When an online conversation led to a terrifying reality | Forensic Files

case file is coming to an end for the year but don't worry we'll be back in late January with all
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Alyssa into your favorite podcast player subscribe download and to listen today [Music]
our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at anytime you need support please contact
your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support please see the show notes for this
episode on your app or on our website on June 29 2003 in the United Kingdom town
of ultrium patrons were enjoying a beer in a corner pub affectionately known as the fishbowl
due to its large floor-to-ceiling glass walls there was a stifling hot day by English standards even for the height of
summer and to the fishbowl was the perfect place to escape into air-conditioned comfort and to refresh
with a cold drink the fishbowl was situated in Goose Green and enclaved nestled in a quiet yet fashionable part
of ultrium a market town in Greater Manchester the town featured the red brick buildings typical of Manchester
filled with independent and artisan businesses including a deli a butcher and a cafe it was frequented by shoppers
wanting to get away from the Moores there are commercialized environment of nearby traffic centre shopping more a
brick paved pedestrian square featured a sculpture of a flock of geese at its centre surrounded by benches where local
workers gathered and enjoyed their lunch in the sunshine aside from the odd shoplifter crime and drama were not
something the regulars at Goose Green were accustomed to so when an ambulance and police cars came roaring into the
area with their sirens blaring and pulled up at an le Way entrance 30 meters away from the fishbowl pub on
lookers were curious first responders rushed into the alley after receiving reports of a stabbing
towards the dead end of the narrow passageway they found a teenage boy lying in a pool of blood and on the
brink of death paramedics went to work fighting to keep him alive as his organs began to fail he had suffered two severe
stab wounds the first to his chest and to the second deep into his abdomen a large kitchen knife lay on the ground
beside his body the victim was rushed to Manchester's within Shaw hospital with life-threatening injuries
blood pooled inside his stomach cavity restricting the function of his lungs and diaphragm whilst on the operating
table the patient's heart stopped twice the surgeons removed his gallbladder and
fought desperately to stabilize him the teenager emerged from the operation in a
critical condition and was taken to the intensive care unit where a respirator was used to assist his breathing the
attack in the alley was witnessed by the victims teenage friend who taught police
the pair had been walking through goose green sipping on soft drinks they had bought from a nearby McDonald's when
they were accosted by a man aged in his 20s wearing a black hoodie black jeans and a white baseball cap the unknown men
had tried to grab one of the teenagers and dragged them into the alley in the ensuing scuffle the assailant pulled out
a knife and stabbed the victim twice before fleeing the scene following the attack Greater Manchester Police put out
a public appeal to identify the suspect newspapers were soon reporting alleged sightings of the perpetrator with the
Manchester Evening News denouncing someone who fit the description was later seen at Ultra Holmes Metrolink
station with no clue to suggest a motive police worked swiftly concerned the unknown
assailant may strike again investigators retrieved footage from the few CCTV cameras in the goose green area and
discovered that we're in luck one camera faced directly towards the early way where the teenager was
attacked [Music] in the early 2000s the internet had become more affordable and available in
homes throughout the United Kingdom and as a result online chat rooms soared in popularity chat rooms were not
completely new they've been around in some form since the late 1980s and had spawned an entire language of their own
online conversations typically started with the ubiquitous greeting hire ASL which stood for age sex location the
response would generally determine whether communications between participants would continue in the days
before Gmail Facebook whatsapp snapchat Twitter and Instagram teenagers were turning in droves to MSM chat one of the
first computer services to allow online users to communicate directly from their
web browser with little to no technical knowledge users simply logged in under nicknames and were instantly able to
create or join hundreds of chat rooms reflecting every sort of hobby interest and demographic imaginable popular rooms
were a never-ending flow of scrolling text recorded in real time as users typed questions and comments to one
another peppered with emoticons abbreviations acronyms and changing text colors current active users within a
room were listed in a box to the right of the screen with alerts informing others whenever someone logged in or out
clicking on a username would allow you to initiate a private chat function with that person known as whispers users
didn't have to provide any identification and could log in under any screen name or profile they liked
this anonymity came with both pros and cons people could adopt an alias ensuring they were safe to interact
online without fears of being identified in the real world yet this meant users were not always who they said they were
online chat rooms were a hotbed for adult predators pretending to be much younger than they were in order to have
sexually charged conversations with unsuspecting teens mark was the typical 16 year old from Stockport one of the
more sought-after postcodes in Manchester tall fair-haired and with a powerful build mark was the only child
of working-class parents who provided him a good upbringing his school grades were average and aspirations modest
hoping to do well enough a business college to find work although not academically inclined mark was still
well-liked by his teachers stayed out of trouble and was passionate about sport especially soccer he was popular with
the girls at school but wasn't always sure how to interact with them in 2002 the computer Marc's parents had bought
to help with his schoolwork opened up a whole new world to the teenager once he connected to the Internet mark was
introduced to online chat rooms where he could talk to strangers from all over the world from the safety of his bedroom
the computer screen provided a barrier that allowed mark to be more open and at ease than he was in his real life
interactions and he found himself spending most of his spare time online in February 2003 mark was logged into
one of his favourite online chat rooms for men Chester teenagers he was one of the millions of teenage boys who went
online hoping to meet girls and whenever a new person with a feminine user name appeared in the chat room mark would
strike up a conversation hoping to turn successful online interactions into real-world hookups knock perked up when
a new user logged into the Manchester teens chat room under the screen name Rachel underscore West after Rachel
introduced herself to the room mark summoned to the courage to initiate a private chat discovering she was also a
16 year old manchester local Rachel worked in a gymnasium and her uploaded photograph showed a slim fresh
based patanè girl with long blonde hair mark couldn't believe his luck that out of all the people in the chat room
Rachel seemed to want to speak to him the most their banter came easily and Rachel seemed open to more provocative
conversation mark turned on his webcam so that she could see him but Rachel wasn't keen on video chatting alluding
it was due to troubling online interactions she had in the past for the next two days
mark loitered in the Manchester teens chat room awaiting the words Rachel West has entered the room to
appear on screen days after mark and Rachel's first online encounter another new person entered the Manchester teens
chat room fourteen-year-old John Rachel introduced the newcomer as her little brother but
John later clarified their relationship as stepbrother and stepsister the step-siblings lived in a well-to-do
neighborhood in Manchester in a comfortable double storey brick house with a garden the family were firmly
middle class not rich by any means but I warned enough to send their children to
private schools John's childhood was marred by instability and poor father figures his
parents split when he was 7 years old and too later John stumbled across his birth certificate and discovered the men
whom he grew up believing to be his father was actually not at all it turned out John's biological father was a
violent man who had once tried to abduct him as a baby leading his mother to flee
the situation John's mother had a string of unsuccessful relationships over the years before settling down with a
plumber when John was 11 years old who remained his stepfather ever since John was given a laptop to help with his
studies and soon began frequenting Internet chat rooms meeting Mark online just a few weeks later their households
both had a broadband internet connections quite a novelty at the time which meant they could be online for
hours without tying up the phone line or running out massive bills although there
was a two-year age difference between them John and Mark shared mutual interests in gaming girls and football
and quickly struck up an online friendship they bonded over movies they both enjoyed especially the crime drama
catch me if you can a film based on the true story of a teenage prankster who grew up to become one of the world's
most wanted con men the pair turned on their webcams during interactions proving they were exactly who they
claimed to be DS a webcam hangouts were spent gaming or searching internet forums together and made the to feel as
though they were in the same room when it was just the two of them conversations were dominated by x-rated
topics typical of teenage boys although mark liked the younger John under the pair soon became best friends it was
Rachel who mark hoped for see whenever he logged in online mark had a tendency to become infatuated
quickly and he had come to think of Rachel as his girlfriend their conversations would carry on late into
the night and occasionally turned to sexual at Rachel's request mark would sometimes stamp before his webcam and
strip off his clothes while she watched throughout their many online interactions mark and Rachel's teen
romance deepened hidden from on lookers in whispered chats and personal emails one night mark summoned up the courage
and declared his love for her when Rachel responded I love you too he couldn't have been happier over the
following weeks mark Rachel and John spent nearly all their spare time in the Manchester teens MSN chat room although
they interacted with other visitors they were a tight trio who had their own inside jokes and special language mark
and Rachel discussed the plans to meet up in the real world mark was willing to skip school to make the time but Rachel
had a much busier schedule to work around instead mark and John took their friendship offline for a face-to-face
meeting in many ways the two teenagers were an unlikely pairing fourteen-year-old John was small and
slight while sixteen-year-old mark was tall with a strong build mark was an only child of a stable parental
relationship whereas John had never known his biological father and didn't get along with his stepfather mark was
an average student at a modest school while John excelled at his more exclusive grammar school earning grades
that put him on track to gain entry to a prestigious university considered polite
and well behaved mark was easygoing and popular whereas John was sullen withdrawn and prone to disobedience
John was at the mercy of racists school bullies who taunted the young teen over his olive colored skin as most of John's
friends were female he was also bullied about his perceived sexuality in April 2003 a new user
joined the Manchester teens chatroom kevin mcgregor stood out by writing exclusively in pink colored font telling
the room he did so because he was openly gay he adopted a shock and horror online
persona wherein he boasted crudely about his foot fetish and claimed to be a stalker quote a real stalker a proper
stalker [Music] members of the chatroom were generally dubious of Kevin's outlandish claims and
perceived him as little more than a nobody character in their virtual world but mark soon discovered that his
friends John and Rachel had reason to be quite scared of Kevin who had been threatening them John even suspected
Kevin was following him home from school mark reassured the pair that Kevin McGregor was unlikely to be truly
dangerous who was forced to reconsider when Kevin started targeting mark taunting him with personal information
about the lives of Rachel John and himself Kevin had no way of knowing these insider details unless he really
had been stalking them with marking out convinced that Kevin presented a genuine
threat kevin ordered mark to show him his feet and to masturbate on webcam for him threatening to kidnap and rape
Rachel if his demands were not met in a private message mark told Rachel about Kevin's threat feeling he had no choice
but to do as he was told to protect her mark asked what else can I do Rachel was touched replying you don't
have to do anything for me but Mark responded I do Rach I love you Rachel said she loved him too
mark went through with the humiliating act as demanded by Kevin McGregor satisfied that by doing so he had saved
two Rachel from danger d ordeal strengthened to the love shared between the young couple and propelled
them to finally meet outside MSN chat their real-world introduction was to take place in the upmarket town of
altering him a popular shopping and a meeting place eight miles southwest of Manchester's city center mark bordered a
public bus and took the 40-minute journey to altering him to meet his love [Music]
upon reaching their designated meeting point mark waited in nervous excitement for Rachel to arrive yet hours passed
and there was no sign of her eventually mark accepted Rachel was not going to show up and return home to his computer
hoping there was a message from her with an explanation but there were no emails
no private whisper messages and she wasn't in their usual chat room however there was an email from Kevin McGregor
the psychopathic Manchester teens chatroom regular who had blackmailed mark into performing sex acts of a
webcam to ensure Rachel's safety Kevin's email revealed he had gone through with
his plans to kidnap Rachel after all adding that the 16 year old had been gang raped and murdered Kevin taunted
mark with the gruesome details of her death describing how he kicked Rachel in the stomach and held her head under
freezing cold water in a final blow Kevin said you weren't there for her however much she screamed for you Nach
replied how could I have been there when I didn't know where she was feeling unable to go to the police or
tell his parents Marc privately mourned the tragic murder of his online girlfriend
his overwhelming guilt spiraling him into a deep depression his school grades led down into days and deaths dooming
him to inevitable failure for the year John was also grieving the sudden traumatic loss of his stepsister and to
the best friends found some solace in each other but Marc remained withdrawn his distant behavior began to concern
John who reached out one night over webcam chat nook brushed off the worry explaining he was just tired John made a
light-hearted joke and his friends mood instantly lifted a small appearing across his face John asked why are you
so happy to which mark replied because I got you as a mate since losing Rachel mark was less inclined to hang out
online but when he did frequent the chat rooms he wanted to talk to girls he struck up a friendship with an older
teenage girl called a Lindsay East a recent newcomer to the Manchester teens chat room Lindsay consult mark over the
loss of his previous relationship and to the pair soon began flirting mark slipped into the familiar routine of
falling for a girl he had never met the feeling was reciprocated with Lindsay confessing she was falling in love with
him leading mark to perform sex acts in front of his webcam for her trusting mark wholeheartedly Lindsay revealed to
him a highly confidential piece of information she was a junior Secret Service agent for the British
intelligence service more commonly known as mi6 mark was in trade he loved movies and
did st. plenty of James Bond films but had never met a real-life spire before Lindsey revealed the real reason she had
originally joined the Manchester teens chatroom was that marks bestfriend 14 year old John was under government
protection John was unknowingly being targeted by Kevin Makaha the psychopathic chat regula who kidnapped
and murdered Rachel Lindsay was hoping mark would help her track down the confessed killer expressing how
important it was but John never found out he was under threat all being secretly observed by government spies
just days after their first online meeting mark received a post-dated email from Lindsay which had been arranged to
be sent to him in the event she was killed in action the email revealed the young spy had failed in her mission into
urged mark to complete her objective to protect John at the end of April 2003 Mark's Bazaar online world took an even
crazier twist when his recently deceased girlfriend Rachel suddenly reappeared in
the Manchester teens chatroom Mark was initially overjoyed that she was alive but once they started talking he
realized something was very wrong about her story Rachel claimed to have been held captive whilst in a coma and she
had since given birth to Mark's baby this presented multiple red flags firstly Rachel had only been missing for
a few weeks and secondly they'd only known each other for a couple of months and had never met in real life it was
impossible for them to have conceived a child mark didn't know what was going on
or what to believe but before he could get answers Rachel vanished once again Janet Dobbins enjoined the Manchester
tames chat room with a flourish typing in capital letters and making it known that as an older woman she had no time
for idle adolescent chitchat Janet was looking for someone special and a 16 year old mark fit the bill in a private
chat with mark Janet confided that sheets who was a member of the British intelligence
service holding a much more senior position than the NIA deceased the junior agent Lindsay as number three in
the hierarchy of the British Secret Service Janet's cover as a real estate agent
gave her the freedom to travel around and although she was in her 40s and married she specified that she was still
very sexy given Mark's recent string of bizarre experiences in the chat room he was skeptical of Janet's claims but went
along with them had a curiosity aware that mark once held Irwin Z's confidence Janet felt he could be trusted to keep
her secret he was being covertly tested by the Secret Service and that they now wanted to recruit him the teenager would
be well compensated for his work with paychecks in the millions of pounds and opportunities to meet Queen Elizabeth
and Prime Minister Tony Blair after speaking at length everything slowly began to make sense to mark convinced
that Janet Overton was the real deal his initial suspicions about the whole spy drama dissipated although it seemed too
good to be true mark accepted the once-in-a-lifetime offer before mark could be taken to
London for his mi6 briefing he needed to prove himself capable of completing top-secret assignments only then would
he receive his agent number and a license to kill as a part of his initiation into the British intelligence
service mark was required to act as a bodyguard for an important manchester teenager and a fellow mi6 operative
named James Bell it was imperative that nobody including James him knew that mark had been contracted to
keep an eye on him although he was up for the job mark was curious as to what made James
so important that he required a bodyguard after receiving authority from her superiors including the prime
minister himself Janet Dodson confided that a huge safe containing jewels worth a staggering 568
billion pounds lay at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean a few countries knew about the safes existence but only the
Queen of England had the combination to open it as she could not personally access the safe the Queen had entrusted
its code to just the one other person James Bell Janet Johnson told mark only James can walk through the door that is
only half of why he's so important this loads more that we will leave for another day
mark was stunned to discover that the James Bell he was assigned to covertly protect was not a complete stranger but
none other than his best friend 14-year old John therefore it would be easy for mark to guard John as it would look like
he was simply socialising with his mate the British intelligence recruit was quick to get started on his classified
government work asking John if he wanted to hang out more often oblivious to what
was truly going on John evilly agreed to the offer and the two boys started meeting up after school and spending all
their spare time together the teenager's sudden and intense friendship raised the
concerns of their respective mothers who insisted on meeting one another to ensure their boys were in safe and
acceptable company relieved to find that each boy came from a respectable family
the mothers were glad their children had bonded in real life hoping it meant the
pair would spend a less time inside on their computers taking his new responsibilities to protect her John
seriously Mark reported his whereabouts and actions back to agent Janet Johnson who approved of his progress
but also warned other British intelligence buyers were always keeping an eye on mark to ensure he was carrying
out his mission to prove it Janet specified the locations where the two teenagers had been spotted and what
they had been doing at the time mark was both spooked and excited to learn that he was under surveillance
his next initiation assignment was to get his target out of school without raising suspicion convincing the school
administration that he had been sent by John's mother to take the fourteen-year-old to a dentist
appointment mark successfully completed this mission John was delighted to skip school and to
the two friends went shopping and spent the day together John's mother was alerted that he had left school early
for the day and checked his computer for hints as to where her son might have gone after discovering online messages
involving a woman named - Janet Johnson she headed to Stockport where she found her true and son at marks house and
demanded to speak to his parents a search of marks laptop revealed similar messages from Janet Robinson claiming to
be a female Secret Service agent the two boys were warned that not everyone online was who they claimed to be and
were banned from having any further contact with the so called spire [Music] what would it look like if we all
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after a short break from their computers the teenagers ingeniously got around to
their parents restrictions and was soon back online and de logging into chat rooms appointees returned to the digital
world mark was once again under Janet Johnson's command his latest the Salomon was regarded as a matter of national
security and if he didn't complete this urgent task Janet could lose her job and
possibly even her life although she wasn't allowed to say wire Marc's new mission was to make her John look gay by
performing a sex act on the younger boy she reminded him that undercover agents were watching at all times to decide if
the sixteen-year-old who truly was ready to join mi6 whilst spending the weekend
over at John's house mark carried through with his latest assignment and Janet was very pleased to learn that the
boys watched pornography together and engaged in oral sex with this mission now complete mark had successfully
passed his initiation into mi6 as a reward he would meet the defense secretary and Prime Minister and to be
awarded with a gun 500,000 pounds in cash and a license to kill mark was ready to rise further up the ranks but
the stakes were immediately under drastically increased when pressed to consider whether he was capable of
killing someone close to him NOC responded yeah I could there's no answer as it turned out this question was not
rhetorical agent dobbert sin' handed mark his first official mission as a Secret Service
agent an assassination the target of all people was James Bell otherwise known as Marx best friend John
the revelation through Marx world into a tailspin he hadn't even gone through weapons training yet and presumes spars
killed bad guys in foreign countries not their best friend's knock thought Jenner
might be joking but she was adamant his country was depending on him to carry out the kill upon completion mark would
be given an employment contract for the Secret Intelligence Service a payment of
80 million pounds and sexual favors perhaps even supplied by Janet herself mark asked Janet ain't it murder when
you kill someone she responded not in your case according to Janet John had an inoperable brain tumor that would result
in an agonizing death thus giving moral justification for the hip the mark was still reluctant then days later the two
teenage friends were chatting online when John wrote I got a letter today from my dog I went in a few weeks ago
because I was depressed and [ __ ] I've got a brain thingy tumor it's beak Janet
was telling the truth mark was shocked and saddened by the grim diagnosis but felt killing John
would now be a sort of mercy killing this rationale strengthened marks resolved to carry out his first official
mission and he discussed the intricacies of the plot with the Janet who provided
every single detail stabbing was deemed to be the ideal method as it was up close and personal something only a
close friend of the victim could carry out mark was ordered to say the words trust me to John as he died
On June 28 2003 the British Secret Intelligence Service formally welcomed their newest agent 16 year-old mark from
Manchester who was assigned agent number four seven six nine five in preparation
to carry out his first assassination mark made arrangements to meet his target in altering him the following day
equal parts proud and terrified mark spent the day before the assassination chatting online to his superior Janet
Johnson making sure all the plans were in place for the kill Janet insisted apakah knife would not suffice as the
murder weapon advising mark to buy a larger knife he was also instructed to purchase a pair of gloves to wear during
the stabbing so we didn't leave his fingerprints at the scene not entirely convinced of the plan mark wrote to
Janet you want me to take him to traffic Sena and kill him in the middle of traffic
Sena that's what you're asking me what should I say to him stay in there a minute while I stab you
Jenna told the reluctant young assassin to carry out his mission somewhere quiet
and to tell John that he loved him before he drew his final breath Marc responded I love him but this has to be
done Marc was ordered not to call an ambulance straight away and to remain put after the stabbing as Janet would
arrive disguised as a detective Superintendent to ensure he would not be arrested at 9:57 p.m. that evening Marc
received the word of a change to the original plan he was told to commit the act of barehanded until police the
attacker wore gloves accounting for his being the only fingerprints on the knife
the scene was set the next day Marc would stab his best friend to death under the orders of the British
government if at any point Marc heard the Code 6969 he was advised to immediately abort the mission the code
could come from any source but would most likely be shouted over a loudspeaker Sunday June 29 proved to be
an uncharacteristically hot summer's day in Britain's West mi6 Secret Service agent Marc arrived to traffic shopping
centre in altering him where his unsuspecting target was eagerly awaiting beaming with happiness when he saw his
friend mark felt the dreaded task would be a little easier if John chose his own
implement of death so he asked for John's help to shop for a knife with a long sturdy blade John picked out a
six-inch Sabatier chef's knife used for slicing through thick cuts of meat and mark paid for the item as the day wore
on mark felt increasingly sick and dizzy remaining on constant alert for the announcement of the abort code 6 9 6 9
he nervously rh seemingly nonchalant shopper and store employee presuming any one of them could be a fellow undercover
mi6 agent tasked with tracking his progress sensing his usually laid-back friend was on edge John question mark
strange behavior who brushed off concerns by cryptically remarking that he might have to do something that day
the code had not sounded for Mark to abort his mission so he carried on suggesting they take a stroll in a
secluded wooded area nearby upon arrival mark panicked realizing he might not be
able to hear the abort code announcement if they wandered too far into the isolated woods as such the teenagers
returned to town heading towards the fashionable Goose Green and clave where a deserted dead-end alleyway presented
mark the perfect opportunity it was quiet enough that nobody else was likely to come by but close enough to
civilization to hear the abort code announcement if it was made wracked with nerves a thought crossed Marc's mind
what if the whole ploy was simply another test that would be stopped at the last minute once he had proven his
loyalty and a willingness to carry out his government orders as the teens entered the other way Marc pulled out
the knife and told John what he had to do his target looked at him then at the knife but said nothing
Marc told his friend I love you bro before thrusting the knife into John's chest feeling it pierced through his
ribcage the fourteen-year-old crumpled to the ground crying out for an ambulance kneeling down alongside the
badly injured body of his friend Marc whispered shush people will hear please be quiet John cried out you've killed me
Marc hugged him and said don't say that don't let that be the last thing you were saying realizing one stab wound
wasn't going to be enough Market gingerly drew John close and dragged him back up to a standing position
whispering trust me trust me he then plunged the knife into John's torso for a second time piercing his kidney and
liver before lowering his dying friend to the ground mission accomplished Marc sat and waited for British Secret
Intelligence Service super spy Janet Johnson to arrive and tell him what to do next having been ordered and not to
call an ambulance straight away Ngoc patiently waited his blooder pulled around to John's body in a steady stream
as there was no sign of Janet Robinson mark decided to call emergency services alerting her to arrive on scene as a
pseudo detective he walked to the entrance of the alleyway and caught triple nine from his mobile phone
telling the dispatcher me mates been stabbed when police descended on goose green
mark wondered which one of them was Janet Doman s'en he lied to officers stating an unknown man dressed in black
clothing and a baseball cap randomly attacked his friend with no reason to suspect the crime was actually an
assassination ordered by the British Secret Intelligence Service local police released a statement to the media about
the apparent unprovoked discreet attack along with a description of the phony assailant as John was rushed to hospital
where he received a life-saving surgery his distraught mother fronted the press stating he never imagined it will happen
to someone you know and love police reviewed the CCTV footage collected from security cameras located
throughout goose green at the time of the attack footage taken from a camera directly facing the entrance of the
alleyway showed mark and John enter yet nobody else went in before or after them
25 minutes later mark reappeared in frame making the triple 9 call to report the stabbing
there was no indication an unknown man dressed in black had confronted the teens and given mark was the only other
person in the alleyway with John police was certain of his involvement the 16 year old was placed under arrest and
charged with the attempted murder of John although mark denied the allegations he was refused to bail and
placed on remand in a young offenders institution John's life-saving surgery was a success
and he was transferred to Pendlebury Children's Hospital where he remained in a critical but stable condition during
subsequent questioning by police the 14 year old also denied that his best friend was responsible for the crime but
when presented with the footage taken from the alleyway CCTV camera he eventually broke down and admitted Mark
had been the assailant there was during mark second round of police questioning that he confessed
revealing voices had told him to do it he stopped short of revealing his involvement with the Secret Service
amidst fears divulging his highly confidential information to low-level police officers would put him in big
trouble with mi6 he remained confident that Special Agent Janet Dobbin soon would arrive at any moment to have him
released initially mark waited patiently in juvenile detention expecting superspy
Janet Johnson to appear at any moment a month after the stabbing Janet was still
missing in action who whereabouts unknown unable to carry the enormity of his secret any longer
mark finally cracked and told police everything detectives were incredulous of the story of secret agents sunken
treasure borders from the Queen and a license to kill but they soon realized mark genuinely believed his own
extraordinary tale investigators seized the teens computer in the hopes that might contain some clues as to the
identity of his puppet master the mysterious Janet Johnson when they discovered markets and intimate webcam
footage of himself to various contacts detectives hold concerns he may have been a victim of a ring of pedophiles
who groomed and manipulated teens online criminal intelligence analyst Sally Hogg
started the tedious process of investigating the 193 separate email addresses market been in contact with
leading up to the attempted murder she also sifted through 133 gigabytes of data relating to the Manchester teens
chatroom found on his hard drive hugg deciphered the complex and secretive teenager lingo in the
thousands of disjointed and fragmented communications making her way through fifty-seven thousand lines of text to
determine there were six chatroom users central to unravelling the bizarre story
analyzing marks computer data hope struggled to find a clue that could lead to the true identities of his online
companions or provide a direct link between them each chatroom user who interacted with mark had their own
unique persona with distinctly different conversational manners indicating there
were many conspirators involved in the elaborate deception but hog eventually made a breakthrough discovery five of
the six chatroom uses she had been investigating had misspelled the word maybe spelling it as my B why he it was
near impossible that five separate individuals had made the same writing error or had the same unique affection
of speech it became clear that all of the different internet characters Mark had been interacting with were created
and managed by just one person the most important character in the sordid affair
was Janet Doman s'en who at the very least was guilty of incitement to commit murder
adding to the perplexity were claims that Janet Doman s'en had been in touch with a John the very person she had
orchestrated the murder of John's mother gave investigators permission to examine
her son's laptop where they made an alarming discovery someone had a logged on to John's work
to avoid the username and password of Janet Dobbins soon police now suspected their elusive suspect was someone who
had easy access to John's computer and to the Holmes broadband Internet likely a member of his family
following this theory investigators identified which family members were home to access the device at the Times
Janet Davidson was active online on the night of June 28 2003 the person pretending to be Janet Doman son
finalized their murderous plans with Mark for the following day and to the only person home at the time of this
interaction was John when confronted by police John seemed almost relieved to admit to everything after a lonely
childhood marred by relentless bullying John found solace in online chat rooms where he could be anyone other than
himself the 14 year old spent all his available time online to the point of addiction
John barely left his bedroom emerging only to grab a meal before immediately returning to his computer where the food
usually remained uneaten beside the keyboard John's obsession made him Moody and sullen causing tension within the
home in a futile attempt to curb John's online addiction his parents seized his laptop and disabled the home Internet
but whenever he had the house to himself or when everyone else was asleep John would sneak downstairs and enabled the
internet so he could log back on and get his fix one day John entered the Manchester teens chat room under the
username Rachel underscore West taking on the persona of a local teenage girl he caught the attention of 16 year-old
mark who truly believed he was talking to an attractive female who was interested in him romantically posing as
Rachel gave John a strongest sense of emotional connection with others than he'd ever had before all of a sudden
someone was falling in love with him instead of ignoring him or bullying him what's more once Jonny introduced
himself as Rachel's youngest stepbrother market genuinely seemed to want to spend
time with him they're blossoming friendship soon became the most important thing to John
however his immense desire to maintain the only worthwhile friendship in his life caused the John to become trapped
in his own web of lies if he confessed the truth mark would hate him for being deceptive
furthermore mark would be absolutely shattered if he realized he had masturbated on camera for a
fourteen-year-old boy rather than his beautiful girlfriend Rachel as John's shed the few school friends he had and
the arguments with his family became more frequent he retreated even further into his virtual world John felt the
mark was the only person he could confide in and soon found himself falling in love with his best friend who
had completely fallen in love with Rachel John felt himself becoming jealous of his own creation and eventually killed
Rachel off to get her out of the way John used any ruse he could to ensure mark was interested in chatting with
these aliases and with him instead of others whenever seemed to like Mark was losing interest in one alias John would
create another most of these characters would make fleeting appearances in the chatroom and to then disappear forever
but others would stick around to wreak havoc with the gullible kind-hearted teenager John lived in constant fear of
Mark discovering the truth though was often confounded by how easily duped the older boy was even when the things he
said under different aliases had didn't add up the 16 year olds naivety was defended by
forensic computer inspector Sally Hogg who said even she was fooled by all of John's online personas quote age style
of conversation was totally different I really believed it that was the stumbling point for me at no point could
I'll find he made a mistake sometimes it would be a week or a few weeks before that character came back the continuity
and his memory were phenomenal as the tankard web of John's deceit tightened his deep feelings for mark
prevented him from coming clean the emotional and mental burden of his overwhelming secret took its toll
throwing the fourteen-year-old into a downward spiral of depression and suicidal thoughts that's when he
invented a Janet Johnson and concocted the ultimate plan to end his life by now John was savvy with the right tricks to
fool in the manipulate mark he said about convincing his unsuspecting friend to murder him
providing mark with exact details of how it should be done right down to the precise words he should say as he
plunged the knife in John wanted the last words he ever heard to be marked telling him he loved him three months
after the stabbing that almost took his life John was placed under arrest after some initial confusion over
exactly what crime he could be charged with the 14 year old eventually made legal history when he became the first
person in the United Kingdom to be charged with incitement to murder himself he was not remanded in custody
meanwhile mark was preparing for his day in court for the attempted murder of his
best friend when he discovered the enormity of the swindle he had fallen for high ranking mi6 agent Janet Johnson
junior spy killed in action Lindsay aced depraved a rapist and murderer Kevin MacGregor and marks beautiful
girlfriend Rachel West we're all 14-year old John the teen saw each other for the
first time in 11 months when they both arrived at court on May 28 2004 mark arrived to Manchester courthouse dressed
too neatly in a blue-and-white jumper his body fit from working out during his time in custody John setting the dot
wearing attire hunched over and crying the pair were not given the chance to speak to each other standing before
Justice David Madison Marc pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of John John pleaded guilty to perverting the
course of justice and then entered the history books by pleading guilty to incitement to murder himself justice
Madison heard the full convoluted and bizarre tale before handing down his sentence in passing judgment on the two
teenagers Justice Medicine stated quote skilled writers of fiction would struggle to conjure up a plot such as
that which arises here it's staggering to be dealing with a case that arises out of a fourteen year old boy's
invention of false personalities false relationships and events arranged for his own killing at the hands of a 16
year old boy who he had met via an internet chat room Justice Madison had considerable sympathy for Marc whom was
described as gullible for his age while John was regarded as sophisticated beyond his the word genius was thrown
around in the courtroom when discussing John's ability to control and influence other people
Justice Medicine was convinced mark genuinely believed he was working for the British Secret Intelligence Service
and had been subjected to exploitation and manipulation by his own supposed the victim the judge told mark I accept that
fantastica though it seems when looked at now in the cold light of day that such a plot was presented to you so
convincingly whether characters presented that you really did believe you had been recruited by the Secret
Service to kill your co accused and face the consequences if you did not do so [Music]
justice Madison believed both boys had a higher probability of rehabilitation john was now seeing a psychologist with
positive results he had friends and was doing well in school with eventual plans the study at
university during Mark's time in juvenile detention he had been a model prisoner justice Madison acknowledged
that in regular circumstances the charges facing both boys would normally warrant a severe penalty that included
prison time that explained this was not a normal case by any stretch of the imagination the judge accepted that John
had been determined to kill himself and had ensnared mark into his elaborate suicide attempt in handing down non
custodial sentences judge Madison said each of the boys was a victim of the other John was given a 3-year
supervision order and in another legal first was banned from using all online chat rooms for the term of his order he
would only be allowed to use the internet under strict supervision mark was given a two-year supervision order
and was also banned from entering online chat rooms though it was unlikely he would ever want to set foot in one again
the X best friends were forbidden from ever having contact with one another mark and John and not the real names of
the teenage boys involved in this case the core placed an indefinite order prohibiting their true identities of
anyone involved from ever being published the outside caught an investigator told reporters quote it was
tragic that a 14 year old boy for whatever reason would concoct such a story to have someone try to kill him
it has devastated his family it has devastated the life of the person he manipulated in late 2003 MSN the world's
leading Internet chat provider at the time announced it would be terminating service in 28 countries citing rising
levels of inappropriate communication between users MSN acknowledged that open free unmoderated online chat rooms could
never be completely safe for children the only way the company could be certain it wasn't unwittingly providing
a facility for pedophiles to groom new victims was to shut down their service entirely
perhaps taking heed of Justice David Madison's comment that skilled fiction writers would be hard-pressed to craft a
more bizarre tale the story of Mark and John was turned into a theater production named I love you bro an opera
titled two boys and a 2014 movie called you want me to kill him based on a Vanity Fair magazine article at the same
name although the court suppression order with holds the real names of Mark and John some accounts indicate that
John is happy and successful living with a male partner into their pet park what
became of Mark remains unknown [Music] you

Case 104: Mark and John

First responders rushed into the alley after receiving reports of a stabbing. Towards the dead-end of the narrow passageway, they found a teenage boy...

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Episode researched and written by Eileen Ormsby, author of ‘The Darkest Web – Drugs, Death and Destroyed Lives: The inside story of the internet’s evil twin.’ Production, scoring – Mike Migas Additional scoring – Andrew Joslyn

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources please visit https://www.casefilepodcast.com/case-104-mark-and-john

Brief Summary

Mark stabs his best friend John after being manipulated online into believing he was on a secret mission for MI6.

Key points

Mark's Online Romance. Mark falls in love with Rachel through online chats, leading to a deep emotional connection.
The Tragic Murder of Rachel. Mark receives a horrifying email revealing Rachel's murder after he was blackmailed.
The Shocking Assignment. Mark is tasked with assassinating his best friend John, leading to a moral dilemma.
A Twist of Fate. Mark discovers that John has a brain tumor, complicating his mission.
The Mission Begins. Mark's initiation into MI6 involves a chilling assignment to kill his best friend.
The Unraveling of Lies. John's web of deceit leads to a shocking revelation about his online personas.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I do Rach, I love you.

Mark expresses his love for Rachel during a tense moment.

17:07WatchDec 22, 2018

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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