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Patrick Tate, Anthony Tucker and Craig Rolfe were all shot dead while sat in a Range Rover down a farm track just 300 yards away from the busy A130 on December 6, 1995. Michael Steele and Jack Whomes were convicted of murder thee years later and sentenced to life in prison. Whomes had his prison term reduced in 2018 and was released in 2021 aged 59.
Now, Steele is set to be released at the age of 82, after the Parole Board deemed him "no longer a risk" to the public. With the triple killings in the public eye once again, we have uncovered these photographs taken at the crime scene. Since the news of Steele's release, Criminal Cases Review Commission has said appeal applications for the convictions have been received and a "thorough review" is under way.
The commission reportedly added: "It would be inappropriate for us to make any further comment while the applications are under review." Essex Police told the BBC the case had been "exhaustively examined" both prior to the killers' prosecutions and since they were jailed. The gang-related executions, which took place on a farm track in Rettendon, have been tackled in multiple films, television programmes, documentaries and books.
The killings subsequently inspired the 2000 film Essex Boys, starring Sean Bean and named after the three victims' "Essex Boys" drugs gang, and the Rise of the Footsoldier franchise. The Court of Appeal has previously rejected both murderer's bids for release in 1999 and 2006, with further appeals dismissed by the court in 2013 and 2016. The Criminal Cases Review Commission is an independent body sponsored by the Ministry of Justice and launches fresh appeals when strong new evidence or arguments are presented.
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