One of Britain's most chilling female serial killers marked her third murder with a sickening rendition of a pop anthem, it has been revealed. Joanne Christine Dennehy, the perpetrator behind the Peterborough ditch murders, celebrated her killing spree by singing Britney Spears' 'Oops… I Did It Again'.
A Ten-Day Frenzy of Violence
Dennehy's murderous rampage occurred over a frenzied ten-day period in March 2013. The mother-of-one, with a history of petty crime and alcoholism, specifically targeted men, claiming she would never harm a woman, particularly a mother. Her motive, as she chillingly explained to an accomplice, was simple: "I want my fun. I need you to get my fun."
Her first victim was Lukasz Slaboszewski, a Polish national who believed Dennehy was his girlfriend. After luring him with sexual text messages, she stabbed him in the heart at her home. She later told a psychiatrist she killed him "to see if I was as cold as I thought I was". Shockingly, she showed his body, hidden in a wheelie bin, to a 14-year-old girl she had groomed, describing the murder as "moreish".
Humiliation and a Twisted Celebration
A week later, Dennehy stabbed her 56-year-old housemate to death with a pocket knife. On the same day, she used the same honey-trap method to murder Kevin Lee. After killing Lee, she dressed his corpse in a black sequined dress and posed his body in a ditch, intentionally leaving his backside exposed. The trial judge stated this was a deliberate act to humiliate Lee in death.
Following this episode, Dennehy's warped celebration began. She phoned a friend to sing Britney Spears' 'Oops… I Did It Again' and was seen dancing joyfully to television news reports about the killings.
Further Violence and Sentencing
Weeks later, accomplice Gary Stretch drove her to Hereford, where she randomly attacked two men walking their dogs, leaving both for dead and stealing one man's dog. In November 2013, Dennehy pleaded guilty to three counts of murder and two of attempted murder.
Mr Justice Spencer, the presiding judge, labelled her "a cruel, calculating, selfish and manipulative murderer". He also stated Dennehy suffered from paraphilia sadomasochism, a condition where pain and humiliation stimulate sexual enjoyment. Dennehy was given a whole-life tariff.
Gary Stretch received a life sentence. Two other accomplices were jailed for 14 years and three years respectively. The court heard that Dennehy, who fantasised about being like Bonnie and Clyde, told Stretch the killings were "entertainment" for her, revealing a profound lack of clear motive beyond a mere desire to kill.
