Today’s story takes place in the town of Lancashire Bacup. Bacup sits almost 24 miles north of Manchester in the South Pennines, close to Lancashire’s border with West Yorkshire and is about 245 miles north west of London. You may recall the name – this time I should add hopefully pronounced correctly, from another case I covered there, the murder of Paul Brady. in episode 413, ‘The Ambush’. Paul’s body has still yet to be found, so if you know the area and can help, please do contact the police. But back to today.
A young couple, Sophie and Rob, were walking back home in the town, after meeting friends earlier in the evening, stopping in a petrol station to buy some cigarettes soon after midnight on the 11th August 2007. The couple had a friendly encounter with a group of youths in the petrol station, and continued their walk home through Stubbylee Park – the town’s local park.
Local residents would describe Stubbylee Park as a spot often frequented by ‘drunken, violent yobs’ who they said would vandalise and often drink underage – just like any other park in the uk depressingly. On this particular evening, this appeared to be an accurate description. A gang of young people all hung out around the skatepark area of the park, drinking on top of the ramps.
Sophie and Rob followed the group they had met in the petrol station to the skatepark, and shared their cigarettes with them as they sat chatting. Then just after 1.20am, a number of the teens suddenly began kicking and punching Rob – it was a sudden as it was viscious. It was a frenzied attack, and despite his shouts at them to leave him alone, they were hell-ben on extreme violence and he was soon left unconscious by the savage beating.
Even with Rob clearly seriously injured, the couple were subjected to jeers of “mosher”, “weirdo” and “freak” as the gang taunted them for the way they dressed, as they liked to dress in the gothic style – different from the louts in the park that night. Both were different to the people in the park with multiple facial piercings and dreadlocks.
Sophie cradled her Rob’s motionless head, acting as a human shield as she knelt beside him. However, the violent mob were not finished with their violence.
Another teen watched as two boys ran over and kicked Sophie in the head, like she was merely a football. Then the gang continued to stomp, and to jump up and down on her head until she too was unconscious and lay helpless, before they fled the scene. Remember that Sophie was only 5’1” tall and eight-and-a-half stone, yet the gang didn’t care about that.
Another teen watching from afar contacted the emergency services saying – “we need… we need an ambulance at Bacup Park, this mosher has just been banged because he’s a mosher.” On their way out of Stubbylee Park, the gang of violent youths could be seen celebrating their attack on the couple, telling friends afterwards that they had ‘done summat good’, and claiming: ‘There’s two moshers nearly dead up Bacup park – you wanna see them – they’re a right mess.'”
The emergency services were soon on the scene of the attack at the park, where they found the young couple in a terrible bloodied state, on the tarmac floor of the skatepark, although they were still alive. They later made a statement: saying it was “a sustained attack during the course of which the pair received serious head injuries. Their faces were so swollen we could not ascertain which one was female and which one was male”. The girl’s swollen face was imprinted with the shoeprints of her attacks.The couple, once identification was possible, were named as Sophie Lancaster and Robert Maltby.
Sophie was a 20 year-old former pupil at a Bacup Grammar School and was taking a gap year and planning on attending Accrington and Rossendale College to complete an English degree. She’d been a vegetarian from the age of six, read extensively and had a real feel for injustice, talking to family and friends about issues such as world poverty. At the time of the attack she was really into music, with some of her favourite bands including My Chemical Romance, Korn and Slipknot and, while even here I have labelled her and Robert as a goth, that isn’t how Sophie saw life. She didn’t like to be pigeonholed.
Robert was a 21 year-old art student from Manchester. The couple had been dating for three years. Their families described them as “intelligent, sensitive kids, not the sort of people to get in trouble, but they have had problems in the past because they stand out”.
The couple had met through a friend three years earlier, quickly forming a deep bond. They’d see friends at weekends, but day-to-day it was just the two of them. It was always just Rob and Sophie. They lived together and talked often about their futures in the arts, based on their creative and artistic natures. Sophie loved Harry Potter and Robert they both loved music. They both had bright futures ahead of them and nothing seemed impossible.
But now those dreams seemed a long way as Rob’s injuries left him in a coma and with internal bleeding. Sophies head injuries were so severe that she was placed on life support and moved to a specialist neurology unit. But after 13 days in a coma on life support, the hospital staff determined that she would never regain consciousness and Sophie’s mum Sylvia faced the heartbreaking decision to end her life support. Tragically, Sophie died on August 24th 2007 hyst 20 minutes after the life support machine was turned off. She was just 20 years old.
The park where the attack occurred was quickly covered in floral tributes and many tributes were posted about the couple online. The local community was shocked and this spread across the UK and globally, as normal thinking people couldn’t understand how this innocent young couple had been so brutally attacked for nothing more than just looking ‘different’.
It didn’t take long for Lancashire police to arrest five individuals aged 15-17 who they believed were connected to the attack. However, as there were around twenty youths in the park that night, an extensive investigation took place to ensure that they had found all of the perpetrators or anyone else involved in Sophie’s murder, although they believed that not all would’ve been directly involved with the violence. After questioning more than one hundred local youngsters the police concluded that they would be making no further arrests. They believed that they had found Sophie’s killers and Robert’s attackers.
On September 6th 2007, the five suspects were charged with murder at Burnley Youth Court. However, three were released on bail – a 15 and 17 year-old from nearby Shawforth and a 17 year-old from Bacup. A preliminary hearing was held at Preston Crown Court and all five were charged with the murder of Sophie Lancaster and grievous bodily harm with intent of assault on Robert Maltby. At another hearing on December 14th, all five pleaded not guilty for both charges.
Before the scheduled start of the trial in March 2008, the murder charges against three of the boys had been dropped – brothers Joseph and Danny Holme and Daniel Mallbett. Now, only two of the teens were charged with murder – Ryan Herbert and Brendan Harris. All five pleaded guilty to the charge of grievous bodily harm. However, Ryan Herbert pleaded guilty to Sophie’s killing, whilst Harris did not.
Herbert and Harris were from a local estate where the culture for many of the young people was to lead what we may call a pretty anti-social lifestyle, spending time doing not too much and drinking and taking drugs. I know we shouldn’t generalise and we all come from different backgrounds and develop in our own ways – but you know someone like this. We all do. And even during interviews, the young people arrested and their parents didn’t behave well. One policeman commented, “I do not think Herbert and Harris have recognised how violent the attack was. They had just done it without thinking, but they seemed to have enjoyed it, and carried on remorselessly kicking at two very defenceless people who were unable to protect themselves because of the level of violence inflicted upon them… I am very critical of some of the parents involved. I really don’t think they have taken completely seriously how repulsive this incident was.” He said that when Harris was initially interviewed about the assaults he was “laughing and joking” with his mother.
The trial was a very difficult one for Sophie and Robert’s family and friends. The prosecution told the court, “Sophie and Robert were singled out not for anything they had said or done, but because they looked and dressed differently.” The jury heard about the brutal severity of the attack from witnesses.
At the conclusion of the trial on March 27th, Brendan Harris along with Ryan Herbert was found guilty of murder and their names, which had been withheld during the trial due to their ages, were made public.
Both Harris and Herbert were sentenced to life in prison with the judge recommending that Harris should serve at least eighteen years and Herbert sixteen years and three months. In his closing remarks the judge described the attack as “feral thuggery”, and raised questions about the “sort of society which exists in this country”.
He told the murderers, “This was a hate crime against these completely harmless people targeted because their appearance was different to yours.” Adding “This was a terrible case which has shocked and outraged all who have heard about it. At least wild animals, when they hunt in packs, have a legitimate reason for so doing, to obtain food. You have none and your behaviour on that night degrades humanity itself.”
The three other attackers were also sentenced for their role in the violence – Joseph and Danny Holme and Mallbett, who had all earlier pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent on Robert, were jailed. Mallett was sentenced to four years and four months, and the Hulme brothers for five years and five months each.
Robert wasn’t in court for the sentencing, but a statement was read on his behalf which said: “Before all this happened I was settled into a life quite independent. Now I’m finding the whole world a terrifying place.”
Of course the trial was a dreadful experience for Sophie’s family and friends, but it says a lot about them how they reacted and have managed to develop a fitting legacy for Sophie and ensure she isn’t forgotten.
Sophie’s mum Sylvia, had seen the abuse and prejudice her that Sophie had suffered just because of how she looked and dressed. During the long hours at hospital when she sat with her daughter, Sylvia decided that when Sophie was better, they would go into schools and talk to young people about difference, and how it is ok to be who you are and express yourself in your own way. And she was constantly getting offers of support. Sadly, Sylvia never got a chance to do this with Sophie but she was
determined that she would carry on this work and The Sophie Lancaster Foundation was established as a lasting legacy to a beautiful life cut short by violence. The charity works to promote tolerance and acceptance for others – however we are different, and champions alternative people in our communities. The Foundation’s mission is to stamp out prejudice hatred and intolerance everywhere.
In 2014, Sylvia received an OBE in recognition of her campaign to promote a more tolerant society
Let’s get back to the attackers again and see what happened after the court case. Well, their families were busy with our friends in the legal profession – but of course, the motive is always noble aims, not something as grubby as money. Perish the thought. By June, not even two months after their sentences were handed down, it was reported that all of the defendants were appealing against the sentences for their convictions.
And in October it was announced that Ryan Herbert had his minimum term reduced from sixteen years and three months to fifteen years and six months, a reduction allowed after his guilty plea in initial trial. Herbert then had his tariff cut to fourteen and a half years on February 10th 2020, as a high court judge concluded that he had made ‘exceptional progress’ in prison and had good working relationships with professional staff. His behaviour had initially been poor, reflective of his time in school where his only contribution was disruption, but had changed once he moved into an adult prison and had taken part in rehabilitation programmes. He improved his studies to degree level, fully engaging with resettlement activities, including spending time on temporary release from jail working a job and receiving positive feedback from his employers. Harris and the other defendants had their appeals dismissed.
In 2017, Robert Maltby gave his first full-length interview on the 10th anniversary of Sophie’s murder. Despite not remembering the events before or during the attack initially, Robert’s brain fully recovered from what happened to him. Robert returned to his art studies but had struggled with depression, and for a long time had been unable to visit Sophie’s grave.
He had received a letter five years previously from one of the two men serving life for Sophie’s murder, but he wasn’t impressed, saying: “It felt like an apology written by someone trying to get a shorter sentence. It was the hollowest thing I’ve ever read”.
Despite the debates that have taken place surrounding the nature of the attack, Robert said he did not view Sophie’s death as a hate crime and described the media’s focus on the goth angle as an “oversimplification of a much broader social issue” and “victim blaming”. He told the Guardian newspaper: “I have never seen it as a hate crime. It was always like: ‘Sophie Lancaster was killed because she was a goth.’ No she wasn’t: she was killed because some arseholes killed her. Why can’t we ask what it is about them that made them want to murder someone? Not what it is about someone that made them be murdered.”
He also talked movingly about his thoughts around the funeral.
“My initial memory was seeing the coffin and thinking, that’s too small,” he says. “Her entire life shouldn’t have fitted into that small box. That’s when I began to crumble. And I’ll be honest, I was resentful of the fact so many people were there. They had the best intentions, but I was thinking: ‘Did you ever eat a meal with her? Did you know how she took her coffee? You just saw this archetype on the news. You didn’t know her.’” This is a feeling I absolutely recognise, don’t you?
After the funeral precipitated a steep decline in his mental health, he became pretty reclusive. On receiving proper treatment, eventually he felt ready to return to the park that had defined his adult life, and then to visit Sophie’s grave in a nearby village. “I said: ‘I’m sorry, I have to find my life again’,” he said. “If anything, it was a ceremony for myself, to go: ‘Look, this has happened but now I need to be me again.’” At the time of the interview he still lived in Bacup, just 10 minutes from the park, but said he planned to move abroad to spend extended time with his American girlfriend and following his artistic ambitions. He is clearly an incredibly talented artist and rightly, I think, wants to be remembered for what he has created, not that night back in 2007.
In March 2022 the Parole Board decided that Herbert could now be released on licence. Whilst he would be restricted in his movements, where he lives and who he contacts, he was still a free man. Sophie’s mum Sylvia reacted to this news saying, “Once again we have a justice system that fails to deliver justice”. She added, “Fourteen years ago he was given a 16-year sentence. What are they saying? Are they saying that the crime is not as important as it was then? I find that quite a difficult concept to deal with. don’t want to waste any more time thinking about him now… Hopefully I can forget about him.”
Just one month after the announcement of Herbert’s release, on April 12 2022 Sylvia Lancaster unexpectedly died after a short spell in hospital at just 69 years old. She was laid to rest beside her daughter. In a tribute, the Sophie Lancaster Foundation said: “To the team here, Sylvia was our Founder, Mum, Friend and Colleague. Her loss is profound. We also know how much she mattered to you. Sylvia’s determination to do all she could to stop prejudice and hate ruining lives, struck a chord across the world. Her passion in not just accepting difference, but loving it, was genuine. She was feisty, formidable and unforgettable. “In remembering Sophie Lancaster, we honour two women close to us. Sophie, a young woman whose life was cut short by violence. And Sylvia, her mum, who made it her life’s work to try to stop it from happening to anybody else.”
So what do you make of what we have heard today?
On the very same night another appalling and unprovoked murder had taken place not far from Bacup. Just 25 miles away in Warrington, Garry Newlove was attacked out side his home, having gone out to confront a gang of teenagers he thought were vandalising his wife’s car. He died in hospital in the early hours of 12 August 2007, less than 36 hours after the attack. Three teenagers were convicted of murder. There was a feeling at the time that these unprovoked attacks said something about how society was deteriorating. But is it any worse or better now 18 years on – what do you think?
There is lots of debate about the men who murdered Sophie. Should they remain in prison for the whole of their lives for such a dreadful attack? Or does this show that prison can sometimes work and the man that emerged was very different to the sixteen year old who committed this ghastly crime and deserves a second chance. Where do you stand on this?
But of course our thoughts remain with Sophie, Robert and their family and friends. We wish Robert the very best as he moves on with his life from that evening that has defined his life so far. And we must keep in our thoughts that he doesn’t want to be remembered for what happened that night, but for the art he has created – and he is clearly a serious talent.
And how about Sophie. It is easy to just think of this vibrant young woman Sophie as someone killed for being different. But rather than focus on that, once more I would like to end by concentrating on what she offered in life, not her legacy in death. She was bright, curious, loving and caring with a passion for reading, music and doing the right thing in life, with so much to live for. And yet that young life and all those hopes and dreams were cut short. It is absolutely the case that the Sophia Lancaster Foundation continues to do the most fantastic work. But when you look at the pictures of Sophie, you just wish that she hadn’t encountered those thugs on that fateful evening and then things could have been so much different.
And as we all know what happened to Sophie and Rob isn’t an isolated case. Call me naïve, but I just hope that in my lifetime we can get to the point when people don’t have to suffer violence jus for being who they are. But I am not hopeful, are you?
This story was originally published as episode 436 of the UK True Crime Podcast, using the following sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Sophie_Lancasterhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-60766768https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/15/robert-maltby-on-the-of-his-girlfriend-sophie-lancaster-the-goth-thing-was-an-oversimplificationhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8e8x0355johttps://www.itv.com/news/granada/2022-03-17/mother-of-sophie-lancaster-feels-let-down-as-her-killer-set-for-releasehttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10620507/Thug-murdered-Sophie-Lancaster-20-looking-like-goth-FREED-jail-15-years.htmlhttps://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/apr/13/mother-woman-murdered-dressing-as-goth-dies-suddenly-sophie-sylvia-lancaster-https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/sophie-lancaster-b988534.htmlhttps://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/sophie-lancaster-15-year-anniversary-24844660https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2021-05-05/coronation-street-base-storyline-on-hate-crime-murder-of-sophie-lancaster-killed-for-dressing-as-a-gothhttps://www.kerrang.com/sophie-lancasters-legacy