In 2008, BBC cameras filmed two Swedish sisters throwing themselves into traffic on the M6. When it was shown on BBC One, nearly 7 million viewers were glued to their screens, and millions more watched it later on YouTube.
The footage was shocking. One previewer wrote “On no account miss this documentary. It opens with what is perhaps the most extraordinary footage I’ve seen on TV”.
But this amazing footage was only part of an even more incredible story, one which could not be told at the time for legal reasons.
Now, two years later, this documentary reveals the full story of the hours just before the cameras captured that motorway footage, and the even more chilling story of what happened over next 72 hours, which left one of the sisters fleeing the scene of a crime, after she had stabbed a man through the chest.
Those who were at the centre of this fascinating legal case, including the police and Crown prosecution service, reveal the complex issues involved in both bringing charges and taking this disturbing case to trial.
A leading criminal psychiatrist, Dr. Nigel Eastman, explains the difficulties the judicial system has in achieving justice and deciding punishment when dealing with mental illness.
Alternatively, download the full documentary here:
http://leyb.us/madness
the story started out very intriguing. very alien like…..but the more i watched the more human these sisters became. just another person with an illness. almost upsetting really.
in a town not far from me a young man butchered and dismembered a young boy, his mother, and a family friend and shoved their remains in a tree. meanwhile holding the 12 year old sister captive in his basement. she said all she could hear was the constant sounds of a chainsaw and running bath water.
my point is that this shit happens everywhere. always with a meaning.
This shit does not happen everywhere.
Reading newspapers it may seem so,
but one really needs some numbers
before you can argue that it is common.
Do not ask me for numbers that argue
that it is UNcommon. I do not have them.
Out of 1,564 people convicted for homicide in England and Wales
between April 1996 and April 1999, 164 (10 per cent) were found to have
had symptoms of mental health problems at the time of the offence. [5]
A later study looking at homicides committed between January 1997 and
December 2005 found that the same proportion, 10 per cent (510 of
5,189), were by individuals known to have had mental health problems at
the time of the offence. [6]In 2009, the total population in England and Wales aged 16 or over
was just over 43 million. It has been estimated that about one in six of
the adult population will have a significant mental health problem at
any one time, [7], [8]
which amounts to more than 7 million people. Given this number and the
50–70 cases of homicide a year involving people known to have a mental
health problem at the time of the murder, [9]
clearly the statistics data do not support the sensationalised media
coverage about the danger that people with mental health problems
present to the community. The majority of violent crimes and homicides are committed by people
who do not have mental health problems. In fact, 95 per cent of
homicides are committed by people who have not been diagnosed with a
mental health problem.[10] Contrary to popular belief, the incidence of homicide committed by
people diagnosed with mental health problems has stayed at a fairly
constant level since the 1990s. [11] The fear of random unprovoked attacks on strangers by people with
mental health problems is unjustified. This has been highlighted by a US finding that patients with psychosis who are living in the community are 14 times more likely to be the victims of a violent crime than to be arrested for such a crime. [12] According to the British Crime Survey, almost half (47 per cent) of
the victims of violent crimes believed that their offender was under the
influence of alcohol and about 17 per cent believed that the offender
was under the influence of drugs. [13] Another survey suggested that about 30 per cent of victims believed that the offender attacked them because
they were under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In contrast, only
one per cent of victims believed that the violent incident happened
because the offender had a mental illness. [14] People with mental health problems are more dangerous to themselves
than they are to others: 90 per cent of people who die through suicide
in the UK are experiencing mental distress. [15] People with serious mental illness are more likely to be the victim
of a violent crime than the perpetrator. One study found that more than
one in four people with a severe mental illness had been a victim of
crime in one year. [16]It is also worth keeping in mind that many cases of violence in the
community get reported three times – the event, the court case, and the
inquiry report – thus greatly exaggerating the number of cases in the
public’s mind.
“I don’t wish to insult you but as your comment is of low standard of English and contains basely speculation your opinion is of no value.”
I wrote the comment at 3 in the morning…cut me some slack. The final psychiatrist was making the point that both of the conditions suggested are exceptionally rare, and that in all of his years of study he had seen few correctly diagnosed cases. It’s not like I made the comment to solve the case, it was just a different idea that had yet to be mentioned in the documentary, which left many questions unanswered.
“cut me some slack.” How about you ‘cutting some slack’ towards the three highly qualified & experienced psychiatrists whom have a very detailed understanding of the case, as opposed to one unqualified & inexperienced individual who just watched a short movie.
“The final psychiatrist was making the point that both of the conditions suggested are exceptionally rare, and that in all of his years of study he had seen few correctly diagnosed cases.” So? Despite being very rare both these conditions exist, and each was suggested by a psychiatrist. None of psychiatrists interviewed suggested a drug cause.
“.. it was just a different idea that had yet to be mentioned in the documentary ..” Did you ever wonder why a drug induced condition was not mentioned? One distinct possibility is that it was considered, as would be standard during assessment, and then discounted based on facts & observations.
Baseless, uneducated speculation does no one any service and only indicates a lack of intellegence and understanding on the originator.
I bet you’re highly educated. Good for you!
Dude – you DO need to give Wes some slack! Just because some “respected” psychs gave a diagnosis doesn’t mean it’s 100% accurate. Personally I don’t buy the “temporary Insanity Shared Psychosis” crap. Something else is going on.
My problem with the WHOLE thing is that the authorities did NOT ever find out what these sisters were up to and why.
…And all you “Alien Hybrid” idiots can forget that theory (although they are quite strange looking).
The bottom line is that Wes’ theory is just as good as any other. Something missing – something still just isn’t right with this case – and I hope it won’t take another dead body to discover exactly what it is!!!
“Dude” no one need give Wes any slack. He is an ignorant, ill-educated moron who thinks his groundless speculation is somehow valid or relvant. He has nothign to base his idea on, and that contrasts to experienced professional who studied the case in detail (inc. some who interviewed the sisters) rather than simply watching a TV documentary.
The “bottom line” is that Wes’ “theory” is just mindless speculation, and your suggestion that it maybe somehow helpful is insulating to the sisters, the man who was killed and his family. Shame on you.
There are plenty of conditions which cause “altered view of reality” that are not drug induced.
A non-drug cause was the opinion of two psychiatrists who interviewd the women, and that of one of the UK’s most experienced & respected psychiatrists who later reviwed the case.
All three psychiatrists would be familiar with drug induced psychosis whatever the chemical substance or its origin. The first two made their diagnoses based on interviews with and direct observation of the women. All three of these were highly educated and experienced professionals within the appropriate discipline.
I don’t wish to insult you but as your comment is of low standard of English and contains basely speculation your opinion is of no value.
No one person’s opinion is of greater “value” than anyone else’s. You say you don’t wish to insult him, but all you’re really saying is shut up.
Seemed to me to be a drug induced psychosis, namely jimson weed. Absolutely nuts stuff that grows commonly in the U.S…causes intense hallucinations for multiple days depending on the dosage. Considering the way they were acting, namely making comments like “I know you are not real” and “I need the police” when being held down by police, it would seem they were under some altered view of reality. There certainly are incredible conditions the mind can go through, but if you want one that could make two people act absolutely nuts…jimson weed is it. Plus, I really doubt jimson weed is on their list of drugs to test for, many people have no idea what it is. Scary scary stuff.
First part, at 6:42 she says “I know you are not real”. Freaky. I can’t get the sentence before, maybe that’s not english.
I think she said “Oh, I recognize you, I know you’re not real.”
Close; it’s actually “I don’t know you, you are not real.” If you watch later in the doc you seem them do a closed caption of it.
Close; it’s actually “I don’t know you, you are not real.” If you watch later in the doc you seem them do a closed caption of it.
Close; it’s actually “I don’t know you, you are not real.” If you watch later in the doc you seem them do a closed caption of it.
Close; it’s actually “I don’t know you, you are not real.” If you watch later in the doc you seem them do a closed caption of it.
Close; it’s actually “I don’t know you, you are not real.” If you watch later in the doc you seem them do a closed caption of it.
I really never could become a police woman, i already would have slap that stupid bitch!
My thoughts exactly. I was begging for the police officers to deck the girl when she could not be subdued. And I apologize for encouraging violence toward someone with a mental illness, it was just frustrating to watch her put so many others in danger and the police to (seemingly) have no means to control her.
My thoughts exactly. I was begging for the police officers to deck the girl when she could not be subdued. And I apologize for encouraging violence toward someone with a mental illness, it was just frustrating to watch her put so many others in danger and the police to (seemingly) have no means to control her.
My thoughts exactly. I was begging for the police officers to deck the girl when she could not be subdued. And I apologize for encouraging violence toward someone with a mental illness, it was just frustrating to watch her put so many others in danger and the police to (seemingly) have no means to control her.
My thoughts exactly. I was begging for the police officers to deck the girl when she could not be subdued. And I apologize for encouraging violence toward someone with a mental illness, it was just frustrating to watch her put so many others in danger and the police to (seemingly) have no means to control her.
My thoughts exactly. I was begging for the police officers to deck the girl when she could not be subdued. And I apologize for encouraging violence toward someone with a mental illness, it was just frustrating to watch her put so many others in danger and the police to (seemingly) have no means to control her.
They’re aliens.
maybe if they told us why they ran into the traffic, we’d all be at it!
How extremely insulting to the twins, and to the man who was killed.
Ronnie – fully agree. “mystery sea creature” should be ashamed, although given he / she is very likely an immature teenager they would need to grow up first.
Wow. I am left with so very many questions…. One of which is HOW was Ursula not forced to undergo psychological testing after throwing herself into traffic and resisting arrest? What an odd and compelling story. I want to know more, and I’m left with a particularly unsettling feeling…. like we have not seen the end of this.
“Supposedly it was because of folie a deux” – no, folie a deux was ONE of the suggested diagnoses.
“Definitely some kind of psychosis” – well thank you Sigmund Freud for that insight. There is no way any of us could have reached that conclusion after wathcing the movie which included the quoted diagnoses of two psychiatrist and the interview with one of the most experienced & respected psychiatrists in the UK.
Supposedly it was because of folie a deux, where two people experience the same delusions. I think it bears some similarities to schizophrenia. Definitely some kind of psychosis
im dying to know what made them run in front of traffic it is so so bizarre.
Probably for the same reason that Sabina was hitting herself on the head with a hammer. Suicide attempt.
It’s like they were under somebody else’s control and they hated it. They knew they were dangerous and they hated it. Not only did they have no fear of death, they searched it out.
They sold their souls to the devil and they have immortality in place of sanity.
Dee
That sounds extremely plausible!
The story is completely bizarre and harrowing. The weirdest thing is that there has been no explanation from the sisters as to what they were doing and why!
I absolutely agree that this is more a reconstruction, rather than a documentary. But it`s still a very watch-worthy and strange piece of work. I never seize to be amazed by humankind…
An interesting (and bizarre) story. The presentation is more like the sort of reality-based TV show that was being filmed when the events on the M6 were captured. To me, documentary film making is more about insight, or investigative journalism, which this is not – it is really just a reconstruction of events. However, still interesting viewing, if not wholly compelling.