Follow along as police uncover the men behind the horrific attacks
Two killers who left a “scene of utter devastation” in Houghton Regis after fatally stabbing two men and injured a third will be investigated in a two-part episode of 24 Hours in Police Custody.
This Sunday (January 7), the Channel 4 show will join detectives from Bedfordshire Police’s Major Crime Unit as they investigate reports of a hit-and-run in Houghton Regis.
Last year, Nicholas Papworth, 33, and Anthony Bennison, 25, were found guilty of 12 offences, including three charges of murder each.
Bennison of no fixed abode, must serve a minimum of 38 years in prison, while Papworth, of Hillborough Crescent in Dunstable, will spend at least 34 years behind bars.
In the early hours of Sunday, November 13, 2022, 39-year-old Adam Fanelli and 27-year-old Patrick Howard, both of Houghton Regis were pronounced dead at the scene of the incident on Tithe Farm Road. Both men were found to have stab wounds, and a third man was taken to hospital after he was also stabbed.
With the help of DC Jacob Hobday, a new detective, investigating his first double murder investigation, the episode delves into every twist and turn in the case, looking at how witnesses were reluctant to reveal the identity of the perpetrators.
He said: “We see it a lot nowadays, where people’s loyalty and lives are put on the line for people in the same postcode. They won’t talk to the police because they feel they have some sort of loyalty or a code. But at what point that loyalty in code means that you’re taking lives and letting lives be taken? It’s a weak code”.
From the moment the case is handed to detectives to the intense interrogation of the pair believed to be responsible for the attacks – the episode gives unprecedented access to the conversations happening at the core of the drama. The case will conclude next weekend as police begin a fresh manhunt to track down a third suspect.
Detective Chief Inspector Sam Khanna, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: “This was a highly emotive and complex case in which two men were tragically killed and a third was left with injuries that no doubt have had a long term impact.
“Knife crime and violent offences are horrendous acts of brutality that rob families of loved ones and communities of their sense of safety.
“This crime occurred in the heart of a close-knit community, which the victims were an integral part of. People who knew them were saddened by the incident, heroically came to their aid, and ultimately helped us bring those guilty to punishment.
“My urge to those watching these episodes is to think about the damage a moment of wrath has had on the victims’ loved ones. That is why we encourage individuals to speak up about what they see happening in their communities. If you know of someone engaging in knife crime, please report it; it could make a significant difference in our mission to combat violent crime.”
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