker.
344
00:16:00,763 --> 00:16:05,083
So as a greedy woman, her thought was,
345
00:16:05,163 --> 00:16:10,803
I need to strike now
and make sure I get the money
346
00:16:10,883 --> 00:16:12,283
before this will changes.
347
00:16:13,283 --> 00:16:15,203
[dramatic music]
348
00:16:16,403 --> 00:16:17,603
[Narrator] That evening and weekend,
349
00:16:17,683 --> 00:16:20,643
Greg and his carers went
about their usual routine.
350
00:16:20,723 --> 00:16:22,603
[Roberta] Greg had gone to bed as usual,
351
00:16:22,683 --> 00:16:25,763
{\an8}and the carers had settled
him in and left for the night.
352
00:16:27,803 --> 00:16:29,283
[Sarah] When you have
a physical disability,
353
00:16:29,363 --> 00:16:30,923
particularly when you are housebound,
354
00:16:31,003 --> 00:16:33,163
routine becomes everything.
355
00:16:33,243 --> 00:16:36,083
Because if you can't rely on waking up
356
00:16:36,243 --> 00:16:37,563
to get a glass of water
357
00:16:37,643 --> 00:16:41,683
{\an8}or going to your purse
to get out money to pay somebody,
358
00:16:41,763 --> 00:16:45,803
{\an8}then you need everything
to be set up in advance
359
00:16:45,883 --> 00:16:48,523
and Greg Baker was no exception.
360
00:16:48,603 --> 00:16:51,843
He absolutely had a routine
which would have given him
361
00:16:51,923 --> 00:16:54,283
enormous security and comfort.
362
00:16:55,723 --> 00:16:58,003
[Christopher]
Every Friday, by arrangement,
363
00:16:58,083 --> 00:17:02,003
his carers would take 500 pounds
out of the bank for him,
364
00:17:02,083 --> 00:17:03,603
which they would give to him
365
00:17:03,683 --> 00:17:06,243
and which he would keep
in the top pocket of his pajamas.
366
00:17:06,323 --> 00:17:07,923
And this was quite well known.
367
00:17:08,723 --> 00:17:12,402
And he would use
that money to pay his carers,
368
00:17:12,483 --> 00:17:14,843
in order to give them money to buy food
369
00:17:14,923 --> 00:17:16,283
and other things for him.
370
00:17:16,362 --> 00:17:18,882
[Narrator] There was
another element to Greg's routine.
371
00:17:18,963 --> 00:17:21,882
[Roberta] Greg Baker often left
his doors open, especially at night.
372
00:17:21,963 --> 00:17:24,283
And this was so carers
could actually access
373
00:17:24,362 --> 00:17:26,162
and attend to him in emergency
374
00:17:26,243 --> 00:17:27,923
if anything happened during the night.
375
00:17:28,003 --> 00:17:29,483
Greg Baker was really demonstrating
376
00:17:29,563 --> 00:17:31,323
that he believed the people around him
377
00:17:31,403 --> 00:17:33,163
had his best interests at heart.
378
00:17:33,243 --> 00:17:36,163
And this is information
that Thelma would have known
379
00:17:36,243 --> 00:17:38,283
and seemingly used to her advantage.
380
00:17:39,043 --> 00:17:40,803
[Narrator] Greg, prone and in bed,
381
00:17:40,883 --> 00:17:42,883
cash in his pajama pocket,
382
00:17:42,963 --> 00:17:45,123
and the door to his home open.
383
00:17:45,203 --> 00:17:48,043
Thelma Purchase put her plans into action.
384
00:17:49,683 --> 00:17:53,883
She clearly did not want
to commit the crime herself.
385
00:17:53,963 --> 00:17:57,203
She didn't want to be
the person who actually killed Greg,
386
00:17:57,283 --> 00:18:01,883
so she cast around for people to help her.
387
00:18:01,963 --> 00:18:03,883
And the person
she approached, first of all,
388
00:18:03,963 --> 00:18:05,923
was her son, Lance.
389
00:18:07,963 --> 00:18:09,843
[Narrator] Lance knew Greg.
390
00:18:09,923 --> 00:18:13,763
He might be able to kill him,
or perhaps it would be too big an ask.
391
00:18:13,843 --> 00:18:17,843
If so, did he know somebody else
who could kill Greg?
392
00:18:17,923 --> 00:18:22,363
And she encouraged him
to ask around amongst his friends
393
00:18:22,443 --> 00:18:26,563
for somebody who would be
prepared to kill for money.
394
00:18:26,643 --> 00:18:28,203
Thelma may have gone to her son,
395
00:18:28,283 --> 00:18:30,363
because he was someone that she trusted.
396
00:18:30,443 --> 00:18:32,763
She may have also gone to him
397
00:18:32,843 --> 00:18:34,563
because actually he was someone
398
00:18:34,643 --> 00:18:36,243
that was in need of money himself.
399
00:18:36,323 --> 00:18:37,803
She may have actually gone to him
400
00:18:37,883 --> 00:18:39,043
because it was convenient.
401
00:18:39,123 --> 00:18:41,323
He was in the same space as she was,
402
00:18:41,403 --> 00:18:43,203
and she had easy access to him,
403
00:18:43,283 --> 00:18:45,243
who then he had access to a friend.
404
00:18:45,323 --> 00:18:48,723
A number of his friends remembered
him saying,
405
00:18:48,803 --> 00:18:51,083
"Is there anybody here
who would be prepared
406
00:18:51,163 --> 00:18:53,043
to kill for money?"
407
00:18:53,123 --> 00:18:56,163
And Shane Edge was the only person to say,
408
00:18:56,243 --> 00:18:57,843
"Yes, I'll do it."
409
00:18:57,923 --> 00:19:00,003
[dramatic music]
410
00:19:00,083 --> 00:19:02,643
Shane Edge seemed to be
his best mate at the time.
411
00:19:03,363 --> 00:19:06,723
[Christopher] A couple of days before
the murder took place,
412
00:19:06,803 --> 00:19:11,243
witnesses remembered Thelma
coming over to a barbecue,
413
00:19:11,323 --> 00:19:14,363
bringing some food
for those who were there,
414
00:19:14,443 --> 00:19:19,043
and calling over to Shane
and speaking to him in her car.
415
00:19:19,123 --> 00:19:21,763
And that's obviously
the point at which the plot,
416
00:19:21,843 --> 00:19:25,083
the final details
of the plot were hatched.
417
00:19:25,163 --> 00:19:30,243
And, between them,
she probably briefed the pair of them.
418
00:19:30,323 --> 00:19:33,123
She arranged to pick
them up and they planned
419
00:19:33,203 --> 00:19:34,963
going out to Alton.
420
00:19:36,203 --> 00:19:39,843
[Christopher] Her son and Shane
were two teenage lads.
421
00:19:39,923 --> 00:19:41,803
They would never have become involved
422
00:19:41,883 --> 00:19:44,883
in something of this
nature had it not been for
423
00:19:44,963 --> 00:19:48,323
the persuasive powers of Thelma Purchase
424
00:19:48,403 --> 00:19:53,403
and her promise that they
would each receive 8,000 pounds
425
00:19:53,843 --> 00:19:57,363
once she inherited the estate from Greg.
426
00:19:57,443 --> 00:19:59,203
She was the driving force
427
00:19:59,283 --> 00:20:02,683
because she stood to get the
lion's share of the money.
428
00:20:02,763 --> 00:20:05,123
[dramatic music]
429
00:20:05,203 --> 00:20:07,323
[Narrator] Lance was at
Stoke City football ground
430
00:20:07,403 --> 00:20:09,443
attending a local league award ceremony.
431
00:20:09,523 --> 00:20:12,843
Shane Edge was on the housing
estate where they all lived.
432
00:20:13,203 --> 00:20:15,723
[Christopher] The last part of the
plan was to decide
433
00:20:15,803 --> 00:20:18,563
how they were actually
going to get to Alton,
434
00:20:18,643 --> 00:20:19,683
where Greg lived.
435
00:20:19,763 --> 00:20:22,803
And Thelma decided that
she would drive her car,
436
00:20:22,883 --> 00:20:27,003
pick up Shane, drive him to Alton,
437
00:20:27,083 --> 00:20:28,643
where he would commit the murder.
438
00:20:28,723 --> 00:20:30,363
And then she would drive him back again.
439
00:20:30,443 --> 00:20:33,003
Those were the bare bones
of the plan that she hatched
440
00:20:33,083 --> 00:20:36,163
with her son and his friend.
441
00:20:36,243 --> 00:20:37,963
[Narrator] In a twisted irony,
442
00:20:38,043 --> 00:20:39,283
the three could not have set off
443
00:20:39,363 --> 00:20:42,283
without the help of Greg Baker himself.
444
00:20:42,363 --> 00:20:45,483
Thelma drove to Greg's house
in a car that Greg had bought.
445
00:20:45,563 --> 00:20:47,923
[Narrator] It is one
thing planning a murder.
446
00:20:48,003 --> 00:20:49,763
It's another thing to do it.
447
00:20:49,843 --> 00:20:53,043
A little before midnight,
Greg, asleep in bed.
448
00:20:53,123 --> 00:20:58,123
His three potential assassins
on route from Stoke to Alton.
449
00:20:58,443 --> 00:21:00,923
You didn't need to break
a window or force a door.
450
00:21:01,003 --> 00:21:02,883
You could just walk in.
451
00:21:02,963 --> 00:21:05,803
Somebody who knew on a Friday night,
452
00:21:06,243 --> 00:21:08,963
there would be the 500 pounds
453
00:21:09,043 --> 00:21:11,003
in the top pajama pocket,
454
00:21:11,083 --> 00:21:14,643
which represented an added
bonus for the killer.
455
00:21:15,643 --> 00:21:17,203
And somebody who knew that Greg
456
00:21:17,603 --> 00:21:21,043
was not going to be in
any position to resist.
457
00:21:21,123 --> 00:21:23,683
[dramatic music]
458
00:21:25,963 --> 00:21:27,883
{\an8}[dramatic music]
459
00:21:27,963 --> 00:21:29,403
{\an8}[Narrator] Thelma Purchase, a mother,
460
00:21:29,483 --> 00:21:31,803
{\an8}was driving her son and
his friend to Greg's house,
461
00:21:31,883 --> 00:21:34,803
intent on killing Greg Baker.
462
00:21:34,883 --> 00:21:37,163
[Christopher] In the early hours
of the morning,
463
00:21:37,243 --> 00:21:42,083
{\an8}Thelma drove alone from her
house to pick up Shane Edge
464
00:21:43,523 --> 00:21:45,963
from the house in which he was staying.
465
00:21:46,043 --> 00:21:48,803
[Ken] She picked up Shane
Edge and her son, Lance
466
00:21:48,883 --> 00:21:51,123
{\an8}out to a place called Blythe Bridge,
467
00:21:51,203 --> 00:21:52,963
{\an8}which is on route to Alton.
468
00:21:53,043 --> 00:21:55,043
{\an8}And then from there, out to Cheadle,
469
00:21:55,123 --> 00:21:56,443
{\an8}and then out Alton itself.
470
00:21:56,523 --> 00:21:58,843
[dramatic music]
471
00:22:02,723 --> 00:22:07,003
[Christopher] Logic would suggest that
when she and Shane arrived
472
00:22:07,083 --> 00:22:11,443
in the vicinity of Alton
and Corner Cottage,
473
00:22:11,523 --> 00:22:15,603
that she would have first
driven past the house
474
00:22:16,483 --> 00:22:19,883
in order to show Shane where the house was
475
00:22:19,963 --> 00:22:22,643
and to explain how he would get in.
476
00:22:22,723 --> 00:22:27,763
One can assume that she
then parked quite near by
477
00:22:27,843 --> 00:22:31,123
so that Shane would be able to walk
478
00:22:31,203 --> 00:22:33,443
from where she had parked
479
00:22:33,523 --> 00:22:35,843
to the house and then back again.
480
00:22:35,923 --> 00:22:38,803
There was no mobile
telephone communication
481
00:22:38,883 --> 00:22:40,363
between the two of them.
482
00:22:40,443 --> 00:22:43,883
So he must have know
where she was going to be.
483
00:22:43,963 --> 00:22:46,723
And he was in a position to
go back there afterwards.
484
00:22:46,803 --> 00:22:49,523
Shane then went to the front door.
485
00:22:50,403 --> 00:22:51,563
He went in.
486
00:22:52,443 --> 00:22:56,643
He went up the stairs and into the bedroom
487
00:22:56,723 --> 00:22:59,963
where Greg was lying.
488
00:23:00,803 --> 00:23:05,283
We don't know whether
Greg was asleep or awake.
489
00:23:05,363 --> 00:23:09,083
So far as Lance is concerned,
there was a direct connection
490
00:23:09,163 --> 00:23:10,883
between him and Greg
491
00:23:11,323 --> 00:23:15,643
because Greg had actually
tutored Lance in mathematics
492
00:23:15,723 --> 00:23:17,643
when Lance was still at school.
493
00:23:18,523 --> 00:23:19,883
[Ken] She stayed in the car.
494
00:23:19,963 --> 00:23:22,323
Lance and Shane Edge went into the bedroom
495
00:23:22,403 --> 00:23:26,203
where Mr. Baker was lying,
and they took the pillow
496
00:23:26,283 --> 00:23:28,923
from behind Mr. Baker.
497
00:23:29,003 --> 00:23:31,843
[Christopher] Shane took the pillow,
498
00:23:31,923 --> 00:23:34,923
placed it over his face and head.
499
00:23:35,003 --> 00:23:36,443
And then sat on the body,
500
00:23:36,523 --> 00:23:38,043
sat on Mr. Baker's body,
501
00:23:38,443 --> 00:23:40,443
to try and expel the air from his lungs.
502
00:23:40,523 --> 00:23:42,843
{\an8}[Christopher] And pressed down on the face
503
00:23:42,923 --> 00:23:46,243
{\an8}with as much strength as he could muster.
504
00:23:46,323 --> 00:23:49,683
{\an8}It was quite a callous
way to kill someone.
505
00:23:50,123 --> 00:23:52,723
[Narrator] It's likely that Greg woke up.
506
00:23:52,803 --> 00:23:54,163
[Christopher] After this was all over,
507
00:23:54,243 --> 00:23:57,203
Shane Edge was to tell one of his friends
508
00:23:57,283 --> 00:24:01,443
that during the events that then unfolded,
509
00:24:01,523 --> 00:24:03,123
Greg had said to him,
510
00:24:03,203 --> 00:24:06,963
"Why are you trying to kill me?"
511
00:24:08,883 --> 00:24:11,563
[Sarah] Suffocation is a horrible thing.
512
00:24:11,643 --> 00:24:14,563
{\an8}Anybody who has got stuck underwater
513
00:24:14,643 --> 00:24:15,923
{\an8}and realized they can't breathe
514
00:24:16,003 --> 00:24:18,123
{\an8}because they are gonna
get water in their mouths
515
00:24:18,203 --> 00:24:21,363
will understand a little
bit of what it feels like.
516
00:24:21,443 --> 00:24:24,003
Only it's just that bit more than that.
517
00:24:24,083 --> 00:24:27,803
Physically, your adrenaline
floods through you.
518
00:24:27,883 --> 00:24:30,123
Your mouth and your nose are covered.
519
00:24:30,203 --> 00:24:33,923
The oxygen levels in your
blood drop really quickly.
520
00:24:34,003 --> 00:24:35,843
The carbon dioxide levels rise.
521
00:24:35,923 --> 00:24:37,603
Even if you weren't awake,
522
00:24:37,683 --> 00:24:40,763
you would be as soon as you realized
523
00:24:40,843 --> 00:24:44,163
that you couldn't breathe.
524
00:24:44,243 --> 00:24:45,843
[Narrator] Greg's murder had been brutal
525
00:24:45,923 --> 00:24:47,243
at the hands of Shane Edge.
526
00:24:47,323 --> 00:24:49,923
He was exhausted from the murder.
527
00:24:50,003 --> 00:24:51,603
[Christopher] Afterwards, he was
to tell somebody
528
00:24:51,683 --> 00:24:55,723
that his arms ached with the physical act
529
00:24:55,803 --> 00:24:58,523
of suffocating this man to death.
530
00:24:58,603 --> 00:25:03,763
And he maintained that
pressure until Greg was dead.
531
00:25:03,843 --> 00:25:05,083
After Greg was dead,
532
00:25:05,163 --> 00:25:07,763
he removed the pillow from his face.
533
00:25:07,843 --> 00:25:12,843
He took the 500 pounds from
the top pocket of the pajamas.
534
00:25:13,163 --> 00:25:14,683
He went downstairs,
535
00:25:14,763 --> 00:25:16,683
taking the pillow with him,
536
00:25:16,763 --> 00:25:19,683
and he walked back to the car
537
00:25:19,763 --> 00:25:22,763
where Thelma was waiting for him.
538
00:25:23,923 --> 00:25:26,763
They then drove back to Longton,
539
00:25:26,843 --> 00:25:28,923
where Thelma dropped him off.
540
00:25:29,003 --> 00:25:30,883
When she dropped him off,
541
00:25:30,963 --> 00:25:33,683
she took from him the pillow.
542
00:25:33,763 --> 00:25:38,803
She took his shirt, his top,
and she took his trainers.
543
00:25:39,563 --> 00:25:41,323
Those were obviously the three items
544
00:25:41,403 --> 00:25:46,403
which she thought might
incriminate him and her
545
00:25:46,923 --> 00:25:50,003
if they were subject to
scientific examination
546
00:25:50,083 --> 00:25:51,803
and took them home.
547
00:25:51,883 --> 00:25:56,283
And, at some point in
the hours that followed,
548
00:25:56,363 --> 00:25:58,083
she burnt them in her garden.
549
00:25:58,163 --> 00:25:59,723
[fire crackling]
550
00:25:59,803 --> 00:26:03,043
As for Shane, went back to the
house where he was staying.
551
00:26:03,123 --> 00:26:05,683
He was bare chested.
552
00:26:05,763 --> 00:26:08,043
He had no trainers on his feet
553
00:26:08,123 --> 00:26:11,483
and he told the people in the house,
554
00:26:11,563 --> 00:26:14,043
"I've done it. I've killed him."
555
00:26:14,123 --> 00:26:17,483
[dramatic music]
556
00:26:17,563 --> 00:26:19,643
[Narrator] The next day,
Greg's morning carer
557
00:26:19,723 --> 00:26:20,883
arrived at his home.
558
00:26:20,963 --> 00:26:22,923
On discovering that Greg was dead,
559
00:26:23,003 --> 00:26:25,363
she did not immediately
think he had been killed.
560
00:26:27,563 --> 00:26:29,923
It wasn't that he was expected to die,
561
00:26:30,003 --> 00:26:33,203
but it wouldn't have been
expected to be unusual
562
00:26:33,283 --> 00:26:35,563
for someone in his position.
563
00:26:35,643 --> 00:26:36,843
He was quite ill.
564
00:26:36,923 --> 00:26:40,203
He was under a considerable
amount of care.
565
00:26:40,283 --> 00:26:43,363
The carers had initially
alerted the police.
566
00:26:43,443 --> 00:26:44,763
Police had attended.
567
00:26:44,843 --> 00:26:48,123
And from there, it was
decided that it may well be
568
00:26:48,203 --> 00:26:50,163
just natural causes.
569
00:26:50,243 --> 00:26:52,763
[Narrator] Word began
to spread around Alton.
570
00:26:52,843 --> 00:26:54,523
[Andrea] Greg had been
found dead in his bed
571
00:26:54,603 --> 00:26:58,923
and by his carer, who had gone
round on his morning visit.
572
00:26:59,003 --> 00:27:01,003
And so we just assumed
573
00:27:01,083 --> 00:27:02,963
that he'd died naturally in his sleep.
574
00:27:03,043 --> 00:27:04,883
There was nothing really suspicious.
575
00:27:04,963 --> 00:27:07,683
There was no cause for
anybody to be alarmed
576
00:27:07,763 --> 00:27:11,323
by his death, really.
577
00:27:11,403 --> 00:27:14,243
[Narrator] But anomalies were beginning
to be discovered by police.
578
00:27:14,323 --> 00:27:15,883
[Ken] As the morning progressed,
579
00:27:15,963 --> 00:27:18,203
what became apparent was that a pillow,
580
00:27:18,283 --> 00:27:20,803
which Mr. Baker normally had,
581
00:27:20,883 --> 00:27:23,923
it was quite a significant
part of his bedding,
582
00:27:24,003 --> 00:27:25,443
really, was missing.
583
00:27:25,523 --> 00:27:27,843
Couldn't account for where it could be.
584
00:27:27,923 --> 00:27:29,043
Later on that morning,
585
00:27:29,123 --> 00:27:32,243
there was a pullover handed
to the police officers
586
00:27:32,323 --> 00:27:34,883
at the scene, which had
been found down the road.
587
00:27:34,963 --> 00:27:37,443
It transpired that what had
happened was the milkman
588
00:27:37,523 --> 00:27:41,323
had gone past the house in the
early hours of the morning.
589
00:27:41,403 --> 00:27:46,403
He'd picked up the
pullover off the road side,
590
00:27:47,003 --> 00:27:49,683
taken it to a post nearby
and hung it on the post
591
00:27:49,763 --> 00:27:50,723
for somebody to pick up.
592
00:27:52,603 --> 00:27:56,883
That pullover was then examined
by next of kin of Mr. Baker,
593
00:27:56,963 --> 00:28:00,003
who identified it as probably
being belonging to Mr. Baker.
594
00:28:00,083 --> 00:28:03,203
So questions started to be
asked, how has that got there?
595
00:28:04,603 --> 00:28:06,003
[Narrator] And what of Greg's money?
596
00:28:06,083 --> 00:28:08,643
The 500 pounds that he
kept in his pajama pocket.
597
00:28:08,723 --> 00:28:10,243
That too was missing.
598
00:28:10,323 --> 00:28:13,283
[Christopher] This death was
highly suspicious.
599
00:28:13,363 --> 00:28:15,043
The missing pillow,
600
00:28:15,123 --> 00:28:17,003
the missing money,
601
00:28:17,083 --> 00:28:21,163
and obvious signs of asphyxiation.
602
00:28:21,243 --> 00:28:24,523
So we started to think,
has something happened here
603
00:28:24,603 --> 00:28:27,003
which really is out of the ordinary?
604
00:28:29,363 --> 00:28:31,643
[Narrator] Far from being
a death by natural causes,
605
00:28:31,723 --> 00:28:34,803
Greg Baker's appeared more sinister.
606
00:28:34,883 --> 00:28:36,923
[Ken] We needed to establish
a cause of death
607
00:28:37,003 --> 00:28:38,923
so I liaised with the local coroner
608
00:28:39,003 --> 00:28:40,643
and he was sufficiently suspicious,
609
00:28:40,723 --> 00:28:44,283
as I was, that we needed
to have a post-mortem.
610
00:28:44,363 --> 00:28:46,603
The pathologist identified
the cause of death
611
00:28:46,683 --> 00:28:48,003
as being asphyxiation,
612
00:28:48,083 --> 00:28:51,283
which then started the alarm
bells ringing, of course.
613
00:28:51,363 --> 00:28:54,523
And we put into place
a major investigation.
614
00:28:56,043 --> 00:28:57,883
[Narrator] Greg Baker's
death had been officially
615
00:28:57,963 --> 00:28:59,483
categorized as murder,
616
00:28:59,563 --> 00:29:01,643
but what would the motive have been?
617
00:29:01,723 --> 00:29:03,443
Was it a botched burglary?
618
00:29:03,523 --> 00:29:05,243
A theory quickly dismissed.
619
00:29:05,323 --> 00:29:09,363
The events that took
place clearly demonstrated
620
00:29:09,443 --> 00:29:11,523
that the murder was carried out
621
00:29:11,603 --> 00:29:14,923
by somebody or some people who had
622
00:29:15,003 --> 00:29:17,603
intimate knowledge of Greg.
623
00:29:17,683 --> 00:29:19,803
Somebody who knew, for example,
624
00:29:19,883 --> 00:29:24,203
that he left his door open at night.
625
00:29:24,283 --> 00:29:28,843
Somebody simply breaking in
to steal whatever they could
626
00:29:28,923 --> 00:29:30,963
would not have killed Greg.
627
00:29:31,043 --> 00:29:35,483
Somebody simply breaking
in to steal his television
628
00:29:35,563 --> 00:29:37,883
or his Hi-Fi or any money or jewelry
629
00:29:37,963 --> 00:29:39,403
they could find lying about
630
00:29:39,483 --> 00:29:41,123
wouldn't have killed him.
631
00:29:41,203 --> 00:29:44,843
{\an8}This was not a random burglary.
632
00:29:44,923 --> 00:29:48,083
{\an8}This was a targeted killing.
633
00:29:48,163 --> 00:29:53,363
The only person who needed
to break in and kill Greg
634
00:29:53,763 --> 00:29:57,483
was somebody who stood to
benefit from his death.
635
00:29:58,763 --> 00:29:59,923
[Narrator] If not a random burglary,
636
00:30:00,003 --> 00:30:02,963
then it was likely
Mr. Baker knew his killer.
637
00:30:03,043 --> 00:30:05,323
[Ken] Well, one of the first
things you need to establish
638
00:30:05,403 --> 00:30:07,843
around sort of death is, you know, why?
639
00:30:07,923 --> 00:30:09,483
Why does somebody want somebody dead?
640
00:30:09,563 --> 00:30:10,883
You're looking at the motive.
641
00:30:12,643 --> 00:30:13,963
And one of the key
things we had to look at
642
00:30:14,043 --> 00:30:17,203
was who would benefit from his death.
643
00:30:17,283 --> 00:30:19,883
So very quickly, we started to establish
644
00:30:20,923 --> 00:30:22,483
who his family were,
645
00:30:22,563 --> 00:30:24,283
who his close friends were,
646
00:30:24,363 --> 00:30:28,523
and what background had Mr. Baker?
647
00:30:28,603 --> 00:30:30,323
We looked at his financial background,
648
00:30:30,403 --> 00:30:31,803
his social background.
649
00:30:31,883 --> 00:30:34,163
And we were just trying
to establish, obviously,
650
00:30:34,243 --> 00:30:36,163
who might be a beneficiary in his death.
651
00:30:37,243 --> 00:30:38,803
[Narrator] Amongst those
who had to be ruled out
652
00:30:38,883 --> 00:30:40,123
of their investigation,
653
00:30:40,203 --> 00:30:41,803
Greg's close friends.
654
00:30:41,883 --> 00:30:44,243
[Andrea] Yeah, I remember
when the detectives,
655
00:30:44,323 --> 00:30:46,363
{\an8}the police knocked on my door
656
00:30:46,443 --> 00:30:49,963
{\an8}to ask me about the murder.
657
00:30:50,043 --> 00:30:53,283
{\an8}It was quite traumatic for me
658
00:30:53,363 --> 00:30:57,723
because I knew that Greg
had told me some time ago,
659
00:30:57,803 --> 00:30:59,083
probably about a year before,
660
00:30:59,163 --> 00:31:02,883
or at least a year before, about his will.
661
00:31:02,963 --> 00:31:04,843
And I knew I was a
beneficiary in his will.
662
00:31:04,923 --> 00:31:07,883
So I didn't know what
implications that would have.
663
00:31:07,963 --> 00:31:09,723
And obviously that's why
I had to be questioned
664
00:31:09,803 --> 00:31:11,523
to be eliminated from the inquiries.
665
00:31:11,683 --> 00:31:14,243
[Narrator] She was, and quickly.
666
00:31:14,323 --> 00:31:16,883
There was another main
beneficiary of his will.
667
00:31:16,963 --> 00:31:20,003
[Ken] The other one was a closer person
668
00:31:20,083 --> 00:31:21,963
and it was someone who we knew
669
00:31:22,043 --> 00:31:26,563
had some years ago been
a carer for Mr. Baker.
670
00:31:26,643 --> 00:31:28,923
So we started to take a serious look
671
00:31:29,003 --> 00:31:31,723
at that person's situation.
672
00:31:31,803 --> 00:31:34,563
[Narrator] Thelma Purchase,
Greg's sometime carer,
673
00:31:34,643 --> 00:31:38,003
sometime friend, possibly sometime lover.
674
00:31:38,083 --> 00:31:40,763
We looked at Thelma Purchase's situation.
675
00:31:41,723 --> 00:31:46,843
She was living, she'd been living with
a man for a while.
676
00:31:46,923 --> 00:31:48,923
That had split up and she'd gone back
677
00:31:49,003 --> 00:31:52,683
into some accommodation
in a place called Meir,
678
00:31:52,763 --> 00:31:54,403
which is a part of Stoke-on-Trent.
679
00:31:55,603 --> 00:31:57,803
We looked at her situation financially.
680
00:31:57,883 --> 00:32:00,723
She wasn't in great financial shape
681
00:32:00,803 --> 00:32:05,763
and was probably in need of
some money from somewhere.
682
00:32:05,923 --> 00:32:08,243
[Narrator] But how could the
slight-framed Thelma Purchase
683
00:32:08,323 --> 00:32:10,963
have committed a murder
which needed brute strength?
684
00:32:11,043 --> 00:32:12,763
There was much to be investigated
685
00:32:12,843 --> 00:32:15,243
before she could be charged with murder.
686
00:32:15,323 --> 00:32:18,563
[Ken] A team of detectives came back
and started to talk to us
687
00:32:18,643 --> 00:32:23,563
about someone they'd spoken to
who was telling us something
688
00:32:23,643 --> 00:32:26,723
which started to indicate clearly
689
00:32:26,803 --> 00:32:29,963
that Thelma had involved
her son in something
690
00:32:30,043 --> 00:32:32,283
from which they'd benefited financially.
691
00:32:32,363 --> 00:32:36,883
But it was enough to make
us focus on her son as well.
692
00:32:36,963 --> 00:32:38,563
[dramatic music]
693
00:32:38,643 --> 00:32:40,803
[Narrator] A working
theory was developing.
694
00:32:40,883 --> 00:32:44,043
Thelma had recruited two
young men to kill Greg,
695
00:32:44,123 --> 00:32:47,563
gain up to 75,000 pounds from Greg's will,
696
00:32:47,643 --> 00:32:50,723
and then pay off her fellow assassins.
697
00:32:50,803 --> 00:32:52,763
But could that be proved?
698
00:32:52,843 --> 00:32:55,563
[dramatic music]
699
00:32:58,883 --> 00:33:00,963
[dramatic music]
700
00:33:01,043 --> 00:33:03,523
Within 48 hours
of the murder of Greg Baker,
701
00:33:03,603 --> 00:33:06,243
senior investigating officer,
Ken Raper, and his team
702
00:33:06,323 --> 00:33:08,523
were homing in on Thelma Purchase
703
00:33:08,603 --> 00:33:10,883
as somebody central to their inquiries.
704
00:33:12,683 --> 00:33:15,603
A tip from the community
had suggested her son,
705
00:33:15,683 --> 00:33:17,883
Lance Rudge, was also involved.
706
00:33:18,883 --> 00:33:23,923
{\an8}He was just a normal sort
of young man in that area.
707
00:33:24,003 --> 00:33:26,563
{\an8}He was living in a part of Longton,
708
00:33:26,643 --> 00:33:28,843
which is just down the road
from where Thelma was living
709
00:33:28,923 --> 00:33:30,963
in a place called Kendrick Street.
710
00:33:31,043 --> 00:33:32,763
He was basically, I mean,
711
00:33:32,843 --> 00:33:34,403
the locals used to call it dotting,
712
00:33:34,483 --> 00:33:36,523
with his mates in a house
713
00:33:36,603 --> 00:33:38,043
and there's a number of them there.
714
00:33:38,123 --> 00:33:42,363
And he was liaising closely
with a guy called Shane Edge.
715
00:33:43,883 --> 00:33:46,603
[Roberta] All three of them denied
being involved in the murder,
716
00:33:47,003 --> 00:33:48,683
{\an8}but there's a lot of
evidence that tied them
717
00:33:48,763 --> 00:33:51,803
{\an8}to the scene of the crime
on the night it happened.
718
00:33:51,883 --> 00:33:57,043
[Ken] We arrested them, and they were all
obviously interviewed separately.
719
00:33:57,123 --> 00:33:59,363
They weren't really telling us anything,
720
00:33:59,443 --> 00:34:02,443
but it was clear they had
slightly different stories.
721
00:34:02,523 --> 00:34:04,963
And, over a period of
a number of interviews,
722
00:34:05,043 --> 00:34:09,083
it was clear that something was
different between them all,
723
00:34:09,163 --> 00:34:13,483
which started to, again, cause us alarm.
724
00:34:13,563 --> 00:34:16,523
{\an8}When Thelma was interviewed by the police,
725
00:34:16,603 --> 00:34:21,603
{\an8}she denied that she had any
idea that she was a beneficiary
726
00:34:21,682 --> 00:34:23,043
of Greg's will.
727
00:34:23,123 --> 00:34:25,843
But that clearly wasn't true.
728
00:34:25,923 --> 00:34:27,403
[Narrator] Digital analysis followed
729
00:34:27,483 --> 00:34:29,963
of camera images, of phones.
730
00:34:30,043 --> 00:34:33,682
This was to be a
painstaking investigation.
731
00:34:33,762 --> 00:34:35,803
We obtained during that interview process
732
00:34:35,883 --> 00:34:40,603
details of mobile telephones and locations
733
00:34:40,682 --> 00:34:43,163
and who they were with
at particular times.
734
00:34:43,242 --> 00:34:46,963
And we were able to focus on
quite a short period of time.
735
00:34:47,043 --> 00:34:49,682
So we were able to really expose
736
00:34:49,762 --> 00:34:51,803
that they were telling lies.
737
00:34:51,883 --> 00:34:55,043
[Christopher] She told a whole
series of lies.
738
00:34:55,123 --> 00:34:58,443
Her first story to the police was this.
739
00:34:58,523 --> 00:35:03,523
She said that "My car,
my mobile telephone,
740
00:35:03,603 --> 00:35:08,043
"and myself never left Longton that night.
741
00:35:09,283 --> 00:35:12,963
"I was always at home with
my car in the driveway
742
00:35:13,043 --> 00:35:15,883
"and my mobile phone in my possession."
743
00:35:15,963 --> 00:35:17,243
Well, the police went away
744
00:35:17,323 --> 00:35:20,923
and conducted further investigations
745
00:35:21,003 --> 00:35:23,243
and they very quickly realized
746
00:35:23,323 --> 00:35:26,923
that the closed circuit
television evidence demonstrated
747
00:35:27,003 --> 00:35:30,003
that her car had not
remained on Thelma's drive
748
00:35:30,083 --> 00:35:31,203
during the night.
749
00:35:31,283 --> 00:35:33,803
{\an8}And that the mobile telephone
evidence demonstrated
750
00:35:33,883 --> 00:35:36,043
that neither had her phone.
751
00:35:36,123 --> 00:35:37,403
[dramatic music]
752
00:35:37,483 --> 00:35:40,603
[Ken] As we did investigate the
mobile phone technology,
753
00:35:40,683 --> 00:35:44,083
or the mobile phones belonging
to the three suspects,
754
00:35:44,163 --> 00:35:47,043
it became apparent that we could show
755
00:35:47,123 --> 00:35:49,043
that they'd been out to Alton.
756
00:35:49,123 --> 00:35:51,843
[dramatic music]
757
00:35:51,923 --> 00:35:54,603
[Narrator] Officers were able
to track the mobile phones
758
00:35:54,683 --> 00:35:56,923
and the car on a journey that night
759
00:35:57,003 --> 00:35:58,923
from Stoke and onto Alton.
760
00:35:59,003 --> 00:36:03,403
Hours of CCTV footage was
painstakingly gathered
761
00:36:03,483 --> 00:36:04,963
from road cameras.
762
00:36:05,043 --> 00:36:06,403
As Ken Raper's team were looking for
763
00:36:06,483 --> 00:36:10,883
the blue Citroen ^USaxo that^U
Greg had bought for Thelma.
764
00:36:10,963 --> 00:36:15,403
The car had two distinctive
stickers in the rear window.
765
00:36:15,483 --> 00:36:20,403
And you could see those on
a number of the CCTV images.
766
00:36:20,483 --> 00:36:24,083
We identified the car that Thelma drove
767
00:36:24,163 --> 00:36:26,843
was a Citroen ^USaxo.^U
768
00:36:26,923 --> 00:36:31,363
And we were able to pick it
up on the night in question.
769
00:36:31,443 --> 00:36:35,483
We knew she'd been down to
Stoke City Football Club
770
00:36:35,563 --> 00:36:40,443
to Lance's football
team's sort of local do.
771
00:36:40,523 --> 00:36:42,803
They had an awards night.
772
00:36:43,203 --> 00:36:48,163
It left there and we picked it up on CCTV.
773
00:36:48,243 --> 00:36:52,163
And from there, we were able
to then fully examine the route
774
00:36:52,243 --> 00:36:55,363
out to where she picked up Shane Edge
775
00:36:55,443 --> 00:36:58,363
out to a place called Blythe Bridge,
776
00:36:58,443 --> 00:37:00,203
which is on route to Alton.
777
00:37:00,283 --> 00:37:02,283
And then from there, out to Cheadle
778
00:37:02,363 --> 00:37:03,603
and then out to Alton itself.
779
00:37:04,963 --> 00:37:06,683
[Narrator] Security
footage later that morning
780
00:37:06,763 --> 00:37:08,723
showed Lance Rudge, Purchase's son,
781
00:37:08,803 --> 00:37:12,443
and Shane Edge spending
money at an all-night store.
782
00:37:12,523 --> 00:37:14,003
They were buying alcohol.
783
00:37:14,083 --> 00:37:16,563
Shane appeared to be wearing no shoes.
784
00:37:16,643 --> 00:37:20,483
Initially, we think
they came back into Meir
785
00:37:20,563 --> 00:37:25,443
where we believe they
disposed of the pillow
786
00:37:26,883 --> 00:37:29,843
and probably Shane Edge's shoes.
787
00:37:29,923 --> 00:37:31,883
Because when they got
back to Kendrick Street,
788
00:37:31,963 --> 00:37:35,043
we had evidence to suggest
789
00:37:35,123 --> 00:37:37,883
that Shane walked into the
house with no shoes on.
790
00:37:37,963 --> 00:37:40,803
And we didn't know where they were.
791
00:37:40,883 --> 00:37:42,843
[Narrator] Raper and
his team could now show
792
00:37:42,923 --> 00:37:45,043
that the three suspects
had been together in a car
793
00:37:45,123 --> 00:37:47,763
which had traveled to
Alton at exactly the time
794
00:37:47,843 --> 00:37:49,403
Greg Baker was murdered.
795
00:37:49,483 --> 00:37:52,643
Later, two of them had been
seen spending lavishly.
796
00:37:53,043 --> 00:37:55,083
Detectives visited Thelma's home
797
00:37:55,163 --> 00:37:57,403
and made remarkable discoveries.
798
00:37:57,483 --> 00:38:00,883
They had yet to find the pillow
missing from Greg's home.
799
00:38:00,963 --> 00:38:04,003
One of the detectives in the team
800
00:38:04,083 --> 00:38:07,803
had noticed at the edge of one
of the blocks of the paving,
801
00:38:07,883 --> 00:38:09,163
there was a little burn area.
802
00:38:09,243 --> 00:38:11,843
And we decided, once we
had that information,
803
00:38:11,923 --> 00:38:14,483
that we'd lift the paving
and look underneath
804
00:38:14,563 --> 00:38:18,923
in the belief that they
probably had burnt the pillow.
805
00:38:19,003 --> 00:38:24,003
[Christopher] The debris appeared to
consist largely of burnt material.
806
00:38:24,083 --> 00:38:27,923
And this was obviously the
area in which Thelma had burnt
807
00:38:28,003 --> 00:38:31,243
the pillow, the top, and the trainers.
808
00:38:31,323 --> 00:38:33,843
[dramatic music]
809
00:38:33,923 --> 00:38:36,963
[Ken] But there was a tiny,
very small piece of cotton
810
00:38:37,043 --> 00:38:39,163
with something which appeared to be
811
00:38:39,243 --> 00:38:41,883
a feather attached to it.
812
00:38:41,963 --> 00:38:43,923
We had a look at it forensically,
813
00:38:44,003 --> 00:38:46,283
and we were sort of
struggling a little bit.
814
00:38:46,363 --> 00:38:47,883
We wanted to know what that thing
815
00:38:47,963 --> 00:38:49,283
attached to the cotton was.
816
00:38:49,363 --> 00:38:50,483
Was it actually a feather?
817
00:38:51,923 --> 00:38:53,083
We liaised with an expert
818
00:38:53,163 --> 00:38:55,163
at the Natural History Museum in London.
819
00:38:55,523 --> 00:38:58,123
We took it down to him
and he was very confident
820
00:38:58,203 --> 00:39:00,003
in saying to us, that is a feather.
821
00:39:00,083 --> 00:39:01,563
And he actually indicated to us
822
00:39:01,643 --> 00:39:02,763
that you might want to go and look
823
00:39:02,843 --> 00:39:05,403
at some of the manufacturers of pillows
824
00:39:05,483 --> 00:39:07,843
in the East Midlands, which we did.
825
00:39:08,203 --> 00:39:12,483
And they were able to say
it was a part of a pillow
826
00:39:12,563 --> 00:39:15,923
because of the machining of
the sample that we've got.
827
00:39:16,003 --> 00:39:18,563
So we were very happy to say
that was part of the pillow.
828
00:39:18,643 --> 00:39:21,683
And that was, again, a somewhat
crucial piece of evidence.
829
00:39:21,763 --> 00:39:23,763
[dramatic music]
830
00:39:23,843 --> 00:39:24,963
[Narrator] The evidence had stacked up
831
00:39:25,043 --> 00:39:26,883
to a point that detectives were prepared
832
00:39:26,963 --> 00:39:29,043
to charge all three.
833
00:39:29,123 --> 00:39:31,323
At which point, Thelma Purchase decided
834
00:39:31,403 --> 00:39:34,083
to put her son and his
friend in the frame,
835
00:39:34,163 --> 00:39:36,603
painting herself as an innocent.
836
00:39:37,203 --> 00:39:39,603
Thelma told a different story,
837
00:39:39,683 --> 00:39:42,363
but no less of a lie.
838
00:39:42,443 --> 00:39:46,043
And much more devious and wicked.
839
00:39:46,123 --> 00:39:48,363
It was this time she
was to tell the police,
840
00:39:48,443 --> 00:39:52,683
"Yes, it's true that I didn't have my car.
841
00:39:52,763 --> 00:39:54,643
"It's true I didn't have my phone.
842
00:39:54,723 --> 00:39:58,603
"My son, Lance, and Shane Edge came to me
843
00:39:58,683 --> 00:39:59,843
"during the course of the evening.
844
00:39:59,923 --> 00:40:02,043
"And they said, 'Could we borrow your car
845
00:40:02,123 --> 00:40:04,803
"'so that we can go and buy some drugs?'
846
00:40:04,883 --> 00:40:06,163
"I lent them the car.
847
00:40:06,243 --> 00:40:09,883
"And, by accident, I happened
to leave my mobile phone
848
00:40:09,963 --> 00:40:11,723
"in the door of the car.
849
00:40:11,803 --> 00:40:13,443
"When I got up in the morning,
850
00:40:13,523 --> 00:40:15,083
"my car was back on the drive
851
00:40:15,163 --> 00:40:17,483
"and I found my mobile telephone
852
00:40:17,563 --> 00:40:19,883
"lying on the front door mat.
853
00:40:19,963 --> 00:40:22,123
"It obviously had been
posted through my letterbox
854
00:40:22,203 --> 00:40:23,443
"during the night."
855
00:40:23,883 --> 00:40:27,683
That she thought would explain why her car
856
00:40:27,763 --> 00:40:30,923
and her mobile phone were in Alton,
857
00:40:31,003 --> 00:40:33,403
but she had not been present.
858
00:40:33,483 --> 00:40:35,163
[dramatic music]
859
00:40:35,243 --> 00:40:38,883
When you take a moment to think about it,
860
00:40:38,963 --> 00:40:41,083
the wickedness of that lie
861
00:40:41,163 --> 00:40:45,003
was that she was prepared
to sacrifice her own son
862
00:40:45,083 --> 00:40:46,683
to save her skin.
863
00:40:46,763 --> 00:40:49,763
She was prepared to leave the police
864
00:40:49,843 --> 00:40:53,963
to think that it must be
her son and Shane Edge
865
00:40:54,043 --> 00:40:56,843
who alone were responsible
for this murder,
866
00:40:56,923 --> 00:41:01,523
which would enable Thelma
to escape her responsibility
867
00:41:01,603 --> 00:41:02,803
for her own part.
868
00:41:02,883 --> 00:41:07,043
There can be no greater
betrayal of a mother
869
00:41:07,123 --> 00:41:10,843
of her son than to frame him in that way
870
00:41:10,923 --> 00:41:13,563
in order to exculpate herself.
871
00:41:13,643 --> 00:41:16,803
[dramatic music]
872
00:41:16,883 --> 00:41:19,083
[Narrator] It was a story
she stuck to in court,
873
00:41:19,163 --> 00:41:21,963
where a jury was asked
to review the evidence.
874
00:41:24,963 --> 00:41:29,803
[Christopher] Shane Edge gave
evidence and denied
875
00:41:29,883 --> 00:41:31,963
that he had been involved.
876
00:41:32,043 --> 00:41:37,043
Lance Rudge chose not to give
any evidence to the jury.
877
00:41:37,563 --> 00:41:40,123
But having heard all the evidence,
878
00:41:40,203 --> 00:41:42,643
the jury deliberated for some
879
00:41:42,723 --> 00:41:44,523
significant period of time.
880
00:41:44,923 --> 00:41:46,283
And at the end of it,
881
00:41:46,363 --> 00:41:49,603
all the defendants were convicted.
882
00:41:49,683 --> 00:41:53,763
There was a clear, compelling,
883
00:41:53,843 --> 00:41:58,323
logical inference that
all of them were involved
884
00:41:58,403 --> 00:42:02,323
in what had been a
ruthless plan to execute
885
00:42:02,403 --> 00:42:07,003
the unfortunate Greg Baker for money.
886
00:42:07,083 --> 00:42:08,763
[dramatic music]
887
00:42:08,843 --> 00:42:10,603
[Narrator] Purchase had
Promised her son and his friend
888
00:42:10,683 --> 00:42:12,643
8,000 pounds to kill Greg,
889
00:42:12,723 --> 00:42:15,723
money they never received
because Purchase herself
890
00:42:15,803 --> 00:42:18,803
did not inherit what Greg
had left her in his will.
891
00:42:19,203 --> 00:42:22,563
Instead, as she sat in
the car outside his house,
892
00:42:22,643 --> 00:42:25,523
the two teenage young men had killed Greg
893
00:42:25,603 --> 00:42:28,163
for a share of 500 pounds.
894
00:42:28,243 --> 00:42:29,963
[Andrea] I was just sitting on the bed
895
00:42:30,043 --> 00:42:34,083
and the rain was just falling
down the window outside.
896
00:42:34,163 --> 00:42:36,443
And I thought it was just like,
897
00:42:36,523 --> 00:42:38,483
just almost like God crying.
898
00:42:38,563 --> 00:42:40,163
But I know that's just a simile,
899
00:42:40,243 --> 00:42:44,923
{\an8}but it was just like
the tears of my heart crying
900
00:42:45,003 --> 00:42:46,883
{\an8}for justice for Greg,
901
00:42:46,963 --> 00:42:50,483
for all the injustice that had gone on
902
00:42:50,563 --> 00:42:52,723
and the manipulation that had gone on
903
00:42:54,923 --> 00:42:57,843
against his generosity and kindness.
904
00:42:57,923 --> 00:43:02,163
And I was just so upset about all that.
905
00:43:02,243 --> 00:43:06,243
And, you know, he would
have forgiven Yvonne.
906
00:43:06,323 --> 00:43:08,203
We know he would have forgiven Yvonne.
907
00:43:09,883 --> 00:43:11,963
[Narrator] The court also
heard of the contract
908
00:43:12,043 --> 00:43:13,683
that Thelma Purchase had taken out
909
00:43:13,763 --> 00:43:15,923
on her former partner, Kelvin Amos.
910
00:43:16,003 --> 00:43:17,803
The first time he'd heard about that
911
00:43:17,883 --> 00:43:20,643
was just a few weeks before the case.
912
00:43:20,723 --> 00:43:22,963
[Kelvin] I had two police officers
knocking on my door
913
00:43:25,443 --> 00:43:29,043
{\an8}and they were asking,
do I own a black car?
914
00:43:29,123 --> 00:43:31,003
Well, at the time I did.
915
00:43:31,083 --> 00:43:33,963
And that's when he started saying
916
00:43:34,043 --> 00:43:36,883
that it was trying to get somebody
917
00:43:36,963 --> 00:43:41,283
to knock me off or something.
918
00:43:41,363 --> 00:43:43,083
So yeah, that was a bit of a shock.
919
00:43:45,443 --> 00:43:47,323
[Narrator] Thelma Purchase
was a lover to Kelvin Amos
920
00:43:47,403 --> 00:43:49,843
and almost certainly
a lover to Greg Baker.
921
00:43:49,923 --> 00:43:51,843
One she had tried to kill.
922
00:43:51,923 --> 00:43:53,283
The other, she had killed,
923
00:43:53,363 --> 00:43:55,683
co-opting two young men for the task.
924
00:43:55,763 --> 00:43:58,883
She was convicted of murder in 2008.
925
00:43:58,963 --> 00:44:01,443
She will serve a minimum term of 30 years.
926
00:44:01,523 --> 00:44:03,763
Shane Edge received a life sentence
927
00:44:03,843 --> 00:44:05,563
with a minimum term of 20 years.
928
00:44:06,003 --> 00:44:08,003
Lance Rudge was also given a life sentence
929
00:44:08,083 --> 00:44:10,763
with a minimum term of 18 years.
930
00:44:14,883 --> 00:44:17,603
[dramatic music]