Home   Canterbury   News   Article

Canterbury nurse Dale Bolinger 'wanted to murder girl, 14, with axe and eat her' after meeting at Ashford station, Canterbury Crown Court trial hears

A Canterbury nurse chatted with a girl he believed was just 14 about murdering her with an axe and then eating her, it has been alleged today.

Dale Bolinger – who is accused of attempting to meet a child after sexual grooming – then went to Homebase in Broadstairs and bought an axe... just a day before they were due to meet, a court heard.

A jury at Canterbury Crown Court has been told how he was arrested after an FBI investigation in America into internet chats about rape, murder and cannibalism.

Canterbury nurse Dale Bolinger stood trial accused of attempting to meet a child after sexual grooming
Canterbury nurse Dale Bolinger stood trial accused of attempting to meet a child after sexual grooming

The 57-year-old was arrested after his email address – meatmarketman@rocketmail.com – was one of those probed by American police.

Bolinger, formerly of Davidson Road, Canterbury, denies the grooming offence – a charge that followed police probing his chatlogs on a website called Dark Fetish Network.

He is alleged to have travelled to Ashford International station in September 2012 to meet a girl called "Eva" – someone whose true identity is still unknown.

But the two had allegedly talked on the internet about "how he would murder her with an axe or cleaver and then eat her".

The jury heard how he has already pleaded guilty to an offence of administering a poison or noxious substance "with intent to injure, aggrieve or annoy" on a woman in July 2, 2010.

That had involved him putting a cloth soaked in dry cleaning fluid over a female friend's mouth.

An axe for sale on Amazon allegedly sent by Dale Bolinger in a chatroom
An axe for sale on Amazon allegedly sent by Dale Bolinger in a chatroom

Prosecutor Martin Yale said: "DFN is a website for those who fantasise about various things, including cannibalism.

"It is the Crown's case that one of the users that Bolinger befriended on DFN was someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl.

"And having discussed with her his fantasies in relation to her on more than one occasion, made arrangements to meet her with the intention of committing a sexual offence on her."

"During the chat logs, Bolinger also claimed to have eaten a 39-year-old black woman and a five-year-old child..." - prosecutor Martin Yale

It is alleged that Bolinger believed he was talking to a 14-year-old Mexican girl living in Germany who had planned to travel by train to Ashford.

The prosecutor claimed he had told her of the "sorts of sexual acts he would perform on her both before and after her death".

Mr Yale said the allegation followed an investigation by the FBI in New York in September 2012 into chats on line between people discussing "amongst other things raping, killing and cannibalising women".

"One of the email addresses that featured in the FBI enquiry was meatmarketman@rocketmail.com. The FBI obtained information from Yahoo and it transpired that the email account was being accessed via an IP address in Kent.

"That information was then provided to Kent Police so that they could trace the user. Investigations revealed that the user was Dale Bolinger," he claimed.

The former home of Dale Bolinger in Davidson Road, Canterbury
The former home of Dale Bolinger in Davidson Road, Canterbury

The prosecutor said the FBI then provided Kent Police with a disc of the chat logs involving Bolinger containing conversations "making graphic reference to sexual abuse, murder and cannibalism of women and children of a wide range of ages, including a baby."

Mr Yale claimed: "There were discussions about how much more tender the meat is from children. During some of the conversations, Bolinger comments about sexual arousal, clearly showing that he received sexual gratification from his fantasies about cannibalism.


'I'd want to have your body afterwards for food': Chatroom messages read to jury


"During the chat logs, Bolinger also claimed to have eaten a 39-year-old black woman and a five-year-old child and images of females were clearly being exchanged with other users," he claimed.

The jury heard how he began taking to a girl called "Eva" who at first claimed she was 16, but then told him over the internet she was 14.

A Facebook picture shows Dale Bolinger with a pet snake around his neck
A Facebook picture shows Dale Bolinger with a pet snake around his neck

Mr Yale added the two talked about meeting in Kent.

They are alleged to have talked about her death and "she responded that she would like this to happen," he added.

"Bolinger discussed buying an axe and referred her to pictures of axes on the internet and they discussed them."

Police later raided his home and seized a camera that had a picture in which Bolinger is seen holding an axe – a picture he is alleged to have taken of himself in a mirror.

The prosecutor added: "He subsequently appeared to send at least one of the photographs during a chat log with "Hannah Hotwife", saying he had bought the axe for a girl who was after being beheaded, a reference we say to Eva."

Jurors were shown this website Dale Bolinger is said to have sent a link to online
Jurors were shown this website Dale Bolinger is said to have sent a link to online

Two mobile phones from Bolinger were also discovered in which, the Crown allege, shows that he was in the Ashford area between 11.56am and 12.08pm the day he was due to meet "Eva".

"However, Eva did not arrive, something about which he challenged her in the final entries of the chat log the following afternoon," it was claimed.

Mr Yale added: "The Crown say that it is apparent that his intention when he travelled to Ashford International Station was that he would meet 14-year-old Eva and a sexual, offence would take place."

The nurse was interviewed by police in February last year and admitted getting sexual gratification from the chatrooms.

Mr Yale said Bolinger told police he thought that had "more to do with anger at his domineering mother".

Bolinger is surrounded by the media after his arrest
Bolinger is surrounded by the media after his arrest

The prosecutor added: "He accepted that he had tried to meet one woman, but that was more to do with a slavery fetish and she had not turned up.

"He also accepted that he had researched on the internet how to butcher a human carcass but denied that he would ever practice his cannibalism fetish."

In a subsequent interview, Bolinger said he "was curious, but would never have taken matters any further than the chat rooms.

"He said people gave false information in the chat rooms and he took everything that was said 'with a pinch of salt'.

"He said he recalled a conversation with someone purporting to be a 14-year-old girl, but was firmly of the view that she was not," added the prosecutor.

Ashford International Station
Ashford International Station

In August, Bolinger met with officers again and in a prepared statement said he had gone to meet someone purporting to be a 14-year-old, but she had not turned up.

"He said that he had waited for an hour before returning home and said the only reason he went was that if she was a 14 year old, the conversations he had had led him to fear for her personal safety.

"He said that had he actually met a 14-year-old girl he would have contacted the police and social services," added the prosecutor.

The trial, which is expected to last three days, continues.


Stories you might have missed

Councillors' blitz spirit as barn goes up in flames

Man hunted over sex attack

Disabled woman's walking frame stolen in 'revolting' attack

Some-fin to tell your mates - the £1m fish that DIDN'T get away


Close This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.Learn More