Can you guess what were the most read stories on the Richmond and Twickenham Times for 2013?

Unsurprisingly crime stories and major incidents were the most popular with readers.

Here are the top 10 articles in order of how many times they were viewed:

1. Child snatched in churchyard on the way to school

Your Local Guardian:

Parents in Hampton were on alert after a man tried to abduct a nine-year-old girl while she was walking to school.

 

2. Toxic spiders discovered in Twickenham as arachnid spread continues

Your Local Guardian:

False widow spiders were spotted in southeast London and we were being inundated with reports of the eight-legged terrors in Twickenham .

 

3. Police identify body found in River Crane

Your Local Guardian:

The man who drowned in the River Crane was identified by police as 33-year-old Adrian Joseph from Park Close, Hounslow.

 

4. Woman’s body found on parish church grounds

Your Local Guardian:

A woman in her 20s was found dead in the graveyard of St Mary’s Parish Church in Church Lane Twickenham in June.

 

5. Murderer on the run in Richmond

Your Local Guardian:

A killer serving a life sentence for murder was spotted in Richmond town centre and Sheen High Street.

John Murch left Stamford Hill Prison in Kent on August 31 and was admitted to Medway Maritime hospital, Gillingham in Kent with chest pains. He absconded on September 1.

The 52-year-old was serving a life sentence for the murder of a man in a street in Liverpool.

 

6. Body found in water near Crane Park Island

Your Local Guardian:

A dead body was discovered in the river at Crane Park Island in Twickenham in September.

 

7. Woman found dead in Twickenham identified

A 28-year-old woman found dead in a churchyard in Twickenham was identified as Julia Ratajczyk, of Carlton Drive, Putney.

Your Local Guardian:

 

8. Laughing screaming girls close Richmond Bridge for an hour

Your Local Guardian:

Richmond Bridge was closed for more than an hour after it was believed two girls were attempting to jump off the bridge in June.

Witnesses said the girls “appeared drunk” and were “messing about” near the edge of the bridge.

 

9. Teen fined for cycling at 37mph in Richmond Park

A teenager doing 37mph on his push bike in Richmond Park was handed a six-month conditional discharge.

The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, broke the royal park’s 20mph speed limit when he rode down Sawyers Hill.

 

10. Teens stabbed during 30 person fight witnesses claim

Your Local Guardian:

Witnesses described the terrifying scene of a 30-person fight that ended with two teenagers in hospital with stab wounds in March.

Richmond College students waiting at a bus stop near the junction of Whitton Road and Court Way saw a group of people running along Court Way, the road leading up to the college.

Police said they broke up a fight between two men, one 17 and one 18, in the area.

Passerby Lee Hayes said he walked past a cordon and saw blood on the floor and heard an officer talking about how someone was stabbed in the chest.

 

 

And finally... thank you!

The team at the Richmond and Twickenham Times would like to thank all those who read and commented on our articles this year.

We hope that you find our news, sport, leisure and local information service useful and entertaining and we will continue to provide the highest possible standards of reporting for our area in 2014 and beyond.

And have a happy festive season with best wishes for the New Year.

As always, if you have a story to tell, opinion to voice, or have a query, please do not hesitate to contact us on 020 8744 4262 or email drankin@london.newsquest.co.uk.