The true story of Stephanie Slater a British estate agent who was kidnapped, raped and held for ransom by Michael Sams. He imprisoned her in a coffin-like box for eight days.
Previously on 9th July 1991, Sams picked up Julie Dart, an 18 year old Leeds resident. She was blindfolded and taken to Sams' warehouse, where she was placed in a coffin-like box and chained to the floor. According to Sams' later confession, Dart freed herself from the box in an attempt to escape, but was unable to leave the room. Sams, who had wired an alarm to the box, returned to chain her to a roof beam. The following day, Sams forced Dart to write a letter to her boyfriend demanding a ransom of £140,000 or "the hostage would never be seen again.” He also made her write other notes. After the notes were written, Sams murdered Dart with a hammer. Nine days later he dumped her body in a field in Easton, Lincolnshire.
Since it was never likely that Dart's ransom would be paid, it has been suggested that Sams always intended to kill her. Paul Britton, a clinical psychologist who advised the detectives who interviewed Sams, argued that he abducted a sex worker because it would be relatively easy and was good "practice.It would also not create too much of "a stir". By killing Dart, and leaving her body where it could easily be found, Sams would "convince the police that he was to be regarded as a serious adversary" and intimidate his next victims into paying up.
Sams continued to send messages to the police. One stated: "prostitutes are easy to pick up, and I won't spend any more time in prison for killing two instead of one." He later claimed to have kidnapped another sex worker, but police could find no evidence that any other sex worker was missing. Sams also sent messages stating he would intentionally cause a train crash unless he was paid a ransom.
Some months later on 22nd January 1992 Sams kidnapped another woman. Using a false name, he arranged to meet Stephanie Slater, an estate agent with a local branch of the company Shipways ostensibly to view a property in Turnberry Road, Great Barr, Birmingham. At the property he attacked Slater, tied her up, and then took her to his workshop. Sams again demanded a ransom, this time from Slater's manager at the estate agency.
When it was paid, Sams released Slater. Given his previous crime, police had expected the kidnapper to kill Slater. They hoped to stop him by following him after he picked up the ransom, but Sams had anticipated this, and devised an elaborate scheme to successfully give them the slip.
After Sams was convicted and imprisoned, he attacked a female probation officer. He also became known for his attempts to sue the prison, initially successfully, for losing his artificial leg, and then because his bed was too hard.
Stephanie Slater passed away in August 2017 after a short battle with cancer. She was 50 years old.
Информация по комментариям в разработке