True Crime With Caledonian Kitty : December 2021

My 10 Most Popular True Crime Posts of 2021 | True Crime With Caledonian Kitty

So as we approach the end of the year I decided to look back at all of the cases I have covered this year and make a note of which ones got the highest of views. This year my blog has been popping and it's been amazing and thank you to all who continue to read my posts. You might see some posts that I have previously written way back in 2020 or 2019 included and the reason those are included is because they are still going crazy with the views. I have an amazing number of regular readers but new people come onto my blog every day and I've been loving it.

I've also been enjoying the messages on social media and the emails I've been receiving from you. I appreciate it all. Of course I have had some interesting emails too from relatives of victims, murderers family and even cult followings of some of the offenders I have written about. Some even going so far as to pose as the offender but that's a long story and one I don't plan on sharing just in case they are reading this lol.

Are you excited about 2022? I always approach a New Year with an open mind because who know's what will happen and with all that is going on with Covid you just never know what the situation is going to be.

In regards to my blog, I have had a successful year this year and I'm very proud and will continue to bring you more content in 2022. I hope you continue to find my work interesting and informative.

If you would like to buy me a Christmas coffee or New Year drink to help support my blog, you can do so here thank you x

You can find me on all of my socials here

So let's take a trip down memory lane and see which posts made the top 10 of most popular true crime posts by yours truly....

1) The Husband From Hell - Mitchell Quy

Mitchell was a sadistic psychopath and tried to control his young wife. When she suddenly vanished he claimed that she had simply walked out on him and their children. He took part in numerous interviews and played the part of the father and husband done wrong. The truth was far more dark, more sickening than anyone could imagine.

This post was very popular this year (and one that has been copied from my blog and onto other blogs or YouTube channels quite a few times lol)

2) The Sarah Everard Story

This was a gut wrenching case which stirred up both heartbreak and anger. We all hoped and prayed that Sarah would return home safe but sadly it wasn't to be. I wrote about the case in the beginning as a way to help spread awareness that she was missing. As the days rolled on and more of the truth was revealed, it was just too much to bare. To learn of the true details of her final moments on this earth and to learn that her horrific end was all down to a twisted and sick monster who was a police officer just sent shockwaves through the UK (especially to women everywhere).

3) The Panty Thief Killer: Russell Williams

He was the nice guy that everybody respected, a true professional at his job and had rubbed shoulders with members of the Royal family and the elite in Canada. He was a happily married man who had many friends so it was a deep shock when Russell Williams was exposed for the pervert, rapist and cold blooded killer that he really was.

4) My Pictures Were Stolen And Put On A Porn Website

I wrote about my personal experience with having my pictures stolen and used to create fake accounts. This was terrifying at first and I managed to get this situation sorted out but you know what? I've had another handful of these accounts pop up again using my pictures. I have one that is live right now on Instagram and as much as myself and my followers have reported it, IT'S STILL THERE, so thanks a lot Instagram! It's obvious the account is not really me but if people want to be stupid and pay money to a catfish there's nothing I can do about it, I have informed people that it is fake and my official links are here

I still get regular emails about this post asking for help from girls who have had the same thing happen to them.

5) Death of A Heavy Metal Legend: The Shocking Murder of Dimebag Darrell

A heartbreaking loss to the music industry and to the world in general. Dimebag was a big teddy bear and to this day his loss is felt. I delved into what really happened to him and the other people involved as well as the murderer in this post. I have had many emails from devoted fans of his who actually met him or were present at the scene.

6) The Horrible Truth About Actor Eric Cullen

Quite a few people were shocked by this post, people who had grown up watching shows which Eric featured in had no idea of what happened.

7) The Secret Life of Claudia Lawrence: What Really Happened?

To this day the Claudia Lawrence case remains a mystery. Recently a search was underway in York but the police have said nothing further so everything remains up in the air with this case. In this post I talk about the facts of the case which some may feel uncomfortable with especially the fact that Claudia had links to several married men. It's important to include that factor when talking about a possible motive for why someone would kill her. Was it a married man who she threatened to expose? or an angry wife who found out about the affair? Who Knows? Check out the post if you haven't already done so and see what you think.

8) The Gruesome Story of Glyn Dix

I remember how shocked some of my readers were about this case, it was very insane and very sickening. If you haven't read about it, I will leave you to check it out yourself.

9) Hidden In Plain Sight: Darren Vickers

Horrendous case which stirred up anger and still does to this day. This monster was a bus driver who abducted a little boy and did some horrendous things (I go into the sickening details in my post). The little boy was reported missing and he had the nerve to contact the family and play Mr nice guy pretending to help knowing fine well what he had done.

10) The Beauty Queen Killer: Christopher Bernard Wilder

Here we have the serial killer Christopher Bernard Wilder who would target young beautiful women. He is one of those serial killers who isn't spoken about much but is every bit as sadistic as the monsters we see constantly glamourised (cough 'Ted Bundy' cough) in movies and TV series.

Well there you have it, my 10 most popular posts in 2021, I hope you do check them out if you get the chance.

If you have enjoyed my posts in 2021, please consider making a Donation to help keep my blog and regular content going into 2022.

I am now taking a little break over the Christmas period but I will be back with more true crime content in January 2022 so stay tuned.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year x

They Don't Deserve To Have Children: Parents Who Kill | True Crime With Caledonian Kitty

(Little angels who never stood a chance. Star Hobson and Arthur Labinjo Hughes. Picture credits: BBC News & Telegraph & Argus)

Look at those two cuties, anybody in their right mind would be so proud to have such beautiful little angels for a son or a daughter. These pictures say so much to me about these children, they both had a zest for life, a tremendous light inside of them that shone bright, so bright that when you looked at a picture of them you could not help but feel warmth and an over protective feeling towards them.

For those of us who have looked into the horrific stories of Star Hobson and Arthur Labinjo Hughes, we now know that behind those beautiful little smiles was a frightened child just trying to survive,

It stirs in us a mixture of heartbreak and anger. Both of these little darlings are deceased, those beautiful smiles are no more and who's to blame for that? the pieces of filth that these poor angels had for parents.

There's people in this world who don't deserve to be parents, who don't deserve to have the title and role of Mother and Father and in this case I look to the parents of Arthur and Star and I think to myself that these poor babies never stood a chance.

Arthur's mother was put in prison so he was left in the care of his father and stepmother. Instead of appreciating how bright this little boy was and giving him all the love and affection he deserved, they starved him, tortured him and force-fed him salt. Arthur repeatedly told other adults, especially at school, what was happening to him and he even admitted to being scared that his father might kill him one day. Despite these shocking revelations, the people who were supposed to be helping him, the very people who had the power to help him, did absolutely nothing. Apparently his grandmother and some other relatives tried to intervene but were told to stay away and when they were said to have raised the matter with authorities, it fell on deaf ears.

(Arthur Labinjo Hughes. Picture credit: BBC News)

Arthur managed to survive to 6 years old through a life of absolute misery and hell. He believed that nobody loved him which anyone could understand, here was this child who was being put through hell on a daily basis and when he tried to ask for help nobody does anything. It's no wonder he felt so alone and it's utterly devastating.

His biological mother may have been behind bars when everything happened but she was an utter disgrace as a parent and in my opinion is partly responsible. As a mother bringing a child into the world she had a duty to protect him, to love him and keep him safe.

I look at the father and stepmother of Arthur and the two of them make me sick. That boy was too good for the pair of them, they were scum, trash. Arthur was a bright light who was a little character, quick witted and you could just tell that he was going to go places when he got older, he had a great love of football too.

(Cold hearted murderers. Emma Tustin & Thomas Hughes. Picture credit: West Midlands Police)

His father Thomas Hughes (29) and Stepmother Emma Tustin (32) were both sentenced at the beginning of December 2021 and the sentences sparked a public outcry and deemed too lenient. She got 29 years and he got 21 years for manslaughter.

Since Emma has been behind bars it has been reported that she has been subjected to bullying by fellow inmates. Her food and drinks are over filled with salt. One of the prisoners claimed that they had done this in revenge for what she had done to Arthur.

It has also been reported that Emma has been moved into isolation for her own protection, can you believe that?

The UK public and beyond has taken Arthur into their hearts and many tributes have been paid to him including by his favourite football team. What this beautiful little boy endured is unimaginable, tougher sentences need to be given and to the people who turned a blind eye in authority, they need to be fired. At the end of the day, Arthur would still be here if someone stepped in properly and did something.

I think about Dave Pelzer, who wrote the world famous book 'A Child Called It',he endured a horrendous nightmare of starvation and torment from his mother and eventually reported what was happening to his school and he was placed into protective care and survived.

More needs to be done to protect our children.

Another case which is currently in the process of being wrapped up as the jury are currently making their deliberations, is the 'alleged' murder of 16 month old Star Hobson. Star died in September 2020 after what a Forensic Pathologist described as an ongoing campaign of neglect and abuse. Star had a number of horrific injuries that were inflicted on her before and leading up to the day that she died. Her final cause of death was said to have been as a result of a number of forceful blows and kicks to her tiny body.

(Star Hobson. Picture credit: The Guardian)

Stood in the dock accused of her murder is her 20 year old mother, Frankie Smith and her partner 28 year old Savannah Brockhill who both deny all the charges put before them. They are both accused of not only neglecting, torturing and murdering/allowing the death of Star but also accused of waiting 15 minutes whilst Star lay dying, to call for an ambulance. They allegedly spent that time doing google searches instead

Their trial which wraps up the week before Christmas 2021 has been going on for eight weeks, both have took the stand claiming to be innocent although Frankie did confess that she was at times cruel to Star. The little girl was often witnessed to have several bruises and cuts.

The court has heard from a number of experts, various witnesses and even viewed hundreds of text messages and videos exchanged between Frankie and Savannah in the months leading up to and on Star's death. The trial has been taking place at Bradford Crown Court.

(Pure Evil. Frankie Smith and Savannah Brockhill, Picture collage credit: Metro)

The court viewed videos that Frankie had made of Star on a number of occasions where she filmed cruel punishments placed upon the child and would send these videos to Savannah.

CCTV footage was also shown in court and it revealed on one occasion, Frankie dragging Star along the street whilst the child had difficulty walking.due to having a broken leg.

UPDATES on the Star Hobson case: The jury finally came to a verdict on Tuesday 14th of December 2021. They found Savannah Brockhill guilty of the murder & previous on-going abuse of Star. Frankie was found guilty of allowing or helping contribute to Star's death. Both were sentenced the next day, Savannah received a sentence of up to 25 years for the murder of Star and Frankie was to serve 8 years with time served taken into consideration so it's highly likely that she will actually serve a short time in prison.

During the trial as I mentioned before, various videos, messages and CCTV footage was shown to the court and carefully looked over. One of the pieces of evidence that helped seal Savannah's fate was some CCTV footage from a carpark. Apparently Savannah was seen in a car with Star and repeatedly struck the child.

Frankie has been painted as the young insecure mother with learning difficulties who was immature and easily let by older lover Savannah. Witnesses told the court that Frankie was often seen with bruises herself and claimed that Savannah was very much the dominant one in the relationship who was a bully. The pair were said to have been locked in a toxic relationship for months.

Also revealed during the trial was the failure (YET, AGAIN!) of Social Services to act on FIVE SEPARATE occasions where concerns for Star's welfare were raised. Like Arthur Labinjo Hughes, this poor child was failed horribly by authorities.

On the day that Star died, Frankie claimed that Star had ripped up a concert ticket and Savannah was furious. She went to the bathroom and came back to see Savannah up close to Star's face but wasn't sure what was going on, Savannah claimed that Star had just passed out and the pair spent 15 minutes looking up health sites on Google trying to work out how to bring Star out of whatever they claimed to think was wrong with her.

Both of these cases are very emotional and disturbing and I appreciate you reading this post especially if you have made it this far.

RIP to to the two beautiful angels who deserved so much more....Arthur & Star x

UPDATE: Tuesday 15th March 2022. Star Hobson's mother, Frankie Smith has sentence increased to 12 years by court of appeal after her original sentenced was deemed ''too lenient''.

Further Reading & Sources:

- Arthur Labinjo Hughes: Article | BBC News

- Emma Tustin: Article | The Sun

- Emma Tustin: Article | The Express

- Arthur Labinjo Hughes: Article | The Times

- Arthur Labinjo Hughes: Article | The independent

- Memorial For Arthur | Birmingham Mail

- Star Hobson Case | The Telegraph & Argus

- Star Hobson Case | Examiner Live

- Star Hobson Case | The Guardian

- Star Hobson Case | Yorkshire Live

- Dave Pelzer | Wikipedia

- A Child Called It: Book | Dave Pelzer

Thanks for checking out the post & hope you will join me again in my next post x

Let's Talk True Crime: Part Three (Final Part)| True Crime With Caledonian Kitty

Before I really get into the questions on this final Q&A post, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has read, commented and sent me messages about the posts, I really appreciate it.

Christmas is just around the corner and I'm feeling festive, I hope you are too.

So let's get stuck into these remaining questions shall we?

1) Would you ever cover the OJ Simpson case and do you think he's guilty?

Oh what a juicy question or two questions lol. Do you know what? Instead of answering this question with whether or not I find him guilty, I will cover the case in a future post and give my opinion on there so stay tuned. So at least one question is answered for now, yes I will cover the case and thank you for the request.

2) Is there a case recently that has been true crime related that has affected you?

I just found out the horrific story of the little boy, Arthur Labinjo Hughes. This poor child was put through sheer hell at the hands of his stepmother and father who tortured and poisoned the child until they eventually murdered him. Both of them are behind bars and you can read the whole story here. Such a horrendous case and your heart just bleeds for that little boy, may he rest in peace. Let's hope his callous killers know no peace.

3) Do you believe in the death penalty?

In certain cases where the evidence of guilt is completely there 100%. If there is any element of doubt then the case needs to be looked over again and no execution should take place.

4) You wrote about Gary Glitter and Ian Watkins recently, do you think they should be forgiven and give another chance?

Wow! what a question. What I have come to realise since writing about these two individuals is that they still have fans, devoted fans at that. I don't think child abuse should be forgiven and I don't think paedophiles can be cured. As for another chance I think these two would be best just going somewhere else where they can be monitored and kept apart from children. I'm not a psychologist so I don't know their state of mind and whether being in prison and publicly hated has had any impact on them.

5) Would you please cover BTK? and what do you think of him?

I've had BTK on my list for a while but I never covered him because of Mindhunter but now that the show is said to be on hold (OMG PLEASE BRING IT BACK), I will cover the case. He is a complex character and very fascinating and I don't mean that in any sort of positive way because this man is beyond evil. His level of evilness knows no bounds and he talks about his victims like he's reading out a shopping list.

6) What do you think of women who write to serial killers in prison?

It's a fantasy for them, they are insecure, lonely women who maybe don't have the confidence to form a relationship with an everyday guy or have experienced negative relationships in the past. The idea of a man held in a prison with no other women around seems to appeal to these women. If he is a criminal and especially a high profile one there is that boost of it being a risk and they think that the murderer they are writing to will never harm them because they are 'special'. There is an element of narcissism here too because they think that they themselves have the power to change the man they desire and that they will be treated differently than his victims. It is sad and pathetic and very disrespectful. Sadly for these women a lot of them find out the hard way when they write to these type of offenders in prison. They find themselves being used, being one of many women and simply just a means to an end. It's therapy that these women need as often the contact with these predators does them way more damage psychologically in the long run.

And there you have it, the final part. Thank you again for joining me here and in parts one and two

I hope to see you elsewhere on Social Media as well as here in my next post x