Lee Ford: ‘Britain’s most evil stepdad’
When Missing Turns to MurderThe Carnkie Murders is a twisted tale of a man who murdered his wife and four stepchildren in the small Cornish village of Carnkie.
Also known as the Ford family murders, the case shocked the UK when it occurred back in 2000. It also led to the perpetrator, Lee Ford, being known as Britain’s most evil stepdad.
So, how did these horrific murders come to be, and why did Lee Ford commit these heinous crimes against his wife and step-children? Join us here at Crime+Investigation as we dive deeper into the Carnkie Murders. The case is also featured in the new series of When Missing Turns To Murder, available now on Crime+Investigation.
Who was Lesley Ford?
Lesley Ford was born Lesley Margaret Wyatt on 3rd April 1964, in Telford, Shropshire. She was one of three children and was known to be a kind and free-spirited person. Lesley married a man named Michael Tranter, and the two had four children together: Sarah-Jane (born in 1983), Anne-Marie (born in 1984), Steven (born in 1986), and Craig (born in 1987).
Lesley and Michael eventually separated, but they did so amicably and were able to co-parent their four kids. In 1990, Lesley met a man named Lee Ford. The two married and had two children of their own. The family moved to Cornwall in 1995, where Lee took up work as a roofer and a builder while Lesley stayed at home with the children.
Tensions in the Ford family
Tensions began to arise in the Ford family when Lee displayed controlling behavior toward Lesley. Not long after Lesley married Ford, her first husband was only allowed to see their children a few times due to Lee making excuses as to why they couldn’t see him. This controlling behaviour evolved into physical abuse. The move to Carnkie is thought to have been an attempt to isolate Lesley and the kids, due to the small and rural nature of the village.
The biggest issue that the family faced was Lesley’s suspicions regarding Ford and his stepdaughter Sarah-Jane. Lesley believed that Ford was sexually abusing Sarah-Jane, so much so that she had previously approached social services with her concerns.
No action was taken despite Lesley’s contact. Tragically, however, these concerns are believed to be the cause of the fateful argument where Ford snapped and went on to commit the brutal murders.
The murder of Lesley Ford and four of her children
During the summer of 2000, towards the end of August or the beginning of September, Lesley and Ford had a violent argument. Ford's anger boiled over, and he beat Lesley with a bat. He then found a rope in the garage and strangled her to death.
In the 24 hours after Lesley’s death, Ford strangled and killed his four step-children–aged 17, 16, 14, and 13 – one after the other. He did not kill his own two children, whom he had with Lesley. Ford then attempted to hide their bodies by wrapping them up in sheets and burying them in the woodshed in their garden after covering them with lime.
Ford told the school and neighbours that Lesley had left and taken the children with her. He also sent his two kids to stay with their relatives and cancelled a job interview while continuing to live in the house.
The arrest of Lee Ford
It only took a few weeks before the police visited Ford, as Lesley’s brother Peter had reported the family missing. Ford panicked at the sudden visit and attempted to cover his tracks by moving the bodies of Sarah-Jane and Anne-Marie. He reburied them at the edge of a local potato field.
This was not enough to deter police efforts, and on 4th October, Ford was arrested after attempting to flee by going on the run. He admitted to the murders, but did not give a reason for committing the crimes. The bodies were discovered and excavated on the same day.
The trial and conviction
Ford did not give a specific motive for the murders, stating that he had simply 'flipped'. However, the police suspected that Lesley’s concerns about Ford sexually abusing Sarah-Jane were true, and that the subject was the catalyst for their violent argument.
Ford pleaded guilty to five counts of murder in May 2001 and was given five life sentences. Ford is being held at HM Prison Durham, and he will be eligible for parole consideration in October 2027.
Friends and family of Lesley and her children started a petition to fight this, and, as of June 2025, it currently has more than 30,000 signatures.
Want to stay up to date on all things crime-related? Then be sure to subscribe to the Crime+Investigation newsletter. You’ll receive exclusive access to all of our content here at Crime+Investigation.
