Lorraine Thorpe (born 1994) is a British woman who is Britain's youngest female double murderer. Over the space of nine days in August 2009, Thorpe

tortured Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...

and murdered two people in

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

, one her own father. She came to national attention upon her conviction in 2010, when it was noted that she had only been 15 years old at the time of the killings. She was sentenced to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...

with a minimum tariff of 14 years' imprisonment, while her accomplice in the murders was issued with a 27-year minimum tariff. She remains imprisoned at

HM Prison Foston Hall HM Prison Foston Hall is a women's closed category prison and Young Offenders Institution, located in the village of Foston in Derbyshire, England. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. History The original Manor of Foston and ...

, but is eligible for

parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

from the summer of 2023.

Background

Thorpe was raised in

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

. She grew up in

poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...

, living with her father in a number of "squalid" flats and sometimes in

tents A tent () is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over, attached to a frame of poles or a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using gu ...

. She became associated with a group of middle-aged

alcoholics Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomina ...

who often engaged in violence and regularly fought with each other. The group were also thieves and repeatedly stole in order to be able to pay for alcohol. Thorpe came to the attention of

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administe ...

but they could not keep track of her and every time she was placed in a specially-assigned school she went back to her father. Her frail father was likewise an alcoholic and Thorpe had the responsibility of caring for him from a very young age. Her upbringing was said to have left her as a violent young woman who was also highly manipulative.

Murders

Rosalyn Hunt

Thorpe and her 41-year-old abuser Paul Clarke, who she had met through drinking, murdered a member of their social circle of drinkers in August 2009. After a falling out over a

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

, the pair lured 41-year-old Rosalyn Hunt to their flat in Ipswich and

her. The woman was kicked, punched and stamped on by Thorpe, and the pair also used

cheese graters A grater, also known as a shredder, is a kitchen utensil used to grate foods into fine pieces. Uses Food preparation Several types of graters feature different sizes of grating slots, and can therefore aid in the preparation of a variety of ...

, dog lead chains and salt to torture her. After days of torture, the woman was still alive, and was eventually beaten to death. On 9 August 2009, a member of the public rang police to raise concerns about the safety of Hunt, and officers found her dead when they entered her property in Victoria Street.

Her father

Days after the murder of Hunt, the pair decided to murder Lorraine's own 43-year-old father Desmond Thorpe, in order to silence him from implicating them in the first murder to police. Lorraine smothered her disabled father with a cushion before kicking him as he lay prone on the floor. She later admitted to police that they would find 'her trainer prints on his head'. Desmond's body was found by police on the morning on 10 August, after they were told a man had died in Limerick Close. His body was found only hours after the discovery of Hunt's, and police immediately announced that they suspected the murders were linked and arrested both Clarke and Lorraine. On 25 August, they appeared in court charged with the murders.

Trial

Clarke and Thorpe were convicted of the murders at

Ipswich Crown Court Ipswich Crown Court is a Crown Court venue which deals with criminal cases at Russell Road, Ipswich, England. It was completed in 2004. History Until the early 21st century, crown court hearings were held in the Civic Centre complex in Crown ...

on 3 August 2010. Both had denied the charges but gave no evidence during their trial. Prosecution barrister Ros Jones said: "Rosalyn Hunt became a prisoner in her own home and died from multiple injuries due to the continuous attacks she suffered at their hands. Desmond Thorpe, who was killed days later, had been smothered for reasons known only to Clarke and Thorpe." As part of the evidence against them, jurors heard evidence from a young friend of Thorpe's who said that she had confessed to her to being a murderer. A fellow inmate also testified that Thorpe had spoken about her father's murder to them on the anniversary of his killing. Clarke was sentenced to

with a minimum term of 27 years, while Thorpe's sentencing was delayed until September at the

Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...

, where she was duly sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 14 years. Judge

Mr Justice Sweeney Sir Nigel Hamilton Sweeney KC (born 18 March 1954), styled The Hon. Mr Justice Sweeney, is a High Court judge. Biography Sweeney studied law at the University of Nottingham under Sir John Cyril Smith. He was called to the bar in 1976 at the ...

said that Thorpe had in part carried out the attacks as she had been keen to "impress" Clarke. In his sentencing remarks, Sweeney said:

Reaction

Upon being convicted, Thorpe officially became Britain's youngest female double murderer, being only 15 at the time of the attacks, a fact that was widely reported in the

media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass el ...

both in Britain and abroad. Her case was compared to those of

Sharon Carr Sharon Louise Carr (born 1981), also known as "The Devil's Daughter", is a British woman who is Britain's youngest female murderer. In June 1992, aged only 12, she murdered 18-year-old Katie Rackliff after picking her out at random as she walke ...

, Britain's youngest female murderer who killed aged only 12 in 1992, and

Mary Bell Mary Flora Bell (born 26 May 1957) is an English woman who, as a juvenile, murdered two preschool-age boys in Benwell and Scotswood, Scotswood, an inner suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1968. Bell committed her first murder when she was 10 yea ...

, who was 11 when she killed two young boys in

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

in 1968 (although younger than Thorpe, Bell was convicted of

manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th cen ...

not murder, meaning Thorpe is Britain's youngest female double murderer). The ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' reported that Thorpe had joined "a small group of Britain's most evil women killers", including

Myra Hindley The Moors murders were carried out by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley between July 1963 and October 1965, in and around Manchester, England. The victims were five children—Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey, and Edward E ...

and

Rose West Rosemary Pauline West (née Letts; born 29 November 1953) is an English serial killer who collaborated with her husband, Fred West, in the torture and murder of at least nine young women between 1973 and 1987;

Subsequent events

Thorpe and Clarke had appeals against their convictions for the murder of Desmond Thorpe turned down in April 2011, with judges at the

Court of Appeal A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...

saying that they had no doubt the convictions were safe. The pair did not challenge their convictions for the murder of Rosalyn Hunt. In September 2014, Paul Clarke was found dead in prison at

HM Prison Whitemoor HM Prison Whitemoor is a Category A men's prison near March, Cambridgeshire, England, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. History Whitemoor Prison was built on the site of an old railway marshalling yard and was opened in 1991 by Norma ...

. It is believed that his death was a

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

. As of September 2019, Thorpe was imprisoned in

. In March 2023, it was reported that Thorpe would have her first

hearing on whether she would be released in the summer of 2023. Thorpe's case continues to be referenced in relation to discussions on Britain's youngest female murderers.

In popular culture

A number of documentaries have been published which have covered Thorpe's case: *On 16 December 2011, a season 5 episode of ''

Deadly Women ''Deadly Women'' is an American true crime documentary television series produced by Beyond International Group and airing on the Investigation Discovery (ID) network. The series focuses on murders committed by women. It is hosted by former ...

'' was broadcast which covered Thorpe's case, titled "Baby-Faced Killers". *On 8 September 2014, Channel 5 aired a documentary on Thorpe as part of its ''Countdown to Murder'' series. The series 2 episode was titled "Killer Schoolgirl" and featured interviews with Rosalyn Hunt's brother as well as officers of the investigative team. *On 26 March 2017, an episode of the

CBS Reality CBS Reality is a European television channel broadcast in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. History CBS Reality was launched as Reality TV on 1 December 1999 as a joint-venture between UPCtv and Zone Vision. In 2005, Liberty Global, owner of ...

series ''Teens Who Kill'' documented Thorpe's crimes. *On 24 May 2019, an episode of ''Britain's Deadliest Kids'' aired that focused on Thorpe. *On 7 October 2019, a series 2 episode of the Crime+ Investigation programme ''Murdertown'' documented Thorpe's crimes. It was the fourth episode of series 2.

References

External links

2014 Channel 5 ''Countdown to Murder'' documentary on Thorpe Prime Video link to 2019 ''Britain's Deadliest Kids'' documentary on Thorpe Discovery+ link to 2019 ''Britain's Deadliest Kids'' documentary on Thorpe 2019 ''Murdertown'' documentary on Thorpe Prime Video link to 2019 ''Murdertown'' documentary on Thorpe
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorpe, Lorraine 1994 births Living people Ipswich People from Ipswich Criminals from Suffolk English female criminals 2009 murders in the United Kingdom 2009 crimes in the United Kingdom 21st-century English criminals Crime in Suffolk English people convicted of murder British female murderers Incidents of violence against men 2010 in the United Kingdom 2009 in the United Kingdom August 2009 events in the United Kingdom August 2009 crimes Torture in England Murder committed by minors Violence against men in the United Kingdom Violence against women in the United Kingdom People convicted of murder by England and Wales English prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Criminal duos