The Rettendon murders (also known as the Range Rover murders or Essex murders) occurred on 6 December 1995 in the village of Rettendon in Essex, England, when three drug dealers were shot dead in a Range Rover on a small farm track. The murders were the subject of a major police investigation and various special operations, including Operation Century, which were undertaken to uncover the perpetrators and as many other details as possible. The murders have also been the subject of books and feature films.
On 6 December 1995, drug dealers Anthony 'Tony' Tucker, born in 1957 (38 years of age), a head of a security firm that provided security for nightclubs across Essex and also the security guard for former super middleweight champion Nigel Benn; Patrick Tate, an amateur bodybuilder, born on 7 August 1958 (37) from Rochford Essex; and the youngest, Craig Anthony Rolfe, born in 1969 (26), were shot dead in a metallic blue Range Rover on a small farm track in Rettendon.[1] The bodies of the three men were found the following morning, 7 December, by farmer Peter Theobald and his friend Ken Jiggins.
See main article: Operation Century. A police investigation codenamed Operation Century produced no arrests or evidence leading to a criminal prosecution. A prosecution that was eventually brought in connection with the murders was based on police operations subsequent to the closure of Operation Century.[2]
Two men, Jack Arthur Whomes of Brockford, Suffolk, and Michael John Steele of Great Bentley, Colchester, were convicted of the murders on 20 January 1998 after an Old Bailey trial, and sentenced to life imprisonment.[3] The key witness was police informer Darren Nicholls from Braintree, Essex, who gave evidence against his former friends at their trial.[2] Questions were raised over the reliability of mobile phone records used to corroborate the informant's testimony.
During the investigation it was suggested that the murders may have been linked to the death of Leah Betts, who died after taking an ecstasy tablet in November 1995, which Whomes was believed to be ultimately responsible for supplying.[4]
In the two decades after their sentence, the pair unsuccessfully challenged their convictions.[5] On 25 January 2021, after a Parole Board hearing, it was announced that Jack Whomes would be released from prison on licence after serving 23 years. His 25-year sentence was reduced by two years in 2018 due to his exemplary conduct whilst incarcerated.[6]
The following films are based, to varying degrees, on the crime: