All of the cases featured in Series 4 of Murdertown stand out for actor and presenter Emilia Fox "because they're all unique in their own way". "They're all appalling crimes", she said after she was filmed visiting different British communities where high-profile murders took place - including Rotherham, Glasgow and on the Lincolnshire coast.
Episode 5: Mablethorpe airs on Sunday (October 9) at 9pm, where the spotlight is thrown back on to Trusthorpe, and a tiny bungalow at Radio St Peters, once the the refuge for former Carlton couple John and Joan Stirland, who were executed on a hot summers day on Sunday, August 8, 2004, by unidentified gunmen.
Emilia, who stars as Dr. Nikki Alexander on BBC crime drama Silent Witness, travelled to the Lincolnshire coast to learn about the violent murders, their links to organised crime in Nottingham, and the investigation into the deaths which led to the downfall of one of Nottinghamshire's most feared underworld figures, Colin Gunn from Bestwood.
READ MORE: New documentary charting seaside killing of John and Joan Stirland linked to Colin Gunn
Gunn was 39 years old when he was convicted alongside John Russell, then 29, and Michael McNee, who was 21, of conspiring to murder the couple, with each man receiving a life sentence set at a minimum term.
The new documentary features Nottinghamshire Live's court reporter and legal affairs correspondent Rebecca Sherdley, who extensively covered the demise of Colin Gunn and his henchmen at their trial, undercover cop Neil Woods, who helped bring down Colin Gunn's drug empire, and former police Inspector Phillip Parkinson, the officer who received a fax that neighbours had seen a prowler in the garden of John and Joan Stirland's bungalow hours before they were shot dead.
The killers, who have never been caught, were in and out of their home within minutes. They drove to a secluded spot and dumped the getaway vehicle, a Volkswagen Passat, and set it on fire.
What happened to the Stirlands, an innocent hard-working couple, began with the pub car park shooting of an innocent man in Bulwell at the hands of Mrs Stirland's son, Michael O'Brien.
As Colin Gunn was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court, Mr Justice Treacy said he had orchestrated the plot (involving the Stirlands). "You were centrally involved in murders of the utmost gravity. You put forward a dishonest and cynical defence showing no remorse.
"It shows you to be a man who would not let anything stand in your way and I am sure you would do it again".
Emilia told Crime + Investigation: " It is a series whose ethos is to tell the victim's stories in a sensitive and respectful manner. It takes into consideration the awful effects these crimes have on the families and friends who are left behind. What drew me to the show is that it is victim-led. It is about their story and about remembering who they were and where they lived".
READ MORE: Colin Gunn interview tapes: His denials, how he was on holiday, and 'grieving'
Murdertown gives a full 360 view of the places where these crimes have happened and gives us a darker insight. Emilia explains why she was drawn to the series: "I've done 18 years of solving fictional crimes on television. So, clearly, I have an interest in the crime genre.
"Through Silent Witness, I got to work with the professionals who work on solving real crimes and that is truly fascinating. So being invited to work on Murdertown gave me another opportunity to get to know the people who are working on these crimes.
"The episode set in Mablethorpe, it's so incongruous"
"What I find shocking is how brutal human beings can be to each other and how senseless the taking of someone else's life can be. So, for instance, the episode set in Mablethorpe, it's so incongruous. Mablethorpe is a small community on this beautiful stretch of the British coastline where a married couple in their 50s are murdered by an organised crime gang".
Did taking part in the series give you a different perspective on crime in the UK?
"It provides an insight into the darker side of Britain for sure. Murdertown makes you realise that crimes are happening in ordinary places in extraordinary ways. We get used to the anonymity of crime in big cities, yet Murdertown focuses on all different sizes of towns and communities. It also highlights the impact crimes can have on those communities long after the media spotlight has moved on.
"Very often, you're seeing these small towns like Mablethorpe or Swanley put on the map because of murders that have happened there. When we went to Mablethorpe, everyone remembers that murder".
READ NEXT:
- The Stirland killings: How a community will never forget the double tragedy
- Former undercover cop opens up on attempt to infiltrate Colin Gunn's empire
- David Gunn on the Stirland killings which jailed brother Colin for 35 years
- When Nottinghamshire's most notorious criminals are due for release from prison
- The killing which led to downfall of an empire...
