Table of Contents
Joanne Dennehy
Joanna Dennehy, born in 1982, spent her early years near St. Albans, Hertfordshire, nestled in a stable and caring environment with her mother Kathleen, father Kevin, and sister Maria. During her formative years, she excelled in school, maintaining a positive trajectory.
As her teenage years emerged on the horizon, Joanna’s path began to deviate. She delved into experimentation with substances and associated increasingly with minor criminals. At 15, she left home, embarking on a relationship with a 20-year-old named John Treanor, with whom she later had two children.
With the passage of time, the evolving dynamic was evident to those around her. Dennehy’s narcissism grew, overshadowing the needs of even her own children. Struggling with alcohol and drugs, her relationship with Treanor deteriorated, marked by arguments and even violence. This was the era when self-harm became her outlet, a way to externalize her internal turmoil, with a particularly strong resentment towards her mother.
A trajectory of petty offenses landed her in juvenile detention for burglary. Her manipulative tendencies came to the forefront, and remorse remained foreign to her behavior. The culmination of these issues led to Treanor’s departure with the children, leaving Dennehy isolated and without a home.
In 2012, her journey took a legal turn as she faced arrest and conviction for theft. While incarcerated, she underwent psychological evaluation, leading to a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder. Beneath this diagnosis lurked psychopathic traits encompassing rage, impulsivity, violence, and anger. The subsequent administration of mood-regulating medication aimed to address these challenges.
A pivotal point arrived in 2013 when Joanna encountered 48-year-old Kevin Lee in Peterborough. Known for offering shelter to vulnerable individuals, Lee extended his support to Dennehy, forging both financial and intimate ties. Gradually, Dennehy morphed into Lee’s paid “enforcer,” wielding intimidation to secure overdue rent and debts. With rent covered, a structured role, and an income stream, Dennehy felt a semblance of stability, leading her to discontinue her anti-psychotic medication, believing herself to be the puppeteer of her life’s narrative.
Murders
On March 19, 2013, Lucasz Slaboszewski, a 31-year-old Polish immigrant, received a text message from Joanna Dennehy, marking the beginning of a tragic sequence of events.
Having crossed paths on the streets of Peterborough before, Lucasz held hopes of a potential romantic connection with Joanna. Responding to her invitation, he visited her flat where they engaged in conversation over drinks. Under the guise of a game, Joanna convinced Lucasz to don a blindfold. In a shocking twist, she revealed a knife and mercilessly stabbed him through the heart.
Faced with the daunting task of disposing of the body, Joanna enlisted the aid of Gary “Stretch” Richards, a notorious associate of hers with a towering 7-foot-3-inch frame. Driven by his infatuation for Joanna, Richards willingly lent his assistance. Accompanied by his associate Leslie Layton, they managed to move Lucasz’s body into a wheelie bin near a nearby block of flats. Subsequently, they concealed the body in a ditch nestled within the Peterborough countryside.
A week later, on March 28, 2013, Joanna visited her 56-year-old neighbour, John Chapman, with a supply of alcohol. Their interactions culminated in Chapman succumbing to inebriation.
Utilising the same lethal knife, which had claimed Lucasz’s life, Joanna inflicted six fatal stabs into Chapman’s chest.
Once again, the services of Richards and Layton were requisitioned to eliminate any evidence of the crime. Chapman’s remains were discreetly abandoned in the very same ditch where Lucasz had been hidden earlier.
The chilling narrative continued on March 29th when Joanna invited Kevin Lee to her residence.
Tragically, Lee met the same gruesome fate as Lucasz and Chapman, falling victim to a fatal stab to the heart.
His lifeless body, dressed in an eerie black dress from Joanna’s collection, was discarded in a ditch situated miles away from the resting places of the prior victims. As before, Richards played a part in this heinous act.
This macabre series of events serves as a stark reminder of the malevolent deeds committed by Joanna Dennehy, as well as the dark alliances formed with individuals like Gary “Stretch” Richards.
On April 2nd, 2013, Joanna Dennehy and Gary “Stretch” Richards orchestrated a robbery in Norfolk that would become a turning point in their criminal activities. Their actions would lead them to an encounter with an associate of Richards’, Mark Lloyd, who unwittingly became a witness to their escalating brutality.
As Lloyd joined them in the car, he could not anticipate the disturbing revelation that awaited him. In the confined space, Dennehy callously boasted about her past murders and expressed her twisted desire to commit more. The shocking conversation left Lloyd in a state of disbelief and horror.
As the trio drove around, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense. Richards, seemingly without hesitation, identified a potential victim for Dennehy.
In a sudden and chilling moment, she leapt from the vehicle and viciously stabbed 64-year-old Robin Bereza in the shoulder.
As he crumpled to the ground, his lifeblood forming a harrowing pool beneath him, Dennehy swiftly returned to the car, her actions leaving an indelible mark on Lloyd’s psyche.
A mere nine minutes later, Dennehy’s reign of terror continued as she launched a frenzied attack on another unsuspecting man, John Rogers, who was 57 years old.
The scene unfolded with relentless brutality, as Dennehy’s knife struck Rogers over thirty times, transforming his life into a nightmare of pain and terror.
The events of that fateful day painted a gruesome picture of the darkness that had consumed Dennehy and Richards, revealing their willingness to inflict violence without remorse. Mark Lloyd’s presence bore witness to their descent into depravity, forever etching these horrifying moments into his memory.
Arrest
In contrast to the initial two victims, Kevin Lee was distinct due to his family ties, leading to his disappearance being promptly reported. His lifeless body was unearthed on March 30th, stumbled upon by a member of the public.
Upon his identification and a preliminary examination of his circumstances, the focus of law enforcement shifted to Joanna Dennehy, prompting a pursuit to locate her for questioning in relation to the murder.
Both Robin Bereza and John Rogers survived the frenzied assaults they endured on April 2nd, affording them the opportunity to provide the police with a description of their assailant.
On April 3rd, the bodies of Lucasz Slaboszewski and John Chapman were discovered; however, an initial connection between their demise and Lee’s was not established.
Upon her apprehension, Joanna Dennehy’s demeanour was described as remarkably composed, bordering on chilling. As she was escorted to the holding cells, she reportedly sang the tune “Singin’ in the Rain.”
“I killed to see how I would feel, to see if I was as cold as I thought I was, then it got moreish.”
Joanne Dennehy
Trial
In November 2013, Dennehy admitted her guilt for all three murders as well as two additional attempted murders. Her sister Maria was unsurprised by this confession, remarking, “I believe she did it to exert control. She has a tendency to assert dominance.”
Dennehy was subsequently held in custody at HM Prison Bronzefield. Later assessments by psychiatrists revealed that Dennehy had been diagnosed with psychopathic, anti-social, and borderline personality disorders.
The trial commenced at London’s Old Bailey, where Dennehy’s demeanour often included laughter during proceedings. When questioned about her decision to plead guilty, she simply stated, “I’ve admitted my guilt, end of story.” At a point during the trial, Dennehy stood and directly addressed presiding Judge Mr. Justice Spencer, asserting, “I refuse to be under anyone’s control—be it my lawyers, the police, or anyone else.”
“cruel, calculating, selfish, and manipulative serial killer.”
Mr. Justice Spencer
On February 28, 2014, Mr. Justice Spencer characterized Dennehy as a “cruel, calculating, selfish, and manipulative serial killer.” Her sentence was life imprisonment, and due to the premeditation involved in each murder, she was to never be considered for release. Spencer further noted that Dennehy exhibited sadomasochistic tendencies and lacked a typical range of human emotions.
Dennehy’s sentencing meant she became the third woman in the UK to receive a whole life tariff, joining the ranks of Myra Hindley and Rosemary West.
Both Richards (47) and Leslie Layton (36), were put on trial for various charges related to aiding Dennehy. Both opted against providing a defence or testimony in their favour.
Deliberations by the jury commenced on February 4, 2014. By February 10, Richards was found guilty of attempted murder, and Layton was convicted of perverting the course of justice.
On February 12, both Layton and Richards were found guilty on all other charges against them.
Richards’ sentence, issued at the Old Bailey alongside Dennehy’s, mandated life imprisonment with a recommended minimum duration of 19 years. Layton’s sentence totalled 14 years in prison.
Escape Plan
During her pre-trial period, Dennehy was held in segregation at HM Prison Bronzefield, a Category A facility situated in Surrey. It was during this time that prison staff uncovered a disturbing escape scheme detailed in her diary. This plan involved inflicting serious harm, or even death, upon a prison officer. The plot went so far as to include severing one of the officer’s fingers and utilizing the severed digit to deceive the prison’s biometric security system.
Subsequently, owing to the gravity of this escape plan, Dennehy was subjected to solitary confinement from September 2013, prior to the commencement of the court proceedings, until September 2015, post the conclusion of the proceedings. She contends that this prolonged isolation took a severe emotional toll on her, leaving her in a state of distress and prompting instances of self-inflicted harm.
In response to her claim of human rights infringement, the High Court of Justice dismissed Dennehy’s argument. The government’s legal representatives maintained that the isolation was imperative given the nature of Dennehy’s crimes and the potential danger she posed to the public in the event of an escape.
In delivering the verdict, Mr. Justice Singh affirmed that the imposition of solitary confinement was not only legally sound but also in accordance with the principles of necessity and proportionality. This measure, as deemed by the court, was justifiable throughout the relevant period.
Imprisonment
Following her trial, Dennehy was subsequently returned to HMP Bronzefield. In 2018, she made a request to marry her cellmate Hayley Palmer, a proposition that troubled Palmer’s family, given their concerns about Dennehy posing a potential threat.
In the same year, both Dennehy and Palmer embarked on a suicide pact, underscoring their shared struggles. Then, in June 2020, reports surfaced detailing Dennehy’s involvement with another inmate, Emma Aitken, a 25-year-old serving a twelve-year sentence for her role in a murder case where the victim’s body had been abandoned outside a social club.
As of May 2021, renewed reports indicated Dennehy and Palmer’s intention to marry, even though Palmer had been released following a sixteen-year sentence for robbery.
In 2019, Dennehy underwent a transfer to Low Newton Prison in County Durham. Upon her arrival, allegations arose that she had issued threats against Rosemary West, prompting West’s relocation to a different correctional facility. Notably, these claims were denied by the government.