Unsolved crimes of merciless Britannia – infamous 90s killings that stay a thriller at present

It was the era of Cool Britannia, bringing us the end of the Cold War, Britpop and Spice Girl Geri Halliwell performing in a Union Jack dress at the Brit Awards. But the upbeat decade of the 1990s also had its dark side too.

When beloved TV presenter Jill Dando was shot dead on her doorstep in a cold blooded killing, the nation was left completely stunned. But it’s not the only deplorable event that is still puzzling cops from the time.

Here, we look at six notorious unsolved crimes from the 90s that are still a mystery to this day.

Who shot Jill?

When Crimewatch presenter Jill Dando, 37, was gunned down while returning to her London flat on April 26, 1999, it shocked the nation. Barry George was convicted of the crime in 2001, but later acquitted after a retrial.

No-one else has since been charged over the killing, but a host of theories have been put forward by amateur sleuths, ranging from a professional hit order by a Serbian warlord to a jilted lover or a deranged fan, but the truth remains unknown 27 years on.

Missing ‘Milk Carton’ Kids

Patrick Warren, 11, and David Spencer, 13, were playing together near their home in Solihull, West Mids, when they vanished on Boxing Day in 1996.

Despite a nationwide search, which included their images being printed on milk cartons, their bodies have never been found. In recent years a potential suspect in their disappearance, convicted paedophile and child killer Brian Field, has emerged.

He is known to have been living in the area at the time, but denied involvement and died this week taking any potential answers to his grave. Criminologist David Wilson has said police missed vital clues at the time that could have helped them crack the case.

Body in the bag

In 2009, a workman made a horrifying discovery next to a slip road on the M5 in South Gloucestershire – a bin bag containing the remains of Melanie Hall, a hospital worker who had been missing for 13 years. Tests showed she had suffered head injuries.

Melanie had last been seen, aged 25, sitting on a stool at Cadillacs nightclub in Bath in the early hours of June 9, 1996. Police had released an e-fit of a man seen with Melanie at the club, but he was never identified.

Despite several arrests over the years, her killer has not been brought to justice. Cops recently released a video campaign featuring a clip of the “football’s coming home” anthem Three Lions in the hope to jog people’s memories.

Tent peg trauma

Schoolgirl Billie-Jo Jenkins, 13, was found bludgeoned with an 18-inch iron tent peg on February 15, 1997, at her family’s foster home in Hastings, East Sussex. Her foster father Sion Jenkins – a deputy headmaster – was first to discover her body.

He would be charged with murder after 158 tiny spots of Billie-Jo’s blood were found on his clothes. Jenkins was convicted in 1998 but claimed that the blood spatter happened when Billie-Jo breathed out as she lay dying.

After two inconclusive retrials, he was formally acquitted in 2006. It is hoped new forensic evidence may one day solve the mystery of who really murdered the tragic teen.

Slaughtered Sunbather

Ann Heron was last seen sunbathing wearing a bikini in her front garden as a heatwave gripped Britain on August 3, 1990. At 6pm her haulage boss husband Peter Heron returned home from work to find their front door open.

Inside Ann was lying dead in a pool of her blood in their living room. She had a stab wound to her neck from a razor blade or Stanley knife and her bikini bottoms had been removed. Peter, who was having an affair at the time, was charged cops dropped the case.

A claim that a violent criminal on the loose was the culprit was discounted. Ann’s son Ralph Cockburn from a previous marriage, who became a detective himself, says: “Somebody out there knows who did it and why.”

Cowshed Horror

The bloodied bodies of Harry Tooze, 64, and his wife Megan, 67, were found inside a cowshed at their remote farm in Llanharry, south-east Wales, hidden in carpet under hay bales. They had both been shot dead on July 26, 1993, at point-blank range with a shotgun.

There was no robbery, but a special tea set had been laid in their cottage as if they were expecting company. Cops discovered their daughter Cheryl’s boyfriend Jonathan Jones, a 35-year-old recruitment consultant, had taken that day off.

They thought his alibi was shaky and a partial fingerprint of his was found on a cup in the house. Jones was charged and convicted of the murders in 1995, but was later released on appeal and he went on to marry Cheryl.

Police have since investigated links to the Welsh serial killer John Cooper, known for killing couples with a shotgun, but without a result.