When Life Means Life
Season 1
In the UK there are 45 men and one woman whose crimes are so bad that they have received whole-life tariffs, which means that their crimes are so bad that life imprisonment literally means life. These are some of their stories.
Where to Watch When Life Means Life • Season 1
6 Episodes
- Anthony ArkwrightE1
Anthony ArkwrightAnthony Arkwright brought terror to the streets of South Yorkshire in a fifty-six hour killing spree in August, 1988. The film includes powerful testimony from several of the police officers central to the case (including the Chief Inspector who led the investigating team, and the man who interviewed Arkwright over several challenging days), as well as Arkwright’s defence lawyer and a friend with him on the night he embarked on his murderous killing spree, the story emerges of a troubled man who would send shockwaves across the nation – at the age of just twenty-one. With the help of leading experts including a renowned criminal psychologist, and eminent forensic scientist, Arkwright’s crimes are examined and dissected for both motives and methods. The result is a chilling account of one of Britain’s most violent killers. - Ernest Wright / Mark MartinE4
Ernest Wright / Mark MartinErnest Wright was a career criminal, whose life on the wrong side of the law was finally brought to an end in 2010 – with a whole life sentence. His first murder occurred in 1971, as he beat to death a love rival with an iron bar. After 26 years in prison, Wright rejoined society – but not for long. After taking advantage of a vulnerable woman, Wright again turned to murder. Wright forced his way into the home of the woman’s son, in Bradford, brandishing a double-barrelled shotgun. The son was left critically injured in the attack, and his ex-partner killed in what police described as an execution. We hear from police officers on both investigations - and the surviving son - on how Wright committed his crimes and how he was brought to justice. Mark Martin became Nottingham’s first serial killer – something he claimed he wanted to be – in 2005. Over a period of weeks, Martin attacked and killed three women whilst living rough in the city. We hear from police, and those who knew Mark Martin, to reveal how he took advantage of vulnerable people and believed he was untouchable. - Andrew DawsonE5
Andrew DawsonWith access to his brother, police officers and Dawson’s neighbours, we tell the true story of how Dawson became of the UK’s most notorious prisoners – given a whole life sentence. Dawson first struck when he was just eighteen, repeatedly stabbing a 91-year-old shopkeeper to death, before robbing him for small amounts of money. A life sentence followed – but Dawson would be freed in his thirties. This film explores his adjustment to the outside world, the gradual return to criminality, and the build up to his second shocking crimes – in which he again targeted vulnerable, elderly men. In 2011 Andrew Dawson again faced a court charged with murder. Only this time, he had killed twice. His victims were neighbours, both stabbed repeatedly in their own flats. And it could have been more. We meet a survivor of Dawson’s attacks. This film plots the tragic, murderous story of Andrew Dawson, his shocking crimes, and how he was brought to justice. - Wilbert Dyce / Paul CulshawE6
Wilbert Dyce / Paul CulshawThe crimes of two particularly vicious sexual killers are examined. The first story revolves around the shockingly brutal triple homicide of a woman and her two young daughters in Dalston, London in 1982. The killer – Wilbert Dyce - remained undetected until a cold case review was launched twenty-seven years later. The case was eventually solved by a combination of old-fashioned detective work allied with ultra-modern policing methods, such as DNA analysis and fingerprint comparison techniques. The police officers involved tell the gripping story of how the murderer – who tried to put police off the scent with graffiti suggesting it was a racist murder - was eventually brought to justice. The second story is centred around the horrific murder of Clare Benson Jowry in Lancaster in 2004. Clare was attacked by Paul Culshaw, a serial offender against women, whose many previous attacks are detailed by the investigating officers, as they build a picture of Culshaw’s propensity for extreme violence. The film includes powerful testimony from surviving victims of both killers, and also includes expert analysis from a renowned criminal psychologist and an eminent forensic scientist, who examine and dissect both killers’ motives and methods. The result is a chilling account of the horrifying crimes of two of Britain’s most ultra-violent sexual predators – both of whom are now serving whole-of-life tariffs and who die behind bars.