10 Real Life Horror Stories That Will Freak You Out

1. The Murder Of Kelly Anne Bates (1996)

The murder of Kelly Anne Bates (1979 - 16 April 1996) is one of the most gruesome in modern times. The pathologist who examined Bates' body, William Lawler, is quoted as saying, "In my career, I have examined almost 600 victims of homicide but I have never come across injuries so extensive." The Detective Sergeant in charge of the murder inquiry, Joseph Monaghan of the Greater Manchester Police said, "I have been in the police force for 15 years and have never seen a case as horrific as this."

That gives you some sense, then, of the true depravity displayed in this entry. The perpetrator, Bates' partner James Patterson Smith (born around 1948) is currently serving life imprisonment in Manchester, England. The details of the case are chilling to say the least. Tortured over a period of four weeks, Bates was kept prisoner in Smith's home, usually tied by her hair to radiators or chairs; or kept with a ligature around her neck. Her injuries were only found after Smith turned himself in to a local police station, claiming to have accidentally drowned his girlfriend after an argument in the bath; his attempts at resuscitation failing. When police entered Smith's home Bates' body was found naked in a bedroom, however, blood from Bates' body was found in every single room in the house. The list of her injuries are shocking, with the pathologist noting over 150 separate injuries.

Notable inclusions found on the autopsy report were; stab wounds inside the mouth, multiple stab wounds caused by knives, forks and scissors, mutilation of the ears, nose, eyebrows, mouth, lips and genitalia, burns caused by the application of a hot iron. The more shocking injuries deserve their own specification. Kelly Anne Bates' eyes were gouged out, forcibly removed from her skull, UP TO THREE WEEKS before her death. Later, Smith stabbed Bates repeatedly inside her now empty eye sockets. Were that not enough, Smith partially scalped Bates, leaving her alive and the loose skin of her head still attached. Before her death, she had been starved and deprived of water, systematically tortured over a month by a man with a history of attempted murder, abuse towards women, statutory rape relationships, despite being described by neighbours as "house-proud and well-groomed", and not drinking or smoking at all. The jury spent a single hour deliberating before unanimously finding Smith guilty. In giving the life imprisonment verdict, Justice Sach (the presiding judge) said, "This has been a terrible case; a catalogue of depravity by one human being upon another. You are a highly dangerous person. You are an abuser of women and I intend, so far as it is in my power, that you will abuse no more."