24 Hours in Police Custody: The Honeytrap Murder

The UK’s biggest and most successful true crime documentary series returns with a two-part special.

The Honeytrap Murder reveals the story behind the brutal murder of a man in Luton who is found dead in the hallway of a block of flats. He has bled to death from a stab wound to his thigh and is completely naked.

Featuring wide access to officers from Major Crime as they investigate a live crime, cameras follow from the moment the case is handed to Detective Inspector Dale Mepstead. It’s quickly discovered that the victim has only just been released from prison for possession of a gun, but the DI is clear about the mission: ‘Every murder victim is loved by someone, whether that’s a parent or a partner.’

As police trawl CCTV, they find decent-quality images of two women entering the flat with the dead man earlier that evening. DI Mepstead is confident she will be able to identify them but is surprised when her team’s research reveals evidence that other men have previously been lured in similar circumstances. The discovery confirms her suspicion that the victim had unwittingly stepped into a honey trap: enticed to meet the women by the prospect of sex, with the express purpose of robbing them.

The case takes a further dark turn when forensic analysis reveals that there was more than just the promise of sex – there is evidence of sexual contact between the victim and one of the women before his death. DI Mepstead turns her attention to two men who were seen on the CCTV accompanying the women into the flat. Will either of the female suspects being held in custody reveal their identity? Will either of them admit who was behind the plot while they’re under police interrogation?

24 Hours in Police Custody: The Honeytrap Murder, tonight and tomorrow at 8pm on Channel 4