00:00:06
NARRATOR: On the 4th of January 2012 in the English market town of Bewdley, Worcestershire, the body
00:00:12
of 77-year-old grandmother Betty Yates was discovered in her isolated cottage along the banks
00:00:19
of the River Seven. Her killer had vanished without a trace. JENNIFER MEIERHANS: The community
00:00:26
felt extremely distraught, devastated, but also very much in fear. You know, the killer was on the loose.
00:00:33
So it was something that people were really frightened about. NARRATOR: Betty's murderer was 47-year-old Stephen Farrow,
00:00:40
a homeless drifter with a penchant for petty crime and a violent disposition. This was not the first time he'd targeted a trusting victim,
00:00:50
nor would it be the last. I don't think it's any coincidence that Farrow
00:00:55
targeted elderly people. Elderly people are one of the most targeted groups by British serial killers.
00:01:02
This was a very deliberate choice of victim. NARRATOR: Fear spread through Bewdley,
00:01:07
but the case remained a mystery. And soon after, Farrow struck again. This time, his victim was a parish vicar.
00:01:16
GEOFFREY WANSELL: The most striking moment of the case is the posing of John Suddards' body.
00:01:23
It's an act of gross depravity. NARRATOR: Driven by selfish greed, he showed no remorse for the crimes he committed.
00:01:32
He ruthlessly beat, stabbed, and killed two elderly victims and left another scarred for life.
00:01:40
This makes Stephen Farrow one of the world's most evil killers. [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:02:08
In January 2012, the unprovoked murder of a beloved retired school teacher Betty Yates
00:02:15
shocked the small English town of Bewdley to its very core. Local journalist, Jennifer Meierhans
00:02:22
followed the shocking case from the very beginning. I vividly remember the-- the phone
00:02:28
call coming into the newsroom. My chief reporter putting the phone down and saying to me,
00:02:34
there's been a murder in Bewdley. Police are calling a press conference. Can you get over there?
00:02:40
NARRATOR: Residents from the small town couldn't believe such a violent attack
00:02:45
had happened on their doorstep. RICHARD PERRIN: She was loved, yes. And that's why the people of Bewdley were-- were so shocked.
00:02:55
I mean, there have been occasional murders in Bewdley, but none as violent as this.
00:03:02
You know, we are only a small community. You can imagine the effect it had on everybody.
00:03:09
NARRATOR: Six weeks later and over 60 miles south in the peaceful market town of Thornbury,
00:03:15
another brutal murder with chilling similarities shocked the entire nation. 59-year-old Reverend John Suddards had been stabbed
00:03:24
to death in his vicarage. The following day we had a vigil where people came all through the evening to light a candle
00:03:31
and to remember John. So the whole town was shocked and disbelieving that this had happened in this place.
00:03:41
Betty Yates and John Suddards were exemplary members of our community. They were decent, honest people, the kind
00:03:50
of people that go out of their way to help people in need. Is it that fact alone that makes this the most awful of cases.
00:04:02
NARRATOR: The prime suspect was a tall imposing outsider, a 47-year-old drifter carrying a large backpack,
00:04:10
a man called Stephen Farrow. The killer's story begins in 1964 on the outskirts
00:04:20
of Shropshire in the Midlands. Stephen Farrow was one of six children born to parents Doreen and Reginald.
00:04:29
The family were deeply religious, and life at home was strict. The relationship that he had with his parents
00:04:36
was quite a contrasting one. So he didn't get along with his father. He was quite a disciplinarian.
00:04:42
He was very strict. His mother, on the other hand, idolized him. So he's got this real inconsistency
00:04:49
in terms of the messages he's been given by his parents. JENNIFER MEIERHANS: Even from a young boy,
00:04:54
he was quite a hyperactive unpredictable child. I think I heard that he was sent home on his first day
00:05:01
at school for disruptive behavior. NARRATOR: During his early school years, Farrow's behavior became more alarming.
00:05:10
JENNIFER MEIERHANS: It became quite apparent that he had a real loathing for the church.
00:05:14
There was an example given that when he was 10, he set fire to a church altar and just sat and watched
00:05:20
it burn to the ground. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: Farrow claimed to have this hatred of the church from a very early age.
00:05:27
And he suggests that that is because he was sexually abused by somebody who was in the church.
00:05:33
So there just seem to be quite a lot of aggression directed at religious institutions.
00:05:40
NARRATOR: During adolescence, Farrow's unruly behavior started coming to the attention of the law.
00:05:47
JENNIFER MEIERHANS: So Farrow's offending started in his teenage years. He was convicted for a burglary.
00:05:52
He was convicted of arson. And later on, he had a jail term for theft and deception.
00:05:59
GEOFFREY WANSELL: Certainly, by the time he got the first proper conviction, that sense of not being like other men or other young men
00:06:08
was firmly established. He couldn't hold down a job really. He lived on the edge of society.
00:06:15
He was always bumping along the bottom. NARRATOR: By the time Farrow reached adulthood,
00:06:22
he was firmly established as a petty thief and a detached loner. In and out of prison, his offending
00:06:29
was beginning to escalate. But it wasn't until 1994 that his criminal pursuits
00:06:35
would become violent. Farrow was doing a four-year stretch in prison for burglary,
00:06:41
deception, and theft when he was allowed out on day release. And he'd previously known a woman called
00:06:47
Stella Crowe, who operated kind of informal premises in Stourbridge. So on his day out of jail, Farrow sought out Stella
00:06:58
and turned up to stay with her. NARRATOR: 78-year-old Stella was not expecting what happened next.
00:07:07
GEOFFREY WANSELL: He knocks on her door and forces his way in. And he produces a knife.
00:07:13
And a really nasty-- a scuffle breaks out. And then, in an absolute explosion of violence,
00:07:22
he starts punching her. And he punches her brutally in the face repeatedly, not only blackening both her eyes,
00:07:30
but also knocking some of her teeth out. It's a brutal, brutal attack, leaving the poor lady
00:07:37
absolutely traumatized. NARRATOR: After the ferocious assault, Farrow headed into the kitchen, leaving
00:07:44
Stella beaten, bloodied, and unconscious on the floor. I think he did deliberately choose this place.
00:07:51
It was somewhere he knew. It was somewhere he was familiar with. He knew exactly where the jar of money
00:07:56
was that she kept downstairs. And I think he fully intended to steal from Stella on the day
00:08:03
that he went there. NARRATOR: Farrow searched the cupboards, and made off with just 24 pounds.
00:08:09
It didn't take long for police to track Farrow down. But the challenge would be arresting him.
00:08:15
Like a cornered animal, he bit one of the officers. Farrow's attack on Stella Crowe
00:08:21
was really the first long jail term he got. He got eight years for aggravated burglary.
00:08:28
And until then, his crimes had been more lower level, certainly not as violent. So this was the first time in his conviction history
00:08:36
that he's gone down for a violent attack. NARRATOR: Having convinced the authorities that he was
00:08:43
a reformed character, Farrow was released from prison early in 2000. He then disappeared without a trace.
00:08:51
GEOFFREY WANSELL: He became, I suppose you'd call it, now a vagrant, really,
00:08:56
certainly a rough sleeper. He was quite fond of building camps in the countryside,
00:09:04
sustaining himself by thieving, you know, bits and pieces from shops, little bits of money here and there, little bits of burglary.
00:09:12
Then he would fish. He was a keen fisherman, which had developed throughout his life.
00:09:16
He would cook the fish he caught to sustain himself. It wasn't a life that many people would recognize.
00:09:24
It was completely dissociated from society as a whole. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: I think the choice
00:09:31
to live his life in this quite transient way is a very conscious one for Farrow.
00:09:36
I don't think he relates very well to other people at all. So I think during the time that he's on the road,
00:09:42
he's ruminating, he's-- he's fantasizing, he's-- he's starting to have these thoughts that would
00:09:48
eventually become actions. NARRATOR: During this time, Farrow surfaced in the small town of Bridport, Dorset.
00:09:56
One man who saw the violent nature of this insular drifter firsthand was local vicar, Andrew Evans.
00:10:04
ANDREW EVANS: The first time that I-- I met Stephen Farrow was on the door with--
00:10:08
with another one of the homeless people, whom I knew well. And he introduced himself as a project worker.
00:10:15
And what that meant for me was that he was somebody who was employed. He was somebody with a degree of authority.
00:10:20
He was somebody who was already working with this other person. So I accepted him on those terms as somebody
00:10:27
who perhaps worked for social services or for another charity, and so on. Of course, it actually turned out to be
00:10:32
that none of that was true. NARRATOR: During his time on the road, Farrow often used a local church communities across the country
00:10:40
to gain access to food, shelter, and money. GEOFFREY WANSELL: He would beg, for example, the hard up--
00:10:47
he might turn up at a vicarage door asking for money. He might go to a church coffee morning
00:10:56
for the coffee and a sandwich. There was a time when he was looking perhaps, to settle in the area.
00:11:03
He'd been around for several months, which is quite a long time for him. And he was looking for a flat, or he-- at least
00:11:08
he said he was looking for a flat and he needed a deposit or money towards the deposit.
00:11:15
And that was one time when he-- he really did put quite a lot of pressure on me to give him money.
00:11:20
And I could sense that he was becoming more and more angry, more and more frustrated.
00:11:25
And I said, well, no, no. The answer's no. That's not what-- we don't do it.
00:11:28
That's it. But that was one time when I could really say that I'd felt concerned for my own safety,
00:11:36
because he had become very frustrated. NARRATOR: After his tense encounter with Reverend Andrew Evans, Farrow
00:11:44
disappeared without a trace. However, it would not be long until his violent temper
00:11:50
and selfish desires surfaced once more. On the 22nd of December 2011, the 47-year-old drifter
00:11:59
arrived in Thornbury. Here, he broke into a small cottage on the outskirts of the town.
00:12:06
Vine cottage was empty because the owners were away. Now, Farrow broke in. And he absolutely ransacked the place.
00:12:13
He-- he turned out the draws. And whilst he was at the house, he helped himself to food and drink,
00:12:19
which he left partially consumed in the kitchen. GEOFFREY WANSELL: He's like a man possessed.
00:12:26
He steals a watch. He steals a radio, [INAUDIBLE] rather a nice radio, which he puts in his backpack and keeps there.
00:12:36
But more worryingly, more frighteningly, he doesn't stop there. This time, he leaves the occupants a message.
00:12:46
NARRATOR: Pinned to the kitchen table with two carving knives was a chilling message for the owners of Vine cottage.
00:12:58
In terms of Farrow's intentions when it came to Vine cottage, I think this is a man who literally follows his own wants and needs
00:13:05
at any given point in time. So I think at this time, he probably needed money. He was probably hungry.
00:13:11
He was probably thirsty. And those immediate needs that he was fulfilling. But then, I think when he's there,
00:13:18
he realizes he's got this chance to frighten people at the same time. And this is why he leaves this really menacing note.
00:13:25
NARRATOR: Little did the residents of Thornbury know, this sinister message would be an omen of things to come.
00:13:32
Farrow's hatred for the church would lead him onto even more despicable deeds.
00:13:38
Stephen Farrow's attitude to the church in-- in my experience-- it was slightly-- he--
00:13:43
he spoke about the Church and Christian folk that he didn't particularly like it.
00:13:49
He didn't like it as an institution. He saw Christians as hypocrites, I think.
00:13:54
And that made him angry. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: Farrow is somebody who claims to hate Christianity.
00:13:59
But spent an awful lot of time around the church. And I think because some of those Christian values,
00:14:06
the kindness, the openness to strangers are things that Farrow knew that he could prey on,
00:14:11
they provided access and opportunity for him to get to these victims. So he completely exploited this.
00:14:20
NARRATOR: Approximately 10 days after the burglary at Vine cottage, 47-year-old Farrow arrived
00:14:27
in Bewdley on the banks of the River Seven, 60 miles north of Thornbury. JENNIFER MEIERHANS: Bewdley was a really lovely quiet patch.
00:14:37
And I'd mostly be reporting there on Bewdley Festival. They've got a huge arts and culture scene there,
00:14:43
or you know, Bewdley duck race or something-- mostly positive news was-- was coming from there.
00:14:49
NARRATOR: One of the town's most affable residents was Betty Yates, a sprightly 77-year-old widow
00:14:56
with an active social life. Betty's friend from the town, Richard Perrin remembered her outgoing personality.
00:15:04
RICHARD PERRIN: I knew Betty really quite well for something like over 20 years.
00:15:09
And the reason for that was that she was a member of Bewdley Civic Society. She was very gregarious.
00:15:15
She talks a lot, but she talks a lot of sense. And she was generous. And therefore, people liked her.
00:15:24
And she was very popular in the community. JENNIFER MEIERHANS: She was so involved
00:15:30
in so many different aspects of the local community. She used to go to a walking group.
00:15:35
She hosted a book club in her cottage once a month. People told me that they would be there,
00:15:41
all around her table with cups of tea and coffee and huge piles of biscuits. She was a retired schoolteacher, so generations of people
00:15:49
knew her and loved her. NARRATOR: At 2:30 PM on the 2nd of January 2012, Stephen Farrow spotted Betty's secluded cottage
00:16:01
nestled in the trees along the riverbank, far from prying eyes. The 47-year-old drifter scooped out his target,
00:16:10
and then forced his way into Betty's home. No sooner is he inside the house than he
00:16:16
grabs a walking stick and assaults Betty Yates brutally with it. In an act of the most barbaric savagery, he poses her almost.
00:16:29
He puts her head on a cushion and then proceeds with a knife to stab her in the neck.
00:16:39
It's a horrifying thought that he was determined, unlike Stella Crowe all those years
00:16:45
before, that he wasn't going to leave someone alive who can identify him. NARRATOR: As Betty lay lifeless on the hall floor,
00:16:53
Farrow was in no rush to leave the scene of the crime. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: After the murder,
00:16:58
Farrow spends some time tidying up. And he puts the blinds down. And he locks the house.
00:17:04
And so I think he's trying to postpone the time that Betty will be discovered.
00:17:11
He just disappears like a ghost. This is not a man who is in a panic of any kind at all.
00:17:18
He's a man who is remorseless, calculated, and sadistic. NARRATOR: Two days later on the 4th of January 2012,
00:17:34
a worried friend called in at the cottage when Betty didn't arrive at her walking group.
00:17:41
The devastating truth behind Betty's absence was about to be revealed. Betty was found at the bottom of the stairs.
00:17:49
She'd been beaten with our own walking stick so hard that the stick had actually splintered.
00:17:55
Her head had been arranged on a pillow. And she'd been stabbed in the neck. When police found her, the knife was
00:18:01
still sticking out of her neck. NARRATOR: The sleepy town of Bewdley suddenly found itself at the center
00:18:09
of a murder investigation. RICHARD PERRIN: Well, it was exceptional to us around here, because it was not something we come across very
00:18:18
often in-- in Bewdley. We're a pretty close community, a friendly community.
00:18:25
And this thing doesn't happen. So we were shocked. Why on Earth would anyone want to murder Betty Yates?
00:18:35
OK, she lived in an isolated spot. But that was no reason for-- for this to happen.
00:18:43
It was-- it was shocking. NARRATOR: The forensics team underwent a lengthy investigation of the crime scene.
00:18:52
Betty had been stabbed four times, one of which severed her jugular vein. Investigators also made a surprising discovery
00:19:01
when they examined the cushion underneath Betty's head. The fact there's no blood beneath the cushion
00:19:07
is a very unusual finding. If you're putting a cushion under somebody's head
00:19:14
to look after them or comfort them, you'd expect blood on the floor. It implies that her head is on the cushion
00:19:23
when the stab wounds are inflicted to her neck. It's a very bizarre sequence of events.
00:19:31
ELIZABETH YARDLEY: This isn't some act of empathy or anything like that. It is something that is serving his immediate needs.
00:19:38
So it could be that he gets irritated by the sound of her head hitting the floor.
00:19:43
It might be that this absorbs some of the sounds. So this is all about him. This is not about his victim.
00:19:51
NARRATOR: Jennifer Meierhans was one of the first local journalists to hear about the murder.
00:19:57
It was quite dark. And we just gathered outside a police station. And the policeman told us the very little
00:20:03
information that they had. That there'd been a murder. An older woman had been killed in a remote Riverside cottage.
00:20:11
And that was really all we had to go on at the time. NARRATOR: Dozens of police and forensics investigators
00:20:17
descended upon the small community looking for potential leads. JENNIFER MEIERHANS: Betty Yates' murder
00:20:23
was a huge case for the area. So there were 50 officers working on it. So you'd see search teams in the areas around the house
00:20:33
and also in the town, speaking to people. And Crime Stoppers actually offered a very rare reward
00:20:40
of 10,000 pounds for anyone that had any information that helped them catch Betty's killer.
00:20:46
NARRATOR: But the killer had disappeared without a trace. Local police launched a community appeal to help
00:20:53
identify this violent murderer. The police had invited press to come as part of their appeal
00:21:00
and to see the location, so it might help people jog their memory. And I remember walking around the house and it feeling--
00:21:11
really not feeling right to be able to see into this-- this lovely home. You could see through the conservatory there
00:21:19
was still fruit in the bowl. And this was someone's idyllic-- their solace, their home.
00:21:26
And-- and it didn't feel right that that happened there. NARRATOR: As details of the murders
00:21:32
started to filter through the town, fear that the killer could strike again caused dread amongst the locals.
00:21:40
RICHARD PERRIN: This murderer could still be amongst us all. The police didn't seem to have any-- any leads.
00:21:49
There was a very big concerted effort by the police. You could see that by the number of police officers
00:21:56
around the place. And you know, naturally, people were worried that-- that might be somebody still around Bewdley.
00:22:07
JENNIFER MEIERHANS: I think because Betty was so well known in the community, her death and the horrific manner of it
00:22:13
touched a lot of lives. As the local paper, each week we were following the latest leads.
00:22:21
And there were things like the idea that it could have been a burglary gone wrong,
00:22:25
the idea that it could have been someone Betty knew. There was an appeal for a gray Audi,
00:22:30
a man wearing a red hoodie. And there were all these different lines that never really got anywhere.
00:22:38
NARRATOR: Tensions mounted in Bewdley as the weeks led by and the police came no closer to catching Betty's killer.
00:22:45
47-year-old Stephen Farrow was hiding in the British countryside avoiding the authorities.
00:22:53
Here is a man who's existing beyond society, beyond the law, under the law, under the radar.
00:23:01
It's as if he just disappears into the undergrowth. Commits a crime, disappears.
00:23:07
It's that extraordinary ability to hide that makes it so remarkable for me. NARRATOR: But as the English weather continued
00:23:16
to deteriorate, Farrow made the decision to visit one of his regular haunts. Once again, he arrived at the door
00:23:23
of Reverend Andrew Evans in Bridport on the South Coast of England. ANDREW EVANS: It was a surprise.
00:23:30
It was dark. It was pouring with rain. He was all covered up. With him, I was always--
00:23:37
always very friendly, always very respectful, as I try to be with all of them. But also, very-- always very cautious.
00:23:45
And I felt cautious that night. Steve Farrow had said that he-- he had actually been in Gloucestershire.
00:23:51
Then I think he said that he was heading towards Kent, where I'm not sure if he had a family member or sister or friend
00:23:58
or something. Which, again, is an unusual detail for him. It was quite evident that he wasn't right, even for him.
00:24:06
I suspect he had probably spiraled out of control. One of the reflections for me was that you know, he--
00:24:15
I'm glad he walked away that night. Because he said to me, you don't know me.
00:24:19
You don't really know me. You don't know what I'm capable of. NARRATOR: As Reverend Evans reflected on his narrow escape,
00:24:28
Farrow traveled north. And on the 13th of February 2012, he arrived in Thornbury, the location of his burglary
00:24:37
at Vine cottage six weeks before. Bruce Goodwin was the curate at Thornbury parish church, alongside the vicar
00:24:46
there, 59-year-old Reverend John Suddards. BRUCE GOODWIN: John was a really nice man.
00:24:53
He's in the model of an old fashioned priest. He took Jesus's word to love your neighbor
00:25:00
as yourself to heart. And he had a real heart for the poor and needy, those on the margins.
00:25:07
And perhaps as a single man, he was able to give more time and energy to those things
00:25:12
within the church. NARRATOR: Charitable and gentle, Reverend Suddards had arrived six months earlier to bring
00:25:19
his community-focused ministry to the local area. Back in November 2011, he appeared on the local radio.
00:25:32
DANIEL WAY (ON RADIO): This is Gloss FM, and you're listening to Daniel Way with Nick
00:25:37
Thornley and Daphne Ashton. DAPHNE ASHTON (ON RADIO): How do you feel about the Church
00:25:42
staying open, John? JOHN SUDDARDS (ON RADIO): I think it's very important. We want the church to be there for anyone who needs.
00:25:49
And we try to make sure that it's open during daylight hours. But the church has been there for the people of Thornbury
00:25:56
for hundreds of years. BRUCE GOODWIN: One of the things that he chose to do as a single man in a fairly sizable vicarage
00:26:03
was to allow those who were perhaps passing through, or needed a place to sleep to lodge on his porch.
00:26:11
JOHN SUDDARDS (ON RADIO): And we do have to take risks. But we believe that they're the risks
00:26:15
that we're called upon to take. BRUCE GOODWIN: He had that kind of open-door policy.
00:26:20
And he often left his light on so that those passing could see that he was there.
00:26:27
NARRATOR: At approximately 5:00 PM, Farrow appeared on the reverend's doorstep.
00:26:33
The unsuspecting vicar opened the door as he always did. GEOFFREY WANSELL: Suddards is attacked almost
00:26:40
immediately he opens the door. He's stabbed repeatedly, at least three in the neck and the abdomen and one specifically,
00:26:50
in the chest, which actually punctures his heart. NARRATOR: The 59-year-old vicar was taken completely
00:26:58
unawares by the violent Farrow. GEOFFREY WANSELL: He's talked in the past about sometimes
00:27:03
the dangers of being in a vicarage and having to answer the door to strangers. I doubt he could ever have thought that he
00:27:13
would actually lose his life to someone who knocked on his door. NARRATOR: During the attack, the vicar tried to defend himself,
00:27:23
sustaining cuts to his hands and arms. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: Whilst Farrow was killing John,
00:27:29
he told him to hurry up and die. And this is incredibly revealing about Farrow. He's irritated by him.
00:27:36
This is taking longer than he expected. He's probably quite tired at this point in time.
00:27:41
So this shows us how selfish this individual is. NARRATOR: As the reverend lay lifeless
00:27:48
in the vicarage hallway, the remorseless Farrow made himself at home and settled down for the night.
00:27:56
JENNIFER MEIERHANS: When this picture of how the reverend had died and-- and what had happened afterwards with Farrow staying
00:28:02
at his house the whole evening with his body and drinking his beer and watching his DVDs,
00:28:09
it really feels very chilling that someone could do that. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: This would appear
00:28:15
to be quite high-risk behavior for somebody who's just carried out a murder.
00:28:19
But the thing you need to remember about Farrow is he only cares about himself. NARRATOR: By 6:00 AM the next morning, Farrow had locked up
00:28:27
and left the vicarage. He boarded a local bus and disappeared once again. Farrow's in the wind.
00:28:34
He's absolutely under the radar again. He's hiding, as he's always hidden, beneath the radar
00:28:41
in the undergrowth. NARRATOR: Later that morning, two workmen arrive to do some renovation work on the vicarage.
00:28:49
When they entered the property, they were confronted with a horrifying sight. JENNIFER MEIERHANS: The way that John Suddards was-- was found,
00:28:57
there were various items scattered around his body, things like a Bible, picture of Jesus, a calendar.
00:29:05
And there had been party poppers let off over his body. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: Farrow created
00:29:12
an incredibly dramatic scene, which was designed for an audience. He had a mirror.
00:29:18
He put condoms around the body, erotic DVDs, men's magazines. And he's creating this scene to kind
00:29:26
of display his own handiwork and also humiliate his victim. It's not enough that he's killed John.
00:29:33
He wants to demean him. He wants other people to think badly of him. NARRATOR: Shortly after the discovery,
00:29:41
Bruce Goodwin received a distressing telephone call. BRUCE GOODWIN: The church secretary who'd started work
00:29:48
called me and said, you need to come to the vicarage now. And I said, why? She said, John's dead.
00:29:55
And I was completely shocked. And jumped in the car, drove quickly down to the church.
00:30:03
I couldn't believe that he died. I never expected to hear the news that I heard.
00:30:08
NARRATOR: Police immediately got to work sealing off the area. BRUCE GOODWIN: So at the time, the police
00:30:16
designated both the vicarage and the church a crime scene. So the workmen, the secretary, the chap who'd
00:30:23
let the workmen in, and myself were all taken to the church and kept there. And we were then told this was a investigation.
00:30:32
It was very important we didn't leave the area. NARRATOR: Farrow's depraved acts also
00:30:38
extended beyond humiliating the innocent vicar's body. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: Police found "help"
00:30:44
written in blue ink behind a painting at the crime scene. And Farrow wrote this, because I think,
00:30:50
he's essentially trying to create a bit of a mental instability narrative around this murder.
00:30:56
He's perhaps trying to appear to be unstable and insane. NARRATOR: As Farrow traveled south back to Thornbury,
00:31:04
local police were hot on his trail. Unlike Betty's isolated cottage, John's vicarage
00:31:11
was just outside the hustle and bustle of Thornbury town. Using CCTV, police tracked Farrow's movements
00:31:19
as he walked up Castle Street towards the vicarage on the evening of the murder.
00:31:24
They then located him on Castle Street once again on the morning after the murder.
00:31:30
So police managed to pick up Farrow on CCTV after he'd left the vicar's home.
00:31:36
And he then was on a journey to Kent. GEOFFREY WANSELL: But now, you've got the Crime Watch appeal for Betty Yeats's killer.
00:31:45
And you've got a sustained appeal from the police in Thornbury for the killing of John Suddards.
00:31:53
And this time, they've got some advantages, in particular, CCTV. They now have screengrab of the man they're looking for.
00:32:05
NARRATOR: The image was quickly circulated amongst national news outlets, with an appeal for information
00:32:11
from the public. GEOFFREY WANSELL: A number of people describe, in the Betty Yates case,
00:32:18
seeing this tall man with a backpack passing. And we now have of course, in Suddards' case,
00:32:26
a tall man with a backpack getting onto a bus in the CCTV images. NARRATOR: Farrow was a wanted man.
00:32:34
On the run from the police, he started making his way across the country. GEOFFREY WANSELL: He hasn't realized that his face
00:32:43
is now appeared on television. A lot of people are beginning to recognize. And now, two police forces are collaborating.
00:32:55
NARRATOR: On the 19th of February 2012, Farrow knocked on the door of an old friend's house.
00:33:02
GEOFFREY WANSELL: When he gets to Folkestone, the friend, who's just seen the television appeal,
00:33:09
apparently welcomes him. But at the same time, disappears and calls the police. REPORTER: This is the house in Folkestone where Kent police
00:33:18
arrested Stephen Farrow early this morning, following a tip off from the public.
00:33:24
GEOFFREY WANSELL: At first, Farrow denies everything. But gradually, as it becomes clear
00:33:31
that there is an overwhelming amount of evidence against him, he begins to accept that he's not going
00:33:40
to be able to simply deny it. NARRATOR: Shortly after his arrest, Avon and Somerset police announced
00:33:48
47-year-old Stephen Farrow was the prime suspect in both murders. We got that news I think, on the Sunday morning.
00:33:57
And we were I think, quite relieved. And it was interesting, because I was half term.
00:34:03
So I actually went into the school, which is very near to the church and vicarage, and did an assembly
00:34:09
and talked to many of the parents afterwards. And there was a relief that they'd-- they'd apprehended
00:34:14
the person who was responsible. NARRATOR: The vicious killer had been caught at last.
00:34:20
However, Farrow wasn't going to go down without a fight. And his controlling behavior was going to extend
00:34:27
into the trial itself. Oliver Saxby QC was the barrister tasked with defending him.
00:34:34
Stephen Farrow didn't run consistent defenses. He said as far as Betty Yates was concerned, it wasn't me.
00:34:42
Somebody else did it. There is a killer out there. As far as the Reverend Suddards is concerned,
00:34:47
he said, well, that was me. But it was diminished responsibility. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: I think that Farrow
00:34:54
confessed to John's murder because the evidence was so overwhelming. And when it was presented to him,
00:35:00
he realized that the game was up. But I think he still felt quite confident that his cover story for Betty's murder would still stack up.
00:35:09
He-- he really did think that he'd gotten away with that one. NARRATOR: Farrow's defense team were
00:35:14
attempting to secure a reduced sentence for their client. OLIVER SAXBY: Diminished responsibility
00:35:20
reduces what would otherwise be murder to manslaughter. It is what it says on the tin.
00:35:27
It's the law recognizing that people can do terrible things, but their responsibility for what they've done
00:35:32
can be the less, because of their mental disorder or mental illness. NARRATOR: But the evidence against Farrow was undeniable.
00:35:43
JENNIFER MEIERHANS: When police had arrested Farrow for the two murders, they then had to get the evidence
00:35:48
together to prove it. So I understand they found a footprint on an exercise mat at Betty's house, which they were able to match
00:35:56
to a pair of boots that Farrow was wearing when he was arrested. They later were able to get a full DNA
00:36:04
profile of Betty and Farrow from the back of her hand. There was something like a billion
00:36:10
in one chance of it being from someone else other than physical contact between Farrow and Betty Yates.
00:36:18
One of the key principles of forensic science is that every contact leaves a trace.
00:36:23
So offenders always take something to the scene of the crime with them that they leave there.
00:36:28
And they always take something away. And that was very much the case here. So Betty's body was--
00:36:34
was covered in his DNA, her hands, her ear, some of the items relating to her murder.
00:36:42
And it was a similar case with John's killing as well. So even though Farrow had made attempts
00:36:48
to-- to clean up, particularly at Betty's murder, there was no way that that evidence
00:36:53
was going to be erased. STUART HAMILTON: In this case, Farrow has picked on two older victims.
00:37:02
He has stabbed them and stabbed them in slightly unusual places. So the head and neck are not as common a target
00:37:14
as the chest and abdomen. So we're starting to build a picture of similar events,
00:37:22
similar mechanisms of assault. And that will start to produce links between those two crimes,
00:37:32
simply from the way that somebody committed them. GEOFFREY WANSELL: In the end, it is the DNA
00:37:37
evidence that is conclusive. And Farrow can wriggle as much as he wants. But the DNA doesn't lie.
00:37:49
NARRATOR: The trial began on the 4th of October 2012 at Bristol Crown Court. OLIVER SAXBY: In order for diminished responsibility
00:37:58
to become a defense, the jury has to be satisfied, not only that there was some problem with mental functioning,
00:38:04
some mental disorder or mental illness, but also that it played a part in what happened.
00:38:11
JENNIFER MEIERHANS: Various psychiatric reports were run on Farrow. And they were read out to the jury.
00:38:17
And psychiatrists found that, yes, he-- he was a psychopath. But he did know the difference between right and wrong
00:38:25
and that he knew what he was doing. GEOFFREY WANSELL: The personality disorder that's associated with Farrow is psychopathic personality
00:38:33
disorder. So this is about having a lack of empathy, a lack of guilt, a lack of remorse, essentially not feeling
00:38:39
bad when you hurt other people. He knew that he was harming these people. He knew that it was wrong.
00:38:45
And as a result, he was culpable for these crimes. NARRATOR: After his initial hearing,
00:38:52
Farrow refused to attend the trial. Instead, his interactions with the court were conducted by video link.
00:39:01
OLIVER SAXBY: At one point, the jury passed a note asking whether they were going to hear from him-- hear his account of things.
00:39:08
They used his first name. They said something like, are we going to hear from Steve,
00:39:12
I think. But he didn't give evidence. He didn't want to give evidence. He was quite happy for the case to carry on in his absence.
00:39:18
We explained to him that it may count against him in the minds of the jury. Although, having said that the judge was good enough,
00:39:26
I think quite right too, to warn the jury against jumping to any conclusions about his non-attendance.
00:39:33
I mean, goodness, they heard an awful lot about him and his background. And I suppose the fact he didn't turn up to court
00:39:40
was the very least of his problems. I think he just was quite happy where he was, frankly.
00:39:44
JENNIFER MEIERHANS: For me, I was reporting almost in isolation, Betty's case.
00:39:50
So during the court case for all the other violent episodes of his past to come forward and to hear about what happened
00:39:59
to John Suddards, it really you know, paints a picture of a very violent and dangerous
00:40:05
psychopath. NARRATOR: On the 2nd of November 2012, all 12 jury members found Stephen Farrow guilty
00:40:14
of the murder of John Suddards. He was also convicted of the murder of Betty Yates
00:40:20
by a majority of 11. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: This was not a fit of rage. He didn't just kind of kill these people
00:40:27
in some delusional episode and then come to afterwards. Because he was so methodical, he was so strategic in cleaning
00:40:34
up and getting away afterwards. GEOFFREY WANSELL: It is truly dreadful. And Farrow's lack of remorse, underlining, as if we needed
00:40:43
to be underlined, his callousness, his brutality, his lack of empathy-- there could be no clearer indication
00:40:52
that the jury did not believe a word of this diminished responsibility defense. NARRATOR: On the same day, Judge Mr. Justice
00:41:04
Field passed a whole life sentence for these ferocious crimes. Farrow would remain behind bars for the rest of his life.
00:41:15
There are some people who have committed crimes that are so heinous that we can never justify
00:41:20
releasing them into society. I think it's wholly appropriate sentence. GEOFFREY WANSELL: These were, in the words of the judge
00:41:27
who sentenced him to a whole life term of imprisonment, one of broadly only 60 or so prisoners in the British system
00:41:36
given whole like terms-- called him a sadist. Called it an absolutely sadistic killing.
00:41:45
That's precisely what they both were, utterly sadistic. The crimes of a man who wanted no more than the pleasure
00:41:52
of taking another life. NARRATOR: Throughout the trial, Betty Yates's family remained
00:41:58
dignified in their grief. Her daughter gave a brief statement when Farrow was finally put behind bars.
00:42:06
It is important that our mom does not become defined by the brutality of her death, but is celebrated
00:42:12
for the 77 years of her life. She will be remembered by her family, friends, colleagues,
00:42:19
and pupils as a woman who was kind, determined, and above all, good fun. JENNIFER MEIERHANS: The murders had a tremendous effect
00:42:28
on the community. Certainly in Bewdley where I was, the loss of Betty was really keenly felt. So the communities
00:42:37
were both absolutely devastated, really shocked, and very frightened by what happened.
00:42:43
BRUCE GOODWIN: It's very sad. But it's one of those things that you know,
00:42:48
has affected many people's lives in-- in Thornbury. Fortunately, the Christian hope is that beyond the grave,
00:42:56
you know, John is safe in the arms of God. And so we have that reassurance. ELIZABETH YARDLEY: I think what's
00:43:02
exceptional about this case is nothing to do with Farrow at all. It's actually his victims.
00:43:08
They were vibrant. They were very community spirited. They were good people. And I think they're the ones that we need to remember.
00:43:16
NARRATOR: He was a remorseless and selfish drifter, whose sense of entitlement drove him to brutal acts of violence.
00:43:24
Two of his victims were subjected to cruel and ferocious attacks that ultimately claimed their lives.
00:43:32
That labels Stephen Farrow forever as one of the world's most evil killers. [MUSIC PLAYING]