IN the early 1990s, the murder of a teenager and abduction of a 25-year-old woman shocked the nation.
The man responsible for both crimes was Michael Sams.
Who is Michael Sams?
Michael Sams, born August 11, 1941, in Keighley, West Yorkshire, is a convicted kidnapper, extortionist and murderer.
On July 9, 1991, Sams kidnapped 18-year-old Julie Dart from the streets of Leeds' Chapeltown red light district and took her to his workshop in Newark, Nottinghamshire.
He then callously demanded £140,000 from Julie’s mum, and gave the police the run-around when they agreed to hand over the huge sum, hanging up the phone before the final drop-off point could be revealed.
In truth, the teenager had already been killed by this point – Sams had never intended to let her go.
During his taped confession from Full Sutton Prison in East Yorkshire, he said: “When I went out to kidnap Julie Dart, there was only one intention, and that was to kill her.
“There was no intention whatsoever to keep her alive.”
Julie had the misfortune to be the first girl that he pulled up alongside and was willing to get in his car.
She told him it was “her first night” out working the streets and he took full advantage of her lack of experience.
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The remains of Julie’s body, which had been bundled up in a sheet, were discovered on a farm near Grantham in Lincolnshire, ten days after she had gone missing.
Six months later, on January 22, 1992, Sams struck again – this time targeting estate agent Stephanie Slater.
Unbeknown to the then 25-year-old, she was about to show a dangerous killer, posing as a potential buyer around a property.
When the pair arrived at the viewing in Birmingham, Sams abducted his second victim at knife-point.
He then transported her to his workshop.
It was there Stephanie endured a terrifying ordeal that was to scar her for the next 20 years of her life.
She was handcuffed, gagged and blindfolded while being kept in a coffin-style box, which was then locked in a wheelie-bin.
Sams would only occasionally free Stephanie from the box to give her food in order to keep her alive.
When she was allowed out of her box-like prison, Stephanie realised that she needed to do something to try and remain out of there.
It was then the 25-year-old tried to build a rapport with her kidnapper so that he did not view her as a disposable object he could just kill and discard.
After evading police to collect the £175,000 ransom he had demanded from her employers, her captor dropped her home, leaving her two streets from her house.
She had been missing for eight days.
Stephanie could barely walk or see due to the restraints that had been used during her imprisonment.
Her evidence helped police capture Sams and convict him of the kidnapping, as well as the murder of a Leeds teenager.
Tragically Stephanie died in 2017 after a battle with cancer.
She had devoted much of her life to helping kidnap victims.
Where is Michael Sams now?
In 1993, Sams was convicted for the crimes he had committed.
While he admitted to the kidnap at his trial, Sams denied Julie’s murder, but was found guilty by a jury at Nottingham Crown Court.
Now in his 80s, the notorious killer and kidnapper remains behind bars.
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How long will Michael Sams spend in prison?
Michael Sams was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Julie Dart and the abduction of Stephanie Slater.
He is reportedly applying for parole for the third time next month after 30 years behind bars.
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