Which news story has always stuck with you?

[Ohflogoff]

Leah Betts. The photo of her in the coma. It influenced how I was around drugs and there was no better “just say no” campaign for me. I just automatically thought I’d take an ecstasy and end up like her. To this day, I’ve never ever touched it. All my friends did. It certainly shaped my attitude to it. I felt very confident to refuse, without hesitation.

Must have been so very painful for her parents to have shared that photo? But it certainly stopped me from experimenting with it.

 

[Saddlesoap]

Oh gosh too many.

Sarah Payne, Holly and Jessica, Milly Dowler. Josie Russell and her family. Madeline Macann.

Dunblane sticks with me, I know someone who was there at the time, but in a different classroom.

Lockerbie, I still hate hearing planes over the house late at night.

9/11, Diana.

And finally one too close to home. Derrick Bird, the taxi driver who drove through West Cumbria shooting random people at point blank range. So tragic. I still remember calling my mum and asking if she'd walked the dog and if not to stay in the house.

 

[TravellingPants]

Dunblane is a big one for me. I would have been about to turn 6 so a similar age to the children involved. We were always encouraged to engage with the news and read the papers and I can vividly remember their class photo with the children who’d been killed circled. The same year there was a machete attack on a nursery class somewhere else in the UK, definitely think having awareness of these cases at a young age shaped some of my anxiety around safety and needing to be able to find the exits.

Lockerbie was before my time but I remember reading a lot about it around one anniversary and being horrified at the idea of entire families being wiped out. There was one house where the parents and two children died but their other son had gone to a neighbour to get his sister’s Christmas present ready so he was the only one left. I believe he was never able to recover and also died tragically young.

The other one that freaks me out as someone who lives alone was a woman who rented a holiday home, they believe she got up to go to the loo in the night and took a wrong turn, getting shut in a cupboard that didn’t have a handle on the inside. She wasn’t found for days and it looked like she had tried to scratch her way through the walls to try to escape. I do not go ANYWHERE without my phone as a result

 

[catscradle]

The tsunami always sticks in my head. My mum called me Boxing Day morning as she thought my friend was in Thailand. She said about 10 people had been killed by a big tidal wave. The way the numbers just grew and grew then was so shocking and awful.

I was 8 at the time and in in Sri Lanka with my family - the day the tsumani struck, we left our hotel on the coast in the morning. Over the course of the day, we received dozens of worried messages from friends and family back home. We were travelling so we didn't actually grasp what was going on at first or why so many people were contacting us until we saw the news later that day. Turns out the tsunami hit 10-15 mins after our departure.

 

[abitfairytale]

I was 4 when Lockerbie happened... Probably wouldn't stick in my mind as much, but my folks told me we'd passed through the town that night literally 30mins before the crash. We'd been to pick my Nana up to bring her to ours for Christmas, and my dad came home the "scenic" route.

I always remember the Madeleine McCann story breaking - it was on BBC World News, we were on our honeymoon in Prague and it was the only English speaking channel we had. By the time we left a few days later, posters of her face were up in the airport. It was awful.

The Soham murders were another that stuck in my mind, as was the Daniel Pelka case. I read the Serious Case Review into his death as part of my Safeguarding assignment in my Foundation Degree - that was very haunting. So many chances missed to save that poor child

9/11 - I remember being a few days into our 2nd year at college - text messages started to filter through about planes hitting the towers but we didn't understand the gravitas of what was happening. I just got home as the first tower collapsed (my parents had the news on) - that was when it hit home how bad it was.

 

[judgejohndeed]

Amongst many of the ones mentioned - a couple of years ago there was a story about a cat who had been strapped to a firework and let off. The cat lost a leg in the process, it was blown off. Then later died but not immediately. I’m not a sad crier, I’ve never cried watching tv or anything like that, but I bawled my eyes out reading that story. I remember it every time there’s fireworks and it makes me sick they can still be bought so easily and casually by anyone.

 

[Pinkblush]

Hillsborough tragedy and bradford fc tragedy. Remember watching both as they happened.

 

[Bingewatcher92]

I remember my mum and neighbour watching princess Diana’s funeral and being so confused as to why they were crying. I was about 5 at the time.
I remember 9/11 and it made me terrified of planes, I’ve been on 1 since then and probably will never again!
the 7/7 bombings always stick with me as my cousin should of been on that tube but had decided to cycle to work as it was a sunny day!
Holly and Jessica scared me so much. I remember seeing it on the news just before we had swimming lessons and being terrified to go outside.

I studied child care at 6th form and it was around the time of the Baby P case. Never ever been able to forget that gorgeous face. It broke my heart reading about it.

the other case that has always stuck with me is the caylee Anthony case in America. I always thought her mum did it but I read the book written by the mums defence and it really changed my view. We will never know the truth but either way that poor little girl.

 

[Belulah]

Amongst many of the ones mentioned - a couple of years ago there was a story about a cat who had been strapped to a firework and let off. The cat lost a leg in the process, it was blown off. Then later died but not immediately. I’m not a sad crier, I’ve never cried watching tv or anything like that, but I bawled my eyes out reading that story. I remember it every time there’s fireworks and it makes me sick they can still be bought so easily and casually by anyone.

How could anyone do that? That poor creature

 

[Kim Mild]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-27775465
This one, a tragic freak accident. Seems like a real life Final Destination situation. He tripped, landed on sunbed, broke the bulbs and ended up bleeding to death.

Lockerbie, I'm sure that's the reason I hate planes flying overhead.

Raoul Moat (quite near where I worked at the time )

The Aberfan disaster, way before my time , but I've seen and read about and I couldn't get it out my head after.

 

[Saddlesoap]

The other one that freaks me out as someone who lives alone was a woman who rented a holiday home, they believe she got up to go to the loo in the night and took a wrong turn, getting shut in a cupboard that didn’t have a handle on the inside. She wasn’t found for days and it looked like she had tried to scratch her way through the walls to try to escape. I do not go ANYWHERE without my phone as a result

Oh gosh, this nearly made me vomit. That's horrendous

 

[Wellthisisinteresting]

I remember my mum and neighbour watching princess Diana’s funeral and being so confused as to why they were crying. I was about 5 at the time.
I remember 9/11 and it made me terrified of planes, I’ve been on 1 since then and probably will never again!
the 7/7 bombings always stick with me as my cousin should of been on that tube but had decided to cycle to work as it was a sunny day!
Holly and Jessica scared me so much. I remember seeing it on the news just before we had swimming lessons and being terrified to go outside.

I studied child care at 6th form and it was around the time of the Baby P case. Never ever been able to forget that gorgeous face. It broke my heart reading about it.

the other case that has always stuck with me is the caylee Anthony case in America. I always thought her mum did it but I read the book written by the mums defence and it really changed my view. We will never know the truth but either way that poor little girl.

The Casey Anthony case still haunts me too! I was in Florida at the time of the trial and it was insane! Interesting about the book... what makes you think she didn’t do it? I believe she did it but would be interesting to read

 

[Blue raspberry slush pupp]

Dunblane, 7/7 bombings and holly and Jessica and Daniel Pelka- I can’t forget his poor little innocent face

 

[Bingewatcher92]

The Casey Anthony case still haunts me too! I was in Florida at the time of the trial and it was insane! Interesting about the book... what makes you think she didn’t do it? I believe she did it but would be interesting to read

My friend was there at that time to which got me interested in it.
I read the book some years back now, but the evidence when taken apart and looked through piece by piece, was all very circumstantial. I would actually say her dad had a lot more to do with it after reading it. I don’t think caseys life was all that good with her parents at all even more so than what was said in the trial. The books called Presumed Guilty. It’s honestly worth the read. I’m useless at explaining things so sorry!

 

[MaxieMoo]

My friend was there at that time to which got me interested in it.
I read the book some years back now, but the evidence when taken apart and looked through piece by piece, was all very circumstantial. I would actually say her dad had a lot more to do with it after reading it. I don’t think caseys life was all that good with her parents at all even more so than what was said in the trial. The books called Presumed Guilty. It’s honestly worth the read. I’m useless at explaining things so sorry!

I have that book sitting in my pile waiting to be read. I'm really fascinated by cases like this.

 

[Bingewatcher92]

I have that book sitting in my pile waiting to be read. I'm really fascinated by cases like this.

Same! I’ve never read a book like it before and honestly I was hooked. The way he wrote it is brilliant to explain and understand. Let me know what you think when you’ve read it!

 

[MaxieMoo]

Same! I’ve never read a book like it before and honestly I was hooked. The way he wrote it is brilliant to explain and understand. Let me know what you think when you’ve read it!

Will do

 

[Kindred_]

The death of Garry Newlove always upset me It looks like one of the murderers is set to be released very soon which fills me with rage!

 

[Onepotatotwopotato]

The Thai cave boys was very interesting, couldn't imagine the fear they felt!

 

[AutumnSpring]

Reading this thread is giving me shivers!!