Peter Chapman (born January 1977) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

convicted murderer who has featured heavily in the media in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and has become known as the "

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...

Killer". He was jailed for a minimum of 35 years in March 2010 for the October 2009 rape, kidnap, and murder of 17-year-old Ashleigh Hall. His crime has led to serious criticism of police monitoring of offenders, and of Facebook.

Life prior to the murder of Ashleigh Hall

Peter Chapman was born in Darlington and was brought up by his grandparents in neighbouring Stockton-on-Tees before moving to

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

in 2005 aged 26. Chapman returned to County Durham in 2007 and had been charged with sexual offences before the murder of Ashleigh Hall prior to moving to

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in North West England, with a population of 1.38 million. It encompasses both banks of the Mersey Estuary and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wi ...

when Chapman was living in

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

. He was first investigated at the age of 15, and four years later he received a seven-year prison sentence for raping two sex workers at knifepoint. He was released in 2001, and had eventually fallen off the 'police radar.' This has led to serious criticism and a report to the Independent Police Complaints Commission. He has been convicted of motoring offences and theft.

The murder of Ashleigh Hall

Chapman used a fake Facebook profile, impersonating a teenage boy, to befriend Ashleigh Hall, a 17-year-old student from Darlington. In reality, he was a 33-year-old man living in his car. She met him on 25 October 2009 and according to the prosecution, "When she met him on 25 October last year, he kidnapped, raped and murdered her". Following the rape and murder of Ashleigh Hall, Chapman dumped the teenager's body in a field near a layby on the A177, close to the services near

Sedgefield Sedgefield is a market town and civil parish in County Durham, England. It had a population of 5,211 as at the 2011 census. It has the only operating racecourse in County Durham. History Roman A Roman 'ladder settlement' was discovered by C ...

, County Durham. Following his conviction Peter Chapman is being held at HM Frankland High Security Prison the United Kingdom's largest category A prison; located in County Durham not far from where he raped and murdered Ashleigh Hall in 2009.

Facebook's response

On 3 March 2010, Facebook, as a direct response to the killing, warned under-18 users not to meet people from the internet, and gave advice on how to stay safe online. They also said they were "deeply saddened".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chapman, Peter 1977 births Living people 20th-century English criminals 21st-century English criminals British people convicted of theft Date of birth missing (living people) English people convicted of murder English people convicted of rape 2009 murders in the United Kingdom English prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment People from Kirkby People from Darlington Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by England and Wales People convicted of murder by England and Wales Facebook criticisms and controversies 2009 in England