A two-part TV special, shining the spotlight on a Cambridgeshire mum who conspired to kill her ex-husband, finished airing last night.
The 24 Hours in Police Custody special ‘Black Widow’ was broadcast on January 4 and 5 and followed the dark tale of Victoria Breeden from Littleport.
Breeden tried to persuade three men to kill her husband Rob Parkes between 2014 and 2019 after she lost custody of her child following the couple's 2008 divorce.
The chilling Channel 4 show went behind the scene of the Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire police operation to uncover exactly what was going on.
Breeden, 39, of Black Horse Drove, was sentenced to nine-and-a-half years in prison at Chelmsford Crown Court in July after being found guilty of three counts of soliciting to murder.
“These perps are so good at manipulation, love bombing that people ignore the red flags their very good actors and very believable”, said one viewer.
“Such a good programme to put out there for people to see and if they can relate to any of it and get out or seek help sooner rather than later.”
Another said: “Brilliant watch, the officers done a great job considering the obstacles she put in their way.”
“Those police officers had the patience of a saint,” added another viewer.
Each episode in an hour long and aired on TV at 9pm on Monday, January 4 and Tuesday, January 5 – both episodes are now available on catch-up.
Another viewer said: “Her manipulative ways around the police failed.
“The way she had sudden pains prior to an interview was amusing to her. Well done to the police officers for your hard work. Her husband lives.”
“I found it a very interesting watch,” said another.
“My admiration to the police for staying so calm with a clearly manipulative person who knew how to play the system. Hope we see more programmes like this.”
Detective Inspector Mike Barnshaw, who led the investigation, said: “This was a five-month long investigation into Breeden’s repeated solicitations of men to kill her ex-husband over a number of years.
“Viewers will see how calculating, targeted, persistent and dangerous her behaviour was, all motivated by her hatred of Mr Parkes.
“The show highlights that Cambridgeshire police, irrespective of who is involved, take all matters of domestic abuse seriously and I would encourage anyone suffering to contact us and be assured that we will help.”
Cambridgeshire Constabulary are now urging victims of domestic abuse to “reach out to us and our officers will be there to help”.
For information and advice on domestic violence or abuse, visit: www.cambs.police.uk/information-and-services/Domestic-abuse/Domestic-violence-and-abuse
To watch the episodes of 24 Hours in Police Custody on All 4, visit: www.channel4.com/programmes/24-hours-in-police-custody
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