Woman-killer who locked victims in 'coffins' got caught when wife saw Crimewatch
Michael Sams put a chilling amount of thought into his heinous crimes, constructing a lair in which to keep his victims while he waited for his twisted plans to play out.
Described as a cunning and ruthless ‘lone wolf’ who would stop at nothing, Sams was determined to get rich and decided he would do it by kidnapping someone and demanding a large ransom.
He turned an old workshop by the River Trent in Newark, Nottinghamshire into a secure bunker, and in July 1991, Sams did a dry run.
The sick murderer, who is now 81, drove to the red light district of Leeds, and, taking a leaf out the Yorkshire Ripper's book, he abducted a prostitute.
Julie Dart was murdered by Sams when she was just 18 (PA)Sams lured 18 year old Julie Dart into his car and threatened to stab her if she struggled.
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Once back at his hideout, he pushed her into a coffin-like box that was nailed to the floor, locking her in and leaving the warehouse.
Julie managed to fight her way out but didn't realise that the box was rigged with an alarm, alerting Sams to her escape. And once out of the box, there was no way out of the room.
Her captor then forced her to write a letter to her fiancée asking for £140,000 to be paid for her release.
He then murdered her with a hammer, wrapped her body in old blankets and dumped her body in a field. It was found nine days later.
Michael Sams' workshop where he held his victims (Daily Record)Meanwhile, Julie's family had received the letter and called the police, not knowing that it was already too late.
Sams demanded a that the family communicate with him using the personal columns of a newspaper, but once Julie's body was found he abandoned his extortion attempt.
Sams' plan had not worked the way it was supposed to, but as far as he was concerned, it just need fine tuning. He needed another hostage. In January 1992, he struck again.
He placed a call to an estate agency in Birmingham. Calling himself Mr Southwall, he asked to view a run-down semi-detached house in the Great Barr district.
An appointment was made and on January 22, estate agent Stephanie Slater, then 25, went to the house to meet the new client.
Stephanie Slater pictured in January 2002 (Channel 5)It was her first appointment of the day. By lunchtime, she had not come back to her office, and her colleagues had begun to worry.
When the phone rang at 12.22pm, their anxiety turned to terror. A man's voice told receptionist Sylvia Baker: "Stephanie's been kidnapped. A ransom demand will be in the post tomorrow. If you contact police, she will die."
At the house, Sams held a knife to Stephanie's throat, then bundled her into a car and drove her to the same lair where he had kept Julie Dart.
This time he had refined his plan by constructing another 'coffin' - a wheelie bin laid horizontally with a lockable lid.
After forcing Stephanie to strip naked, she was pushed inside the bin and the lid locked.
Stephanie Slater with her parents at a police press conference after being released by Michael Sams (News Group/REX/Shutterstock)
West Midlands police, alerted by Stephanie's colleagues, were sure this was the work of the same man who had kidnapped Julie Dart.
The ransom demand was soon received, this time it was for £175,000. The deadline was set for January 29. If the money was paid she would be released unharmed two days later. If not, she would die.
Chillingly the package had included a cassette tape with Julie's faltering voice begging the police to co-operate with her kidnapper.
On January 28 the phone rang at Stephanie's office and Sams demanded to speak to her boss, Kevin Watt.
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Sams managed to escape with Stephanie's ransom money (Daily Record)
When Watt answered, Sams asked: "Have you got the money ready?" Told that he had, Sams snapped: "You will get a call at three o'clock tomorrow," and promptly hung up.
Police were secretly recording the call. It was going to prove a vital breakthrough.
In the meantime, the money was assembled. When the call came the next day, Kevin Watts was ordered by Sams to drive to Glossop near Manchester.
It was the start of a trail of clues left by the kidnapper that eventually led Watts with the bag of money to a bridge over a disused railway in the Pennines, near Barnsley.
In the misty darkness Watts saw a tin tray on the bridge parapet. As instructed he placed the cash on the tray. Down below, hiding in the pitch dark, Sams tugged a rope and the money fell at his feet.
Stephanie was kidnapped by murderer Michael Sams after he arranged for a viewing of a property (PA)He jumped on a motorbike and escaped.
Although Watts had been shadowed by scores of undercover police, Sams had got away with the money. The bag with a radio tracker in it was still on top of the bridge.
At his lair he opened the bin and told Stephanie: "I've got the money, you're going home".
Sams was true to his word. After blindfolding her, he drove her to the end of her street in Birmingham, and let her go.
He thought he'd got away with it, but with Stephanie free, the media had the story and the hue and cry unnerved him.
Stephanie never got over the attack and died aged 50 from cancer (PA)He rang her office and threatened receptionist Sylvia Baker, not knowing that the police had left their tape recorder in place. On 20 February the tapes were played on Crimewatch on the BBC.
Sams' former wife, Susan Oake did not watch the show live, but had recorded it while she was out. When she watched it later, she recognised her husband's voice and called the police.
Police grabbed Sams the next day. They found his workshop, the wheelie bin cell and many other things Stephanie had been able to tell the police about in great detail.
At trial he admitted kidnapping Stephanie but denied the kidnap and murder of Julie.
He confessed to police three days after being convicted and was sentenced to life imprisonment in July 1993.
Stephanie never got over the attack and died from cancer aged 50.
*The Girl In The Box: The Kidnapping of Stephanie Slater airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 5
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