1 January –Fred West is found hanged in his cell atWinson Green Prison inBirmingham. The 53-year-old had been on remand since February last year, having allegedly murdered 12 people whose bodies were found at three locations in and aroundGloucester. The crimes are believed to have been committed between 1967 and 1987.[1]
10 January –Andy Cole, 23-year-oldNewcastle United striker, becomes the country's most expensive footballer in a £7,000,000 valued deal when he joinsManchester United; £6,000,000 cash is paid for the player, with £1,000,000 valued wingerKeith Gillespie joining Newcastle United as part of the deal.[1]Archived 2008-05-12 at theWayback Machine
27 January – Manchester United fine Eric Cantona £20,000 and suspend him until the end of the season for his kung-fu attack on a Crystal Palace supporter.[2]
George Graham, who has been manager ofArsenal since May 1986 and won six major trophies for them during that time, is dismissed after admitting that he accepted a £425,000 bribe from an agent who handled the transfer ofDanish midfielderJohn Jensen to the club in July 1992.
1 March –Formula One racing driverDamon Hill is banned from driving for seven days after admitting that he drove at 165 mph on theM40 motorway. He is also fined £350 and ordered to pay £25 in costs.
4 March – Andy Cole becomes the first player to score five goals in a Premier League when Manchester United beat the division's bottom placed clubIpswich Town 9–0 atOld Trafford.
15 March – Ronnie Kray, one of theKray Twins, is taken to hospital after suffering a heart attack atBroadmoor secure hospital inBerkshire. He was sentenced tolife imprisonment in 1969 for a series of gangland crimes including the murder of George Cornell.
23 March – Eric Cantona is found guilty of common assault atCroydon Crown Court. The trial judge sentences him to 14 days in prison, but grants him bail pending an appeal against the sentence.The Football Association has since extended his ban from football until 30 September this year and fined him a further £20,000.
31 March – Eric Cantona's prison sentence is quashed on appeal and replaced with a 120-hour community service order.
9 April – Paul Nixon, 35-year-oldCrystal Palace supporter, is crushed to death by a coach during a pub brawl between Manchester United and Crystal Palace fans inWalsall just before theFA Cup semi-final between the two clubs at nearbyVilla Park. The game ends in a 2–2 draw.
13 April – Manchester United beat Crystal Palace 2–0 in the FA Cup semi-final replay at Villa Park, which is attended by just over 18,000 people.
14 May –Blackburn Rovers becomePremier League champions, making them champions of the English league for the first time since 1914. It is also their first major trophy since 1928. Their managerKenny Dalglish, who won the oldFootball League First Division title three times withLiverpool, becomes only the third manager to win English top division league titles with different clubs.
20 May –Everton lift theFA Cup with a 1–0 win overManchester United atWembley Stadium, withPaul Rideout scoring the only goal of the game to give Everton their first major trophy since they were league champions in 1987, and condemn Manchester United to their first trophyless season since 1989.
1 July – Just 48 hours after Dennis Bergkamp's transfer, 24-year-oldStan Collymore becomes the third player this year to set the British football transfer record when he joinsLiverpool fromNottingham Forest for £8,500,000.[3]Archived 2008-12-11 at theWayback Machine
11 August – An inquest records a verdict of accidental death on Jill Phipps, the animal rights campaigner who was knocked down and killed by a lorry during protests atCoventry Airport.
1 October – Eric Cantona returns from his suspension after eight months and scores a late equaliser forManchester United in theirPremier League fixture againstLiverpool.
3 October –Rosemary West goes on trial atWinchesterCrown Court charged with 10 of the 12 murders that were allegedly committed by her late husband Fred. Mrs West denies the charges and argues that all of the murders – not just the two committed before Rose and Fred's marriage in 1970 – were committed by Fred alone.
22 November –Rosemary West is sentenced to life imprisonment for her part in ten murders committed in conjunction with her late husbandFred between 1970 and 1987. The trial judge atWinchester Crown Court recommends that 42-year-old West should never be released from prison. She is to be imprisoned atDurham Prison, to which the notoriousMoors MurdererMyra Hindley was transferred earlier this year.[6]
Three drug dealers, part of the notorious "Essex Boys" gang, are found shot dead in the back of aRange Rover on an isolated country road.
13 December – Rioting breaks out inBrixton following the death of Wayne Douglas, a 26-year-old black man, in police custody. The chaos lasts for five hours and ends with 22 arrests.[8]
21 December –Jack Charlton retires after nearly 10 years as manager of the Republic of Ireland football team, during which time he helped them reach the World Cup quarter-finals in 1990 and the second round in 1994.
