Lee Ford

Parties

• Lee Ford
• Lesley Ford (wife)
• Michael Tranter (natural father of four children)
• Les and Margaret Wyatt (parents of Lesley Ford)
• Peter Wyatt (brother of Lesley Ford)
• David Toy (next-door-neighbour)
• Craig Tranter (stepchild; age 13)
• Steven Tranter (stepchild; age 14)
• Anne-Marie Tranter (stepchild; age 16)
• Sarah-Jane Tranter (stepchild; age 17)

Timeline

• 1990 — Lee Ford and Lesley Ford married.
• end of August (year not specified) — Lesley Ford and her children Sarah-Jane, 17, Anne-Marie, 16, Steven, 14, and Craig, 13, were last seen alive.
• 31 August (year not specified) — Anne-Marie was seen in Penryn.
• about five weeks before Friday 6 October 2000 — Police said the family was last seen five weeks ago.
• Thursday 5 October 2000 — The first body was discovered at 0330 BST in the woodshed of the family bungalow in Carnkie, near Helston, Cornwall.
• Thursday 5 October 2000 — Two other bodies were later found in the same shed underneath piles of wood.
• Friday 6 October 2000 — Two further bodies were recovered from a field on farmland at Tresluswell, near Penryn, Cornwall; the bodies were taken from the site in a hearse just after 1030 BST.
• end of September (year not specified) — Police were alerted when Mrs Ford’s concerned brother, from Hampshire, contacted them.
• about a month after Mr Ford disappeared from the family home in September (year not specified) — The five bodies were found about a month after Lee Ford disappeared.
• May 24, 2001 — Lee Ford entered pleas at Bristol Crown Court; he was sentenced to five life sentences, and the judge told him he would go to prison for life on all five counts.
• Thursday, May 24, 2001 — Michael Tranter spoke about his grief.

Background

Lee Ford, 33, was the husband of Lesley Ford, 36. Ford lived in Telford with Lesley Ford and her four children before moving to Cornwall about five years ago. Lesley Ford and her four children had the surname Tranter from her previous marriage.

Sarah-Jane worked at a nearby McDonald’s restaurant. The other three children attended Helston school, and none of the four children had been at school this term.

Ford had an affair with his step-daughter Sarah-Jane. Ford told police he had “flipped” after his wife threatened to stop him seeing their two natural children.

After the killings, Ford told friends that his wife and children had left him, and he also told neighbours that his wife had left him and had taken the four children with her. He continued to live at the bungalow with two children he and his wife had had together.

David Toy, 18, said Ford had always seemed “a real family man” and that “If the kids needed anything he always made sure they didn’t go without and he seemed to treat all the children the same,” adding that Ford had treated all the children the same.

Les and Margaret Wyatt of Newquay were the parents of Lesley Ford. Peter Wyatt was Lesley Ford’s brother and contacted police when he had not heard from his sister.

The offence

Lee Ford pleaded guilty to the murders of his wife and four stepchildren: Lesley Ford, 36, and Craig Tranter, 13, Steven Tranter, 14, Anne-Marie Tranter, 16, and Sarah-Jane Tranter, 17.

All five victims were strangled with a rope. Nigel Pascoe QC said Ford strangled his victims with a rope over a 24-hour period.

The prosecution said Ford initially put the bodies in a shed but later moved two of them to a field a few miles away. Nigel Pascoe QC said Ford removed the bodies of the two girls and “buried them hastily on the edge of a field a few miles away.” The three remaining bodies were left in the shed.

Ford told police that the murders were “not one after the other but over a night and subsequent morning.” On the defendant’s account, the killings were over a night and subsequent morning rather than sequentially in order.

Investigation

Police investigated the disappearance of 36-year-old Lesley Ford and her four children Craig, 13, Stephen, 14, Anne-Marie, 16, and Sarah-Jane, 17.

At the end of September, police were alerted when Mrs Ford’s concerned brother, from Hampshire, contacted them. The first body was discovered in the woodshed of the family bungalow in Carnkie, near Helston, Cornwall, at 0330 BST on Thursday. Two other bodies were later found in the same shed underneath piles of wood.

Two further bodies were recovered from a field on farmland on Friday at Tresluswell, near Penryn, Cornwall. Those bodies were taken from the site in a hearse just after 1030 BST, and a police tactical aid group continued to search the ploughed potato field.

Michael Tranter said he was relieved that the killer admitted his guilt but demanded to know more details, saying:

“I want to know what happened and why it happened. Whether it will ever come out I don't know but I really hope it does.”

Ford had shown little emotion when he entered his pleas at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday, May 24, 2001.

Nigel Pascoe QC said there was no “conceivable reason or justification” why Ford carried out the murders and that there was no “clear-cut reason” given. Pascoe said:

“Never has he (the defendant) provided any clear-cut reason which might suggest a sudden or overwhelming loss of control.”

Pascoe said Ford had not provided police with a comprehensive account of precisely how he killed his family. Pascoe also said:

“Garrotting can be described as a clean and very efficient form of killing. ” “The Crown asserts that such a killing does give an insight into the degree of detachment and planning the defendant must have used to carry out each murder. ” “On the defendant's account these murders were not one after the other but over a night and subsequent morning.”

Arrest

Lee Ford appeared at Truro Magistrates Court and was charged with five counts of murder.

On Friday, 6 October 2000, Ford appeared at Truro Magistrates Court and was remanded in custody for a week.

Police said they had been investigating the disappearance of Lesley Ford and her four children. They said they were last seen five weeks earlier.

Trial

At Bristol Crown Court on Thursday, May 24, 2001, Ford entered pleas and admitted guilt.

Ford was accused of killing Lesley Ford and her four children Craig, 13, Steven, 14, Anne-Marie, 16, and Sarah-Jane, 17.

Sentencing

Nigel Pascoe QC argued that Ford had not provided any “clear-cut reason” for the murders and that Ford did not provide police with a comprehensive account of precisely how he killed his family.

Michael Tranter’s remarks were also reported the same day.

Mr Justice Hooper sentenced Ford to five life sentences, and the judge told Ford:

“On all five counts on this indictment you will go to prison for life.”

Ford was sentenced to life in prison on May 23, 2001.

Appeals

No appeal information was included.

Outcome

Lee Ford pleaded guilty to the murders of his wife and four stepchildren, and he was sentenced to life in prison on May 23, 2001.

Aftermath

Michael Tranter said he used to see the children every weekend and described the family being torn apart, saying:

“He knew he was guilty, I knew he was guilty and everyone else knew he was guilty. There is no way he could have got out of it. ” “I used to see them (the children) every weekend, but as soon as they moved down to Cornwall there was no end of trouble trying to get access. ” “It's probably about five years since I've seen them. Now I'll never see them again. ” “We have been torn apart. This has rocked all three families involved.”

Mr Tranter said he was pleased he had been able to bring his “babies” home for burial in Telford after visiting the scene of the murder to lay flowers.

Les and Margaret Wyatt were devastated by the deaths. Mr Wyatt said:

“We have lost our daughter and four wonderful grandchildren.”

The five bodies were found about a month after Mr Ford disappeared from the family home in September. Three were found in a wood shed in the back garden of the family bungalow in Carnkie, and two were discovered in a field about four miles away.

Ford continued to live at the bungalow with two children he and his wife had together after the killings.

Sarah-Jane, 17, had worked at a nearby McDonald’s restaurant, and the other three children attended Helston school.