SUNDERLAND SERIAL KILLER STEVEN GRIVESON CONVICTED OF FOURTH MURDER IN SUNDERLAND

On February 20th, 2014, Steven Grieveson, a notorious figure in Sunderland's dark criminal history, was taken into custody once again, this time under suspicion of being responsible for the murder of 7-year-old Nikki Allen in 1992. This arrest marked a significant development in a case that had long haunted the community and added another chapter to Grieveson’s already infamous criminal record.

Steven John Grieveson, born in 1970, is an English serial killer whose name became synonymous with terror in Sunderland during the early 1990s. His criminal activities first came to light when he was convicted on February 28th, 1996, for the brutal murders of three teenage boys in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, spanning from 1993 to 1994. The details of his crimes revealed a chilling pattern: Grieveson murdered these young victims to conceal his homosexuality, a motive that shocked the public and led to his sentencing of at least 35 years in prison for those three murders.

In October 2013, Grieveson was found guilty of a fourth murder—this time involving a 14-year-old boy named Simon Martin. The conviction came after a lengthy trial at Newcastle Crown Court, where the court heard harrowing details of the young boy’s death. The case was particularly disturbing because Simon Martin’s body was discovered in a derelict house in Sunderland, a week after he went missing in May 1990. Grieveson, who was 42 at the time of his conviction, admitted to killing Simon but claimed that his actions were driven by a severe mental abnormality, which he argued impaired his responsibility for the crime.

Throughout the trial, Grieveson maintained a stoic demeanor, flanked by five guards, as the court heard about the horrific circumstances surrounding Simon’s death. The prosecution presented evidence that Grieveson had confessed to police that he killed Simon after performing a sex act with him in a room at Gilside House in Roker. Grieveson described how, in a moment of panic and fear, he strangled the boy and, in a further act of violence, smashed his head with a rock or similar object. His confession revealed a disturbing pattern of violence and a lack of remorse, which deeply affected the families of his victims.

Expert witnesses, including Professor Derek Perkins, testified that Grieveson exhibited psychopathic traits—such as a lack of emotion, callousness, and absence of remorse—that contributed to his capacity to commit multiple murders. The court also heard that Grieveson had claimed all four deaths were accidental, occurring while he was threatening his victims to keep quiet about his sexuality. However, evidence emerged that he had confessed to a woman visitor that “the need to kill took him over,” further implicating him in the murders.

During the trial, Grieveson showed no visible emotion as the gruesome details of his crimes were laid bare. He did not testify in his own defense but called expert witnesses to argue that he suffered from a severe mental abnormality. Despite this, the jury—comprising five women and seven men—deliberated for an hour before returning a guilty verdict for the murder of Simon Martin. The court sentenced him to life imprisonment, adding to his previous sentences for the other murders.

Family members of the victims, many of whom had attended daily vigils in the courtroom gallery, were overwhelmed with emotion as they listened to the details of their loved ones’ final moments. Grieveson’s confession revealed that after performing a sex act with Simon, he killed him in a room at Gilside House, Roker. He described how, in a panic, he strangled the boy and then, in a further act of violence, smashed his head with a rock or similar object. Grieveson’s silence in previous investigations contrasted sharply with his detailed confession last year, which he said was driven by a need to bring peace to the families and himself.

He refused to discuss the details of the other three teenage victims he had murdered between November 1993 and February 1994, during his earlier crimes. The families of those boys, however, were visibly distressed, breaking down in tears as letters were read aloud in court, where Grieveson begged for their forgiveness and offered to answer any questions they might have. During his killing spree, Grieveson had attempted to cover his tracks by burning the bodies of his victims and strangling each with ligatures. His crimes had left a lasting scar on Sunderland’s community.

Grieveson’s criminal history dates back to when he was just 11 years old, with over 60 convictions before he was finally sentenced to life imprisonment. His first known murder was of 14-year-old Simon Martin in 1990, whose body was found in a derelict house near the seafront in Roker. Despite his initial denial, Grieveson later admitted responsibility for the death, which was the first of his four known victims. His arrest came in March 1994, following an extensive investigation that included DNA evidence, fingerprint analysis, and witness testimonies.

Over the years, Grieveson’s case has continued to attract attention, with investigations into possible other murders. In November 2000, he was questioned about the murder of Simon Martin, and in June 2004, he wrote a letter admitting to the murders of his three teenage victims but denying involvement in Simon’s death. His case remains one of the most chilling and disturbing in Sunderland’s criminal history, a stark reminder of the depths of human depravity.