These are the faces of some of Nottingham’s most infamous criminals, all of whom have been handed substantial prison sentences for their heinous crimes. Colin Gunn was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2006, with a minimum term of 35 years, for conspiring to murder John and Joan Stirland in Trusthorpe, Lincolnshire.
Meanwhile, John Dawes, who has since been released, was given a 24-year sentence at Nottingham Crown Court in 2005 for money laundering and conspiracy to deal drugs. Mark Martin, of no fixed address, was found guilty of murdering Katie Baxter, Zoe Pennick and Ellen Frith and was sentenced to life in prison.
Colin Gunn
Colin Gunn’s name will forever be associated with crime in Nottingham as the notorious Bestwood crime boss who was imprisoned for life in 2006 – with a minimum term of 35 years – for conspiring to murder John and Joan Stirland.
The murders were in retaliation for the death of Jamie Gunn, Colin Gunn’s 19 year old nephew, who died on August 2, 2004. Although the official cause of Jamie’s death was pneumonia, it was believed that he had been on a downward spiral of alcohol and drugs ever since he witnessed a gunman shoot and kill his best friend, Marvyn Bradshaw, outside the Sporting Chance pub, in Bulwell, in August 2003.
Joan and John Stirland
(Image: Lincolnshire Police/PA)
That gunman was Mrs Stirland’s son, Michael O’Brien, who was later sentenced to life in prison for the murder.
However, his incarceration left his mother and stepfather as the only remaining targets for a revenge attack by Gunn and other members of the Bestwood Cartel crime gang. The Stirlands were forced into police protection after their Carlton home was targeted in a drive-by shooting.
After relocating to North Yorkshire and then returning to Nottingham, the Stirlands, aged 53 and 55, left police protection and attempted to live peacefully – and safely – in a bungalow in the Lincolnshire coastal village of Trusthorpe. However, they were tracked down by Gunn’s criminal gang after a telecommunications employee disclosed their address.
On Sunday, August 8, 2004, Mrs Stirland contacted Notts Police to report a prowler outside their bungalow the previous evening. That information was passed on the same afternoon – via fax – to Lincolnshire Police who, lacking any prior intelligence about the threat level the Stirlands faced, did not prioritise it.
Colin Gunn
It wasn’t until 9.30pm that officers visited the property, by which time the couple were already dead. The unidentified gunmen parked their getaway car, a Volkswagen Passat, near the Stirlands’ house and walked across the lawn into the house.
Mr Stirland, wearing shorts and no top, was on the settee when he was shot. His wife was in a bedroom when she was killed.
Despite their involvement in the Stirland killings, no one received a murder conviction. In 2006, Colin Gunn was given a 35-year sentence for conspiracy to murder, linked to the crime via CCTV and mobile records.
His accomplices, John Russell of Northcote Way, Bulwell, and Michael McNee of no fixed abode, were sentenced to minimum terms of 30 years and 25 years respectively for the same charge. An inquest found Notts Police had made multiple mistakes leading to the deaths, but Lincolnshire Police were exonerated.
L-R John Russell of Northcote Way, Bulwell, and Michael McNee of no fixed address, both jailed for conspiracy to murder the Stirlands.
John Dawes
John Dawes, another key figure, amassed £8.3 million from his drug empire across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Dawes, who was among the most feared gang leaders in Nottingham around the turn of the millennium, was sentenced in 2005 to a 24-year prison term for money laundering and conspiring to supply drugs.
John Dawes outside court in September 2017
Having served his time and released, he appeared in court in September 2017 disputing ownership of six vehicles listed as part of his assets and valued at £18,000. A 2008 judgment allowed for £355,000 to be seized from Dawes’s wealth, including three motorbikes, two vans, and a BMW – assets he once admitted owning but later contested in the courtroom.
Talking about his past and present circumstances, Dawes said during the hearing: “I wasn’t expecting to get locked up. It was a big shock, to be honest.”
“I just got 24 years in prison. My main concern was surviving prison. It was daunting.”
John Dawes was jailed for 24 years in 2005.
He recalled his time being moved through Category A prisons and “shipped around the country for nine-and-half years”. Now out, he struggles to get by, working 74 hours a week, stating, “just to get my head above water”.
Judge James Sampson, reviewing witness accounts concerning vehicle ownership, dismissed Dawes’ dispute over the £18,000 part of the confiscation order. The judge gave Dawes six months to pay, yet the total amount of assets was ultimately reduced to £224,550 after agreement from both prosecution and defence.
Dawes, who had displayed confidence and even humour in his 2005 trial, now faces a stark reality. Judge Sampson stated, “Having listened to Mr Dawes and heard his witnesses, I have no hesitation in finding, as a fact, the assets [the vehicles] were his in 2003.”
The judge acknowledged Dawes had attempted to conceal these assets at the time of arrest to prevent police seizure.
However, acknowledging Dawes’ current situation, Judge Sampson added, “He now has no assets and no means of satisfying the £18,000,” accepting that if Dawes possessed any assets presently, “I accept that if he had the assets now he would gladly give them up in order to get rid of this very difficult problem”.
The notion of Dawes’ fall from arrogance to a burdensome struggle was reflected in the recollections of the police from his trial days, considering his then-confident demeanour as a crucial aspect of his undoing.
Detective Inspector Pete Jones, who spearheaded the criminal investigation, stated: “He thought he was untouchable. But no one is untouchable, no matter how violent and intimidating they are,” He explained that Dawes remained unperturbed even as his associates were systematically arrested, due to his indirect involvement with drugs or money, relying on numerous runners for transportation and laundering. The court heard that Dawes was “ruthless”, ruling the UK branch of the multi-million pound empire with an iron fist.
Prosecutor Paul Mann, QC, said Dawes had cultivated “a reputation for violence” and would not tolerate dissent. His reign of fear led four former employees, seeking escape, to turn to the police rather than face repercussions.
These drug runners, who worked for Dawes between 2000 and 2003, played a crucial role in his conviction. All four were placed under the Witness Protection Programme, each with their own harrowing tale.
A 30-year-old, who once sold three ounces of heroin daily, was assaulted with a cosh when a stash of amphetamines he was guarding disappeared. He also claimed that John Dawes had attacked him with bats and other objects twice.
He only approached the police after learning of Dawes’ arrest and detention.
Mark Martin
The exact date of Mark Martin’s murders remains uncertain.
The man was accused of the murders of Katie Baxter, Zoe Pennick and Ellen Frith. The crimes allegedly took place between December 31, 2004, and February 1, 2005.
Mark Martin
However, a forensic entomologist later determined that Katie’s body was disposed of between January 1 and 6, 2005, while Zoe’s was between December 30, 2004, and January 4, 2005. Ellen’s remains were found on January 25.
The most detailed account of the events came from a fellow inmate who claimed that the accused had confessed to him. According to this inmate, the accused had lured Katie Baxter to a warehouse near London Road in Nottingham, where he strangled her.
“He said he picked her up and took her down the factory because she fancied him,” the inmate told the court. “They went into the tent chatting, and then he just snapped and strangled her.”
He also claimed that the accused had burnt Katie’s fingers to destroy evidence and buried her under debris.
Zoe Pennick was reportedly killed about a week later at the same location. The accused had allegedly convinced her to come with him by offering her 2,000 cigarettes to sell.
He then strangled her. “He said it was hard and she didn’t want to die,” the witness said.
“He was punching her, kicking her.”
Zoe Pennick
The court heard chilling details of how Ellen Frith’s life was brutally ended in a squat in Marple Square, St Ann’s. She was strangled and then set alight by two men after she had gone there with to use drugs.
The Marple Square flat where Ellen Frith’s body was discovered
The witness recounted the harrowing moment when Martin attacked Ellen as she bit into an apple, throttling her before John Ashley helped finish the gruesome act. “He said him and John lifted her up and put her on the sofa bed and set fire to the body,” the witness testified.
They even staged the scene to mislead investigators, with Martin placing a needle in Ellen’s hand. The motive for the killings was described as capricious, with Zoe being murdered over a syringe left in Martin’s bed and Ellen over a refused loan of ten pounds.
Martin allegedly boasted, “If I’ve killed one, I might as well kill 21.”
Discovery of the bodies
The discovery of the victims’ remains came at different times; Ellen’s body was found first in the charred remains of the squat on January 25, 2005. Despite the building’s pending demolition, it was frequented by the homeless due to its utilities.
Identifying Ellen and tracing the squat’s occupants, including Martin and 34-year-old John Ashley, did not pose a significant challenge for the police, who also gathered information from the local homeless community about the accused.
John Ashley
A witness recounted seeing Martin in an alleyway post the Marple Square blaze, where Martin confessed to strangling Ellen after she refused to lend him money. Another individual reported overhearing a conversation outside his flat at Marple Square, recognising Martin’s voice as he admitted to killing a girl by strangulation and needing to return to the flat to burn her body.
These accounts led to the arrest of Martin and Ashley on murder charges. However, whispers among the homeless community hinted that Ellen might not have been the only casualty.
Police then pursued leads on two missing women, Katie Baxter and Zoe Pennick. Katie, 18, was last spotted at her sister’s residence in Gamston on December 29, while Zoe was last seen alive in the city centre on New Year’s Eve.
The search extended to old packing houses off Great Northern Close, where on February 11, 2005, police discovered Katie’s crudely interred, partially decomposed body. A police dog located her remains near an old wall heater, covered with “carefully placed” soil, bricks, and foliage, alongside a burnt piece of wood.
As forensic experts commenced Katie’s excavation, they were oblivious to the fact that Zoe’s body was buried less than two metres away.
The bodies were found in the open section of the warehouse
The aftermath of Katie’s tragic passing saw police engage in a meticulous hunt for evidence; they conducted a detailed search on the ground and had divers scour the canal nearby. Zoe, aged 26, was discovered on February 16, her resting place marked by charred timber and concealed by a haphazard cover of leaves and bricks, echoing the burial of Katie.
The fearful reaction from the homeless community at the time was encapsulated by one person’s words: “When we heard about the bodies, a lot of people disappeared from the streets.”
They added: “No one would go out on their own. It wasn’t just the women who were scared but the lads, too.” But the potential perpetrator, Mark Martin, had already been apprehended in relation to another victim, Ellen Frith.
The investigation
Nottinghamshire Police faced an intricate challenge in resolving the multiple murders of Katie, Zoe, and Ellen, all aged 25, who were victims of strangulation.
With around 40 officers dedicated to the case at its peak, taking numerous statements became a key part of the investigation. The transient lifestyle of many witnesses complicated efforts for the authorities, who not only had to locate individuals for questioning but also ensure they could be found subsequently for court proceedings.
Given the advanced decomposition of Katie and Zoe’s remains, reliance on forensic science and pathology became crucial for investigators.
Significantly, it took police two weeks to persuade the witness who had interacted with Martin in prison to testify in court. Under high security, he eventually provided his evidence against Martin.
The Evening Post (as Nottinghamshire Live was known at that time) chose not to disclose his identity at the time due to his vulnerability after aiding in Martin’s conviction.
The trial
The trial commenced at Nottingham Crown Court on January 16, 2006.
The prosecution depicted a deranged man who had audaciously claimed to be the city’s first serial killer. It was no secret to the jury that many of the witnesses struggled with alcohol and drug issues.
Nevertheless, the majority of the 20 to 30 witnesses appeared in court and testified with clarity and conviction. On February 24, after over 21 hours of deliberation, the jury delivered its verdicts on Martin and his co-defendants.
Dean Carr, 30, of no fixed address, was convicted of Ellen Frith’s murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 14 years before parole consideration. John Ashley, then 34, also of no fixed address, was found guilty of murdering Katie Baxter and Ellen Frith, but acquitted of Zoe Pennick’s murder.
Dean Carr
He received a life sentence with a minimum term of 25 years. Mark Martin, then 26, was convicted of the murders of Katie Baxter, Zoe Pennick, and Ellen Frith and sentenced to life imprisonment.