The only one of four people convicted of the killing of Suzanne Capper to still be behind bars is to make a fresh bid for freedom. The torture and death of the 16-year-old schoolgirl shocked Britain and a consequent 22-day trial reduced jurors to tears.
The teenager from Moston, was held captive then beaten, injected with drugs and subjected to brutal torture over seven days. She was then driven to woods near Romiley in Stockport where she was doused in petrol and set on fire. She survived long enough to name her attackers. Next Wednesday - January 18 - will be the 30th anniversary of her funeral at Blackley Cemetery.
The murder happened just two months before James Bulger was murdered in Liverpool and, despite the twisted and prolonged violence used, did not generate the same level of media coverage as that case. But the two murders did combine to trigger national newspapers and leading politicians to comment on the state of the nation. Then, Shadow Home Secretary, Tony Blair, commenting on the two murders, described them as "hammer blows against the sleeping conscience of the country".
