The disturbing murder of 35-year-old Shakira Spencer, a vulnerable mother of two from Ealing, West London, will be examined in the next episode of Crimes That Shook Britain, airing on Crime & Investigation. The programme examines the harrowing details of how Spencer was tortured and killed by three individuals she considered friends: Ashana Studholme, Lisa Richardson, and Shaun Pendlebury.
The episode reveals how Studholme, the ringleader, moved next door to Spencer in 2021 and gradually gained her trust, only to subject her to unimaginable cruelty and humiliation. This included physical abuse, scalding, starvation, and being treated like a slave. The defenceless Spencer was described as being “viewed as less than human” and was under the complete control of her abusers.
The horrific abuse escalated in September 2021, when Spencer was brutally beaten and left on the brink of death at Studholme’s home. Her badly decomposed body was discovered in September 2022 when neighbours noticed maggots coming from her flat. Following a 12-week trial, all three defendants were convicted of murder and preventing the lawful burial of a body in December 2023.
Crimes That Shook Britain: Shakira Spencer airs Monday, 7 October 2024, at 9:00 pm on Crime & Investigation.
