STUART Ludlam was a 41-year-old cab driver who was murdered in a vicious attack by a man obsessed with guns.
The attack, carried out by Colin Cheetham, will be examined in ITV’s True Crime Presents: Murder Without Motive.
Colin Cheetham (pictured) murdered Stuart Ludlam in September 2009Derbyshire Constabulary
An execution plot
Stuart was known as a popular and jovial man, in his area, who had a wife and three children.
In September 2009, he was called to collect a fare at the village railway station in Cromford, Derbyshire.
Unbeknownst to him, he was being lured into a trap.
Colin Cheetham was hiding at the location with a gun and planned to carry out an execution.
When Stuart arrived, he was forced to step out of his car before being shot in the back seat.
His body was discovered a day later by holidaymakers.
Cheetham’s elaborate plan
Cheetham was careful to avoid being caught.
He scoped out several murder sites to ensure that there were no cameras and studied train timetables so he could strike when no one was around.
The killer even used a burner phone to call Stuart but made the mistake of topping the telephone up with his credit card.
This led the police straight to his home, where they discovered several guns.
Stuart was murdered at Cromford StationPaul Tonge – The Sun
It was revealed that he was a former gun club member and that he had become fixated on firearms.
Detective Chief Superintendent Tony Blockley, of Derbyshire Police revealed that he believed this fascination was the motive behind the crime.
He said: “Colin Cheetham is an evil man who carried out a despicable act which was seemingly motiveless.
“This crime was totally unpredictable. My view is that he has executed Mr Ludlam simply to see what it would be like to kill someone.”
In court, the prosecution claimed that Cheetham had no motive other than to shoot a “complete stranger”.
The prosecution, led by Peter Joyce, said: “It was his [Cheetham’s] gun, he had planned it, it was his phone.
“He had no knowledge of Mr Ludlam but he had a fascination with taxis and a fascination with guns and Mr Ludlam was just the unlucky man with whom this fascination ended.”
The trial ended with Cheetham being handed a minimum of 30 years behind bars.
When the verdict was passed, Stuart’s mother Sheila said: “Three children for him and three grandchildren for me and he loved them with all his heart.
“All he wanted was a little girl – he got his little girl but of course she hasn’t got a daddy any more.”
Cheetham eventually died in prison on May 1, 2020, after serving just 10 years.
He had struggled with his health for several years and is not believed to have died from COVID-19, despite passing away at the start of the pandemic.
True Crime Presents: Murder Without Motive
Stuart’s tragic death will be explored in the ITV series True Crime Presents: Murder Without Motive.
The series examines headline-making crimes and tries to discern why murderers choose to kill.
True crime fans can catch the episode about Stuart when it airs on Friday 24th January 2025 at 9pm.
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