Channel 4’s 24 Hours in Police Custody featured a two-part special which saw a missing person case quickly turn into a murder investigation with an unlikely suspect
Channel 4 viewers were left stunned by one of the “grimmest” episodes of police documentary 24 Hours in Police Custody ever broadcast.
During a two-part special of the true crime programme, what began as a straightforward missing person case evolved into a harrowing murder investigation with an unexpected perpetrator. This article will contain spoilers for the 2025 episode.
Last year, 24 Hours in Police Custody followed Bedfordshire Police as they investigated the disappearance of 74-year-old Annette Smith. Annette had last been seen by her lodger, who stated she had gone away “for a few days” with a friend but raised the alarm when she didn’t come back or respond to his calls.
The lodger in question, Scott Paterson, was characterised as being “like a son” to Annette following 15 years of living with her and providing care after she had suffered a stroke.
It soon became apparent that Paterson was involved in far more than he was admitting, and viewers were quick to piece together what had happened.
When his confession came, however, Paterson stated it was simply becoming too challenging to continue looking after Annette. He informed police he had suffocated her after she became “very demanding” – and maintained he had an emotional breakdown after contemplating the killing for weeks.
However, a shocking turn of events was imminent as police conducted further investigations. It quickly became evident that Paterson had been dishonest about his motives, which seemed to be financially driven. He had been pilfering jewellery from Annette and pawning it – with police speculating this could have been his motive for her murder, reports the Express.
The case took an even more sinister turn when Paterson – who worked as a butcher, earning him the moniker the Butcher of Suburbia – confessed to dismembering Annette’s body and disposing of the parts in public rubbish bins around town.
Despite having no previous convictions and being spoken highly of by friends, when asked by police if he had ever killed anyone else, his response was chilling – but you’ll need to watch the episode to discover more.
Paterson admitted guilt to Annette’s murder in November 2024 and received a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison.
24 Hours in Police Custody: The Butcher of Suburbia Part 1 and Part 2 are now streaming on Channel 4’s catch-up service.
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