The Horrific Case Of Scott Wilkinson

England, July 2016. When avid fisherman Scott Wilkinson disappeared from his fishing spot and campsite, people immediately knew something was wrong. As police went to the isolated area, they too knew they were looking at a sinister crime; but nobody could have guessed the sheer brutality of what they would uncover.

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Late July 2016 groands Park West mosy at around midnight a group of teenagers were in the park through the quiet night air came the voices of a group of males they then heard footsteps coming their way emerging from the alleyway came three males one of which

The teens in the park re recognized he knew him as Shane and the reason he knew him Shane had punched him in the face a few weeks prior the three walked towards the group and asked them if they had a spare cigarette the group said they

Didn’t one of the three then laughed and told them I wouldn’t say anything if I were you because we killed someone Tonight Today’s case takes us to Walton in the UK home to Scott Wilkinson 48-year-old Scott was described as a gentle giant he was someone who would do anything for anybody as a child he would often mess around with his brother sha and he shared a close relationship with his

Parents David and Janet his parents would later joke that although he enjoyed trying to fix cars his attempts to do so would often leave the vehicle in a worse State than he found it on one occasion he had tried to fit a sunroof but it had caused the water to pull and

Every time the car turned the passenger would be left soaked he had previously been a lorry driver but was forced to surrender his license on medical grounds after suffering an injury working for a removal company he had a heart condition that could sometimes trigger a seizure

So he had a monitor fitted to help cardiologists look at the data from his heart in relation to the seizures he had been married twice and was a proud father and for the past four years had been in a relationship with his partner Lisa one of Scott’s biggest passions was fishing a love he shared with other members of his family he found a great deal of Peace in sitting by the bank of the river and watching the world go by and since leaving work he had more time to dedicate to fishing he would

Frequently do solo trips to some lock known to locals as donkey Island opposite from the wear Pub it’s a place frequented by fishermen it’s quiet and peaceful a little Slice of Heaven for someone wanting to spend some hours fishing and relaxing he would be visited by his partner Lisa as well as friends

Who would drop off supplies for him as he would happily spend several days or even weeks there he would also occasionally sell small amounts of cannabis to other people using the island Monday the 25th of July 20 2016 it was a warm and sunny day in

Walton and it was a day for Scott to do something he loved go fishing he set off to donkey Island and when he arrived he found three tents were in his usual spot but Scott didn’t seem to mind and set up camp not far from them as the hours ticked by he had

Started to fish and everything seemed Normal Wednesday the 27th of July 2016 Scott’s friend David went to visit him and Scott told him he wasn’t happy with the mess some people camping nearby were making after hanging out for a while David set off home and told Scott he would be back to see him the next day

And that he would bring him a new gas canister for his stove David also agreed that he would look after Scott’s items while he prepared to go for a meeting at the job center and with that David left as the hours ticked by Lisa also went to

See Scott and take him some refreshments Lisa was staying with David and David’s wife she also chatted briefly with the other people camping on the island as the sun went down and darkness set in Lisa decided to leave so Scott walked her to the bridge that connected the

Island to the bank of the river it was the only way on and off the island and she was captured on CCTV leaving at 10:48 p.m. he said he would give her a call at 11:30 to wish her a good night and check that she got back to David’s okay at

11:18 p.m. Someone who lived close to donkey Island heard what he referred to as total chaos for around 15 seconds he could hear the voices of several men shouting back and forth 11:30 p.m. came and went but Scott never called Lisa tried calling him but couldn’t get

Through so figured he had simply fallen asleep and would be in contact tomorrow as daylight broke and morning came David fulfilled his promise and headed over to donkey Island to give Scott a new gas canister the moment he arrived he knew something was desperately wrong there was blood everywhere and no

Sign of Scott he searched for his friend but could find no sign of him sorry Le good morning how can I help I myy right okay when I got over there he wasn’t there and it looks blood on his tpit get something and what’s his

Name and do you know where he could be not neverend 17 hours had now passed since anyone had heard from Scott the police knew they needed to find him quickly as he was likely seriously injured given the amount of blood at the scene a police helicopter was deployed to help

Ser search from the air Lisa was beside herself with worry and was at the we Pub just across from the island as she awaited any news just after 3:00 p.m. they made the discovery that everyone had been dreading the body of Scott Wilkinson was found lying in Shallow

Water by firefighters who had been drafted in to help in the search they knew they needed to tell Scott’s family as quickly as possible before they heard it from anyone else where he’s lying in the water he whole GE the houses on the more inside

Of the shore I wonder if we get some sort of T to shal him from view the supervisor of the scene confirmed that happy with me to cast a message to family I would suest we do let them know that of course not to discuss the extent of what we one z i

Con pretending unit please bear in mind that the girlfriend The Garden of the Weir public house with thankfully on the other side of the Island the island was sealed off and secured to give the crime an examiners a chance to thoroughly inspect and look at everything Gathering as much evidence as

Possible this was vital as due to the nature of the area there was a risk of the crime scene being contaminated due to the animals water and dirt surrounding it it became clear very quickly that this was not an accident this was a murder inquiry it was clear

From the amount of blood and where it was that Scott had likely been either lying or sitting down when he had been attacked as they continued to search the island the police found something that immediately stood out as significant the other campsite it had three tents and various personal effects including

Toothbrushes and cigarette butts that could hold vital DNA these were sent away to be analyzed as were several cans that were found at the site it had clearly been abandoned very recently the police began to go door too to try and gather information had someone seen something odd or heard something unusual

Opposite the island and sat a row of houses so this was the first place to start Witnesses said it was not just Scott on the island camping there had also been three males three males who had not been seen since Scott had gone missing these were the same three males

That had been at the campsite when Lisa and David had visited Scott Paddy MIRS was leading the investigation from surian sussex’s major crime team he said he had never seen such appalling skull fractures before Scott Wilkinson had suffered C catastrophic head injuries the hits to

His head was so violent they had cut all the way down to the skull he also had broken ribs two black eyes and a ruptured spleen he had been stamped on punched and kicked one thing his injuries did suggest was this had not been carried out by one person acting

Alone due to the nature of his injuries it was believed that it was likely a piece of wood that had been used in the murder but trying to find it was very difficult for the officers the crime scene was in a wooded area with loads of different bits of wood scattered around

Any that were deemed to be big enough were removed from the scene and sent away for analysis finding fingerprints on wood like that is challenging so the officers and the crime scene examiners certainly had their work cut out for them there was also a wound on Scott’s

Arm which was believed to have been caused by a knife crucially Scott’s knife that he had used for fishing was gone despite the extensive searches of the island they could not find his knife anywhere so the next thing to do was search the water expert underwater search teams were brought in and were

Given the painstaking task of searching the river it was an incredibly difficult undertaking visibility in the water was very low and the water had been disturbed by the numerous boats that used the river every day then one of the divers emerged from the river holding a long knife with a

Black handle no fingerprints could be found but as they awaited for any DNA to come back from it the news came through that they had been waiting for the brushes and cans that had been taken from the other campsite had provided three positive matches to males who were already known to the

Police they were two teenagers and one man in his early 20s they were all members of the same family Shane cro his brother Lenny and their cousin Charlie Smith the youngest Lenny was only 16 and had actually been reported missing after running away from a care home in Blackpool

Little did the police who were looking into Scott’s murder know other officers had only just been with them the police had been to visit down street where Lenny’s family lived to try and find him and take him back to the care home in Blackpool when they arrived the officer

Stopped Charlie Smith as he attempted to run out the back door one of the officers said that everyone appeared to be very tired with Shane nearly asleep on the sofa when asked why he was so tired he replied I’ve only been asleep a couple of hours Lenny was taken to a

Social Services office and then back up to Blackpool later that day Charlie and Shane had also met up with Shane’s girlfriend Leah and Leah’s friend Kaye as they walked around and talked Shane suddenly said something shocking he said they had killed someone the night before

By beating a man with a piece of wood before stealing a motorbike and fleeing the scene Leah and Kaylee refused to believe them Shane then pointed to the motorbike they had taken and tried to set on fire Charlie confirmed that what Shane was saying was true they had

Killed someone I was there he said the investigators were hot on their tail as the police were driving down the streets they spotted Charlie who attempted to run away but they caught up to him and the 21-year-old was put in handcuffs and taken into custody Lenny

Who was now back in the care of Social Services in Blackpool seemingly like his cousin just couldn’t help himself but talk about it he was in the gym with his keyworker and said that Shane wouldn’t be able to use equipment in prison puzzled his keyworker asked him what he

Meant Lenny said that Shane had taken part in a murder saying we did do it just like Kaye and Leah the key worker didn’t believe it and told him he shouldn’t make jokes about things that were so serious Lenny was later arrested in Blackpool and Shane was also taken

Into custody it was now time for them to be interviewed there been video recorded So he got the cameras in the corners it’s a soundproof room yeah Scott Wilkinson was found murdered on the afternoon the Thursday the 28th of July this year forensic evidence has linked

You to that offense from 6:00 in the evening onwards last Wednesday the 27th of July tell me where you were Shane no coming what was your location no com who were you with no comment tell me what happened Shane no com Lenny were you in walon upon TS on Wednesday the 27th of

July no comment have you been there since that time no comment I want to talk about the weapon that was used to assault and kill and murder Scott describe that weapon to me no where did that weapon come from Shane no coming who used that weapon no

I believe that it was Lenny Charlie and yourself who were in that area last week is that correct no come on where did you go no coming where did Charlie go no coming and Lenny where did he go no com Charlie then gave a prepared statement via his

Solicitor I remember speaking to a man in his 40s he said his name was Scott we were speaking about fishing and the types of fish he was catching Shane and Lenny were there Shane put his fishing stuff in his tent then we did decided to come back all the fishing stuff was gone

And the tents were turned over they had been smashed up when we got back Scott was there on his own and said he hadn’t seen what had happened as he was asleep he was helping Shane look for his fishing rods I was speaking to Scott for

A while he was a really nice guy about an hour later I then left Shane and L Lenny also left and went in the opposite direction at the same time I deny causing any harm to Scott and did not WI is anyone else causing him any harm

After I left on Tuesday the 26th of July 2016 and have not returned to the river there all these investigations particular murder investigation I just want to say one thing and I no murder on that’s the truth okay do you know who’s responsible for this comment he said that they had decided to

Leave the island after a group of Irish travelers had turned up and started on Scott there was no evidence of anyone else being on the island on the CCTV footage that covered the bridge which was the only way on and off it Charlie said he had then gone to stay at his

Sisters and that he hadn’t been there on the 27th of July Caroline Charlie’s sister and her boyfriend Kieran backed Charlie up saying he had been with them on the night of the murder several days after giving their statements Kieran retracted his he said he had got his dates wrong every

Question the police asked was met with no comment no comment no comment no no comment no comment as the interviews continued the results from the wood that had been taken from the crime scene came back they had no evidence on them there was also no evidence on the knife that

Had been pulled from the river the 4th of August 2016 as there was not enough to charge the three of them they were released pending further inquiries Lisa was devastated saying it felt like her soul had been ripped apart later to that day Charlie would tell a stranger what they

Had done they seemed to believe that they were invincible and would not be caught but they could not have been more wrong this was just the beginning for the police and they were not going to stop in the search for justice no matter how long it took on the one-year

Anniversary of Scott’s death the police launched an appeal for more information Scott Wilkinson was a 48y old local man whose passion was fishing he used to attend this island known locally as donkey Island to pursue his passion he was last seen alive on Thursday the 27th of July

2016 I was subsequently reported missing by a friend on the 28th of July sadly later that afternoon Scott’s body was found in the river temps Scott a son brother father grandfather was dearly loved by all those that VI him his family are still struggling to come to terms Scott’s death I’m convinced

That the answer lies within the community and urge would urge anybody with any information at all to contact us the police needed to carry on building their case Charlie had said he wasn’t on the island on the night of Scott’s murder so they needed to check whether that was true the police tracked

His phone movements and CCTV picked him up in a shop where he topped up his phone credit he was then caught on another camera riding a bike towards donkey Island as they continued to troll through the footage they found the three of them walking onto the island on

Wednesday the 27th of July the camera also picked up them filling their water bottles this meant that when Charlie had said they had not gone back onto the island after Tuesday he was lying at around 9:30 p.m. Lisa was captured on CCTV footage from the wear Pub heading towards the island the

Camera picked up the head torch that Scott was wearing as he walked with Lisa to the foot bridge and at 10:59 she was seen walking away due to the quality of the security camera footage it was incredibly difficult for the police to determine if the three of them had come

Off the island before Scott’s murder or after but it did show that there was no one else on the island at that time apart from Scott and the three Accused at 1118 p.m. Scott’s heart monitor recorded that his heart rate had increased which was potentially consistent with an adrenaline Drive

Caused by the attack and with the help of this vital data they were able to narrow down a time frame to look at and they knew that it took roughly 6 minutes to walk from the campsite to the foot bridge and there it was the evidence they had been hoping for

Footage of the three of them walking off the island having just attacked Scott and believing he was dead evidence from his heart monitor showed he had actually remained alive for several hours following the attack by 2:30 a.m. the readings were inconsistent with life the three of them had then gone to

The park where they had bragged about what they had done to the group of teenagers showing them how they had kicked punched and stamped on Scott after being released Charlie later told an associate of his named Peter that he had been involved in Scott’s death this was a conversation that Peter recorded

And handed over to the police this was evidence they could not believe they had Peter was being investigated by the police for a separate offense and so had recorded the conversation in the hopes of striking a deal what Charlie said was damning why they do that [ __ ] murder the

SC SC then start laying to the man then he got KN cut from there to there and Sh well he had a nail and a stick like I don’t know what they told you want to STI Bea M with it July 17th 2018 it had now been almost 2 years

Since the murder of Scott Wilkinson Lenny cro Shane cro and Charlie Smith were arrested on suspicion of murder again what this make why am I being arrested again for this as a result of the continued investigation into Scott’s murder we now have substantial new evidence that links

Due to his murder you do not have to say anything but it may harm your defense if you do not mention impression something which you later on in court anything you do say may be given an Evidence the police spoke to Shane about the statement given from those in the park

Who said they had bragged about what they had done the area I want to concentrate on now is a place called grovelands Park three Witnesses is around about midnight that of the same night of the murder theyve come forward and given statements in relation to you Lenny and Charlie approaching

Them and you star to talk about what you’ve just done the comment is we just murdered someone who said that they described being feeling intimidated by you three was it you who intimidated them let also had no comment to make was that you Shane and Charlie going to the

Park and talking about the murder no comment is that Charlie Smith that was doing most of the talking no comment you remember that Charlie no comment was that you who said that no comment remember that conversation with those three lades in gr SP no comment trap [ __ ] [ __ ] mate just making [ __ ]

[ __ ] up mate that’s what you’re doing stop the interview a second please yeah but they’re [ __ ] making [ __ ] up man [ __ ] up can we just stop the interview for a few minutes problem despite them not cooperating the police were yet to present one of their key pieces of evidence the recording of

Charlie talking about Scott’s death they knew that they were now backed into a corner and were hopeful that this would be the thing that would finally make them talk this we say it’s quite clear details your involvement and others in the murder of Scott Wilkinson and I’ll

Tell you who the voices are but you may well recognize them the one the police were eventually able to piece together a timeline leading up to Scott’s murder but by the time Scott had arrived at donkey Island Lenny Shane and Charlie were already there they were in

Scott’s usual spot but he didn’t seem to mind and set up his Camp a few meters away on either Monday or Tuesday they purchased some cannabis from Scott one paid in cash and another said he would pay him on Thursday on Tuesday the 26th of July Lenny Shane and Charlie went

Back to Lenny and Shane’s mother’s house on down street to change their clothes and grabbed some food when they returned to the campsite their equipment had gone they said they had asked Scott where their stuff was but Scott said he had no idea they then went back to down street

And spoke to their father Jake Jake was not happy as at least one of the rods that had gone missing belonged to him Charlie said that Jake made it clear to his sons they had better not have lost his things Charlie also said that Jake had then got on his motorbike and gone

Down to donkey Island he had searched with Scott for the items and they eventually found them in one of the abandoned buildings close to the campsite after Lisa left the campsite the following evening they had proceed proceeded to attack Scott before leaving the island and fleeing the scene the day after Scott’s murder

Charlie and Shane had tried to go back to the island potentially to destroy some evidence but the area was crawling with the police and there were cordons up everywhere so they quickly left they had also made an attempt to burn their clothes they continued not not to

Comment on any of the questions put to them but it made no difference Lenny cro Shane cro and Charlie Smith were finally charged with murder while they were remanded in custody Shane had made a series of calls to his mother he told her that Charlie was being targeted and bullied by other

Inmates in prison he also said he didn’t care about Charlie he was more concerned about Lenny and getting him out Kieran who had provided Charlie with an alibi would later admit that he and sister Caroline had lied to the police Lenny cro was the youngest of the

Three he had only just turned 16 years old he was one of six and had been in the care of Social Services after being removed from the family home over issues of neglect in 8 years he would live in nine different counties on the 20th of July he had absconded from the residence

He was staying at in Blackpool he had been on Donkey island with his brother and cousin to avoid being caught and return to Blackpool his older brother Shane had left the foster care system and was living with their mother he was described as being the ring leader of

The group by a witness who had seen them on the night of the murder Lenny and Shane did have previous convictions for battery and records from the care system indicated there were concerns about Shane being a bad influence over his younger brother their upbringings were described as fractured and

Toxic their cousin Charlie was of no fixed address and was known to embellish things being referred to as all mouth and no trousers he also had a criminal record with convictions for threatening criminal damage and being in possession of a knife in 2014 he had entered a plea

Of guilty to robbery and was given a sentence of 12 months imprisonment to be suspended for 2 years on September 21st 2018 they all appeared at Guilford Crown Court and entered pleas of not guilty the trial date was set February the 4th 4 2019 throughout Charlie had someone sit with him in the dock that could explain the procedures to him and what was going on after providing no comment during their interviews the accused suddenly turned on each other desperately trying to shift the blame onto someone else and away from themselves Shane said that

Charlie had tried to give Scott some money for cannabis from the night before and that Scott had become violent he said I was scared head so I got up and punched him then after I punched him he punched me back and I pushed him he stumbled back and picked something up I

Saw once he started waving it around it was a knife I stepped back to get out the way then out of nowhere Charlie came then Charlie hit Scott in the arm with something and hit him again Charlie’s account was very different when he gave evidence he was described as talking

Quickly like a machine gun and moved around a lot in the Box he said that Scott had taken the fishing equipment from them the day before but then given it back he said they went to his tent to buy some cannabis and out of nowhere

Shane used a piece of wood to beat Scott he used both hands like he was playing baseball he said he started laughing him and Lenny were laughing at each other it was crazy it was disgusting he just kept smacking him and smacking him and smacking him I didn’t think he was like

That he’s my cousin he added that Lenny had cut Scott’s arm with a knife it wasn’t self-defense or nothing like that they should own up for what they’ve done instead of making us go through this [ __ ] he said he explained to the court that he had not told the truth before

Because he didn’t want to tell on members of his family and that he was scared of them he added that he had been set upon by two men at the hands of Shane and Lenny and that these two men had broken both his legs and threatened

Him to keep quiet This was later called into question when it emerged that paramedics had visited him and he found his injuries funny saying that he had been attempting parkour and that was how he had become injured Lenny didn’t testify but it was put forward that he

Had been stood by the tent when Scott was attacked and he had seen nothing three totally different accounts all attempting to absolve themselves in one way or another as they sat in the dock it was evident that the seriousness of the situation was lost on the three accused

With Lisa later saying I went to the trial and felt like killing those boys myself as they smirked and smiled throughout the whole thing there was a point when the judge asked them to take things seriously as they were just showing absolutely no remorse it was

Disgusting as part of the trial the jury were taken to the site of Scott’s murder this would help them put the accounts they were hearing into the context of the space and see exactly where Scott’s life had been ended that night the brutality that Scott had been subjected

To was shocking for those in court pathologist Dr Richard Chapman had performed over 12,000 autopsies over the course of his career including one for Diana Princess of Wales he said that severe Force had been used to inflict the injuries to Scott’s head and detailed the other injuries to his body

Including broken ribs two black eyes and massive amounts of bruising in spite of him remaining alive for a few hours after the attack the damage to his skull and brain was so extensive and severe no amount of medical intervention could have helped him Dr Chapman said his

Injuries were similar to ones one would expect to find in someone who would be in a car wreck Scott’s parents David and Janet stoically attended every day of the trial and sat in the public Gallery as the evidence of what had happened to their son was put before the

Court on the 6th of March the jury retired to consider their verdict after 2 years of investigating hundreds of man hours thousands of hours of CCTV footage 1,800 exhibits in evidence 4,000 addressed as visitors in house-to-house inquiries and a trial lasting 5 weeks the verdict finally came

In 2 days later Charlie Smith was acquitted of murder but was convicted of manslaughter Shane and Lenny cro were found guilty of murder following the verdicts prosecutor Helen Elwood said that the three convicted had sought to blame each other for the Savage attack on a man who just

Wanted to enjoy peace and quiet and his passion for fishing she added that each one of them had played apart regardless of who it was that had landed the Fatal blow that ultimately ended Scott’s life as Shane and Lenny had been under the age of 18 when they had murdered

Scott their minimum term would start at 12 years in custody both received a sentence of life in prison with a minimum term of 15 years Charlie Smith was sentenced to 13 years in prison the judge said the three of you left the island without checking how badly he was hurt and without alerting

The e Emergency Services he was placed into the river temps and left to die alone he added that it was clear there had been a significant amount of premeditation it is quite clear the three of you discussed how the combined attack was to be carried out detective

Inspector pad Ms who had led the investigation said the sentences given today reflect the severity of the Ferocious actions these three took that night back in 2016 in a statement Scott’s family said We Exist we function we go through life in a robotic State hurting deeply within

Our soul crying inside and yearning for some Solace which never comes we will never recover we will never find peace in a world without Scott we will never be the same again and we will never forgive those responsible one of Scott’s children said most people hold on to childhood memories of their father

Before the vicious and senseless action of that night I would think of these childhood memories whenever people would talk about their fathers they have destroyed those memories Shane and Lenny were sent to high down prison and their cells were too apart from each other on the 1st of May 2020

Lenny was told he was going to be moved to a different prison away from Shane which had left Lenny very upset he had threatened to harm himself as a result nevertheless he was moved May 16th 2020 5:40 a.m. officers were doing their checks at Ellsbury young offenders institution

When they came to Lenny cro cell he was found to be unresponsive and later pronounced dead his death was not being treated as suspicious an inquest later found that he had taken his own life between 3: and 5:30 a.m. a prison and probation Ombudsman report said there

Had been a failure to identify him as a suicide risk throughout the investigation one thing remained a mystery the motive one possible motive proposed was that they believed he had moved their belongings so they had attacked him in Revenge another theory is that they had wanted

To buy more cannabis and pay him back later but he had refused but the truth is we will likely never Know Lisa said I’ll never stop blaming myself or hating those boys for what they did to my Scott it was a Mindless act of violence and has left his family and I utterly heartbroken she added cuz we we always used to kiss each other goodbye this time we just didn’t but

Scott knew I loved him and he loved me so I don’t think we needed to kiss each other to say that Scott Wilkinson was a gentle giant when he left to go fishing on that bright Summer’s morning nobody could have predicted the senseless violence that would be carried out against him he

Was minding his own business hurting nobody and just doing what he loved to do it’s often hard to find the words to end a case like this but this is perhaps best done by listening to the words of Scott’s parents Scott was a loving affectionate and caring son brother

Father grandfather nephew and partner the knowledge of the circumstances of Scott’s death are an unbearable burden which we will have to carry for the rest of our lives our memories of him however will outshine those horrendous events which took place on that small island in the temps whilst we are happy with the

Outcoming court today is not the end of the grief we feel it is a step another step forward without Him for those of you that like to listen on the go we now have our episodes in podcast form and you can now find this via the link in our description box or by searching truly criminal podcast on your podcasting platforms