The Heatwave Killing: When a Husband Snapped | 1976 / Gary Toms / Harold Evans

2026-03-04

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In the summer of 1976, one of the hottest on record, a young man's body was found in a ditch on a lonely Leicestershire road. At first, it looked like a hit-and-run. It wasn’t. 25-year-old plumber Gary Toms had been in a relationship with a married woman named Marlene Evans. Her estranged husband, Harold Evans, had spent months watching the relationship develop, attending court for breach of the peace, attempting suicide, and quietly acquiring a pistol. Was this a man pushed beyond breaking point, or a calculated, premeditated murder d...

In the summer of 1976, one of the hottest on record, a young man's body was found in a ditch on a lonely Leicestershire road. At first, it looked like a hit-and-run. It wasn’t. 25-year-old plumber Gary Toms had been in a relationship with a married woman named Marlene Evans. Her estranged husband, Harold Evans, had spent months watching the relationship develop, attending court for breach of the peace, attempting suicide, and quietly acquiring a pistol. Was this a man pushed beyond breaking point, or a calculated, premeditated murder dressed up as provocation?…

*** LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVISED ***

This episode was researched and written by Eileen Macfarlane.

Edited by Joel Porter at Dot Dot Dot Productions.

Script editing, additional writing, illustrations and production direction by Rosanna Fitton.

Narration, additional audio editing and mixing, and script editing by Benjamin Fitton.

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