Michael Attwooll & John Roden

Background & Motive (Early 1990s – 1994)

• Early 1990s: Michael Attwooll operated a local taxi firm based on an industrial estate in Risca, South Wales, as a business partner alongside Gerald Stevens. Christine Rees worked as a taxi driver and dispatcher for the firm.

• 1993 – Early 1994: An affair developed between Gerald Stevens and Christine Rees. Attwooll became intensely jealous and bitter toward the couple. In an effort to disrupt the relationship, explicit photographs of the pair were secretly taken, and arranged were made for the incriminating photos to be sent to their respective partners.

The Double Murder (May 1994)

• May 1994 — The Ambush

  • In the early hours of a Friday morning, Gerald Stevens and Christine Rees were working late shifts at the remote taxi firm office on the Risca industrial estate.

  • Michael Attwooll, assisted by his daughters boyfriend, John Roden, arrives at the premises armed with a rifle (supplied by Attwooll's brother-in-law).

  • Both Stevens and Rees are hacked with a machete, then shot and killed, at point blank range inside the taxi office.

• May 1994 — Discovery & Initial Police Investigation

  • The bodies are discovered inside the taxi office shortly after the shooting, sparking a major murder inquiry by Gwent Police.

  • Police invite Attwooll to the crime scene in his official capacity as business co-owner to assist with initial inquiries.

Arrests & Forensic Investigation (Late 1994)

• Late 1994 — Forensic Evidence & Arrests

  • Forensic analysis reveals traces of both victims' blood inside Michael Attwooll's private motor vehicle.

  • Investigators establish that Attwooll procured a rifle shortly before the killings.

  • Michael Attwooll and John Roden are formally arrested and charged with double murder.

Trial, Appeals & Legal History (1995 – 2008)

• May – June 1995 — Newport Crown Court Trial

  • Attwooll and Roden stand trial at Newport Crown Court for the murders of Gerald Stevens and Christine Rees.

  • A scrap merchant gave evidence that he was in an adjacent unit at the time and heard shots. He said that just before the bangs he heard Attwooll and Mr Stevens speaking in raised voices, although he was unable to distinguish any of their words. He told Newport Crown Court he went home in a state of fear, and saw nothing.

  • The prosecution presents evidence regarding the business partnership, the romantic affair, financial motives, and blood transfer evidence linking Attwooll’s vehicle to the scene.

• Saturday 10th June 1995 — Guilty Verdicts & Sentencing

  • Both Michael Attwooll and John Roden are found guilty of double murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

• 1996 — Initial Appeals Refused

  • Attwooll’s application for leave to appeal is rejected on 29th February 1996; Roden’s application is refused on 18th July 1996.

• 1998 – 2007 — CCRC Review & Referral

  • Applications are submitted to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).

  • A key trial dispute had centered on whether Attwooll was driven to the crime scene in a police vehicle or drove his own car (which affected arguments regarding innocent cross-contamination of blood evidence).

  • In May 2007, after reviewing new evidence supporting Attwooll's account of how he arrived at the scene, the CCRC refers both convictions back to the Court of Appeal.

• April 2008 — Court of Appeal Decision

• The Court of Appeal reviews the fresh evidence regarding vehicle transfer and credibility but concludes the convictions remain safe, officially upholding the original life sentences for both men.