The baptism of Jason Struhs - and how it led to the death of his daughter Elizabeth
In late January, a Queensland supreme court judge issued his verdict on the death of eight-year-old Toowoomba girl Elizabeth Struhs. He found Brendan Stevens, the leader of a religious sect known as the Saints, and Elizabeth's father, Jason Struhs, not guilty of murder. But he did find them guilty of manslaughter, along with 12 other members of the Saints. In Jason's case, the court found that his religious faith was so strong, he believed Elizabeth would be saved by a miracle.
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Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Horror moment 'Twilight killers' decided to slay family before cosy film night
'Twilight killers' Kim Edwards and Lucas Markham plotted together to butcher Edwards' own mother and sister, in a twisted plan borne out of an intense and warped relationship On the evening of April 13, 2016, Kim Edwards and her boyfriend Lucas Markham carried out a despicable double murder before settling in for a cosy movie night. The couple, who were just 14 years old at the time of the killings, ruthlessly killed Edwards' mum, Elizabeth, 49, and younger sister Katie, 13, in the culmination of a wicked plan the so-called 'Twilight killers' had concocted together at a McDonald's. Jurors at Nottingham Crown Court heard how, on the night of the murders, Markham had walked for about 30 minutes along Coronation Channel in Spalding, Lincolnshire, with four knives packed into his rucksack. He then knocked three times on a bedroom window, in a signal they had pre-arranged together. Opening a bathroom window, Edwards allowed Markham to enter the property from the shed roof, advising him on how to move around her family home quietly and undetected. READ MORE: Schoolboy's five chilling words after battering teacher and leaving her in pool of blood As would be later detailed during their trial, Edwards and Markham were involved in a twisted, intense relationship, which Edwards' mother, Elizabeth, disapproved of. Dinner lady Elizabeth attempted to split the young couple up, even contacting their school in an attempt to stop them spending so much time together. This left Edwards and Markham furious, and a sinister plan began to emerge, which psychologist Emma Kenny later compared to "Romeo and Juliet, but in a very dark manner", in an interview with the Mirror. Things began to escalate in March 2016, when Edwards was hospitalised following a suicide attempt. After she was discharged, she and Markham ran away together and were eventually found five days later, living in a tent in a neighbouring town. On April 9, 2016, Edwards and Markham barricaded themselves in Markham's room before heading to Edwards' home to retrieve her contraceptive pill. Once they arrived, they discovered Elizabeth had cleared Edwards' belongings out of the house, even given some of her possessions to Katie, whom Edwards already harboured resentment towards. In one police interview, Markham revealed the first time he raised the idea of killing Elizabeth and Katie. He remembered: "I said 'I wish I could kill them' and she said 'yeah', she thought I was joking but I was joking and then she realised I was being serious so she started being serious as well." The pair planned for Markham to stab Elizabeth in the throat to stop her screaming, while Edwards murdered Katie. Markham later told officers: "I went into her mum's room, stabbed her in the neck while she as asleep, then smothered her face with a pillow." Markham stabbed Elizabeth eight times, twice in the neck, once in the shoulder. The stab marks on her hands showed that the mother had struggled against her assailant. Recalling how she'd heard noises coming from her mother's room during the viscous attack, Edwards told police: "I went into the room to see what was going on because I heard noises and I wanted to check. "He was on top of her with like a pillow over her head. I though I heard her say 'get off me' but I'm not entirely sure. The after about 10 minutes of Lucas putting his weight on her, she was dead." Edwards ultimately decided she couldn't kill Katie, as she "couldn't take away those hopes and dreams". It's was then that Markham took over, slaughtering little Katie in the bedroom she'd shared with Kim. He remembered: He said: "I went into Katie's room, which was the same room as Kim's. I thought I stabbed her but it was the mattress and then I smothered her face with a pillow too." After the bloody killings, the pair took a bath, ate teacakes and ice-cream, and had sex, before cuddling up on the sofa to watch the teenage vampire movie, Twilight. They had intended their plan to end with their own suicides, but they ultimately decided not to go along with it, instead spending the next two days watching films, having sex and eating ice-cream. All the while, the bodies of Elizabeth and Katie lay upstairs. Eventually, their absences started to be noted, and officers broke into the property. Police found the teenage couple downstairs, and could barely bring themselves to believe they were the ones responsible for the horrific scenes they encountered upstairs. Delving into some of the simmering tensions at the heart of her troubled family life, Edwards described her Katie, as "an angel" and herself as a "train wreck", claiming that she'd felt her mother had loved her little sister more. She felt her mum loved her little sister - but she herself felt outside the family unit. Following her arrest, Edwards told officers: "Ever since I was young, I have never got on with my mum, I knew she favoured my sister more than me. Even when she said she didn't, she was lying." Both Markham and Edwards were given life sentences and ordered to spend at least 17 years behind bars.
The Courier
4 days ago
- The Courier
Airdrie fan got 'buzz' from bar fight with St Johnstone rivals before Scottish Cup tie, court hears
A pair of thugs who helped ambush St Johnstone fans in a pub have been banned from attending football for two years. A court heard Airdrie supporter Cameron Patey got 'a buzz' out of causing trouble. Shocking video footage showed bottles being thrown into a bar in the Lanarkshire town where Saints fans had gathered before a Scottish Cup tie. Airdrie Sheriff Court heard a group of home fans confronted the Perth side's supporters and a fight spilled on to the street. Patey, 22, Ryan Lawrence, 29, and Nathan Dunsmore, 26, admitted causing a breach of the peace by fighting, shouting and swearing on January 20 last year. It happened before Airdrie beat Saints 1-0 in a fourth round tie. The trouble was linked to a message posted by a St Johnstone fan who tweeted: 'Any Airdrie supporters wanting a square go should come to the West End Bar. Bring your mates – you'll need them.' Annette Ward, prosecuting, described how the Airdrie fans ambushed their rivals at the West End Bar. She told the court CCTV caught them leaving another pub. 'They had their hoods up and their faces partially covered with scarves. 'The three accused were part of the group. 'A large group of St Johnstone fans were already inside the West End Bar. 'As soon as the Airdrie supporters arrived there was an altercation that turned into a scuffle between the two groups. 'This quickly spilled onto the street and in the course of that an individual was assaulted by two unidentified males.' The court heard a fourth Airdrie fan was seen on CCTV picking up two bottles and throwing them into the pub. He was also charged but has since died. Patey has a previous conviction which resulted in him being given a football banning order. Lawrence also has football-related previous convictions. The court heard, when asked about his role in the trouble, Patey told a social worker: 'It's an escape. It gives me a buzz.' But in court, defence lawyer Tony Linden said: 'He now describes his conduct as pathetic. His days of attending football matches and seeking out trouble are gone. 'He plans to leave the Airdrie area and has an offer of employment with a starting salary of £40,000.' Fraser McKinnon, defending Lawrence, said he accepted responsibility for his behaviour but added: 'From the CCTV, it appears his involvement was at the lower end of the scale.' Nicky Matteo, for Dunsmore, told the court: 'This happened at a time when he was drinking and taking drugs to excess.' Sheriff Joseph Hughes imposed two-year football banning orders on Patey and Lawrence, both of Airdrie. These will cover all regulated games in the UK and the pair are also banned from watching televised football in licensed premises. The sheriff said: 'I'm satisfied this offence was related to the football match that day. 'It matters not if it happened before the game started. 'It is appropriate to impose these banning orders to prevent violence or disorder at, or in connection with, football matches.' Patey was also warned he must behave himself over the next nine months while Lawrence will be under supervision for two years and electronically tagged for nine months, meaning he's confined to his home between 7pm and 7am each day. Sentence on Dunsmore, who is in custody on other matters, was deferred until December.
Wales Online
17-05-2025
- Wales Online
'I didn't deserve to be treated like a piece of meat' says revenge porn victim
'I didn't deserve to be treated like a piece of meat' says revenge porn victim 'I did nothing wrong, I sent them to someone I loved; they were never intended to be seen by strangers and creeps and put on the internet for all to see' Elizabeth, now 28 says she knows the images she sent to an ex-partner when she was 20 will 'forever be there now' (Image: Copyright Tim Robberts ) 'I felt sick to my stomach to know anyone and everyone could see me. I loved and trusted someone and they betrayed me like that. I was made to feel like I'd done something disgusting and everyone would be judging me, instead of judging the person who'd done this to me.' These are the words of Elizabeth, a young victim of so-called revenge porn from Wales. Despite being left traumatised by her experience, Elizabeth, 28, is keen to speak out about what she's gone through – and continues to go through – in the hope of raising awareness of the law around intimate image abuse and the long-lasting impact the cruel crime can have. 'I'd been in a relationship for about four years with someone who I loved and trusted," said Elizabeth. "During that time we sent intimate pictures to each other, like many people do." Don't miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here . Elizabeth was 20 when she sent the pictures, but said she knew they were going to "forever be there now." She added: "We were doing nothing wrong; we were consenting adults and those pictures were intended for each other's eyes only", she told South Wales Police in a video shared to its social channels. Article continues below Further details around her identity and her face have been protected on the video. When Elizabeth's relationship broke down, her ex-partner made threats to ruin her life and send the pictures on to work colleagues. 'He knew I was only a few months into my job and he knew I was really passionate about it and it meant a lot to me. 'But he wanted to humiliate me. I told my family and work, and reported the threats to the police, but I tried to put it to the back of my mind and move on. 'I was hoping they were just empty threats.' But soon after, Elizabeth realised they were anything but. 'I had a message off someone saying that they'd come across pictures of me online. I think there were two images on two different sites, but they were very clearly me. 'I was mortified. I reported it to the sites, but soon realised they get taken down only for them to reappear again days later. 'I reported it to the police and my ex was arrested. But even while an investigation was ongoing, it continued. 'It got worse when my best friend asked me if I was on Only Fans or anything like that because her partner had been sent a link which included my name. 'When I looked there were six photos and two videos of me, with my personal details on there too. 'I wanted the ground to eat me up. But not only was it mortifying, at that point I started being fearful for my safety as it said where I was from, and I had random people trying to add me on social media. 'It really affected me and I ended up having three months off work because of the stress of it all. 'I had to have counselling to help me deal with it all, and that did really make a difference. Luckily my colleagues were really supportive, but it was still an absolute nightmare.' While Elizabeth continues to report new incidents to the relevant websites and to the police, she says she's now had to accept that there is no way of retrieving the leaked images or videos, and is urging others to think twice about sharing intimate content. 'I know it's not going away. My photos are out there now and they probably always will be. I did nothing wrong, I sent them to someone I loved; they were never intended to be seen by strangers and creeps and put on the internet for all to see. 'I didn't deserve to be treated like a piece of meat. 'It's awful knowing I can be stood next to someone in a shop, someone who I don't know but who has seen me naked. It makes you feel so vulnerable. 'And I know there will be people judging me, when really they should be judging the person who thought it was okay to share them. To break my trust in the worst way, and absolutely dehumanise me. 'While trying to get my pictures taken down, I came across other local girls who also probably had no idea they'd be violated like this. 'So I had to contact them, it was the right thing to do. And after realising how common this is, I feel I have to speak out for us. To give us back a voice. 'This is my way of taking back control, taking back the power from the person who did this to me.' Disclosing or threatening to disclose private sexual images with intent to cause distress was made an offence under Section 33 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act (2015). In January this year, amendments were made to the Sexual Offences Act (2003), replacing the previous legislation. 'The new legislation recognises a wider range of intimate abuse offences, and should make it easier for prosecutors to secure a conviction and victims to secure justice. 'I want anyone out there who thinks sharing personal pictures like this is okay, just a bit of harmless fun, to realise how devastating it can be. And once it's out there it's almost impossible to claw back. If me speaking out about this can stop one other girl going through what I have, then it will be worth it.' Article continues below
