Nominated BEST BRITISH TRUE-CRIME PODCAST, 4th Best True-Crime Podcast by This Week, iTunes Top 25 Podcast, Podcast Magazine's Hot 50, The Telegraph's Top 5, Crime & Investigation Channel's Top 20 True-Crime Podcasts, also seen on BBC Radio, Sky News, The Guardian and TalkRadio's Podcast of the Week.
65a Aylesbury Street in Neasden, @Googlemaps2025 April 2019
Welcome to the Murder Mile UK True-Crime Podcast and audio guided walk of London's most infamous and often forgotten murder cases, all set within and beyond London's West End.
EPISODE TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-SEVEN: On Tuesday 6th of September 2022, 71-year-old Susan Hawkey was last seen entering her flat on Aylesbury Street in Neasden. Nobody saw her, nobody heard her, and – although vulnerable and afraid - no-one was looking out for her. And yet, the quiet isolation of her flat aided her brutal torture and murder by a pack of brainless thugs.
THE LOCATION:
The location is marked with a green symbol of a 'P' just by the words 'Preston' at the far north. To use the map, click it. If you want to see the other maps, click here.
SOURCES: this is just a selection from various sources:
MUSIC:
UNEDITED TRANSCRIPT: Welcome to Murder Mile, Today, I’m standing on Aylesbury Street in Neasden, NW10; four roads north of Jemma Mitchell’s hire car, five roads west of the Grey Man’s last stand, three roads east of the home of the Little Drummer boy’s last victim, and a short walk from the widow buried in the wall - coming soon to murder Mile. Nestled amidst an industrial sprawl of roads and factories, Aylesbury Street consists of two rows of two-storey semi-detached council houses built to provide cheap homes in the post-war years. With almost every square inch made on concrete, brick or tarmac, this area is the kind of urban hell hole where the pungent aroma of dog turds provides a Satnav home for drunks staggering from the pub. 65a Aylesbury Street was a little home no different to any other. Split into two flats and separated by a black front door, as a shut-in who her neighbours barely knew, the occupier of the ground floor flat was hardly seen beyond her daily trips to the Post Office or off-licence and few people knew her name. On Tuesday 6th of September 2022, 71-year-old Susan Hawkey was last seen entering her flat. Nobody saw her, nobody heard her, and – although vulnerable and afraid - no-one was looking out for her. And yet, the quiet isolation of her flat aided her brutal torture and murder by a pack of brainless thugs. My name is Michael, I am your tour guide, and this is Murder Mile. Episode 287: The PIN Heads. As an unkempt and sullen recluse, it’s easy to see how many who lived around her may have dismissed her as a nobody, but the Susan they saw wasn’t the real Susan who once lived and was loved. Born on the 23rd of September 1951, for Susan and her parents, having seen it grow from a village on the outskirts of London to a bustling modern conurbation as part of the ever-expanding city, Willesden and Neasden was the place she called home, and she would always call it home for the rest of her life. In 1939, as the war loomed, just two miles south-west at 61 High Road in Willesden, it was here that 19-year-old shop assistant Madge Heaton (Susan’s mother) and 20-year-old railway porter Lawrence Hawkey (Susan’s father) once lived. With him being enlisted to give his life to fight for his country and a real risk that these two young lovers may never see each other again, in October 1939, they married. Unlike so many millions, miraculously they survived, but tragedy would strike before Susan was born. In June 1949, Madge & Lawrence Hawkey welcomed into the world twin daughters, Jean & Sylvia, two beautiful baby girls who would make their family happy. But that same month, they also buried them, as neither girl survived, and these grieving parents were left with empty cots and a hole in the hearts. Conceived six months later, the arrival of Susan Anne Hawkey created such a strong unbreakable bond between her parents and their only child that she strived to do them proud, and she did just that. Said to be "generous, intelligent and hardworking", with a good head for maths, she became a well-liked bank clerk at several high street branches, advising its elderly and its most vulnerable customers on the best ways to save and keeping them safe by reminding them “don’t write down your PIN number”. Being barely five foot tall with bright blue eyes, a soft voice and a kind smile, Susan could be mistaken for a pushover, but said to be feisty and forthright, she always stood up for herself as well as others. Across the decades, she never caused any problems, she didn’t fall out with any friends or neighbours, and being unmarried with no children, she remained closer to her parents as they got older and frailer. Her life was simple but satisfying; a nine-to-five job, a regular routine, some savings to fall back on, a holiday once a year, and the love of her parents. That was her life. But as before, tragedy would strike. In June 2004, her father died. Fifteen months later, so did her mother. Heartbroken, all Susan had left was her work to occupy her, but with retirement approaching and with her life shattered, by the start of the 2010s, everything she knew was gone; her job and her parents, as well as the smile on her face and the cheeky twinkle in her eyes. Growing ever more depressed, she refused help from distant family, and talking to no-one, she became ever more insular and isolated. The brick walls and the black door of her little council flat at 65a Aylesbury Street became a barrier, as she blocked out the world to prevent any more pain and misery from breaking her further. She had no phone, she didn’t reply to letters, and no friends ever visited her. She knew no-one. Neighbours would later state “I saw her once or twice. She smiled, but I rarely waved back”, "I knew of her, but never met her”, “she kept to herself, she was quiet and rarely came out”, and she was so isolated, one neighbour would later say “I thought her house was empty. It’s sad, I didn’t even know her name". This proud women was gone, replaced by a shambling wreck; her hair was messy, her hygiene was poor, her blue eyes were cracked red with her lovely smile gone, and although this frugal woman had a work pension, a state pension and £16,000 in her bank account, she never bought any new clothes. As an alcoholic, every day at the same time, dressed in a tatty red duffle coat, a pair of dirty Ugg boots and pulling her canvas shopping trolley behind her, she withdrew money from the Post Office on the corner of Neasden Lane and Braemar Avenue, then headed to Star Wines, her regular off-licence to buy the same three bottles of cheap plonk and a stack of unpalatable frozen meals for one. And seeing and talking to no-one in the ten minute she was out, she closed her door on the world once again. Inside, her flat was choked with rubbish, as midst her lonely mess, this frail vulnerable pensioner sat in her pink armchair, drowning her sorrows, gorging on cheap food and watching her television, alone. Seeing her as nothing but a drunk, it’s clear why so many neighbours ignored her… …but someone was watching her, having become the target of an evil twosome. To an outsider, the tropical island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines known as SVG may seem idyllic, but with poverty, drugs and crime endemic, it’s is the second most dangerous place in the Caribbean. This was the home of Chelsea Grant and Xyaire Howard, two pathetic greedy wastrels who wanted all the best things in life – fast cars, designer clothes, the latest phones - but were unwilling to put in the effort or hours to earn it. They only cared about themselves, and were willing to hurt others to get it. Born in 1999 in Edinboro, a crime-ridden town on the outskirts of the capital of Kingstown, 24-year-old Xyaire Howard started out as someone who wanted to do something with his life having gone to SVG Community College and had a child with his partner. But as less of a leader and more of a follower, being a heavy drug user who was addicted to smoking strong skunk, getting stoned became his goal. Looking like a thin and spindly weasel of a man who was described as “shifty, deceptive, monosyllabic and always licked his lips when he was nervous”, in 2021, Howard came to the UK (supposedly) looking for work even though he was on a six-month tourist visa, but instead he illegally overstayed his permit. At a party, a few months later, he met 28-year-old Chelsea Grant from Ottley Hall north of Kingstown, a “domineering and aggressive” women, five years older and easily twice his size who was the epitome of greed. She had convictions for fraud and assault, with two kids who she abandoned in SVG when she too came to the UK and overstayed her tourist visa. Baffling, this 20-stone women later claimed she came here to join the Royal Navy, but ended up (ironically) as a ‘carer’ in an old people’s home. That night, being sex-obsessed, they both had intercourse, and sharing a fatuous love of drink, drugs, tacky gold jewelry and wearing designer brands, they acted like stupid little kids with no responsibility, and – often unable (and more likely unwilling) to pay their rent as they were to lazy to work for it and always blew anything they earned – they moved-in together into a cheap rented flat at Pit House on Press Road in Neasden, just one street from the Post Office and Star Wines which Susan visited daily… … and just two streets from her lonely and isolated flat. For these selfish work-shy lay-abouts, they had decided that they best way to earn was to take. And unwilling to put in the effort, they opted for steal from the weakest, frailest and most vulnerable. As a 71-year-old depressed alcoholic, who was unsteady on her feet, didn’t have a mobile phone, spoke to no-one and followed the same route every day, she would be a push over for these two cowards. On Wednesday 27th of July 2022, having watched her withdraw cash from the Post Office on Braemar Avenue and wheel away her canvas trolley towards the off-licence, they snatched her handbag and ran. Anyone else would have been shaken, but being little, feisty and financially savvy having been an bank clerk for years, she immediately had access to her account frozen, so all they got was some cash. That night they celebrated their little score of about £100, by getting drunk, stoned and having sex, resulting in another baby, who – possibly like the other three – they would both abandon and ignore. Susan might have brushed the attack off as a one-off, but as an easy target, they would attack again. A month later, on Monday 22nd of August, in broad daylight (as she never went out after dark), they stalked her and ripped her bag off her shoulder with such force it knocked her to the ground, and being concussed, before she could freeze the account, Howard & Grant had made a few transactions of some drink, some Rizlas, some tobacco, some phone cards to call home and a Big Mac meal for two. Again, being savvy, as she hadn’t written down her PIN number in her diary which was inside her bag, they couldn’t withdraw any cash, but this didn’t stop their greed as their despicable crimes escalated. The next day, the bank card hadn’t been stopped, it’s uncertain why but maybe having hit her head, all Susan wanted to do was go back to the comfort of her pink armchair, pull up her duvet and sleep. Inside her lonely little flat, she felt safe, only she wasn’t as in her handbag was also her house keys. Nobody noticed as Howard & Grant sidled up this quiet residential street with cruel intentions. With the front garden of 65a Aylesbury Street being overgrown with weeds, no-one saw them at her door. Their plan was simple, get the PIN number, whether by robbery or force, she was an old women after all. And being drunk and stoned, they weren’t exactly silent. Being a runt and a Heffer, they clumsily barged in. But being feisty and alert to their stumbling, Susan grabbed a hammer, stood her ground and fighting them both off, again they got away with nothing and ran as the frail old lady cursed them. She was alone and afraid, but unwilling to back down as this was her home. She didn’t call the Police so they were unaware that any crime had taken place, but she had told her neighbours (so they didn’t become targets to) and she notified the Housing Association so they could replace her door locks. That should have been the end of the story, as the cowardly twosome fled with nothing… …but seeing her account balance, Howard bragged to a pal on Instagram, “Yo, I copped a card bro. 16k is on this t’ing”. They wanted her money, all of it, but what they didn’t have was her PIN number. Tuesday 6th of September. A heat wave had passed and although still hot, Susan shuffled in her red duffle coat and Ugg boots, as her trolley clinked with three wine bottles for £10. She hadn’t smiled in years, and with her sullen face still bruised from the attack just two weeks earlier, she thought she was safe at home, only she wasn’t. CCTV captured Howard & Grant at 1:38pm on Neasden Lane, but instead of stalking her, they dithered, pacing the neighbouring streets and discretely passing her isolated flat for almost 90 minutes. No-one saw them approach or heard them enter, so what happened within the flat can never be truly known. Having peeped through the window, it’s likely they saw her slumped in her armchair, a duvet up to her neck, a meal-for-one carton and an empty wine bottle by her side, snoozing in front of the telly. This time they were quiet as they crept in, using the same key, as the Housing Association had failed to replace the locks in the two weeks since, so she had no idea that pure evil had entered her home. Wounds to her arms, face and chest would prove that she tried to fight back, but she overpowered by the fists of either this 20-stone lump, a skinny stoned thug, or both. Deep abrasions to her wrists show she was bound using his bootlace, but by tearing bedsheets, she was tightly tied at her hands and feet so she couldn’t move, and with a roll of parcel tape, her mouth was gagged and her eyelids taped shut. Unable to see or scream, Susan was repeatedly punched as the television muffled any sounds as her swollen and bruised face was battered again and again. Alone and frightened, her killer or killers must have seen that Susan wouldn’t give up her PIN number, so that’s when they stripped her. Ripping any shred of dignity from this proud woman; they sliced her pyjama top up the front, cutting open her bra and exposing her breasts, and pulled off her pyjama bottoms and her knickers, exposing her genitals. None of the neighbours heard any of this, but it’s likely they laughed as they abused and humiliated her, loving every moment, as they didn’t see her as a person, only as an obstacle to a four digit number. It’s impossible to know the pain and terror Susan felt as they beat her black and blue, as they degraded her, and even - as the evidence would later suggest – that Zyaire Howard may even have raped her. Susan was smart, she knew her PIN number wasn’t worth dying for, so at some point, she gave it up. She gave up the fight, she would wait for them to leave, she would cancel the card and she would live. At least, that’s what she thought. In court, the prosecution would state “there was a clear intention of ensuring she couldn’t interfere with the ability to access the funds in her bank account”, and although they both blamed each other, with Grant claiming she was at home and Howard saying “she was fine when I left her”, which is a lie? Susan couldn’t move or scream, but out of pure greed, one if not both of them put a jumper over her head so they couldn’t see the terror in her eyes, and with a strip of black fabric, they strangled her with so much force, it broke the hyoid bone in her neck. Whether they waited to watch her die is unknown, but having thrown the duvet over her, they left her in front of the telly as if she was sleeping. As an isolated shut-in, no-one would come looking for her and no-one would report her missing. Before her body was even cold, this evil twosome took her bank card and with glee went on a spending spree, knowing full well that the late Susan Hawkey wouldn’t be found for days, maybe even weeks. Moments after her murder, Howard walked into Post Office, the shoelace still missing from his boots, and using the PIN number, he withdrew the maximum daily allowance of cash on her card. The next day, they did it again, and again, and from the 7th to the 26th of September, over the next three weeks, there wasn’t a single second of mourning or regret, as this sick and twisted couple went shopping. Totalling 146 purchases, the stolen card went unchecked at Timberland, Clarkes, H&M, Adidas, TK Max, Poundland, Primark, Sports Direct. John Lewis, Michael Kors and Puma, with them splashing out on watches, speakers, telephones, designer clothes, sunglasses, hats, perfumes, handbags and a new television. They repeatedly returned to Westfield in Shepherd’s Bush, paying for the bus trips and taxis on the card, they withdrew cash to buy skunk, and ate many burgers at the McDonald’s in Wembley. They sent a little money back home to their children, but most of it was blown on crap, and at no point did the bank spot any fraudulent purchases, even though, Susan followed the same routine every day. By the 19th of September, with the £16000 Susan had in savings now depleted to £3434 and falling, they both used their new phones to search “what do pensioners get paid?", and “benefits for over 70s” as they knew her date of birth, and wanted to know when her pension was paid in and how much. That same day, two weeks after Susan’s murder, sometime during the night and with the skunk making them paranoid, again using their own phones, they searched 65 different variations of “is a dead body a strong smell?" and ‘if someone is killed do the police tell the bank?’. It was clearly on their minds, as during that night, CCTV would show Howard walking down Aylesbury Street with a torch in his hand. The summer had been hot, Susan’s heating was on and being hidden under a 12 tog duvet for the last 15 days, by the 21st of September at 3am, Howard had begun searching for protective overalls, rubber gloves and a face respirator to ensure the stench of decomposition didn’t make him choke. In court, he would claim “it was for a job on a building site, but I overslept and was sacked”. But that was a lie. In the end, they didn’t dispose of the body, as being too lazy, they just left her to rot. Howard & Grant got everything they wanted, but with balance depleting, the bickering had begun, and later on, so did the blame game. Zyaire Howard refused to talk, so being a self-pitying blabber, all we have is Chelsea Grant’s version of events, which paints her as an innocent victim of coercion. The prosecutor stated that Grant was “greedy and ruthless”, which she denied claiming “I’ve looked after elderly people and never tied them up or anything or encouraged Xyaire to do that. I should have stopped him. I didn’t and that’s something I can’t change’. And although she accused him of pressuring her into going on the shopping sprees (as the CCTV shows no coercion as she grins at every purchase), or assaulting her stating “he hit me, I had spotting. I told him I think you’ve killed the baby”, but it was her who had prior convictions for fraud, assault and was said to be “domineering and aggressive”. No-one will ever know the truth, except we know that they each played a part in Susan’s death. At about midday on Monday the 26th of September, 20 days after she was last seen alive, a neighbour realised that Susan’s bins hadn’t been put out for about two and a half weeks, and notified the police. Forcing entry, the first thing they saw was the flies, the first thing they inhaled was the smell, and with a mouldy meal-for-one by her side and this hoarder’s room littered with empty wine bottles, they had initially thought that another old forgotten shut-in had died of a heart attack in front of the television, but as they removed the duvet, it revealed the harrowing story of torture, murder and possibly rape. Detective Chief Inspector Neil Rawlinson headed up the investigation, stating “an elderly vulnerable woman appears to have targeted and the circumstances of her murder are particularly tragic”, as this was clearly not just a robbery or a sadistic torture, because a key piece of evidence drew his attention. On the floor, amongst the litter, detectives found a wrapper and a used condom. The wrapper bore Howard’s fingerprints and inside was also his semen, but the condom itself (which was opened in that room) was speckled with three very distinct traces of DNA; Howard’s, Susan’s and Grant’s. Grant’s defence team would claim, her DNA got on the condom as Zyaire rarely showered, they had sex regularly and – even more bafflingly - “it was transferred onto the condom by a fly”. Yes, a fly. But surely there are only three likely scenarios that suit the evidence and they are all horrific; that either Howard raped Susan; that Grant & Howard had sex and forced Susan to watch, or that they did both? The arrest of Howard & Grant couldn’t have come quick enough, and even though the hunt for Susan’s murderers was reported in the press, their callous greed didn’t stop until every last penny was spent. On Wednesday 28th, two days after her body was found, detectives visited every shop where Susan’s card was used. In Wembley, they had secured the CCTV at Poundland, Primark and Money Exchange with each purchase clearly made by a skinny runt with dreadlocks, a gold chain, jeans, a Russell athletic sweater and Timberland boots, and a big Heffer wearing Caribbean style Quadrille and a headdress. Entering the McDonalds at 482 High Road where the suspects had dined using the card several times before, the detectives blinked, unable to believe their eyes, as exiting the restaurant was the two they had seen on the footage, wearing the same clothes, and gorging their greedy fat faces on junk food. At the Park Lane bus stop, marked as Stop CL, Howard & Grant were stopped and searched, and finding £1600 in cash in his pocket (withdrawn prior to the Police ordering the account frozen) and Susan’s stolen bank card in Grant’s handbag, they were both arrested for Susan Hawkey’s murder. (End) Beginning on 4th of September 2023 in Court 2 of the Old Bailey before Judge Judy Khan KC, the five week trial saw Chelsea Grant and Xyaire Howard put forward a cutthroat defence in which they acted as if they were both innocent, as if both were forced the other, and as if neither were at all to blame. Both appearing via Videolink from their respective prisons, Grant pleaded not guilty to three counts of robbery while Howard denied two but admitted to one, with both admitting to two counts of fraud. Howard gave little evidence to prove his innocence, and although Grant had written a letter explaining that her remorse was genuine, the Judge dismissed it stating "your only regret is you were caught". On 25th of October 2023, after two days of deliberation, Zyaire Howard was found guilty of two counts of robbery, attempted robbery, fraud and murder, being sentenced to life for a minimum of 31 years. Chelsea Grant was sentenced to 15 years in prison for three counts of robbery, one count of attempted robbery and fraud, but even though the prosecution had proven “it would have taken two of them to hold Susan down”, the jury were unable to accept this, and Chelsea Grant was cleared of her murder. Summing up, Judge Judy Khan KC stated of Zyaire Howard (as the only person on trial that day who the jury accepted was responsible for Susan’s murder) “you terrorised Ms Hawkey and subjected her to humiliation and degradation to access her money. It was a calculated and callous act, a killing motivated by greed”. And with neither being legally in the country, they will both be deported back to SVG once their prison sentences are served in full, costing the British tax-payer £61000 a year, each. Susan Hawkey was a good women, honest and decent, who had experienced much trauma in her life, and not wanting to be hurt, she had earned the right to be left alone and unbothered, as she wished. Conversely, Chelsea Grant & Xyaire Howard are pure scum, selfish nasty bastards who abused and terrorised a vulnerable pensioner, then tortured and murdered her, and all for a four digit PIN number. The Murder Mile UK True Crime Podcast has been researched using the original declassified police investigation files, court records, press reports and as many authentic sources as possible, which are freely available in the public domain, including eye-witness testimony, confessions, autopsy reports, first-hand accounts and independent investigation, where possible. But these documents are only as accurate as those recounting them and recording them, and are always incomplete or full of opinion rather than fact, therefore mistakes and misrepresentations can be made. As stated at the beginning of each episode (and as is clear by the way it is presented) Murder Mile UK True Crime Podcast is a 'dramatisation' of the events and not a documentary, therefore a certain amount of dramatic licence, selective characterisation and story-telling (within logical reason and based on extensive research) has been taken to create a fuller picture. It is not a full and complete representation of the case, the people or the investigation, and therefore should not be taken as such. It is also often (for the sake of clarity, speed and the drama) presented from a single person's perspective, usually (but not exclusively) the victim's, and therefore it will contain a certain level of bias and opinion to get across this single perspective, which may not be the overall opinion of those involved or associated. Murder Mile is just one possible retelling of each case. Murder Mile does not set out to cause any harm or distress to those involved, and those who listen to the podcast or read the transcripts provided should be aware that by accessing anything created by Murder Mile (or any source related to any each) that they may discover some details about a person, an incident or the police investigation itself, that they were unaware of.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorMichael J Buchanan-Dunne is a crime writer, podcaster of Murder Mile UK True Crime and creator of true-crime TV series. 
Archives
March 2025
Subscribe to the Murder Mile true-crime podcast
Categories
All
Note: This blog contains only licence-free images or photos shot by myself in compliance with UK & EU copyright laws. If any image breaches these laws, blame Google Images.
|