IN the early 1990's the tragic murder of 18-year-old Julie Dart shocked the nation.
The man responsible for the horrific crime was Michael Sams.
Who was Julie Dart?
Julie Dart was just 18 at the time she was tragically kidnapped and murdered.
The teenager from Leeds was the first of two victims – Stephanie Slater was the second.
What happened to Julie Dart?
On July 9, 1991, Michael Sams snatched Julie from the streets of Leeds’ Chapeltown red light district.
He then transported the 18-year-old to his workshop in Newark, Nottinghamshire.
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After kidnapping the teen, Sams then callously demanded £140,000 from Julie’s mum.
However, he gave the police the run-around when they agreed to hand over the huge sum – hanging up the phone before the final drop-off point could be revealed.
In truth, Julie Dart had already been killed by this point – her killer had never had any intentions of freeing her.
During his taped confession from Full Sutton Prison in East Yorkshire, he said: “When I went out to kidnap Julie Dart, there was only one intention, and that was to kill her.
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“There was no intention whatsoever to keep her alive.”
The night of Julie's abduction Sams had pulled up alongside the teen and she told him it was “her first night” out working the streets and he took full advantage of her lack of experience.
The remains of Julie’s body, which had been bundled up in a sheet, were discovered on a farm near Grantham in Lincolnshire – ten days after she had gone missing.
Six months later, on January 22, 1992, Sams struck again – this time targeting estate agent Stephanie Slater.
Unbeknown to the then 25-year-old, she was about to show a dangerous killer, posing as a potential buyer around a property.
When the pair arrived at the viewing in Birmingham, Sams abducted his second victim at knife-point.
Like Julie, he too transported her to his workshop.
It was there Stephanie endured a terrifying ordeal that was to scar her for the next two decades of her life.
She was handcuffed, gagged and blindfolded while being kept in a coffin-style box, which was then locked in a wheelie-bin.
Her kidnapper would occasionally free her and allow her to eat.
When she was allowed out of her box-like prison, Stephanie realised that she needed to do something to try and remain out of there.
The 25-year-old triedto build a rapport with her kidnapper so that he did not view her as a disposable object he could just kill and discard.
Once more Sams demanded a ransom – this time the amount of £175,000 from her employers.
After evading police to collect the money, her captor dropped her home, leaving her two streets from her house.
She had been missing for eight days.
Her evidence helped police capture Sams and convict him of the abduction, as well as the murder of Julie Dart.
Where is Michael Sams now?
Now in his 80's convicted killer and kidnapper Michael Sams is still behind bars.
While he admitted to the kidnap at his trial, Sams denied Julie’s murder, but was found guilty by a jury at Nottingham Crown Court.
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He was convicted of his crimes in 1933 and sentencedto life imprisonment for the murder of Julie Dart and the abduction of Stephanie Slater.
He is reportedly applying for parole for the third time in March 2023 after spending 30 years behind bars.
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