Fox said Climbié's case amounted to "a shocking tale of individual professional failure and systemic incompetence".

But there was a problem with the shocking tale: It was a complete fabrication.

That reflex was provoked again last week by two shocking tales of child abuse.

A shocking tale of murder and corruption in which Mr. Barnard never loses control of his polished form.

Such is the appetite for shocking tales that book and movie deals are often far along before the jury has had time to decide who did what.

"This has been a shocking tale of deceit, coverup and lies," Mr. Matthews said in an interview.

Eva Trout, published in the UK in 1969, is a strange and ultimately shocking tale.

In all its versions, "Judgment at Nuremberg" tells a shocking tale about banal human beings.

Despite the fact that this is Masterton's first novel it's still a surprisingly shocking tale.

Hardest hit were the Chinese, whose businesses were looted and destroyed - shocking tales of rape and murder emerged after the riots.