Date | 21 September 1986 |
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Location | Ughill Hall, Sheffield, England |
Deaths | 2 |
Non-fatal injuries | 1 |
Convicted | Ian Wood |
Charges | Murder (×2), attempted murder, theft |
Verdict | Guilty |
Sentence | Two life sentences plus 15 years |
On 21 September 1986, Ian Wood shot and killed his partner Danielle Ledez and her daughter Stephanie (aged 3), and severely injured Christopher (aged 5), Ledez's elder child, at Ughill Hall in Bradfield, Sheffield, United Kingdom. Wood left his .38 Enfield revolver in the kitchen and called the police before fleeing the scene. He went on the run for over a week, making several telephone calls to journalists and family members. Eight days later he threatened to jump off the Amiens Cathedral in France but was talked down by the police after seven hours. He was then extradited back to Sheffield for trial.
On 30 July 1987, Wood was convicted on two counts of murder, one of attempted murder and one of theft, after a week-long trial. He had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Danielle, instead submitting a manslaughter plea claiming he killed her to complete a suicide pact. An appeal against the guilty verdict was filed a month later and rejected in 1989. The case impacted upon British firearms policy, especially the manner in which regional police forces communicate over firearm ownership.