Case 259
Jamie Lavis
*** Content warning: Child victims, child sexual abuse ***
When eight-year-old Jamie Lavis failed to return home on Monday, May 5 1997, his family quickly raised the alarm. Soon, it seemed as though all of Greater Manchester was searching for the missing boy – including a bus driver named Darren Vickers, who came forward to say he’d seen Jamie on his bus that day. The 27-year-old bus driver quickly became one of the Lavis family’s biggest supporters, but investigators were suspicious of him from the very beginning…
CREDITS
EPISODE:
Research & writing – Erin Munro
Creative direction – Milly Raso
Narration – Anonymous Host
MUSIC:
‘Flatline intro’ and ‘Come play with me’ intro and outro – www.dl-sounds.com
Audio production – Mike Migas
Scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn
OTHER:
Logo and website design – Paulina Szymanska
PREMIUM
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RESOURCES
VIDEOS
The Ultimate Betrayal: The Case of Jamie Lavis – Truly Criminal
Real Crime: Crocodile Tears – RealCrimeUK
Someone’s Daughter, Someone’s Son: The Murder of Jamie Lavis
ARTICLES
Bus driver ‘lured boy to his death’ – The Guardian
Mother denies affair with man accused of murdering her son – The Guardian
Truly wicked: bus driver who abused and killed little Jamie gets life – The Mirror
Chilling image that gives away boy’s killer – Manchester Evening News
Life sentence for long-term inmate’s prison hammer attack on child killer – The Northern Echo
Convicted killer in dramatic confession – BBC News
Bus driver gets life for boy’s murder – The Guardian
‘He should never be released’ – Manchester Evening News
Bus driver ‘ruffled murdered boy’s hair’ – BBC News
NEWSPAPER ARCHIVES
The last picture – Evening Mail
Mother still hopes for ‘loveable little rogue’ – The Guardian
‘Did you kill Jamie?’ police ask bus driver – The Birmingham Post
Shallow grave may hold missing boy – The Guardian
Police fear the worst in search for Jamie – The Daily Telegraph
Police search for boy’s body – Cambridge Evening News
‘Grave’ tip-off in Jamie Hunt – Evening Post
Police hunt for grave of Jamie in TV tip-off – The Birmingham Post
Hunt goes on for Jamie – Birmingham Evening Mail
Bus driver and family arrested in Jamie case – The Birmingham Post
Six arrested over missing boy – The Guardian
Jamie police release six – Liverpool Echo
Man held on missing boy – Birmingham Evening Mail
Bus driver charged over boy – The Guardian
Missing Jamie: body found on golf course – Cambridge Evening News
Jamie’s death: man is charged – Burton Mail
Man charged with murder of Jamie, 8 – Cambridge Evening News
Bus driver accused of boy’s murder – Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph
Funeral for boy – Evening Post
Bus driver befriended boy victim, court told – Birmingham Evening Mail
Busman ‘groomed boy for murder’ – The Birmingham Post
Driver killed boy who spent day on his bus, says QC – The Daily Telegraph
Bus driver killed Jamie then helped in search for body – Daily Record
Life for little Jamie’s killer – Evening Standard
Life for killer who wept on TV for Jamie – Daily Record
Driver accused of child killing had an affair with victim’s mother, court told – The Birmingham Post
Bus driver gets life for boy’s murder – The Guardian
Life for twisted driver who seduced and killed toddler – The Birmingham Post
Driver gets life for murder – Evening Post
Life for bus driver who lured Jamie to his death – The Daily Telegraph
Mum’s agony at sex killer’s lies – The Sunday People
Killer jailed for life finally confesses – The Daily Telegraph