Swipe, Match, Murder: The Disappearance of Grace Millane

In September 2021 I worked with ITN Productions on their two-part documentary following the police investigation into the disappearance and murder of Grace Millane. News of Grace Millane’s death made headlines across the world in 2018 after it was revealed she’d been strangled, murdered and dumped in a suitcase by Jesse Kempson – a man she’d […]

I live blogged from the scene of two serious crashes on the same road and beat our rivals

I am one of the most trusted reporters in the newsroom to be dispatched to the scene of a live incident. I have attended some of the most serious crime scenes in the county, as well as serious collisions like the two I attended in the space of five days on Crow Lane, Romford in November last year.

How my coverage of an obscure shop selling body parts went national

I discovered Henry Scragg’s curiosity shop while visiting the adjacent antiques centre in Battlesbridge. A quick online search revealed the obscure items the shop sold and displayed, and I knew that if I could speak with the owner it would make a very interesting feature.

How I broke into our rival’s patch to shed light on the local airport’s controversial flight schedule

EssexLive has struggled to build a loyal audience in Southend-on-Sea. The borough is a great news patch. It has a large population and a number of iconic landmarks, such as the pier and Adventure Island, as well as the ever-expanding London Southend Airport. Earlier this year, I visited the patch to discuss the airport and produced two in-depth features.

How I reported the death of a local legend and brought his story to life

‘Laughing John’ was a ‘local legend’ formally known as John Daines. He spent most of his time around Rayleigh High Street and town centre, and had lived locally for several years. Laughing John’ was a local celebrity, he was best known for his unusual dress sense, infectious smile and eating sugar. They community were shocked and saddened to hear that John had sadly passed away on June 25, 2019.

I took a story close to my heart and led the national news agenda

My mum is one of thousands of women across the UK who had Transvaginal Tape (or TVT) implants following a hysterectomy. After years of experiencing agonising side effects she is now mesh free. Her journey inspired me to delve deeper into the issue, and share the stories of other women who have suffered with the horrific side effects of the surgical mesh.

I spent a Friday night at one of Essex’s dogging hotspots

I spent a whole Friday evening at the Brentwood Road dogging hotspot. Staying at the location for a number of hours enabled me to provide a detailed account about the unusual sexual practice.

How my story on a woman’s nightmare Tinder dates went viral

I had covered a variety of dating stories for EssexLive prior to the publication of this story. I realised that there was an appetite among our readers for dating-related content, which led me to think about new ways in which I could cover the topic.

I spoke to a man who lived in a shed to highlight his desperate situation

Jaywick has consistently been named the most deprived neighbourhood in the UK, according to government reports. My feature on Adrian Docherty, the man living in a garden shed, was our chance to address town’s deprivation through a human interest case study instead of government statistics.

I reported on a woman’s terminal illness to raise awareness for a good cause

‘Niggling headaches’ are something that most people would class as fairly normal, and some may even describe as harmless. However, for Rebecca they turned out to be far more sinister than she originally thought.

I spent days reporting on an inquest and challenged a ‘superfluous’ court order

On March 9, 2020 the full inquest into Abdul Kadir Abdulla’s death began at Essex Coroner’s Court. While my report was covered by absolute privilege, there were other legal and ethical, considerations I had to take into account.

I investigated how TOWIE had made an impact in Essex over the last decade

The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE) first aired on our TV screens back in 2010 and ever since, coverage of the reality show, and all things related, has generated a high volume of traffic to our site. But earlier this year I decided to approach TOWIE in a different way.