Peter Chapman (murderer)

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Peter Chapman
BornJanuary 1977 (age 48)
Darlington, County Durham, England
Other namesThe Facebook Killer
Criminal statusImprisoned
Motive Sexual
Convictions Rape, kidnapping, murder
Criminal penalty Life imprisonment (minimum 35 years)
Details
Date25 October 2009
Locations County Durham, England
KilledAshleigh Hall
Imprisoned at HM Prison Frankland

Peter Chapman (born January 1977) [1] is an English convicted murderer who has featured heavily in the media in the United Kingdom and has become known as the "Facebook Killer". He was jailed for a minimum of 35 years in March 2010 for the October 2009 rape, kidnap, and murder of 17-year-old Ashleigh Hall. His crime has led to serious criticism of police monitoring of offenders, and of Facebook. [2] [3]

Contents

Life prior to the murder of Ashleigh Hall

Peter Chapman was born in Darlington and was brought up by his grandparents in neighbouring Stockton-on-Tees before moving to Liverpool in 2005 aged 26. Chapman returned to County Durham in 2007 and had been charged with sexual offences before the murder of Ashleigh Hall prior to moving to Merseyside when Chapman was living in Middlesbrough.

Chapman was first investigated for sexual assault at the age of 15. In 1996, when he was 19, he received a seven-year prison sentence, and was placed on the sex offenders register, for raping two teenage sex workers at knifepoint. [4] [5] He was released in 2001, and had eventually fallen off the 'police radar.' This has led to serious criticism and a report to the Independent Police Complaints Commission. [5] [6] He has been convicted of motoring offences and theft. [7]

The murder of Ashleigh Hall

Chapman used a fake Facebook profile, impersonating a teenage boy he named Peter Cartwright, to befriend Ashleigh Hall, a 17-year-old student from Darlington. [8] [9] In reality, he was a 33-year-old man living in his car. Chapman and Hall arranged to meet on 25 October 2009; text messages showed that she thought that the teenage boy's father was picking her up near to her home, and she got into his car. [9] At Chapman's trial at Teesside Crown Court in March 2010, the prosecution said that Chapman had "kidnapped, raped and murdered" Hall. [5] Following the murder, Chapman dumped the teenager's body in a field near Old Stockton Road, Sedgefield, County Durham. [9] Chapman was arrested by the police the following day, for an unrelated matter, and while in custody he confessed to Hall's murder, and then showed them the place where he had left her body. [9] [10]

At his trial, Chapman admitted to kidnapping, raping and murdering Hall, and was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 35 years. [3] [5] Following his conviction, Chapman is being held at HM Prison Frankland, located in County Durham. [11]

Facebook's response

On 3 March 2010, Facebook, as a direct response to the killing, warned under-18 users not to meet people from the internet, and gave advice on how to stay safe online. They also said they were "deeply saddened". [12]

References

  1. ↑ "The vile past of Ashleigh Hall's evil killer Peter Chapman". Gazette Live. 9 March 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
  2. ↑ "Facebook death 'lessons to learn'". BBC News. 9 March 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  3. 1 2 Siddique, Haroon (9 March 2010). "Facebook security measures criticised after Ashleigh Hall murder". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  4. ↑ "Rapist pleads guilty to teenager's sex murder". The Independent. 8 March 2010. Archived from the original on 16 September 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Carter, Helen (8 March 2010). "Facebook murderer who posed as teenager to lure victim jailed for life". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  6. ↑ Fahey, John (9 March 2010). "Watchdog to probe force's sex killer failure" . The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  7. ↑ "Facebook killer Peter Chapman 'slipped away from police'". BBC News. 24 August 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  8. ↑ Townsend, Catherine (27 September 2017). "How To Protect Yourself Against Serial Killers Who Stalk Their Victims Online - CrimeFeed". CrimeFeed. Discovery Communications, LLC. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Facebook murder prompts questions". BBC . 9 March 2010. Archived from the original on 15 September 2025. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  10. ↑ "Facebook killer 'free to murder due to under-resourced police unit'". The Telegraph. 24 August 2011. Archived from the original on 26 August 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  11. ↑ "Facebook killer of Ashleigh Hall attacked in prison". BBC . 19 April 2010. Archived from the original on 15 September 2025. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  12. ↑ "Internet users warned after girl kidnapped, raped and murdered by stranger". Archived from the original on 11 March 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
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