It wasn’t until thirteen years after her disappearance that Melissa’s remains were discovered over 545 miles away in the remote Scottish location of Knoydart.[28]
At trial, it was heard that after an argument between Craig and Williams, a scuffle ensued that resulted in Melissa sustaining blunt-force trauma to her skull.
Fearful of consequences, Williams then ended Melissa’s life with repeated and systematic blunt-force trauma.
In order to dispose of the body, Williams drove Craig’s remains over 545 miles toward the coastal peninsula of Knoydart, in the Scottish Highlands.
Knoydart, only accessible via a two-day hike, is where Williams left the remains after burning them in dense woodland off the trail.
Additional cases[Edit]
After the discovery and liberation of Anna Derwent, an investigation was quickly opened into the believed suicide of Anna Derwent’s sixty-five-year-old mother,Cynthia Derwent,during Anna’s captivity.
Mrs. Derwent, a former air stewardess, seemingly died of self-inflicted injuries in her Croydon-based home. Later it emerged that she, too, had been murdered by Williams in an attempt to stop further investigation into her daughter’s disappearance.
Mrs. Derwent had repeatedly demanded the police open an investigation into Anna’s disappearance, citing the existence of an unknown boyfriend who she feared might in some way be involved.
Williams was also tried, and convicted, for the attempted murder of an anonymous woman,Victim B,who maintained her right to anonymity throughout the trial and aftermath.
It was heard that Williams drugged and stagedVictim B’s death, after her discovery of the bunker on Williams’s property. The victim, who narrowly avoided death at Williams’s hands, was saved by an observant neighbor, who managed to rescueVictim Band perform lifesaving measures before emergency services arrived on the scene.[30]
Sentencing[Edit]
On May 22, 2026, Williams was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences with a whole life order, the most robust sentencing possible under UK law.
The judge, Mr. Justice Landsborough, said that Williams’s crimes “show a complete disregard for female life, along with a chilling level of calculation after his crimes and a clear sadistic desire as a medical professional to play God with human lives.” Landsborough concluded that “I, in no way, sensed any remorse in the defendant, only a worrying level of self-perceived victimhood. I have no doubt that Simon Williams would kill again if not placed under whole life order.”[7]
Epilogue
Ben is happy enough inD.C., his job thrilling enough to have warranted the move and the life change, his new marriage a better fit, the power dynamic more manageable.
He is happy, that is, until he gets a text from a friend back in the UK.
He clicks on the link and reads:
MailOnline | Showbiz
Exclusive
Aoife Doherty looks effortlessly chic as she enjoys coffee with a friend
Irish beauty and full-time bonnet wearer Aoife Doherty, 29, who was caught up in the wrong sort of news last year when the Williams House murderer was revealed to be operating just streets away from her glamorous London pile, is now back in full press tour mode. And it’s safe to say, Aoife will soon be a fixture on our screens now that filming has completed on the final series of the international bodice-ripping hit dramaThe Making of a Lady,with more roles to come down the pipeline.
The Daily Mailcan reveal these latest shots of Aoife walking in the park with close friend, confidante, and the brand strategist behind Doherty’s new cosmetics line, Softest, Frankie Green, 40.
Aoife stunned other Sunday walkers looking shapely, while showcasing her figure in trendy sportswear in an East London Park. Doherty’s hair was styled in an updo that wouldn’t look amiss at a “Fletchely Ball” in her binge-worthy show whilst Green favored a more relaxed look in jeans and a chic sweater.
The pair are now frequently seen together since the arrest and conviction of former NHS doctor, rapist, and murderer Simon Williams, 39, in 2026, just streets away.
And while Green may be newly engaged Aoife is currently taking time out from the dating scene. After being tied to several popular co-stars, and soon to appear in a certain comic-book franchise universe, Doherty appears to have given love the back seat over work for the time being.
When asked about finding Mr Right, in BritishVogue,earlier this month, Aoife’s response was adamant.
“Listen, I think the last thing I need right now is to be worrying about all that.”
But there’s hope still for all the men out there—if they’retall,that is. “God, who knows,” she adds, “like, I’ll probably end up with some tall, moody fella with ten kids in a big country house. But right now, I like the peace of being single, you know?”
Ben’s forehead creases as he scrolls back up to the photos at the top of the article. He wonders if Frankie always looked that good. He doubts it.
