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up, and paid me on the

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That is super convenient. Sell your

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car to Carvana and swap hassle

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for convenience. Pick up these may

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just bought and financed a car minutes. You?

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The person who agonized four person who agonized four

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financed a car in They made They made

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any paperwork. any paperwork. Wow. Mm-hmm. Hey, have you

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Finance your your car with and experience

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control. Financing subject credit approval. approval. Hello

2:16

and welcome to scene read a

2:18

true crime podcast. Mark, thank you

2:20

for joining us once again. It

2:22

is just me, I'm afraid to

2:24

say this week, there's no Beth

2:26

and she will be back next

2:28

week, we'll be back together. It

2:30

is a listener requested case for

2:33

you today though, so please do

2:35

stick around and huge thanks to

2:37

Holly Jane Shears who recommended this

2:39

case. Holly Jane is the person

2:41

who wrote a theme tune and

2:43

composed that... So this is extra

2:45

special so thank you once again

2:47

Ollie Jane for recommending this

2:49

one. This week then we head for

2:51

the very first time to Singapore.

2:53

A gleaming metropolis known

2:56

for its towering skyscrapers, lush

2:58

greenery and bustling harbour. It's

3:00

a city where ancient traditions

3:03

and cutting-edge modernity

3:05

intertwined seamlessly. By day the

3:07

streets of Singapore hum with the

3:10

energy of financial districts and colourful

3:12

markets, while by night neon lights

3:14

reflect off the serene waters of

3:16

Marina Bay and a city comes

3:18

alive with some of the best

3:20

night life in all of South

3:22

East Asia. A melting pot of

3:24

cultures Singapore offers an enticing blend

3:26

of flavours, languages and sites that

3:29

captivate travellers from around the world.

3:31

Its streets are alive with the

3:34

scent of sizzling street food. the

3:36

rhythmic clatter of hawker centres and

3:38

the roaring come of traffic. On

3:41

the evening of March the 8th 1995

3:43

Singapore was very much alive with

3:45

its usual charm and vibrancy. The

3:48

air was thick with humidity and

3:50

the endless traffic crept along

3:52

as usual against a backdrop

3:55

of tourists who wondered aimlessly

3:57

through the bustling night markets.

4:00

distance the skyline shimmered with

4:02

promise and possibility, but within

4:04

the confines of the Riverview

4:06

Hotel, something far darker was

4:08

unfolding. An inconspicuous-looking British man

4:10

checked in under the name

4:13

of Simon Davis. It was

4:15

just after 7 p.m. and

4:17

the lobby was busy with

4:19

tourists arriving, tired from their

4:21

journeys. Simon Davis, a tall

4:23

handsome and charismatic character, moved

4:25

with purpose and offered a

4:27

polite and charming smile as

4:30

he dealt with hotel staff.

4:32

He was dressed neatly in

4:34

a white shirt and khaki

4:36

trousers carrying only a black

4:38

leather duffel bag. To everyone

4:40

around him he was just

4:42

another traveler, but beneath that

4:44

calm exterior something far more

4:47

sinister was at play. This

4:50

man's victims never saw it

4:52

coming. He came across as

4:54

friendly and approachable. A fellow

4:56

traveller excited at exploring new

4:58

places. A casual joke here,

5:00

a shared drink there, he

5:02

made people feel at ease.

5:04

But behind closed doors, in

5:06

the sterile confines of his

5:08

hotel room, a deadly plan

5:10

was taking shape. A plan

5:12

he'd perfected over many years.

5:14

Employing skills he'd learned over

5:16

several stints in prison. all

5:18

carried out with chilling precision

5:20

and zero remorse. The man

5:22

known as Simon Davis was

5:24

no ordinary tourist and he

5:27

was not who he said

5:29

he was. His real name

5:31

was John Martin Scripps, a

5:33

calculating, methodical and unrelenting serial

5:35

killer. His crimes spanned continents

5:37

from the bustling streets of

5:39

London to the serene beaches

5:41

of Thailand. and each one

5:43

added another piece of his

5:45

dark puzzle. He wasn't just

5:47

after money, he was hunting

5:49

something far more disturbing. A

5:51

predator, hiding in plain sight,

5:53

leaving authorities scrambling to catch

5:55

up. One step ahead. But

5:57

who was John Martin's scripts?

5:59

What twisted forces shaped him

6:01

into the monster that he

6:03

became? He was a master

6:05

of deception, a chameleon who

6:07

blended seamlessly into his surroundings.

6:09

Those who crossed his path

6:11

had no idea. They were

6:13

standing inches away from the

6:15

grim reaper. As we unravel

6:17

his story, we'll uncover the

6:19

chilling details of his crimes.

6:21

The elaborate ruses he used

6:23

to lure his victims. and

6:25

the relentless pursuit that finally

6:27

brought him down. In this

6:30

week's episode we dive into

6:32

the story of a killer

6:34

who turned the joy of

6:36

travel into an unimaginably terrifying

6:38

and ultimately fatal ordeal and

6:40

we'll look at how his

6:42

outward charm concealed something much

6:44

more evil. John Martin Scripps

6:46

was born on the 9th

6:48

of December in 1959 in

6:50

Letchworth in Hertfordshire to Leonard

6:52

and Jean Scripps. His father,

6:54

an East End lorry driver

6:56

and his mother a barmaid,

6:58

raised him in a working-class

7:00

environment. As a child Scripps

7:02

had a close bond with

7:04

his father, often accompanying him

7:06

on business trips abroad. These

7:08

were said to be the

7:10

happiest days of his young

7:12

life, and these trips abroad

7:14

instilled in him a passion

7:16

for travel that would remain

7:18

with him for the rest

7:20

of his life. However, at

7:22

the age of nine, his

7:24

life took a tragic and

7:26

deeply traumatic turn when his

7:28

beloved father suddenly and inexplicably

7:31

took his own life. This

7:33

horrific event left deep emotional

7:35

scars on the young boy

7:37

and triggered behavioral learning and

7:39

developmental issues, which in turn

7:41

led to difficulties at school,

7:43

particularly with reading and writing.

7:45

Many who knew John Martin's

7:47

scripts back then believed that

7:49

the loss of his father

7:51

was the turning point, the

7:53

catalytic event that birth the

7:55

monster that he would one

7:57

day become. By

8:00

the age of 14 scripts had dropped out

8:02

of school and turned to odd jobs

8:04

and antique dealing to fund his passion

8:06

for travel. However, it wasn't long

8:09

before his life would soon via

8:11

into criminality. His first brush with

8:13

the law came in 1974, when

8:15

he was convicted of burglary and

8:17

given a conditional discharge. However, this

8:20

early warning did nothing to

8:22

deter him, and over the

8:24

next few years his criminal

8:26

activities escalated. He was reprimanded

8:28

for theft and an

8:30

indecent assault conviction followed

8:33

in 1978. In 1980 while

8:35

backpacking in Mexico, Scripps met

8:37

and eventually married a local

8:39

woman named Maria. Their marriage

8:42

was initially a happy one

8:44

filled with travel and adventure.

8:46

The union lasted for two

8:48

years until Scripps' alarming criminal

8:51

behaviour caught up with him.

8:54

In 1982 he was sentenced to

8:56

three years in a UK prison

8:58

for theft, burglary and resisting arrest.

9:01

Prison life strained his marriage

9:03

beyond repair and in 1985

9:05

while on home leave he

9:07

absconded from his supervision and

9:09

committed more thefts and assaults

9:12

leading to an additional three-year

9:14

custodial sentence. This event signalled

9:16

the beginning of a pattern

9:18

of prison escapes and re-arrests

9:20

that would characterize the remainder

9:22

of his life. Following

9:25

his release, his personal life

9:27

fell apart when his wife,

9:30

sick to death of his

9:32

chaotic behaviour, divorced him and

9:34

almost immediately married a police

9:36

officer. Scripps was reportedly enraged

9:38

by his wife's betrayal. It

9:41

wasn't just the fact that she

9:43

had left him in favour of

9:45

a police officer, a man who

9:48

belonged to an institution who had

9:50

imprisoned him. So during one of

9:52

his home leaves from prison, and

9:54

fueled by alcohol, cannabis, bitterness

9:56

and resentment, scripts broke

9:58

into his... his ex-wife's home

10:01

and stole items belonging to

10:03

her new husband, including clothing

10:05

and personal belongings. The act

10:07

wasn't about material gain. It was

10:09

just a way for scripts to

10:11

assert control and to humiliate his

10:13

ex-wife's new husband. Somewhat

10:15

predictably, however, his petty and

10:18

full-hardy act of revenge backfired when

10:20

authorities quickly caught up with him,

10:23

leading to yet another extension of

10:25

his prison sentence. Scripps

10:28

was eventually released and he promised

10:30

his friends and family that he

10:32

was done with crime and intent

10:34

on changing his ways. This promise

10:37

turned out to be empty, however,

10:39

as he soon spiraled even deeper

10:41

into the criminal underworld, turning his

10:43

hand this time to drug trafficking.

10:46

In 1987, authorities in Singapore

10:48

first encountered his name when

10:50

he was arrested at Heathrow

10:52

Airport carrying heroin. An investigation

10:54

into Scripps' criminal movements led

10:56

them to a safety deposit

10:58

box in Singapore which was

11:00

holding heroin valued at around

11:02

a million US dollars. As a result Scripps

11:05

received a seven-year prison sentence

11:07

in 1988. Now for reasons

11:09

unknown even despite his long

11:11

history of absconding he was

11:14

granted home leave due to

11:16

his apparent good behaviour and

11:19

participation in prison rehabilitation rehabilitation

11:21

programmes. At the time, the British

11:23

penal system offered home leave

11:25

as a means to gradually

11:27

reintegrate prisoners back into society,

11:29

believing that those who showed

11:31

progress should be given a

11:33

chance to prove themselves. However,

11:35

Scripps exploited this privilege, escaping

11:37

once more and managing to

11:39

stay on the run until

11:41

his recapture. His actions resulted in

11:44

an additional six years being added

11:46

to his sentence in 1992. During

11:49

his time in H&P Albany,

11:51

Scripps trained as a butcher

11:53

under the supervision of experienced

11:55

professionals. He developed a meticulous

11:58

skill for dismembering carcass. which

12:00

would later play a dark role

12:02

in his crimes. Prison authorities

12:04

noted his enthusiasm and he

12:06

was once again put forward

12:09

for early release on account

12:11

of his good behaviour. However

12:13

his own mother remained wary.

12:15

She knew her son better than

12:17

anyone and pleaded with officials not

12:20

to grant him home leave and

12:22

her fears were proved valid when

12:24

in 1994 just at days after

12:26

being denied parole. Scripps escaped once

12:29

again during a home visit and

12:31

this time he was determined not

12:33

to go back inside. Scripps' mother

12:36

provided him with 200 pounds

12:38

to facilitate his travel

12:40

overseas following this escape.

12:42

Determined to evade capture

12:44

Scripps cleverly acquired the birth

12:46

certificate of a fellow inmate

12:49

named Simon James Davis and

12:51

used it to secure a

12:53

passport under Davis's identity. Armed

12:56

with this new counterfeit identity,

12:58

Scripps wasted no time and

13:01

within a month of escaping

13:03

custody he'd absconded to Mexico

13:05

under the alias John Martin.

13:07

There he approached the British

13:10

embassy with a fabricated story.

13:12

Armed with his new counterfeit

13:14

identity he wasted no time

13:16

and within a month of

13:19

escaping custody he'd absconded to

13:21

Mexico. There he approached the British

13:23

Embassy with a fabricated story,

13:26

claiming he'd lost his passport

13:28

and he successfully obtained a

13:30

replacement, and then this allowed

13:32

him to continue his travels

13:34

undetected and to remain one

13:36

step ahead of the law. With

13:38

his criminal pass behind him, at

13:40

least on paper, and armed with

13:43

a fraudulent passport obtained under the

13:45

name Simon James Davis, scripts travelled

13:47

through Mexico and later Singapore, where

13:50

he would go on to commit

13:52

his most heinous crimes. To this

13:54

day it remains unclear exactly

13:56

when or why John

13:58

Martin's scripts. first turned his

14:01

hand to murder. All we have are

14:03

some seriously disturbing details of

14:05

what happened once he did.

14:07

Jared George Lowe was a dedicated

14:09

chemical engineer from Johannesburg

14:12

in South Africa. A

14:14

meticulous and organized man,

14:16

Jared had a love for

14:18

all things technology and planned

14:20

his trips abroad with precision.

14:22

In early March 1995, he took some

14:24

money he had saved and set

14:26

out on a short trip to

14:29

Singapore with a clear goal in

14:31

mind, to shop for electrical and

14:33

electronic goods. Before leaving Johannesburg

14:35

on March 7th, he reassured his wife

14:37

Vanessa that he wouldn't be long and

14:40

even gave her an itinerary of his

14:42

trip so that she would know exactly

14:44

where he was and when to expect

14:46

him back. As he left his home for

14:49

what would soon turn out to be

14:51

the very last time, He promised to

14:53

call Vanessa when he checked into the

14:55

hotel, and this was his way of

14:57

ensuring that she wouldn't worry. Arriving

14:59

in Singapore on the morning of the

15:01

8th of March, Gerard Lowe was likely

15:04

feeling the thrill of being in a

15:06

new place, eager to enjoy his short

15:08

shopping trip for electronics. Friendly and

15:10

approachable, Gerard had always been a

15:12

people person, the type to easily

15:15

strike up a conversation with strangers.

15:17

and the bustling atmosphere of Changai

15:20

Airport seemed the perfect setting for

15:22

one such chat. As he made his

15:24

way through the passport control cue,

15:27

he found himself talking to a fellow

15:29

traveler, a British man who

15:31

seemed well-spoken, polite and easygoing.

15:34

Despite their brief interaction, the

15:36

man who introduced himself as

15:38

Simon Davis proposed an idea

15:41

that seemed practical at the time,

15:43

sharing a hotel room to cut costs.

15:45

It was a suggestion that might have

15:47

set off alarm bells in some

15:50

people, but Gerard, a trusting

15:52

and pragmatic individual, saw no

15:54

reason to decline. Perhaps

15:56

he thought that Simon appeared honest. After

15:59

all the... The more money he could

16:01

save on the logistics of the trip,

16:03

the more he had to spend on

16:05

electronics. Whatever the case,

16:07

Gerard agreed and the two

16:09

men booked into room 1511

16:11

at the Riverview Hotel, a

16:13

modest yet comfortable establishment near

16:15

to the bustling city centre. At

16:18

first glance, the decision seemed

16:20

harmless, practical even, travelling alone

16:22

Jared might have welcomed the

16:24

company of a seemingly friendly

16:26

fellow tourist. But what he

16:28

didn't realise, what he couldn't

16:30

have realised, was that his

16:33

new roommate had a far

16:35

darker agenda. For the man he

16:37

had just agreed to share a

16:39

room with was no ordinary traveller.

16:41

He was not Simon Davis. He

16:43

was John Martin Scripps, an

16:46

international fugitive and a

16:48

seasoned criminal who was about

16:50

to graduate to something much worse.

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By the time Gerard walked into

18:53

room 511, wheeling his suitcase

18:55

behind him and perhaps chatting

18:57

amiably with his newfound companion,

18:59

his fate was already sealed.

19:02

What should have been a simple

19:04

practical decision turned out to be

19:06

the most catastrophic choice

19:08

of his life, one that would soon

19:11

cost him everything. What happened

19:13

next remains shrouded in chilling

19:15

mystery, though the evidence left

19:17

a harrowing picture. The

19:20

morning after Gerard checked into room

19:22

511, hotel staff were informed by

19:25

his new roommate, John Martin Scripps,

19:27

aka Simon Davis, that Gerard had

19:29

left abruptly and wouldn't be coming

19:32

back. Scripps requested that Gerard's

19:34

name be removed from the

19:36

room's records, casually explaining that

19:38

he had kicked Gerard out

19:40

the previous night after discovering

19:42

that he was homosexual, a lie

19:44

that was designed to avoid suspicion and

19:47

to prevent further questions. So

19:49

the hotel staff, this explanation

19:51

seemed plausible enough, and they

19:54

complied with the request, unaware

19:56

that they were now aiding a cold

19:58

and calculated cover. In the days

20:01

that followed, activity on Gerard's

20:03

credit card raised alarm bells

20:05

with his wife Vanessa back

20:07

in Johannesburg. Unusually large cash

20:09

withdrawals amounting to thousands of

20:11

dollars far exceeding Gerard's shopping

20:13

budget were made from ATMs

20:15

across Singapore. Additionally the card

20:17

was used to purchase luxury

20:19

items that Gerard would never

20:21

have splurged on, including an

20:23

expensive video recorder. high-end night

20:25

trainers, and even tickets to

20:27

a performance by the Singapore

20:29

Symphony Orchestra. These transactions painted

20:31

a picture of indulgence, which

20:33

was utterly at odds with

20:35

Gerard's modest and practical nature.

20:37

Vanessa began to grow increasingly

20:39

anxious. Her husband was a

20:42

creature of habit, someone who

20:44

always kept his promises. Before

20:46

he left he had meticulously

20:48

outlined his travel plans, assuring

20:50

Vanessa that he would call

20:52

as soon as he arrived

20:54

at the hotel. And he

20:56

did, he did do that,

20:58

but that was the last

21:00

time Vanessa would hear from

21:02

her husband. During his call

21:04

he informed her that he

21:06

had arrived at the hotel

21:08

and that he was sharing

21:10

a room with a man

21:12

named Simon. However, since then,

21:14

several days passed by without

21:16

a single call. The date

21:18

on which Gerard had promised

21:20

to return home came and

21:23

went, but he was still

21:25

nowhere to be found. Vanessa's

21:27

growing unease turned into dread

21:29

as it became clear that

21:31

something was now terribly wrong.

21:33

Gerard had vanished, leaving only

21:35

unanswered questions and a trail

21:37

of suspicious transactions in his

21:39

wake. Little did Vanessa know.

21:41

The man her husband had

21:43

trusted to share a room

21:45

with was not just a

21:47

criminal. but a killer and

21:49

Gerard had already paid the

21:51

ultimate price. On March the

21:53

13th the first gruesome discovery

21:55

was made. A pair of

21:57

seven legs floating in the

21:59

waters near Clifford Pier, a

22:01

marina on the shore of

22:03

Singapore's downtown district. The limbs

22:06

were collected by the Singaporean

22:08

police for examination, but they

22:10

were not immediately able to

22:12

identify who they belonged to.

22:14

Then, just a few days

22:16

later, Moore remained surfaced in

22:18

the same area, including thighs

22:20

and a torso, all carefully

22:22

wrapped in plastic bags. As

22:24

before. the Singaporean police could

22:26

only determine that the remains

22:28

belonged to a Caucasian male.

22:30

By now, Gerard's wife had

22:32

filed a missing person's report

22:34

with the Singaporean authorities. His

22:36

concerned friends and work colleagues

22:38

had also begun making inquiries

22:40

through their networks in Singapore,

22:42

so it wasn't long before

22:44

the police began connecting the

22:47

dots. To avoid tipping off

22:49

any potential suspects, the discovery

22:51

of the dismembered body was

22:53

kept from the media. Eventually

22:55

on April the 1st, Vanessa's

22:57

worst fears were confirmed when

22:59

she was called upon to

23:01

identify the remains. While she

23:03

recognised Gerard from the body

23:05

parts recovered, the horror was

23:07

compounded by the fact that

23:09

his head and arms were

23:11

never found, meaning that the

23:13

pathologist could not determine an

23:15

exact cause of death, save

23:17

to say that the dismemberment

23:19

had been carried out with

23:21

eerie precision, suggesting to the

23:23

police that the killer had

23:25

professional butchering skills. Unfortunately

23:29

for everyone involved, however, this

23:31

was their one and only

23:33

clue. Gerard's roommate at the

23:35

Riverview Hotel was their prime

23:37

suspect, but they only knew

23:39

him as Simon James Davis,

23:41

a name they quickly realised

23:43

to be false. By the

23:45

time they arrived at this

23:47

conclusion, however, it was already

23:49

too late. Simon James Davis

23:51

or whoever he really was,

23:53

was long gone. Tracking

23:56

down criminals who flee a

23:58

country after committing a crime.

24:00

has always been a complex

24:02

and difficult task, largely due

24:04

to the fragmented and disjointed

24:06

nature of international law enforcement.

24:09

Each country has its own

24:11

legal systems, immigration policies and

24:13

extradition agreements, and this means

24:15

that a fugitive can exploit

24:17

loopholes, bureaucratic red tape, or

24:19

jurisdictional limitations in order to

24:21

evade capture with relative ease.

24:23

This has always been the

24:25

case, but it was especially

24:27

difficult back in the 1990s.

24:29

This was a pre-digital age,

24:31

shortly before the use of

24:33

biometric passports and widespread digital

24:35

tracking came into play. Scripps

24:37

knew this full well and

24:39

by the time the police

24:41

began searching for him, he'd

24:43

already left Singapore, lightly never

24:46

to return and the trail

24:48

almost immediately went cold. While

24:50

Singaporean authorities struggled to make

24:52

progress, hundreds of miles away,

24:54

another unsuspecting family was embarking

24:56

on what should have been

24:58

a joyful adventure. Sheila May

25:00

DeMude and her son Darren

25:02

John DeMude were a close-knit

25:04

family pairing from British Columbia

25:06

in Canada. Sheila, born in

25:08

1945, was a dedicated administrator

25:10

at a Christian school and

25:12

she was known for her

25:14

warm nature and for her

25:16

commitment to her work. Her

25:18

son Darren, born in 1972,

25:21

was a college student with

25:23

a bright future ahead of

25:25

him. The two shared

25:27

a strong bond and their holiday to

25:29

Thailand was meant to be a special

25:31

time to reconnect and to explore a

25:34

new place together. Darren had flown to

25:36

Asia ahead of his mother, eager to

25:38

take in the site while Sheila joined

25:41

him in Bangkok during her school spring

25:43

break, excited to make the most of

25:45

the dream trip. On

25:48

March 15th 1995, Sheila and

25:50

Darren Demude arrived in the

25:52

tropical paradise of Foucette, eager

25:55

to embrace the adventure and

25:57

relaxation the island promised. For

26:00

Sheila it was a much needed

26:02

escape from her busy life back

26:04

in Canada, while for Darren it

26:07

was the perfect opportunity to bond

26:09

with his mother and to explore

26:11

a new part of the world.

26:14

They planned to make the most

26:16

of their time together, immersing themselves

26:18

in the vibrant culture and natural

26:20

beauty of Thailand. Travelling on the

26:23

same flight as them was a

26:25

seemingly personable and charming man who

26:27

introduced himself as Simon Davis. Charismatic

26:29

and Chatty Davis struck up a

26:32

conversation with the mother and son

26:34

duo during the plane journey, quickly

26:36

forming what appeared to be a

26:39

friendly rapport. By the time the

26:41

plane landed in Foucette, he had

26:43

suggested they stay at the same

26:45

hotel. An idea Sheila and Darren,

26:48

both of whom were warm and

26:50

trusting by nature, readily agreed to.

26:52

Together, the three of them checked

26:54

into Niles Marina Inn, a modest

26:57

hotel with a prime view of

26:59

Patong Beach. Sheila and Darren were

27:01

assigned room 43, while Davis took

27:04

room 48, conveniently located just next

27:06

door. Upon arrival, Sheila and Darren

27:08

felt exhausted from the journey and

27:10

so they went to bed. Simon

27:13

Davis bid them good night and

27:15

went out to explore Patong Beach.

27:17

The next morning, Sheila and Darren

27:19

woke up early and enjoyed a

27:22

leisurely breakfast together, chatting about their

27:24

plans to explore the island. They

27:26

likely envisage the day of wandering

27:29

through bustling markets, relaxing on Thailand's

27:31

famously gorgeous beaches, and saving local

27:33

cuisine. However, that breakfast would be

27:35

the last time anyone would see

27:38

either of them alive. After their

27:40

meal, the demudes got up from

27:42

their table, left the dining room,

27:44

and simply vanished into thinner. Later

27:48

that day around 11am Simon Davis

27:51

approached the hotel receptionist with a

27:53

peculiar request. He claimed that Sheila

27:56

and Darren had left the hotel

27:58

unexpectedly and would not be... returning.

28:00

Calm and composed he requested

28:02

to move into their room and

28:04

assured the staff that he would

28:07

pay their bill. His demeanor gave

28:09

no cause for concern and

28:11

the hotel staff, unaware of

28:13

the dark truth, complied without

28:15

question. Davis moved into room

28:17

43. He was now completely in

28:20

control of the situation and made

28:22

no attempt to run away. He

28:24

continued his stay without raising

28:26

any alarms. Unbeknownst

28:30

to the staff, the man posing

28:32

as Simon Davis was, of course,

28:34

John Martin Scripps, a fugitive and

28:36

a killer, who had already

28:38

left a trail of death behind

28:40

him. Sheila and Darren had unknowingly

28:43

placed their trust in a

28:45

man whose charm amassed a

28:47

chilling capacity for violence. Days

28:49

passed without any word from

28:51

Sheila and Darren, leaving their

28:53

family and friends back home

28:55

deeply concerned. Then on

28:58

March 19th. John Martin Scripps

29:00

slash Simon Davis abruptly checked

29:02

out of the hotel paid

29:04

the bill and left Foucette.

29:06

Later that same day a grim

29:08

discovery was made in a disused

29:11

in mine in the Cattoo district

29:13

of Foucette. Two human heads

29:15

belonging to a man and a

29:17

woman. Authorities worked swiftly to

29:20

investigate but it wasn't until

29:22

five days later on March

29:24

24th that more human remains

29:26

were found on a roadside.

29:28

nearly 10 kilometers away. A torso,

29:30

along with a pair of

29:32

arms and legs, was recovered,

29:35

badly decomposed and beyond recognition.

29:37

Initial forensic investigations

29:40

suggested the remains belonged to

29:42

a female, and after thorough

29:44

dental comparisons, it was confirmed

29:46

that the skulls were Sheila

29:49

and Darren's. Tragically, the rest

29:51

of Darren's body was never

29:53

recovered. The discovery sent shock

29:56

waves through the quiet. Tourist-friendly

29:58

community of Foucette. Sheila and

30:00

Darren, a loving mother and son on

30:02

what should have been a joyous trip,

30:04

had instead met a horrific fate. Their

30:07

disappearance and the condition

30:09

in which their remains were

30:11

found, left authorities puzzled and

30:13

deeply unsettled. Investigators believe

30:15

that whoever was responsible had taken

30:17

great care to conceal their crime,

30:20

and the lack of any immediate

30:22

signs of a struggle only added

30:24

to the mystery. After murdering Sheila

30:26

and Darren, scripts was on the

30:28

run again. and he headed straight

30:30

for the airport as he scrambled

30:32

to get out of Thailand as

30:34

soon as he could. He managed

30:37

to evade capture, but then for

30:39

reasons unknown, he did something

30:41

mind bendingly stupid. He

30:43

flew back to Singapore. John

30:45

Martin Scripps returned to Singapore

30:48

on the evening of March

30:50

19th, 1995, clearly unaware that

30:52

the dismembered remains of his

30:54

earlier victim, Jared Lowe had

30:56

already been discovered. and that

30:58

he was now the prime

31:00

suspect in a murder investigation.

31:02

Scripps arrived at Changai Airport

31:04

once again using a fake passport

31:06

under the alias of Simon Davis,

31:08

a name and passport that the

31:11

Singaporean authorities had previously placed on

31:13

their wanted list as the main

31:15

person of interest in Gerald Lowe's

31:17

murder. Upon presenting the passport

31:20

in Singapore it was immediately flagged

31:22

up and Scripps was promptly arrested

31:24

there and then in the airport

31:26

in the airport terminal. It

31:29

is understood that Scripps fell apart

31:31

mentally when he realised what was

31:34

happening. During initial questioning at the

31:36

airport he attempted suicide by smashing

31:38

a glass panel and trying to

31:41

cut his wrist open with a

31:43

glass shard. He sustained minor injuries

31:45

and was treated at Alexandra Hospital.

31:47

He later said that he did

31:49

this because he feared that he

31:51

would be convicted of murder and

31:54

executed. Singapore style. And he

31:56

was right to be worried. Singapore was

31:58

and still is a country that embrace

32:00

his capital punishment. An

32:02

estimated 33 serious criminal

32:04

offences, including murder, drug

32:06

trafficking, terrorism, use of

32:08

firearms and kidnapping, all

32:10

warrant a mandatory death

32:12

penalty under Singaporean law.

32:14

Execution is usually carried

32:17

out by long drop hanging at dawn.

32:19

If the criminal is very lucky, the

32:21

long drop will break their neck, causing

32:23

an instant and mostly painless death.

32:25

If not, they are forced to endure

32:28

the sustained agony of choking to

32:30

death. A search of Scripps'

32:32

belongings revealed multiple passports, including

32:34

those that had once belonged

32:37

to the demudes and Gerard

32:39

Lo, all now bearing his

32:41

photograph. Authorities also found credit

32:43

cards belonging to his victims.

32:45

They also found a bag

32:47

of cannabis and several illegal

32:49

weapons and tools, such as

32:51

a hammer, a taser. a

32:53

can of mace handcuffs and

32:55

knives, items he used to

32:57

incapacitate, torture, murder and dismember

33:00

his victims. On March

33:02

21st 1995 Scripps was charged

33:04

with forgery for signing Gerard

33:06

Lowe's name to withdraw cash.

33:08

Three days later he was

33:11

charged with Lowe's murder

33:13

and remanded into custody.

33:15

Additional charges included

33:17

forgery, vandalism, possession

33:20

of offensive weapons, and

33:22

drug possession, more than enough to

33:24

warrant the mandatory death penalty that

33:27

he was so afraid of. In

33:29

October 1995, John Martin Scripps stood

33:31

trial in Singapore, accused of

33:33

the gruesome murder and dismemberment

33:36

of South African tourist Gerard

33:38

Low. The trial commenced on

33:40

October 2, with the prosecution

33:42

presenting a chilling narrative. The

33:45

scripts had befriended low

33:47

upon his arrival in Singapore, lured

33:49

him into sharing a hotel room.

33:51

and subsequently killed him for financial

33:53

gain. The prosecution claimed that

33:56

the dismembered remains of Gerald

33:58

Lowe discovered in Blackpath. bags

34:00

floating in that pier brought testimony

34:02

to the brutality of the crime.

34:05

And the prosecution then presented

34:07

over 100 exhibits and photographs

34:09

as evidence and brought forward

34:11

a total of 39 witnesses

34:14

to testify against him. A

34:16

pivotal moment in the trial was

34:18

the testimony of a man

34:20

named James Quickly, a prison

34:22

caterer from Albany Prison on

34:24

the Isle of Wight where

34:26

scripts had previously been incarcerated.

34:28

quickly revealed that he had

34:30

trained scripts in butchery, teaching him

34:33

how to dismember and debone

34:35

animals, a skill that the

34:37

prosecution argued Scripps later applied

34:40

to his human victims. This

34:42

connection between his prison

34:44

training and the methodical

34:46

dismemberment of Lowe's body

34:48

was instrumental in establishing

34:50

Scripps' culpability. In

34:53

his defence, Scripps claimed that

34:55

he'd killed Gerard Lowe in

34:57

self-defense. He recounted an incident

34:59

where he awoke to find

35:01

low-making unwanted sexual advances, which

35:03

led to a physical altercation.

35:05

According to scripts, in the heat

35:08

of the moment, he struck low multiple

35:10

times over the head with a hammer, resulting

35:12

in his death. He further alleged

35:14

that an accomplice, whom he refused

35:16

to name, assisted in disposing of

35:19

the body, and said this person

35:21

was also responsible for the

35:23

murders of Canadian Taurus Sheila

35:25

and Darren Demude in Thailand.

35:27

However, the prosecution easily dismantled

35:30

and promptly rejected this narrative,

35:32

highlighting multiple inconsistencies in Scripps'

35:35

story and emphasising the lack

35:37

of evidence to support the

35:39

existence of this alleged accomplice.

35:42

The court also considered evidence

35:44

of Scripps' financial motives. Following

35:46

Gerard Lowe's death, Scripps had

35:48

used Lowe's credit cards for

35:51

spending spree, purchasing luxury items

35:53

and withdrawing substantial amounts of

35:55

cash. The similar patterns were observed in

35:58

the cases of the demutes, whose His

36:00

credit cards and personal belongings

36:02

were found in Scripps' possession

36:05

upon his arrest. These actions painted

36:07

a picture of a man who

36:09

killed not out of fear or

36:11

self-defense, but for financial gain

36:13

as a means to fund his ongoing

36:15

travels. After a thorough examination of

36:18

the evidence, the presiding judge

36:20

found Scripps guilty of murder.

36:22

In his judgment he noted

36:24

the hallmark signs of Scripps'

36:27

method, befriending tourists, killing them.

36:29

and then expertly dismembering their

36:32

bodies to hinder identification. The

36:34

judge fundamentally dismissed Scripps' claims

36:36

of accidental death and the

36:39

involvement of an accomplice, stating

36:41

that the prosecution had proven

36:43

beyond a reasonable doubt that

36:45

Scripps had intentionally killed Lo. In

36:48

passing sentence the judge delivered

36:50

these chilling comments. I'm satisfied

36:52

beyond a reasonable doubt that

36:54

Martin had intentionally killed Lo.

36:56

After that he disarticulated Lowe's body into

36:58

separate parts and it was he

37:00

who subsequently disposed of the body

37:03

parts by throwing them into the

37:05

river behind the hotel. On the

37:07

evidence I had no difficulty to find

37:09

that it was Martin who was concerned

37:11

with the deaths of Sheila and Darren

37:13

and for the disposal of their body

37:15

parts found in different sites in

37:17

Foucette. The disarticulation of the body parts

37:19

of Lowe, Sheila and Darren have the

37:22

hallmarked signs of having been done by

37:24

the same person. Altogether,

37:26

this similar fact evidence reinforces the

37:28

decision I have made, for it

37:30

puts beyond doubt that Martin is

37:32

guilty of the charge of murder.

37:34

The sentence of this court upon you

37:36

is that you will be taken from this

37:38

place to a lawful prison and taken to

37:40

a place to be hanged by the neck

37:42

until you are dead. May the Lord have

37:44

mercy on your soul. Scripps'

37:47

sentence of death by hanging

37:50

was significant because it marked

37:52

the very first time of

37:54

Britain had received the death

37:56

penalty in Singapore since its

37:58

independence. After

38:00

being sentenced, John Martin's scripts initially

38:02

indicated that he would appeal. In

38:05

November 1995, he formally announced his

38:07

intention to challenge the ruling, but

38:09

as the date for the hearing

38:11

approached, he suddenly withdrew the appeal

38:14

without explanation. By January 4th, 1996,

38:16

just four days before his appeal

38:18

was due to be heard, he

38:21

had abandoned any legal attempts to

38:23

save his own life. When given

38:25

the opportunity to petition the President

38:28

of Singapore for clemency, he refused,

38:30

insisting that he wanted to be

38:32

put to death. In the weeks

38:34

leading up to his hanging, Scripps

38:37

spent his time in solitary confinement

38:39

at Changai Prison. He was left

38:41

with little more than his own

38:44

thoughts, a few sheets of paper

38:46

and a pen. The notes he

38:48

wrote in his final days offered

38:51

a glimpse into the mind of

38:53

a man confronting his own mortality.

38:55

In messy, misspelled handwriting, he expressed

38:57

a profound sense of emptiness and

39:00

betrayal. One day poor, one day

39:02

rich, money fills the pain of

39:04

hunger, but what will fill the

39:07

emptiness inside, he wrote in one

39:09

note, suggesting that wealth had done

39:11

nothing to satisfy him. Another letter

39:14

revealed his pain at feeling abandoned.

39:16

I know that love is beyond

39:18

me. So I do give myself

39:20

to God. The God that has

39:23

betrayed me. Can I be a

39:25

person again? Only time will tell.

39:27

Scripps' writings painted a picture of

39:30

a deeply lonely man, someone who

39:32

felt disconnected from the world. He

39:34

lamented that the only people who

39:37

had ever truly loved him were

39:39

his family and his ex-wife Maria.

39:41

He also wrote about his prison

39:43

experience in Singapore complaining. You were

39:46

told every day that you are

39:48

not a member of the human

39:50

race. Just a

39:53

week before he was due to

39:55

be hanged, scripts described a dream

39:57

in which he managed to avoid

39:59

execution by hanging. himself first. In

40:02

the dream he climbed onto a

40:04

creaky old chair, tied a noose

40:06

around his neck and placed a

40:08

handful of earth into his mouth

40:11

before stepping off. Darkness embraced me

40:13

as the heavens opened, he wrote,

40:15

before waking up in his cold

40:17

prison cell. Scripps' mother Jean refused

40:19

to accept the legitimacy of her

40:22

son's execution. She told the UK

40:24

media, whoever he is now, he's

40:26

the person the prison service trained

40:28

him to be. These bastards have

40:31

no right to take my son's

40:33

life. I bought him into the

40:35

world. I'm the only person who

40:37

can take him out of it.

40:40

Despite this, no official protests were

40:42

made against his sentence. Even the

40:44

British government declined to file a

40:46

plea for clemency with the Singaporean

40:49

authorities. Just four days before his

40:51

execution, Scripps sat down with criminologist

40:53

Christopher Barry D and gave a

40:55

full confession. detailing how he had

40:58

killed Gerard Lowe and dismembered his

41:00

body. However, he continued to deny

41:02

any involvement in the deaths of

41:04

Sheila and Darren Demute. In the

41:07

early hours of April 19th 1996,

41:09

John Martin Scripps was given his

41:11

final meal, a large pizza and

41:13

hot chocolate. At dawn, he was

41:15

led to the gallows at Changai

41:18

Prison, where he was hanged alongside

41:20

two Singaporean heroine heroine heroin traffickers.

41:22

Richard Lo G. Boone and Lee

41:24

Meng Hong. He was 36 years

41:27

old. When news of his execution

41:29

reached his ex-wife Maria, she responded

41:31

with grief and shock. I knew

41:33

this would happen to John, but

41:36

I didn't know it would hurt

41:38

so much, she said. The last

41:40

memory I have of him is

41:42

a message he sent promising we

41:45

would meet in the next life,

41:47

and that he would never let

41:49

me go again. Meanwhile,

41:51

the Royal Canadian mounted police

41:53

and the Royal Thai police

41:55

closed their files on the

41:58

murders of Sheila and Darren

42:00

Demude, declaring that case effectively

42:02

solved. Scripps had gone to

42:04

his death without ever admitting

42:06

to his role in their

42:08

killings, but to the authorities

42:10

there was no doubt. He

42:12

had lured the demudes to

42:15

their death, just as he

42:17

had done with Gerald Low.

42:19

For Singapore, the case was

42:21

closed. For the families of

42:23

the victims, however, no execution

42:25

could ever erase the pain

42:27

left behind by John Martin

42:29

Scripps' murderous spree. Back in

42:32

Scripps' home country, however. the

42:34

story was far from over.

42:36

Even after his execution in

42:38

1996, John Martin's scripts remained

42:40

a figure of suspicion in

42:42

multiple unsolved murders across different

42:44

continents. His known crimes, luring

42:47

unsuspected tourists, brutally murdering them

42:49

and dismembering their bodies, were

42:51

chillingly methodical, raising questions about

42:53

whether he had more victims

42:55

than those he was convicted

42:57

for. Despite his death authorities

42:59

in multiple countries continued to

43:01

examine his past movements, financial

43:04

transactions and possible links to

43:06

other disappearances. Scotland Yard had

43:08

long suspected scripts of murdering

43:10

two British men, Timothy MacDowell

43:12

and William Shackle. MacDowell of

43:14

Financial Advisor vanished in Belize

43:16

in early 1995 while on

43:18

holiday. The only traceable lead

43:21

was a suspicious 21,000 pound

43:23

bank transfer from his account

43:25

to one in San Francisco

43:27

under Scripps' name. Though body

43:29

parts were found in Belize,

43:31

authorities could never conclusively link

43:33

them to MacDowell. It was

43:36

speculated that Scripps, an avid

43:38

scuba diver may have killed

43:40

MacDowell in his sleep before

43:42

disposing of his remains in

43:44

a crocodile infested river. However,

43:46

because scripts refused to be

43:48

interviewed while on death row

43:50

in Singapore, the case remained

43:53

unsolved. Similarly, accountant William Shackle

43:55

disappeared while vacationing in Canada.

43:57

Cancun in Mexico. Investigators found

43:59

that Scripps was in the

44:01

city on the same day

44:03

Shackelcaste travelist checks worth 4,000

44:05

pounds and he was never

44:07

seen again after that. Shackel's

44:10

fate remains unknown and the

44:12

lack of physical evidence meant

44:14

that any formal charges against

44:16

Scripps in this case were

44:18

impossible. In the United States

44:20

Scripps was investigated for the

44:22

gruesome murder of sex work

44:25

at Tom Vanger in San

44:27

Francisco in 1994. Venga's

44:29

dismembered body was discovered in a

44:31

dumpster in the Polk Street District,

44:34

drained of blood in a manner

44:36

strikingly similar to scripts' later confirmed

44:38

victims. A facial composite of the

44:41

suspect closely resembled scripts further fueling

44:43

speculation. However, upon further investigation, it

44:45

was determined that scripts was residing

44:48

in a British halfway house at

44:50

the time, eliminating him as the

44:52

murderer. Despite this alibi, many continued

44:55

to wonder whether Scripps had committed

44:57

other undiscovered murders that fitted his

44:59

gruesome modus operandi. Additionally, he was

45:02

also investigated for a murder in

45:04

Arizona, though details remained scarce on

45:06

that one. The full extent of

45:09

Scripps' crimes may never be known.

45:11

His methods, usually choosing solo travellers,

45:13

using false identities, and expertly dismembering

45:16

bodies. means that many potential victims

45:18

could have vanished without a trace,

45:20

without his cooperation and with limited

45:23

forensic evidence in the international cases,

45:25

law enforcement agencies were left with

45:27

unsettling possibilities, but few definitive answers.

45:30

Even in death scripts remained an

45:32

enigma, a shadowy figure lurking in

45:34

the gaps of unresolved disappearances worldwide.

45:37

The case of John Martin's scripts

45:39

remains one of the most chilling

45:41

in modern crime history. a stark

45:44

reminder of the dangers that can

45:46

lurk beneath a friendly smile and

45:48

a polite conversation. His story was

45:51

not just one of murder, but

45:53

one of deception, manipulation, and a

45:55

deeply broken man who left a

45:58

trail of grief across multiple countries.

46:00

For the families of his victims,

46:02

no sentence could ever truly bring

46:05

justice. Sheila and Darren demude never

46:07

returned home from their dream holiday.

46:09

Gerard Lowe's loved ones were left

46:12

with the horrifying knowledge that he

46:14

had been dismembered and discarded like

46:16

garbage. These were not people who

46:19

took reckless risks or sought out

46:21

danger or sought out danger. They

46:23

were ordinary travellers who placed their

46:26

trust in someone they met along

46:28

the way and this was a

46:30

trust that cost them their lives.

46:33

Scripps' crimes also exposed the vulnerabilities

46:35

in international law enforcement at the

46:37

time. Before biometric passports and digital

46:40

databases it was alarmingly easy for

46:42

criminals to assume false identities and

46:44

travel freely between countries. Scripps was

46:47

able to forge documents. withdraw large

46:49

sums of money from his victim's

46:51

accounts, and move from one nation

46:54

to the next with minimal scrutiny.

46:56

By the time authorities in Singapore

46:59

identified him as a suspect, he

47:01

had already vanished to Thailand, and

47:03

after the murders of the demudes,

47:06

he was on the move again.

47:08

His ability to slip through the

47:10

cracks was a wake-up call to

47:13

law enforcement agents worldwide. But his

47:15

case also proved that even the

47:17

most cunning criminals can't evade justice

47:20

forever. His downfall came from his

47:22

own arrogance, believing he could return

47:24

to Singapore, withdraw stolen money and

47:27

leave unnoticed. His capture, trial and

47:29

execution sent a message, no matter

47:31

how far you run, the past

47:34

will always catch up with you.

47:36

Singapore's swift justice system ensured that

47:38

scripts faced the consequences of his

47:41

actions, and his execution marked that

47:43

historic moment that historic moment that

47:45

historic moment. the first hanging of

47:48

a British citizen in the country

47:50

since its independence. But capital punishment

47:52

was... bringing closure to some could

47:55

never undo the suffering that he

47:57

caused. His mother Jean spent the

47:59

rest of her life bitterly opposing

48:02

his execution, while his ex-wife Maria

48:04

mourned the man that she had

48:06

once loved, struggling to reconcile the

48:09

husband she knew with the monster

48:11

that he had become. Today, the

48:13

name John Martin scripts may not

48:16

be as famous as some of

48:18

history's other serial killers, but his

48:20

crimes serve as a cautionary tale.

48:23

They remind us that danger doesn't

48:25

always come with warning signs. that

48:27

evil sometimes wears a friendly face,

48:30

and that for all the advances

48:32

in law enforcement, there will always

48:34

be those who seek to exploit

48:37

the kindness and trust of strangers.

48:39

For the victims and their families,

48:41

the story of John Martin's scripts

48:44

is not just about the brutality

48:46

of his crimes. It's about lives

48:48

stolen too soon, journeys that ended

48:51

in unimaginable horror, and the heartbreaking

48:53

reality that even the most innocent

48:55

decisions can sometimes lead to tragedy.

48:59

Thank you for listening. We will

49:01

be back together, reunited next week,

49:03

so we will see you there.