Channel 5 documentary to reveal how Tiernan Darnton was caught following murder of Mary Gregory in Heysham
A new Channel 5 documentary will tell the story of how a game of truth or dare led to a chance confession following the death of a 94-year-old grandmother in Heysham.
Tiernan Darnton, now 23, was jailed for life in November 2021 after killing his step-grandmother Mary Gregory in May 2018.
A new Channel 5 documentary will now reveal how the grim events unfolded and how Darnton was finally put behind bars.
When can I watch it?
Truth or Dare: The Murder of Mary Gregory airs on Channel 5 at 10pm on Wednesday (October 25).
The 90-minute programme, which features interviews with police as well as Mrs Gregory’s former carer, Karolina Madejska, will also be available on catch-up via My5.
What happened to Mary Gregory?
Mrs Gregory was killed after a fire at her home in the early hours of 28 May, 2018.
She was found under a table in her conservatory suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation, and died in hospital four days later.
Police initially concluded that her death was caused by a discarded cigarette.
It wasn’t until the case was reopened the following year that the truth finally came to light.
How was Darnton caught?
Weeks after her death, Darnton – who was 17 at the time – admitted to murdering his step-grandmother during a game of truth or dare with two friends, saying he did it “to put her out of her misery”.
The next year he told a counsellor about the admission, and that there was someone “who could send me to prison ’cos of what he knows”.
The counsellor alerted police, and new evidence was found after the case was reopened that eventually led to Darnton’s conviction.
Darnton later claimed he only wanted to impress his “edgy” friends and was “attention-seeking” with the counsellor, who he claimed had fabricated parts of their conversation.
He was sentenced to life in prison in November 2021, with a minimum sentence of 15 years.