51°38′32″N0°33′32″E / 51.642273°N 0.558889°E The Rettendon murders (also known as the Range Rover murders or the Essex Boys murders) occurred on 6 December 1995 in the village of Rettendon in Essex, England, when three drug dealers were shot dead inside a Range Rover on a small farm track. The murders were the subject of a major police investigation and various special operations, including Operation Century. The murders have also been the subject of books and feature films.
On 6 December 1995, drug dealers Anthony 'Tony' Tucker, aged 38, head of a firm that provided security for nightclubs across Essex and also the security guard for former super middleweight champion Nigel Benn; Patrick 'Pat' Tate, aged 37, an amateur bodybuilder from Rochford, Essex; and Craig Anthony Rolfe, aged 26, were shot dead in a metallic blue Range Rover with the registration F424 NPE on a small farm track in Rettendon. [1] The bodies of the three men were found the following morning by farmer Peter Theobald and his friend Ken Jiggins.
A police investigation codenamed Operation Century produced no arrests or evidence leading to a criminal prosecution. A prosecution that was eventually brought in connection with the murders was based on police operations subsequent to the closure of Operation Century. [2]
Two men, Jack Arthur Whomes of Brockford, Suffolk, and Michael John Steele of Great Bentley, Colchester, were convicted of the murders on 20 January 1998 after an Old Bailey trial and sentenced to life imprisonment. [3] The key witness was police informer Darren Nicholls from Braintree, Essex, who gave evidence against his former friends at their trial. [2] Questions were raised over the reliability of mobile phone records used to corroborate the informant's testimony.
During the investigation it was suggested that the murders may have been linked to the death of Leah Betts, who died after taking an ecstasy tablet in November 1995, which Tucker was believed to be ultimately responsible for supplying. [4]
In the two decades after their sentence, the pair unsuccessfully challenged their convictions. [5] On 25 January 2021, after a Parole Board hearing, it was announced that Jack Whomes would be released from prison on licence after serving 23 years. His 25-year sentence was reduced by two years in 2018 due to his exemplary conduct whilst incarcerated. [6] On 13 February 2025, the Parole Board confirmed that Michael Steele would be released from prison on licence. [7]
On 15 February 2025, BBC News reported that the Criminal Cases Review Commission had received an application to review the convictions of both Whomes and Steele. [8]
The following films are based, to varying degrees, on the crime: