Charles Sobhraj (Tahar Rahim, recently seen in “The Mauritanian,” and very often much better than he is here) was a true sociopath, but a unique kind of sociopath in that he didn’t really kill for the thrill of it as much as he did to maintain his lifestyle, while also obliterating the lives of those he felt were beneath him. With the assistance of his girlfriend Marie-Andrée Leclerc (Jenna Coleman) and his ally Ajay Chowdhury (Amesh Edireweera), Sobhraj gained the trust of people that the world was unlikely to miss—travelers around Southeast Asia who could disappear without much notice. He would groom them into believing he was an ally before he would steal their belongings and identities, using their passports to travel to their next location. Sobhraj was convicted of killing a dozen people. There were likely more.
If Sobhraj is the mouse, Dutchman Herman Knippenberg (Billy Howle) is the cat, portrayed in “The Serpent” as the driving force to capture this serial killer (with the help of his wife Angela, played by Ellie Bamber, and a man named Paul Siemons, played by Tim McInnerny). Knippenberg was a Dutch diplomat drawn into the investigation of the disappearance of two of his countrymen, Henk Bintanja and Cornelia Hemker. The early episodes of “The Serpent” set the tone: a calculated sociopath and the justice seeker who is forced to climb mountains of red tape and international diplomacy just to stop him. Rahim is the cold killer and Howle is the passionate protector. However, this is not a whodunit. There’s little mystery involved, and it seems remarkably uninterested in really figuring out a sociopath like Sobhraj, spending more emotional time with Leclerc, who alternates between fearing her partner’s murderous streak and enabling him. So what’s left? Not much.
Part of the reason for that is the infuriating structure, one that not only jumps between Knippenberg and Sobhraj with alarming inconsistency but bounces around in time in such a way that it’s hard to find dramatic or thematic footing in any given episode. Just as the directors of an episode seem to build momentum, the plot shifts and jumps back in time to offer more background or recreate the last days of one of his victims. Midway through the third episode, I did some research to learn more about Sobhraj’s killing spree, and it’s never a good sign to feel like you have to do reading to understand what a show is simply failing to give you on a practical level. There’s a modern trend of chronological playfulness that TV writers have been led to believe enhances a project like “The Serpent,” but nothing drains tension in a project like this one more than lacking sheer narrative cohesion. Yes, we’re all tired of simple chronological retellings of historical events, but there’s a middle ground between that and the kind of shuffling done on “The Serpent,” which often feels like an attempt to make something more interesting through editing than it was on the page.
Police are searching a Gloucester cafe in connection with the disappearance of a teenage girl suspected to have been murdered by serial killer Fred West.
Mary Bastholm vanished in 1968 aged just 15 and her body has never been found.
West, who died in prison in 1995 aged 53, was previously suspected over her disappearance.
Jan 10, 2012 Full PDF Files of Serial Stories (All Writers). Penman of Penmai Blogger. Joined Nov 18, 2011 Messages 1,053 Location. Full story link. Dubbed the 'Night Stalker,' Richard Ramirez was an American serial killer who broke into California homes, raping and torturing more than 25 victims and killing at least 13 over a two-year rampage.
Officers from Gloucestershire Police were called to the Clean Plate cafe in Southgate Street by a production company filming a documentary there.
The company had reported it had found possible evidence to suggest a body could be buried within the property.
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Officers are expected to be there for several weeks, the force said.
West, one of Britain's most prolific serial killers, committed at least 12 murders between 1967 and 1987 in Gloucestershire, the majority with his second wife, Rosemary.
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All the victims were young women. Their dismembered bodies were typically buried in the cellar or garden of the couple's Cromwell Street home in Gloucester, which became known as the 'House of Horrors'.
Fred is known to have committed at least two murders on his own.
In 1994 he admitted murdering his daughter Heather, while Rose is known to have murdered Fred's stepdaughter, Charmaine. The couple were apprehended and charged in 1994.
But Fred took his own life while awaiting the murder trial the following year.
Gloucestershire Police said its major crime investigation team has deemed further assessments are required at the cafe in order to determine whether an excavation is necessary.
A white tent was erected outside, with police officers stationed at the front of the building and a police van parked nearby.
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Other officers were seen carrying evidence bags out.
Family liaison officers have now been put in place to provide support and updates to Mary's family.
A statement from them said: 'We are aware of the ongoing developments around Mary's disappearance and are being kept up-to-date.
'At this time, please may we ask for privacy so we can grieve for Mary.'
Assistant Chief Constable Craig Holden said: 'This could be a significant development on a case which has gained a lot of public interest over the years.
'On the basis of the information provided to us, we consider this to be new and potentially important evidence in the case of Mary Bastholm, however further detailed assessments will take place over the following few days to determine the extent of excavation needed.
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'First and foremost our thoughts are with Mary's family and we would ask that their privacy is respected at this difficult time.
'This news may understandably alarm those who work near to the premises, as well as those in the wider Gloucester community and beyond.
'The Constabulary has always said any fresh evidence would be reviewed.
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'This has happened and a focussed and proportionate investigation will now take place.'