The Murder of Shana Grice

On 26 August 2016, 19-year-old Shana Grice was murdered in her Brighton home by former colleague Michael Lane — a man she had reported to Sussex Police multiple times in the months before her death. In this first episode of the new season, forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes reveals how officers dismissed Shana's complaints, branded her a liar, and even fined her £90 for wasting police time, while Lane, a serial stalker with a hidden history of predatory behaviour, grew increasingly bold. Drawing on interviews with journalists who covered the case, and secret recordings Shana made herself, Kerry traces the eight-stage 'Homicide Timeline' that led inexorably to tragedy, and asks how many warning signs a victim has to raise before anyone listens.

Key psychological themes

This episode explores: stalking and coercive control • the Homicide Timeline and escalation to lethal violence • victim-blaming and institutional failure • obsession, jealousy and loss of control • blackmail and manipulation in abusive relationships

Contributors featured in this episode

• Kerry Daynes — Forensic psychologist, presenter, and author of Dark Side of the Mind and What Lies Buried.

• Flora Thompson — Press Association journalist who covered the Shana Grice case.

• Frank Le Duc — Editor of the Brighton and Hove News.

What you'll learn in this episode

• How Michael Lane, a colleague eight years older than Shana, pursued her with gifts, then threats, after she ended their relationship

• Why Sussex Police dismissed Shana's first stalking report as 'insufficient evidence', despite a record showing Lane had previously groomed a 14-year-old girl

• How officers branded Shana a liar after an assault, and fined her £90 for 'wasting police time'

• Why a secret tracking device fitted to Shana's car, and a stolen house key, preceded Lane's final, fatal visit to her home

• What the eight-stage 'Homicide Timeline' reveals about the path from coercive control to murder, and where it could have been stopped

• Why fourteen Sussex Police officers and staff were referred to the police regulator after Shana's murder, and how her case changed national policy on stalking complaints

Relevant links and further reading

• Kerry Daynes — Dark Side of the Mind (Endeavour, 2019)

• Kerry Daynes — What Lies Buried (Endeavour, 2021)

• Faking It: Tears of a Crime — streaming on Discovery+ and HBO Max

• Suzy Lamplugh Trust — National Stalking Helpline (0808 802 0300)

• Domestic abuse support — Refuge (0808 2000 247)

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Credits

• Presented by Kerry Daynes

• Produced by Shearwater Media

• Executive producers: Jeff Anderson and Steve Anderson

• Editing and Music: Rob Warner

Content note

This episode contains descriptions of stalking, coercive control, and a graphic murder. Listener discretion is strongly advised. If you're affected by stalking, contact the Suzy Lamplugh Trust's National Stalking Helpline (0808 802 0300). Support for domestic abuse is available from Refuge (0808 2000 247).

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