Cambridgeshire police investigation into ex-wife’s murder plot to feature on TV

Viewers of the popular Channel 4 programme on Monday (January 4) will go behind the scenes of the investigation after a man handed Cambridgeshire police a secretly recorded conversation that appeared to show his girlfriend offering to pay someone to commit murder.

Victoria Breeden, 39, of Black Horse Drove, Littleport, was sentenced to nine and a half years in prison at Chelmsford Crown Court in July after being found guilty of three counts of soliciting to murder Rob Parkes.

The case was brought to the attention of the force in November 2019 when Breeden’s most current former partner, Graham Wall, approached officers with a 24 minute recording.

Mr Wall feared Breeden was having an affair and hid his phone in a cupboard under the stairs of her home to see what she was up to.

When he retrieved it the next day he listened to the recording of Breeden and another man, Earl Gernon, talking about how easy it would be to ‘make someone disappear’.

The recording heard talk of the different ways her ex-husband, Rob Parkes, could be murdered or seriously injured, and that it would cost between £10,000 and £15,000 for a ‘see you later’.

Detective Inspector Mike Barnshaw, who led the investigation, said: “This was a five-month long investigation into Breeden’s repeated solicitations of men to kill her ex-husband over a number of years.

“Viewers will see how calculating, targeted, persistent and dangerous her behaviour was, all motivated by her hatred of Mr Parkes.

“The show highlights that Cambridgeshire police, irrespective of who is involved, take all matters of domestic abuse seriously and I would encourage anyone suffering to contact yus and be assured that we will help.”

24 Hours in Police Custody: Black Widow will be shown on Channel 4 at 9pm on Monday (4 January) and Tuesday.