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In early 2005, Nottingham was gripped by fear as three women lost their lives in a series of brutal killings that shocked the city.

First was 25-year-old Ellen Frith, whose body was discovered in a derelict flat that had been

set on fire. Just weeks later, 18-year-old Katie Baxter and 26-year-old Zoe Penick were found

dead just days apart in eerily similar circumstances.

Both were victims of unimaginable violence.

In this episode of British Murders with Stuart Blues, I explore one of Nottingham's darkest chapters,

a case that exposed the city's hidden underbelly during its so-called

Shottingham era, and the disturbing ambitions of a man who wanted to become the city's first

serial killer. Before we dive into the story, please hit follow on your podcast player of

choice. It's a zero-cost way to support the show and really

helps it reach more people who are interested in true crime. Five-star ratings and reviews also help

if you're feeling generous. Thank you in advance. To listen to my episodes ad-free, head to

patreon.com forward slash British murders. This story involves several people. In total, there's six key names to keep track of, three being people who lost their lives and three being the ones responsible. I've done my best to keep everything as straightforward as possible because I appreciate the stories like this can easily get a bit

confusing if you're not careful. To really understand what were going on when these murders took

place, we need to look at the East Midlands City of Nottingham as it was back in the early 2000s.

Nottingham lies just over 100 miles northwest of London, and as well as being associated with

both Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest, it's also home to England's oldest surviving in the

Yeald Trip to Jerusalem, which opened in 1189. There's also an underground network of over

800 caves beneath the city, but in more recent times,

especially back in the mid-Norties, the city had a bit of a reputation and not a great one.

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