The horrific events that gripped the people of a Nottinghamshire mining community 18 years ago have been revisited in a new television drama. Back in the summer of 2004, there were two unconnected killings carried out by different men within weeks and a few miles of each other.
The BBC 's six-part crime drama Sherwood tells the tale of a mysterious killer stalking the streets of a pit town still coming to grips with the sudden decline of its coal mining industry. It also centres on the fallout from the 1984 miners' strike.
Starring David Morrissey as a detective tasked with apprehending the culprit, it concluded tonight (9pm, Tuesday June 28). In real life, police were investigating the violent deaths of ex-miner Keith Frogson, 62, who was killed with a crossbow and samurai sword outside his home in the pit village of Annesley Woodhouse.
Another former miner, Robert Boyer, then 42, was later revealed to be the man responsible. Chanel Taylor, a 23-year-old newlywed was later found dead by her husband at their home in the nearby village of Huthwaite, near Mansfield.
The killer in that case turned out to be her jealous father, Terry Rodgers, 55, who had fatally shot her just weeks after walking her down the aisle. Both killers ended up hiding out in woodland outside Annesley Woodhouse, and their crimes led to one of the biggest manhunts ever undertaken by British police.
Robert Boyer and Terry Rodgers were both convicted for their heinous crimes, with the latter admitting to manslaughter but dying in hospital in 2006, aged 57, shortly before he was due to stand trial for murder. Sherwood writer James Graham was a student at the time of the killings.
He has admitted that his fascination with the crimes and the fallout that followed inspired him to write the fictional drama. There was speculation at the time that Keith Frogson's death was the result of a feud between him and Boyer.
It was because the deceased had been a member of the striking National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), while his killer was a member of the Union of Democratic Mineworkers who were labelled scabs for breaking the strike. It turned out, however, that the reasons for Mr Frogson's brutal death were very different. Here we look at who Rober Boyer was and what happened to him.
Who was Robert Boyer?
He was 23 when the pits in Nottinghamshire shut down and, ended up getting a job as a security guard. He pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Frogson, who he had stalked for weeks and on the night of the killing had waited outside his victim's house and launched his fatal assault as he returned from the pub.
Boyer shot with a crossbow before attacking him with a sword. The search for Boyer, and Rodgers, involved more than 450 police officers. They were drafted in from forces throughout the UK in a manhunt lasting several weeks that ended up costing more than £1.5million.
What happened to him?
Boyer was eventually apprehended by police, who had discovered the hideout he'd created deep in the woods and laid in wait for his return. As detectives delved into the motive for Boyer targeting Mr Frogson, the theory of it resting on their opposing stances during the miners' strike was dismissed.
Instead, it turned out that the killer was mentally unwell and had experienced delusions that his victim had been planning to destroy his home and was out to get him. The murder charge was dropped after a mental assessment was carried out and Boyer pleaded guilty to a charge of manslaughter at Nottingham Crown Court.
During the sentencing hearing, prosecutor Andrew Easteal said: "He had convinced himself that Keith Frogson was trying to dismantle his house brick by brick, that acid was being thrown at the brickwork and that a screwdriver had been used to chip away at the bricks.
"He had developed a fixation with Mr Frogson. He was obsessed with the idea that Mr Frogson was persecuting him and trying to damage his home. Mr Frogson was completely innocent of this and had no idea what Boyer was thinking, or the delusions he was suffering."
Mr Easteal added: "It was suggested initially that the origin of this tragedy had something to do with the miners' strike. May I make it absolutely clear that suggestion is wholly wrong. It has no basis in fact." Boyer was given an indefinite hospital order.
Now about 60 years of age, he remains under secure medical supervision. All six episodes of Sherwood are available to watch on the BBC iPlayer.
