hausoftruecrim
In 1991 a steelworker named Albert Dryden retired from his job in Butsfield, County Durnham, and decided to build a bungalow for his elderly mother in a leased patch of countryside. His application for a building permit was rejected on the grounds that the structure would marr the landscape. Dryden went ahead and built the bungalow anyway, sparking a huge row with chief planning officer Harry Collinson.

Dryden was ordered to dismantle the property under supervision by Collinson on June 20th. Their legal battle had drawn the interest of the media, and a dozen journalists and cameras turned up to film the supervised demolition. When the cameras began rolling, Dryden calmly approached Collinson, pulled out an antique pistol, and shot him dead. As shocked news crews captured Collinson’s final seconds, Dryden peacefully surrendered to police.

Alfred Dryden was sentenced to life in prison and never expressed remorse for killing the planning officer. He was something of a cult hero in jail, and in October 2017 he was granted parole after suffering a heart attack.
A subsequent search of the property and Dryden’s home at Priestman Avenue, Consett, uncovered 10 handguns, 15 rifles, 3 shotguns, 2 homemade mortars with 8 projectiles, an improvised propane bomb, and a 20mm cannon modified to be attached to one of his vehicles.[25][26] Dryden had no firearms license, and all the weapons were illegally held.