The story of June Gibbons and her twin Jennifer has been told many times but now June reveals the truth about their life in Broadmoor.
In 1982, after a five-day crime spree of arson, vandalism and theft causing hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage, the pair were sent to Broadmoor Psychiatric Hospital.
They were just 19 years old and during their time there, they came face-to-face with some of the country’s most dangerous criminals including the Yorkshire Ripper and Ronnie Kray.
Their story has been the subject of documentaries, films, books and musicals, but has always been told by someone else. The new eight-part podcast, June: Voice of a Silent Twin, sees June setting out her own first-hand account to reveal the truth.
Narrated by Linda Mitchell, the podcast features exclusive interviews with June and excerpts from the sisters’ private diaries. It tells of the identical twins’ childhood growing up in west Wales, where they dreamed of being writers, to the crime spree that saw them become the youngest women ever to be admitted to Broadmoor.
Speaking in the podcast, June Gibbons said: “I’m pleased people want to hear my voice and it’ll be an ending to a story that’s gone on for so long and this will be the finality of it.”
As daughters of Windrush immigrants who moved to rural Haverfordwest in the seventies, the twins were bullied for their speech impediments and soon withdrew into their own world.
Preferring to write their thoughts in diaries, they refused to talk to anyone else and only spoke to each other. They confined themselves in their bedroom, isolated from the outside world.
When they did decide to start to break free of their self-inflicted isolation at 18, they made headlines for their crimes.
Executive Producer, Karen Voisey said: “You may think you know the story of the ‘Silent Twins’ but think again. Through powerful insight, June’s personal testimony and innermost thoughts and emotions, this podcast reveals so much more.
“It is a deep dive into the disturbing, destructive but often humorous world of June and Jennifer and their years before, during and after their time at the top security Broadmoor Psychiatric Hospital.
“The podcast also dispels the misleading myths that have haunted the sisters for decades. It has been such a privilege to be able to tell June’s story.”
June: Voice of a Silent Twin is available on BBC Sounds.
