Case of murdered Milton Keynes girl to feature on new TV documentary

A murder which sent shockwaves through MK 21 years ago is to feature in the new television series of Murdertown.

Rachel Manning was just 19 when she vanished after a night out in Central Milton Keynes in December 2000.

Her body was found two days later in undergrowth at Woburn Golf Club. She had been strangled and her face disfigured with a steering lock, which was found nearby.

In 2002 Rachel's boyfriend Barri White was convicted of the murder and his friend Keith Hyatt was found guilty of perverting the course of justice. Both were jailed.

However, both men had their convictions quashed in 2007 following an appeal.

Ten years later, taxi driver Shahidul Ahmed's DNA was linked to the case after he was arrested for a sex attack. His DNA was found on the steering lock that had been found near Rachel's body.

The father-of-five, who lived just 400m away from where the student was picked up, was found guilty of the murder and jailed for in 2013 for a minimum of 17 years.

This month TV and radio broadcaster Anita Rani will front a brand-new series of Murdertown on Crime+Investigation®, which is available on Sky 156, Virgin 275 and TalkTalk 328.

Murdertown is a 360 degree investigation of the impact of a murder on a local community, through the eyes of those most immediately affected (friends and relatives of the victims and, in some cases, the accused) as well as those further afield, such as local crime reporters, investigating police officers and criminologists.

In each episode of the 10-part series, Anita visits the towns and local communities where the murders took place to re-tell these tragic stories and shed new light on how lives and places are changed forever by such shocking and unforgettable crimes.

The Rachel Manning murder will feature in the first episode, which will be shown on Monday September 27 at 9pm.