Susan Elizabeth Renhard (17 November 1961 – 27 June 1983)[1] was a student murdered in Cave Dale near Castleton, Derbyshire in 1983.
Susan Renhard was born in Birmingham in the United Kingdom and brought up in the small village of Hagley, on the outskirts of Stourbridge.
[2] In 1983, Susan was engaged to be married to Bob Wood, another 21-year-old student from Sunderland,[3] and was living in a flat in Heaton Moor, Stockport,[4] whilst she completed her studies in Graphic Art at Manchester Polytechnic.
Although she had already completed her photo project (which included a slideshow and taped documentary),[6] she was dissatisfied with the initial results, and she decided that some of the photographs needed retaking.
"[7] As part of her itinerary, Susan intended to spend a whole day in Castleton, one of the District's most popular tourist destinations, where she could then photograph its famous dales, caves and ruined Norman castle.
[8] Although her visit was brief, Susan nevertheless booked a room at the Lose Hill Study Centre in Castleton[9] where, on 27 June 1983, she left alone in order to take some pictures.
Towards the beginning of the afternoon Susan was seen by two members of the public walking alone towards a famous beauty spot called Cave Dale.
Her face and head had been hooded by her cagoule, and her jeans had then been draped over the lower part of her body in an apparent effort to make her look decent.
Dr. Stephen Jones, a Home Office pathologist, later recorded over 30 injuries, mostly bruises and abrasions, which indicated that she had made every attempt to defend herself.
On 29 June 1983, therefore, police made a nationwide appeal for people to come forward and report any man who had unexpectedly cut short a holiday to the area, or was behaving in a suspicious way.
[22] On 9 July 1983, the High Peak Coroner, Clive Rushton, opened and adjourned the inquest into Susan's death, pending the further police investigation.
[20] Shortly after the reconstruction, police revealed that a 14-year-old girl had been stalked the same afternoon as Susan died by a man who had been watching her through binoculars.
[26] On 12 July, a local businessman (who had children of his own) put up rewards totalling £2,000 for any information that might help the police investigation, saying that he had been sickened by the deaths of Susan and Diana.
[5] On 14 July 1983, Susan's funeral took place at the Baptist Church in Carter's Lane in Halesowen close to the family home in West Hagley.
Experts at Central TV had seen what they thought was a figure of a man crouching, and the film was subsequently flown to NASA in Texas for a more detailed analysis.
[30] Shortly afterward, police arrested Norman Hugh Smith,[31] a 17-year-old computer student,[32] who lived at Sunnyside Villas in Buxton Road[2] in Castleton.
[35] The prosecution alleged that Renhard had died to satisfy the sexual curiosity of an immature teenager: in police interviews, Smith had admitted that he wanted to see a woman's naked body.
[2] Smith's defence counsel, Martin Thomas, said that Renhard's death had been an accident, the clumsy attempts of an immature youth to steal a kiss.
"[19] Douglas Draycott QC, prosecuting, said that the facts of the case were relatively simple: "She was an attractive girl and he made some sort of approach to her.
"[18] Smith was described by his defence counsel as: "a stumbling, confused schoolboy"[2] and his story was that he chatted to Susan whilst she was taking photographs for her project.
"[18] Smith's defence counsel then went on to criticise the prosecution for allowing an earlier suspect who was arrested, a Japanese travel courier, to return home.
Draycott also told the jury that Smith had been evasive when initially interviewed and had denied any connection with the offence, but later admitted his curiosity about seeing a woman naked.
Moreover, once dying or dead, his actions in stripping, tying and covering Susan's body amounted to an "act of desecration and insult".
"[35] In sentencing Smith, Mr. Justice Caulfield attempted to pay tribute to Susan and chose to deliberately echo the nickname of Castleton—'Gem of the Peaks'—by famously declaring: "The girl you killed, this jury said you strangled, she was a gem among maidens, and I have no doubt she fought to the point of her death to prevent the attack that you made on her modesty".
[2] Susan's father, David Renhard, a retired law lecturer,[35] said shortly after the verdict was announced: "It has been a very stressful and emotional week.
[41] Following the trial, David Renhard became heavily involved in the Society of Compassionate Friends, and Support After Murder and Manslaughter, two charities that seek to help relatives who have lost loved ones through homicide.