'Terror ran through everyone in our family'

LOVED ones caught up in a parent's worst nightmare after a letter, hand written by a vile and 'pathetic' pervert, landed on their doormat have spoken of their unimaginable terror.

- By POPPY KENNEDY

Ben Strangeways penned vile and disturbing letters describing, in graphic detail, how he'd rape, torture, murder and eat the children of random victims in Teesside and further afield. The evil stalker sent a Christmas card to one victim, following it with a threatening letter, hand-delivered weeks later, where he wrote about watching her through the window and detailing how he would rape her.

Scrawled on paper ripped from an A4 notepad, many of his vile letters spoke directly to mothers and fathers as he described his disturbing intent to brutally murder their young children. A dad, whose innocent family were targeted at random by the 'monster', has described the moment his and his loved ones' lives were turned upside down when his partner opened an unsuspecting envelope.

The father, who lives in Teesside, said: “I was at work at the time. My missus came home and found the letter and I got a call. She was absolutely past herself, sobbing down the phone and she sent me a picture. I didn’t really read it for months, I'd start and think I can’t read that. It was just too much.”