Tuesday 12 November 2013

Who Murdered Eve Stratford & Lynne Weedon

Way back in the mid 70`s I remember the news headlines about the murder of a bunny girl in London.  Back then, a number of murders were real national headlines, but unfortunately today, they would only rate local coverage unless they were truly awful.  Six months later, a young girl was savagely attacked but she died a week later.  It was many years later, in 2007, that DNA technology provided evidence that both women were murdered by the same man.  As of now, the cases remain open with the wait for a match to emerge on the national database.

    Eve Stratford was born in 1953 to an English father and German mother, who moved around until they settled in Aldershot.  It was 1973 and Eve moved to Leyton with her boyfriend, then getting a job as a bunny girl at the Playboy Club in Park Lane.  She had just been photographed as the March centrefold in Playboy magazine.  On  18th March 1975, her boyfriend returned to their flat in Lyndhurst Drive, to a shocking scene.  Eve was dead, partially undressed, stocking wrapped around one ankle and her hands bound by a scarf.  Her throat had been slashed between 8 & 12 times.  Detectives traced her movements for that day, in that she visited Camden & Bayswater.  It was 4.30pm that the occupant of the flat below, heard a male & female voice, then a loud bump.  The killer was never found.

    3rd September 1975, 16 year old Lynne Weedon was taking a shortcut home when she ran into her killer.  She was raped, and then severely beaten with a blunt instrument.  She was found the next morning, miraculously still alive, but a week later, she died without regaining consciousness.  Her killer too, was never found.

    Reviews of unsolved murders take place every couple of years, and the murder of Lynne was reopened in 2004.  With the continuing advances in forensics, this is relied on heavily to hopefully provide evidence, and in 2007, an announcement was made.  The killer of Eve & Lynne was the same man.  BBC programme Crimewatch ran the story, hoping to unearth fresh leads, with an update on the cases provided by DCI Andy Mortimer.  As of now, they are still looking into both cases, hoping that a man`s DNA comes onto the database and closes the cases.  No matter how old the assailant is.

Tracy Buckland - A Victim

Here is another example of some deranged twat who simply could not let go.  Another woman dies at the hand of a man because she dared to end the relationship with HIM.  This unfortunate woman was 42 year old Tracy Buckland, who had gone to collect her two children and granddaughter from former boyfriend Darrell Bacon, in Poole, Dorset.  It was September 9th 2007. 

    Miss Buckland had placed her children in her car when Bacon called her back into his house.  It was then that he attacked with knives, causing massive injuries.  Neighbours and her children heard the screams and phoned Police.  One neighbour took the children into their house out of the way.  Officers banged on the door but Bacon would not respond, so they forced the door open, to find Bacon calmly drinking a can of beer whilst Miss Buckland lay severely wounded on the floor.  Paramedics were swiftly on the scene and tried to save her, but they had to rush her to Poole Hospital, where she later died.

    On December 20th 2007, Bacon was sentenced to a minimum of 13 years, a light sentence in my view, and did not show the slightest remorse for his brutal crime.   Detective Chief Inspector John Crossland commented that it was a callous and premeditated crime.  The Police did their job but in the end, it is in court where the justice takes place and to me, it is lacking in this case.

Mark Hampson - Death Of A Scumbag

Mark Hampson got away with murder for more than a decade, but when justice came knocking on his door, his lawyers had to resort to destroying the character of his victim.  What this shitbag had done to his victim was irrelevant.  It is time to redress the balance.  26 year old shipping clerk Geraldine Palk had been to an office party and was on her way home in Fairwater, Cardiff, and was yards from home when a deviant struck.  The following morning, a schoolboy found her body in a stream.

    Miss Palk had been raped, her throat slashed and stabbed 81 times! The killer had also caused extensive trauma to her head.   A massive hunt interviewed more than 4,700 men and DNA samples taken, but this was in the infancy of this new forensic weapon, and it was just over ten years before advances in technology drew up a profile of the killer.  This was in 2002.  At Bristol Crown Court, Hampson was convicted and sentenced to a minimum of twenty years, but the worst aspect of the case was defence lawyers trying everything to blacken the name and character of Geraldine.  Hampson had just finished four years in Dartmoor for Grievous Bodily Harm, but to defence lawyers, this, no doubt, was of no importance.  They had to destroy Geraldine.  To the lawyers; he stabbed her EIGHTY ONE TIMES.  Again, since when does a victim matter.

    The good news is that Hampson died in Wakefield Prison, otherwise known as "Monster Mansion" in 2007, due to the infamous killers it houses there like child killers Roy Whiting & Ian Huntley.  Death was due to natural causes.  He will NOT be missed.

Sunday 10 November 2013

Amato Wright - Drugged up Scumbag Murderer

There is a never ending list of murder victims, resulting from that stuff that apparently is no big deal; drugs.  One such victim was 71 year old Maria Wright, from Camden in North London, murdered by her drug-addled son Amato, 39.  Her crime?  She refused to fund his £400 a day crack cocaine habit.  That works out at nearly £3000 a week!  Would anybody in their right mind try to find a couple grand a week because of a druggie?  Poor Maria had the misfortune of having a very good bingo win, £2000 but druggie had ideas that the money was now his money for the pusher.

    This piece of shit attacked his mother and started stabbing her in the face, forcing her to tell him her pin number.  That not being enough, he then smashed her skull in with a hammer.  Then, after getting money from a cash point, the scumbag got his beloved drugs from the pusher and had a smoke-up in the same room as his murdered mother.  Police had no trouble in arresting him and charging him.  He tried to fool Psychiatrists by claiming that the drugs had driven him to kill and that he was seeing demons.  Judge Giles Forrester jailed him for a minimum of 28 years. Maria was another victim that the pro-drugs lobby will not want to acknowledge.

The Murder of Gemma Roberts

Gemma Roberts was a young lady of just 18, going about her life, but she had the horrible misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Richard Hanson, aged 21, put an end to her life for no other reason than she was there.  Hanson, from Liversedge in West Yorkshire, had been to his doctor`s with his mother, worried about his mental health.  Later, Hanson told people that he was "Going to take it out on any random person".  It was September 2006.

    Hanson attacked several teenagers in Liversedge, in which Gemma was slashed across the throat with a broken bottle.  He had been smoking Cannabis and drinking.  She died later in hospital.  At Leeds Crown Court, Hanson, who had described himself as a walking timebomb, denied murder but admitted manslaughter, but the Jury were not fooled.  He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment, and Judge Peter Collier told him that he may never be released.

    Psychiatrists stated that Hanson was untreatable.  He had an IQ of 78.  So what.  He made a decision to go out and harm anybody that got in his way.  There is NO EXCUSE!  Not to worry, the apologists and bleeding hearts will be fretting over his "human rights".  What about the civil and human rights of Gemma, to go about her life without threat or assault from any scumbag?  In this world, victims are forgotten about by these do-gooders.  The families and friends of the victims have to live with the loss.  

The Murder of Anne Dunwell

This is a cold case going back to 1964 but looked as if it was going to be solved in 2005 due to advances in forensic technology, but ran into an official problem with patient privilege.  Anne Dunwell was a 13 year old girl who had left her grandparents home on 6th May 1964, in Maltby, near Rotherham, to catch a bus. She never caught it.  The following morning, her nude body was found by a labourer at 7.30am, dumped by a dung heap in Slade Hooton Lane.  She had been raped and then strangled with her own stockings.

    Police launched a manhunt and made an appeal for information about a rusty brown coloured van that had been converted into a mobile store, seen near the Ball Inn on the day of the murder, but the case ran cold for four decades.  It was in November 2002 that a review of unsolved murders, led to a re-examination of items found at the murder scene.  The stockings used to strangle the poor girl, fibres, and her underwear, which had traces on them.  Tests revealed that the assailant had probably had Gonorrhoea.  However, patient confidentiality on sexually transmitted diseases stopped Police learning which local men had treatment for the disease.

    Another appeal brought forward another suspect, a Scotsman named Pete, who was in the Ball Inn drinking Brandy alone.  He was well groomed and smoked Craven cigarettes.  He was a stranger in the village.   Enquiries by Police narrowed the suspects down to two men.  Both were sex offenders, and one had been convicted of murder, but the rules of privilege have prevented Police bringing a possible end to this case.

Friday 8 November 2013

Colin Stagg - An Innocent Man

The story of Colin Stagg will run for generations as an example of British Police tunnel vision and the desire to put somebody away for a notorious crime.  What the most sickening part of this tale is the refusal of the two main protagonists, profiler Paul Britton and cop Keith Pedder, to stand up and publicly admit they got it wrong.  Horribly wrong.  What did emerge was that Police found the murder weapon used on Rachel Nickell, a blood stained knife, on Wimbledon Common. The problem was it did not have the fingerprints of Colin Stagg on it.  The prints on it belonged to Robert Napper, the actual killer.

    The murder of Miss Nickell on Wimbledon Common in 1992, was an horrific event that set off a massive manhunt.  One name that came up was that of Stagg, who had been on the Common that day.  Stagg, a loner, was thought to have been a "bit of a strange one", the label attached to people who do not fit the stereotype of "a good person".  Also, Stagg followed the Wicca religion, which was made into a big thing by the Police and media.  What a load of bollocks!  Some members of my family follow Wicca to a degree and it is no different from any other religion people follow.  You just do not stand in church praying to a cross.....

    Now, as Stagg was a loner, and followed a religion frowned upon by mainstream religions, and it also conjures up images of sacrifices, surely Stagg was the killer!  And he had been near the scene that day.  Clear cut.  But as there was no evidence linking him to the crime, it was decided to use a sting to "get the proof".  An undercover officer referred to as "Lizzie James" wrote to Stagg, hoping to befriend him.  Actually, a neighbour who Stagg got on with, read the letter and told him she thought it was a Police set-up....  But a sexually and socially inexperienced person can make whopping errors of judgement, and say anything to keep the writer interested in them.  James started writing explicit letters, so Stagg responded.  He did not start this.  She did.  Then a meeting in a park, full of cops, making any danger to her a joke, led her to talking about the murder and how it excited her why a person could do it.  Stagg denied any knowledge of it.  Over time, she kept pressing but he kept saying he knew nothing.   Eventually, she said that it was over if he did not say he did it.  He was being pushed to say "I did it" in return for the possibility of sex.  There is a phrase for this; blatant entrapment.

   Stagg was arrested by Pedders` team and charged with murder, spending 14 months on remand.  However, the train derailed when the Judge, displaying common sense, threw it out, calling it "Entrapment of the most reprehensible kind".  The parents of Rachel read a statement saying that the Police were not looking for anybody else.  This spelled out that that stupid Judge had let a sick killer go free.  Scotland Yard Commander John Shatford has publicly stated that he was astonished at that statement and the clear implications.  Stagg suffered years of trial by the media, unaware that Police had fingerprints on the murder weapon.  Those of somebody else.

    Years later, it emerged that sloppy work by Police had allowed Robert Napper to roam free, and if they had done what they were supposed to have done, Rachel, plus Samantha Bisset and her child would be alive today.  Real detective work by DCS Micky Banks led to the arrest of Napper, convinced he was the Chain Gate rapist and the killer of Samantha & her child, and the killer of Rachel.  He asked Paul Britton if he thought they were the work of the same person.  Britton gave an answer that ultimately was an Oldfield-style error of judgement.  Three different assailants.  The Nickell team would not have it that the killer had murdered Rachel because they had their man banged up!   Britton said that the frenzy of attack on Samantha, in her home, was more than the attack on Rachel, in the open, and therefore, different people.  What about the last murder by Jack the Ripper, Mary Kelly, done in a house?  A big amnesia attack , eh?  I am no psychologist but that was the first thing that I thought of, as a comparison.  Surely this man must have heard of these murders way back in 1888!  After the debacle of the trial, both sides blamed each other.  FBI profiler Robert Ressler said they developed tunnel vision, the profile becoming the evidence.  And did not Stagg constantly deny being the killer, even when James was pushing him to say yes, under the threat of leaving him? 

    Robert Napper was convicted of the murders and Colin Stagg was exonerated, once and for all.  I do not know if a number of tabloid newspapers ever apologised for their attacks on him, but Britton and Pedder have kept a thundering silence.  If you are wrong then be a fucking man and stand up, and admit your errors.  Colin Stagg deserves that.

Thursday 7 November 2013

Graham Buck, Peter Halls & Len Delgatty - Victims Of a Scumbag

A big problem we have in this country and that is the total lack of guts and backbone when it comes to dealing with heinous criminals.  A good example is that of a scumbag called Ian John McLoughlin, a 55 year old TRIPLE KILLER.  The Judge was unable to pass a whole life sentence on McLoughlin due to those interfering bastards in Strasbourg, who are only interested in helping scumbags.  The victims do not matter.  These bastards are nothing to do with this country, they are not elected by us, yet, Governments turn into spineless cowards when it comes to standing up to them.  Yet another person worthy of a bag over the head and a rope around it, is given a chance to go out and kill again.  You can argue that the 40 year term given, and scumbag is 55, then he will die in jail.  I am not a pro-hanging fanatic, I believe that a minority can never be rehabilitated, they will never change, and that multiple murders deserve the ultimate punishment.

   Off the soapbox, McLoughlin killed 49 year old Len Delgatty in 1984, beating him to death with a hammer.  He received ten years for manslaughter.  Yet in 1992, he was out and stabbed to death Brighton barman Peter Halls.  Despite committing two killings, McLoughlin was considered fit for day release and in true fashion, went out to rob.  He tricked his way into the home of 86 year old Francis Cory-Wright in the village of Little Gaddesden, and demanded money and the pin number to his bank card.  Mr Wright shouted for help, which alerted neighbour Graham Buck, 66, who was stabbed in the neck by McLoughlin.  Mr Buck died.  

    No doubt Mary Riddel will think that McLoughlin should be shown compassion, yet incredibly, this piece of shit killed three people, one by hammer, two by knife.  A very, very, dirty trail, eh Mary.  Why show mercy for this shitbag, he showed none.  Should have taken him out and put a bullet in his head.


Caryl Chessman - The Red Light Bandit

This case from the late 1940`s was a worldwide "Cause Celebre" in which a habitual criminal named Caryl Chessman was sentenced to death, not for murder but for kidnapping.  The ruckus blew up through the application of a law drafted in California after the kidnapping and murder of the baby of aviation hero, Charles Lindbergh.  Chessman allegedly "kidnapped" two women victims; he dragged them to his car to force them to perform oral sex n him.  This forcible removal of them from their cars, constituted "kidnapping".  So what are the facts?

    Caryl Wittier Chessman was born in St Joseph in Michigan on 27th May 1921, and spent most of his adult life in prison.  He had not long released from a California jail, when he was arrested in Los Angeles, and charged with being "The Red Light Bandit", in which a car would follow  another car, start flashing a red light as if it was a Police car, pull over the car, and rob the occupants. On two occasions, one young girl, 17 year old Mary Alice Meza, was dragged from her car, to the other and forced to perform oral sex on the bandit.  It has been said that the ordeal left her with mental trauma for the rest of her life, she passing away in 2010.  Another woman, Regina Johnson aged 22, was dragged from her car to the bandit`s.

    In July 1948, Chessman faced 17 charges of robbery, rape and kidnapping.  Against strong advice, Chessman elected to defend himself, a decision that may have alienated the jury, along with numerous claims he made;  He was the victim of mistaken identification, he was being framed by cops, he knew who the real bandit was but would not name him, and that his confession had been beaten out of him.  The jury, however, did not buy any of it and convicted him.  He was sentenced to death.  He lasted twelve years on Death Row, the longest ever, back then, and had eight stays of execution.  He wrote four books whilst incarcerated, 3 non-fiction(about his case) and one fiction.  His time ran out on May 2nd 1960, with his execution in the Gas Chamber.  He was being gassed when a call came through granting another stay.  The Warden responded with "The pills have just been dropped" - the cyanide pills had been dropped into the solution that produces lethal gas.

    Chessman wrote Cell 2455 Death Row, Trial by Ordeal, The Face of Justice, and fictional The Kid Was A Killer.  Many believed he was innocent of the crimes, saying that they became convinced after face to face meetings.  But habitual criminals are pathological liars, and  many can bullshit until the cows come home.  As for being framed and beaten, that is very believable, as the LA cops were not all saints.  But as for mistaken identification, to me that does not stand up.  Why?  Simple.  Chessman was ugly and had a distinctive nose, and it would have been a problem to get a number of like people to stand in an ID parade.  If the two victims were adamant in picking Chessman, and not prompted by cops, then the case is clear cut.  He was guilty but the real bone of contention was the punishment.  Judging by some research I did, it appears that the arguments were about the sentence and not about guilt or innocence.   Everybody will have an opinion.  I would be happy to hear yours.

Monday 4 November 2013

The Murder of Angela Wolliscroft

This is one case in which the killer did not get away with it, brought to justice by diligent Police work.  What remains a mystery is why the killer had to shoot a totally non threatening young woman.   The victim was 20 year old Angela Wolliscroft, a teller at Barclays Bank on Upper Ham Road, near Richmond in Surrey.  The tragic events began on 10th November 1975 when a dark skinned man walked in carrying a yellow raincoat and wearing dark glasses.  Concealed inside the raincoat was a double barreled sawn off shotgun.  He pointed the gun at Miss Wolliscroft and demanded money.  She complied and handed over money, but suddenly the gun went off, shattering the safety screen and severely wounding her.  The gunman then made his escape.  Miss Wolliscroft died on the way to hospital.  This was now murder.

     The raincoat had been dropped and when examined, a piece of paper was found inside one of the pockets.  It was an entry form for a wine making competition with "Grahame" written on it, and the form was traced to a Miss Marshall.  The man leading the hunt, Jim Sewell, sent men to question Miss Marshall.  They were told that she had parked her car, an Austin A40, at Bentall`s in Kingston, Surrey, and when she returned to it, she realised it had been moved and a yellow raincoat and sunglasses were missing.  The car matched the description of the car seen with the robber inside.

    Jim Sewell received a tip off saying that the gunman was a violent criminal named Michael Hart, and that he was seen in Basingstoke putting a shotgun into a car.  When he was questioned, he gave an alibi that was verified. Things began to slowly unravel when Hart was involved in an incident that gave police the opportunity to search his home.  This was three weeks after the murder of Miss Wolliscroft.  They discovered a .22 Hendal Automatic and some Eley No 7 shotgun cartridges, used for trapshooting.  These were different from the cartridge that killed Angela.  That was a gameshot cartridge.  The cartridges were checked carefully and discovered to be gameshot.  So men were sent to the manufacturers in Birmingham, to which they were told that a small batch had been wrongly labelled.  These had been sent to a gunsmith in Reading, which had been robbed on 4th November.  The automatic handgun had been stolen from there, along with shotgun shells., and a double barreled Reilly shotgun

    On 20th January 1977, Hart was arrested and charged with murder.  He claimed that the gun had gone off accidentally.  He told Police where he had thrown it into the River Thames, where a diver recovered it.  It was tested for pull pressure, which showed it needed a great deal of pressure to fire it.  It also contained two shells, one used, one not.  Both were incorrectly labelled for trapshooting, being gameshot.  Later on in the year, on 3rd November 1977, Hart was sentenced to a minimum of twenty five years in prison, being released in November 2002.

Sunday 3 November 2013

The Murder of Stephen Jennings

This was a missing child case that occurred in 1962 but was not solved until a curious dog unearthed remains in 1988.  Stephen Jennings was just three years old when his father reported him missing in the West Yorkshire village of Gomersal, a few miles outside of Bradford.  A very intensive search was made by Police and volunteers, including the father, William Jennings.  The toddler was never found.  Just over twenty five years later,  Malcolm Burton was out walking with his little terrier dog by a small wooded spot when the dog started digging in earnest.  Mr Burton went to see what his dog had gotten excited about, he moved small rocks and bracken, and thought it was a dolls head at first, then realised to his horror, it was a small skull.

    Police were quickly on the scene, and a forensic team carefully removed stones, bracken and soil, to reveal a child`s skeleton.  It was quickly established that this was the missing toddler, Stephen Jennings.  The history of the family then came to light.  The Jennings` had three children and all were abused by their father, regularly.  After Stephen went missing, the abuse continued, resulting in both parents being jailed for eighteen months.  After they emerged from jail, the wife divorced her husband, with him moving to the Midlands.

    Police travelled to the Midlands to see William Jennings and the detective in charge, had been a young Constable involved in the initial search for Stephen.  They decided to try a strategy in order to get him to confess.  Rather than confront him and have him clam up or a Solicitor to advise him to say nothing, they decided to say nothing and let his mind take over.  As they got closer and closer to Gomersal, he decided to start talking, eventually admitting it.  They made notes as to what he said, had him check what they had written and he signed it.  He appeared in court in 1989, claiming that he snapped when Stephen soiled his bed but this was rejected by the Prosecution and the Jury and he was sentenced to life.  It took twenty five years but thank god for the curiosity of a dog.

Saturday 2 November 2013

The Murder of Paul Savage

Ten years on, this brutal murder remains unsolved, despite reinvestigations by North Wales Police over the years, and the arrest in 2005 of nearly a dozen people.  The victim was Postman Paul Savage, a 30 year old man with a family, who was beaten to death by two assailants whilst he was out doing his deliveries.  He was attacked in Clayton Road in Mold on 4th February 2003.  He was found on the driveway of Flintshire councillor, Ray Dodd, lying in a pool of blood.  He had massive injuries to his head, which saw him rushed to the Wrexham Maelor Hospital, but he died shortly afterwards.

    Mr Savage was originally from Sale near Manchester and had recently moved with his family to North Wales.  Police aid that they knew the motive for the attack but would not elaborate any further.  Later, a rumour spread that it was drugs related.  There has been no charges over the crime, despite case reviews.  In 2005, eleven people from North Wales and Cheshire were arrested in connection to a review of the case.  The arrests were in connection to drug trafficking, Grievous Bodily Harm and burglary.  A young man originally from North Wales, was arrested in Maastricht, in Holland.  Another review in 2010 resulted in searches of fields close to the murder scene, with items discovered being subjected to forensic testing.  This, however, did not bring any charges, and his family hope that one day the killers will be brought to justice.

Friday 1 November 2013

Colin Ireland - The Gay Slayer

This serial killer became one simply because he wanted to.  The victims he chose were gay men that he picked up in gay bars, robbed them and then strangled them.  But because he was not getting the publicity he craved, he took to phoning the Police.  Five men were murdered simply for fame.  This is how low society has sunk.  Ireland was born on 16th March 1954, and had not come on the Police radar, and was living in Southend when he decided to launch his quest for "fame".  Ireland started frequenting a gay pub, The Coleherne, in West London.  Some of the patrons used colour coded handkerchiefs, indicating their sexual preferences, which included S&M.  Ireland had been married but it did not last.  

    Ireland was ready to begin his quest for "fame", and had his murder kit, comprising of rope & handcuffs, plus a change of clothes for each murder.  His first victim was Peter Walker, aged 45, a choreographer.  He was suffocated.  Ireland then cleaned up the flat to remove any forensic evidence, put a condom in the victim`s mouth, then left in the morning, so as not to be seen leaving in the night.  He saw nothing in the newspapers about it, so he called the Samaritans and then The Sun newspaper telling what he had done.   Next, was Christopher Dunn, a 37 year old Librarian.  They went to his flat in Wealdstone.  When his body was found, it was initially believed to have been an auto-erotic game gone wrong.  There was no connection to the murder of Peter Walker.  Perry Bradley 111 was victim number 3.  He was a 35 year old businessman who lived in Kensington that Ireland picked up in the Coleherne.  He was not keen on the suggestion of bondage but Ireland told him he could not perform without some S&M.  He bound Bradley and put a noose around his neck, then demanded his pin number.  He assured Bradley that he only wanted money, so he got the pin and withdrew money at a cashpoint.  He told Bradley to go to sleep, and that he would leave in the morning.  He realised that Bradley could identify him so he was strangled.

     There was still no big headlines about the murders so he committed his fourth, just three days later.  Andrew Collier was a Housing Officer from Dalston.  He went to Collier`s flat with him, but a disturbance outside brought them to the window.  He touched a bar across the window, which would give Police conclusive proof that he had been there.  He tied up his victim and demanded money.  Collier was not responsive enough so Ireland killed his cat in front of him.  Then he strangled Collier, and did something bizarre.  He put a condom on his victim, and put his penis in the cat`s mouth, whilst positioning the cat, and putting the tail into the victim`s mouth.  He also put a condom in the mouth, linking it to the Walker murder.

    Victim No 5 was chef Emanuel Spiteri, 41.  He was found bound and strangled in his home at Hither Green, which had been set alight.  Police received a call from Ireland about the murder.  But unknown to Ireland, he had been caught on cctv at Charing Cross Station with his victim.  The footage was broadcast and Ireland recognised himself.  He went to Police saying that it was him but he was no killer.  But fingerprints had been found in Collier`s flat, and faced with evidence against him, he confessed.  His confession was very much matter-of-fact, and he did not care about the victims. It was no big deal to him.  He was given a whole life sentence for the five murders and was convicted in December 1993.  He died in prison on 21st February 2012.

Thursday 31 October 2013

James "Whitey" Bulger

This man was at the heart of a major scandal involving corruption in that most hallowed of American institutions, the FBI.  This involved two ruthless killers being informants for the Bureau, whilst the agents of that particular field office kept them notified of any moves that may have been planned against them, turning a blind eye to the serious crimes they committed but the ultimate betrayal of the ideal of J. Edgar Hoover, was turning a blind eye to numerous murders committed by this duo.  The men in question were James J. "Whitey Bulger and his sidekick, Steve "The Rifleman" Flemmi, and it was the Boston office of the FBI that protected them.  The lead cop involved was John Connolly.

    The official reason given for protecting Bulger and his mob was that they were going to help the Bureau break up the Boston arm of La Cosa Nostra.  Bulger was part of the Boston crime scene that included the Mob, the Winter Hill gang, and other smaller gangs. His stronghold area was known as "Southie" or South Boston.  Bulger and Connolly knew each other in their younger days, as they both lived in the same neighbourhood, and Connolly played on the fact that it was he who recruited Bulger & Flemmi as informers, but the reality was that if the Mob were taken out, it left the field clear for Bulger to control Boston, with the Bureau`s protection.  Numerous murders followed with a lack of investigation by the Bureau but one man eventually turned, and that was Kevin Weeks, who had been up to his neck in the crimes with Bulger & Flemmi.  He knew not to talk to the Bureau.  Flemmi and other associates were arrested but Bulger vanished with his girlfriend.  

    Bulger remained at large for twenty years, travelling around the world.  He was reputedly seen here in Manchester but disappeared before Police could find him.  He was eventually arrested in California in 2011, after twenty years in the FBI`s "Ten Most Wanted".  The film "The Departed" with Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio & Matt Damon, is loosely based on Bulger.

Wednesday 30 October 2013

Joe Kenda - The Homicide Hunter

This series about the cases of a real Homicide cop is compulsive viewing for those who wish to see a real life Columbo in action.  Joe  Kenda worked for the Colorado Springs PD, and in his career, he solved nearly four hundred murders, making him a Supercop.  One other cop who was a brilliant investigator and solved around two hundred cases, was the late Lou Smit, the man who demolished the case against the Ramseys, over the murder of their daughter, Jonbenet.  Kenda explains how he approaches each case.  Every little detail or possible scenario is carefully scrutinised, until it can be eliminated.  As is the case in many Police Departments in the United States, Kenda did not have a big squad to investigate everything, so it came down to putting in a lot of graft and time.

    It is good to see a cop who would not be obviously taken in by a tape, or dismiss the possibility of one cops` prime suspect being responsible for other sadistic crimes, or chew out a cop who comes up with a suspect that is totally against the flow.  And that suspect turns out to be the killer.  Kenda does not have tunnel vision, a fault with cops, especially in Britain.  Unfortunately, highly successful cops have a nasty habit of falling foul of their own forces, witness the downfall of Ray Mallon, Bob Booth & Tony Lundy.  There are many great investigators both here and in the US, but many have to fight against the internal forces that bog down homicide detection.

Tuesday 29 October 2013

Prison Life - Part 1

This is a tale from a guy I knew - he died from cancer last year - of some of his experiences in prison.  There will be no "I was a top man" or "I stood up to the screws" etc, etc, beloved of criminal memoirs.  This is from somebody who was been jailed for minor crimes, and he tells of the sort of inmates he came across in the 1970`s & 1980`s, that you never hear about.  I have edited his story down so it is compact, and does not meander, though the tales are interesting.  This is my tribute to the only person I have ever met who was on the same level as myself on the subject of crime.  Tony, this is for you.

    "The worst prison I was ever in was Strangeways in Manchester.  In Armley, there were strong bright strip lights, but Strangeways had like 40 watt bulbs, creating lots of dark corners, and making it a cheap horrible jail.  The screws were National Front mad, wearing little badges with NF on it.  Not surprisingly, they treated the blacks & foreigners really badly.  In those days, it did not matter how old you were, you were all mixed together.  You could go in knowing nothing and come out knowing everything.  Is prison a college?  Yes, it is.  The downside to people going inside for really stupid things such as non-payment of fines or not paying maintenance, would come out as drug addicts, despite never touching drugs before or be addicted to gambling.  People would even gamble on flies on the wall!

    I was given a job as a hospital cleaner.  The men put in there were suicide attempts, guys who had just been given a life sentence, or were on remand for murder.  They were on suicide watch.  There was one guy, a Pakistani, who had fell in love with a neighbour, a young Asian lass, but he had never spoken to her.  He was much older than her.  Then she got married and he thought she had done the dirty on him.  He broke into her home and killed her, then left her husband for dead, but he lived.  Another guy, he killed a woman. He knocked on her door and asked if her husband was in.  When she said no, he stabbed her death on the doorstep.  This kid had never been in trouble in his life.  He was brought out of his cell for a shave, and he 
had a decent head of hair except for a bald spot , like a monk.  I asked a screw what was up with him, but was told, "No time for talking"  Later on, a screw took me to his cell and told me to look through the peephole.  The guy is wanking!  I turned to the screw and said "I can`t watch this!"  "Keep watching.  Now you`ll know why he has a bald spot"  Suddenly he starts pulling his hair out.  The screw says this lad cannot orgasm.  He gets so close and then tears his hair out in frustration.  Judging by the charge and evidence against him, he decided he needed a woman and knocked on the first door he came to but ended up stabbing the woman to death.  

    When he was weighed off, he got diminished responsibility.  He had been a bird watcher, boy scout of the year, never been in trouble at all, then he does this.  The screw said "When you work down here for long enough, you see allsorts."  On Bonfire night (November 5th) an arsonist was in, and with rockets and all that going off, the kid was hyped up.  One screw pulled down the peephole and said "Hey, I`ve lit a sparkler for you"  The kid has his hand through the hatch, "Go on boss, give it me, give it t me"  The sparkler goes out but this kid still had his hand through the hatch "Give me some ash, boss!"  "Here you are" says the screw, putting some ash into the kid`s hand, and he`s stroking the ash.  He was in for burning a school down"

    This is just an edited version of the story he told me.  I will put more on later.

    

Sunday 27 October 2013

Kenneth Erskine - Serial Killer

This man is not one of your well known killers, yet he ranks as dangerous as any British serial killer.  His targets were both elderly men and women, in which they would be sexually assaulted and strangled.  His rampage began in April 1986 and ended in July 1986, with seven known victims and another four he is suspected of.  He was handed one of the heaviest sentences ever given in a British court, a recommended minimum of 40 years.  The sort of sentence that would have the whingeing apologists screaming, yet conveniently forgetting how many victims this scumbag killed.

    Erskine was born in 1963 to an English mother and Antiguan father, but he was shunted between foster homes in his early life.  He drifted into crime and was such a prolific burglar that he was able to open ten bank accounts with the proceeds.  Mental health issues have been put forward as the reasons for his murderous spree but this was 18 years after he was caught.  His first victim was 78 year old Eileen Emms, raped and strangled in her home in Wandsworth on 9th April 1986.  Two months later, he murdered another old lady, 67 year old Janet Cockett, in her Stockwell flat on 9th June.  Crucially, Erskine left a palm print in the flat. He then committed a double murder at a Stockwell residential home.  His victims were Valentine Gleim, 84, & Zbigniew Strabawa, 94.  They were sexually assaulted and strangled.  The press dubbed the killer "The Stockwell Strangler".

    Now the next elderly person to suffer was 84 year old William Carmen, who was molested and then strangled in his Islington.  Erskine then moved on returned to his Stockwell killing zone and strangled William Downes, 74 on 21st July.  His last known victim was 83 year old widow Florence Tisdall, murdered in a Fulham retirement complex.  He was arrested in a social security office on 28th July and charged with seven murders.  Police had matched the palm print to him, and he was identified in a line-up by a 74 year old man he had attempted to strangle a month before.

    Incredibly, during his trial, Erskine was masturbating as he sat in the dock.  The Judge sent him down for no less than 40 years.  The psychiatric reports on him were done in 2004, and in 2009, the Court of Appeal accepted that he suffered from Chronic Schizophrenia and Anti-Personality Disorder and reduced the murder convictions to manslaughter.  Erskine was sent to Broadmoor, and is eligible to apply for parole in 2028, which, no doubt the way parole boards operate in this country, he will be considered fit for release and thus filling the community wherever he is put, with fear.  But their fears will mean nothing.  Erskine murdered seven people, and is suspected of four more, including 81 year old Wilfred P{arkes in Stockwell & 75 year old Trevor Thomas in Lambeth, but, hey, we should show compassion.  After all, Erskine didn`t. 

Road Rats MC

This club is one of the oldest in the country but they are also one of the most fearsome.  They do not make apologies for what they have been involved in.  One famous incident that brought them to public attention was a confrontation on Chelsea Bridge on 17th October 1970.  The protagonists were, on one side, the Essex & Chelsea Nomads, and opposing them, were the Road Rats, The Nightingales  The Windsors(long before they were granted a HA charter)& The Jokers.  One of the Nomads was killed, and a number of others arrested.  One of the Road Rats, 20 year old Paul Luttman, was jailed for twelve years.

    The RR again made a headline splash was at Cookham on 18th September 1983, at a Hells Angels party.  Versions vary as to what happened, but it was said that a woman was staked out in a tent and bikers lied up to rape her, and a fight broke out.  Another version has a photograph being taken, to which bikers objected to, that is being photographed in their colours and being identifiable. What is not in dispute, is that two Road Rats, Colin Bunting & Ozzie Harrison were killed.  Four of the Rats were said to have forced twenty of Satan`s Slaves into a small building, using axes and knives, then set the place alight, but things were quietened down by the Hells Angels.  Four were badly wounded and the Police arrested fifty one.  

    Exactly how many members of the Road Rats, over the years, have been killed or jailed, is testament to just how they do not take prisoners.  There are some of the Slaves where I come from; in fact one lived two streets away, and some of the Slaves from around here, where I live now, periodically go over to visit them, and drink in the pub I did before I moved.  The only bike gang that existed around there was in Chester and called the Renegades, but there is no doubt in my mind, if they ran into the Road Rats, they would soon realise they would be way out of their depth.  I remember in my roadying days, one member of the group telling the young singer about biker gigs he(bassist) and the guitarist did.  "You have bikers in Chester & Wrexham but these are in a totally different league".  These gigs were for a bike club around the Chorley/Lancashire area.

    UPDATE:  Howard Smedley has a right to reply and wants the following facts published to set the record straight.  On October 17th 1970 on Chelsea Bridge, the stand off was between the Essex & Chelsea Nomads and The Road Rats/ Nightingales/Windsors & Jokers. Subsequent reports of a fatality are incorrect.  Peter Howson, from the Essex Nomads was shot and wounded.  He was later jailed for a shooting in the New Forest, then later went to Brighton University where he gained a PhD.  There were a number of arrests and one Road Rat, Paul Lutman, was jailed for twelve years.  

    The incident at Cookham Dean in September 1983 does not have just the version provided by the media.  One story as that a woman was staked out to be raped by the bikers and a fight broke out.  Another was that a photograph was taken showing bikers in their colours and also identifying them.  The brawl with Satan`s Slaves resulted in two deaths.  Rats Colin Bunting & Mike Harrison.  Twenty Slaves were forced into a small building and it set alight.  The Hells Angels calmed the situation.  Four were badly wounded and fifty one arrested.  Most of the RR & HA left the scene and some took up to a month to be arrested.  Mr Smedley points out that the photograph incident is true, but much involving the RR is rubbish printed by the media.   Thank you to Mr Smedley.

Saturday 26 October 2013

Clara Harris - A Woman Scorned

Clara Harris was a woman scorned.  Cast aside for a younger woman, she exploded into deadly violence that saw her kill her husband.  Clara married David Harris on Valentines Day - February 14th 1992.  They had two children plus a daughter from David`s first marriage.  He was an Orthodontist, and his success spread to owning a number of Orthodontist Surgeries.  The Harris` lived the good life and had settled in Friendswood in Texas.  They owned their own cars  with Clara driving a Mercedes Benz.  Some years later David had started an affair with receptionist Gail Bridges, a younger woman. 

    Clara decided to try to win her husband back by going regularly to the gym, to tone up her body, had breast implants and visited tanning shops.  All this she hoped would show her husband that she was as good as a younger woman.  But this did not work.  Clara had hired a private detective agency to get the goods on David, and it was on July 24th 2002, the private dick told her that David was at the Hilton Hotel with Gail Bridges.  Clara drove to the Hilton with her step-daughter Lindsey.  It was stated that Clara attacked Gail in the Hotel and that staff had to escort her out to her car.  She did not drive away but waited for the couple to emerge from the hotel.  When they did, she ran him down, but that not being enough, she reversed and then drove over him again, a couple of times.

    Lindsey had witnessed her step-mother kill her father, and she recounted what she had witnessed to the court.  The episode had so traumatised her that she had attempted suicide four times.  The detective agency had been at the scene and they had actually filmed what happened, making devastating evidence.  Clara was convicted and sentenced to twenty years in prison on February 2003, their wedding anniversary.  She resides at Mountain View Unit in Gainesville in Texas.  She was denied parole in 2011.

Patrick Higgins - Child Killer

This case was one of the major forensic breakthroughs in the early 20th century and the first major case involving legendary pathologist Sydney Smith.  Yet it involved a most appalling case of child murder by the father, and was brought to justice by fantastic forensic work by Smith & Prof. Harvey Littlejohn.  This tragic tale began in 1913 when two farmers were walking by a flooded quarry, outside of Edinburgh, when they spotted what looked like a big bundle of rags in the water.  Picking up a long branch, they brought the bundle closer when they realised it was the bodies of two young children tied together.  They immediately went for the Police, who had the bodies removed and sent to Prof. Littlejohn.

    The children`s bodies were badly waterlogged, and the presence of adipocere told Smith that the bodies had been in the quarry for between 18 & 24 months.  The adipocere actually preserved the stomach contents, and these were vegetables, so Smith deduced that the vegetables were seasonal and put the time of death at some time at the end of 1911.  He also made a crucial discovery, that broke the case.  A shirt worn by one of the deceased had a mark on it that was the sign of the Dysart Poorhouse, and this led them to Patrick Higgins, a widower and drunkard.  He had been unable to look after his children so he put them in the Dysart Poorhouse but had been unable to pay the small fees, for which he had gone to prison. He took his children out of the Poorhouse and went for a walk with them down to the quarry......

    In September 1913, Higgins stood trial for double murder but pleaded temporary insanity.  This was rejected by the Jury and he was sentenced to death.  He was hanged on 2nd October 1913.  Sydney Smith went on to become one of Britain`s greatest pathologists of the 20th century.

Friday 25 October 2013

Rena Salmon & The Murder of Lorna Stewart

Rena Salmon was a woman scorned but in this case, it was not the wayward spouse that was killed, but his pregnant girlfriend.  Rena went to the salon of her rival and shot her twice with a shotgun that belonged to her husband.  Then she calmly called Police, admitting to what she had done.  She said that she had originally intended to commit suicide in the salon, but shot Lorna Stewart, 36, instead.

    Rena Salmon had married Paul Salmon in 1985, and had two children.  He worked as an IT consultant and earned very good money, giving his family a good life, and good home in Great Shefford in Buckinghamshire.  But years later, things had changed.  Rena had learned from the husband of Lorna Stewart, that her husband and his wife were having an affair.  Paul Salmon had moved into a flat in Iver, Buckinghamshire.  Lorna Stewart and her children had been taken to Australia by her husband in an attempt to save their marriage, but she came back to the UK and moved into Paul Salmons` flat.  He had also started divorce proceedings.  He was 42 and his wife, 43.  Rena hired a locksmith on 5th September 2002 to open a secure cabinet containing her husbands` guns, and then on 10th September, the former Army Corporal went to the beauty salon run by her love rival, situated in Chiswick, West London.

    She walked in, and according to witness Lindsey Rees, Lorna said to Rena "Have you come to shoot me?" "Yes" was the reply, and two shots rang out.  Then Rena picked up the telephone and called the Police, telling them that she had just shot her husband`s mistress.  She did not deny killing Mrs Stewart, in court, but denied murder, claiming diminished responsibility.  The Jury did not believe her and convicted her on a 10-2 majority.  Paul Salmon had told the court that Rena had attacked Lorna in her own home, had attempted suicide and even spoke of killing her children.  She was sentenced to life imprisonment

The Muriel McKay Kidnap & Murder

This is a case I remember when I was young as it dominated the news media for months, and the fact that Mrs McKay was never found.  What happened was that the kidnappers snatched the wrong person.  The intended target was Ana Murdoch, wife of media mogul, Rupert Murdoch, but the woman taken was Muriel McKay, wife of his deputy, Alick.  The kidnappers were two Trinidadians, Arthur & Nizamodeen Hosein.  Arthur Hosein came to Britain as a tailor`s cutter, did some national service, then married a German girl named Elsa.  1967 saw him buy a farmhouse on the Hertfordshire/Essex border.  Later a plan to make money was hatched with his brother.  They decided on the owner of the News of The World newspaper, Rupert Murdoch, and followed his limousine to an address in Wimbledon.  They did not know that the Murdochs were on holiday, and the McKays were staying at his home.

    It was at 7.45pm on 29th December 1969, that Alick McKay came home to find the house in disarray and his wife missing.  He ran the story in the Murdoch newspapers, despite Police pleas not to.  He received a phone call with a male voice saying "We are mafia M3" and that they took his wife because Ana Murdoch was not there.  He demanded £1,000,000 or she died. A note was received with his wife pleading for her husband to get her released.  Alick McKay and his daughter Diane made a TV appeal to the kidnappers that they could nt get their hands on that much money.  On New Year`s Day, Mr McKay received a call telling him to get the money or else.  A doctor went on TV stating that Mrs McKay needed medication or she could die.  Mr McKay sent his friend Eric Cutler to see a Dutch clairvoyant, Gerard Croiset, who said she was being held in a place on the Herts/Essex border.  Police made searches of border areas but found nothing.

    The McKays received a call on 1st February, telling them that the son, Ian, was to put £500,000 in cases and go to a crossroads on the A10 road.  A cop went in his place but nobody showed up.  They called again on the 6th, saying that Alick & Diane were to take the train to Epping, wait for a call, then take a taxi to Bishops Stortford, leave the cases by a mini van that was parked by a garage, and leave.  Again, cops went in their place.  However, somebody not knowing about the operation, reported the cases to the Police, and a Volvo was seen repeatedly passing the cases.  A registration check led them to Arthur Hosein, owner of Rooks Farm, on the Herts/Essex border.  His fingerprints were found on the ransom demand, and he and his brother were arrested and charged.  Police scoured the farm and surrounding area for weeks, but there was no trace of Muriel McKay.

    They were put on trial at the Old Bailey on 14th September 1970.  They blamed each other.  Convicted without a body, Arthur Hosein received life, plus 25 years for kidnapping, 14 years for blackmail & 10 years for sending threatening letters.  Nizamodeen received the same sentences except for kidnapping, which he received 15 years.  It is not surprising to know that they have been out of prison for many years, which made their sentences a joke.  They have NEVER told what they did to Mrs McKay, yet a parole board gave them release!  The belief is that they killed Mrs McKay and fed her body to pigs, hence absolutely no trace.  A terrible crime and a travesty of so-called punishment.

    An update and correction to this post; Nizamodeen was released but Arthur was consistently denied parole, causing him to complain to the European Court of Criminals - Sorry Human - Rights in 1985 & 1996, dying in Ashworth secure hospital around 2009.  The younger brother was paroled whilst being allowed to remain silent about what happened to Mrs McKay.  Great `eh!  Thanks to Sublimeport for the corrections.

Thursday 24 October 2013

The Shooting of Stephen Waldorf

This notorious case highlighted the use of lethal force by the Police.  What made it all the more appalling was that they had almost shot to death, the wrong man.  Not content with pumping bullets into a severely wounded man, one of the officers then proceeded to violently pistol whip the victim into unconsciousness.  What made the Police start firing in a crowded street, and firing into a car with passengers?  The train of events began on 5th August 1982 when a man called David Martin, disguised as a security guard, entered a private cinema in Portman Close in the West End of London to rob it, but it went wrong, and Martin tried to escape.  Police were quickly on the scene, but Martin was armed, and he opened fire on the Police, seriously wounding one officer.  Martin escaped.

    He went to ground but was traced to Crawford Place, located off the Edgeware Road in September.  Police moved in and found Martin disguised as a woman.  He drew two guns but before he could use any, he was shot and wounded by Police.  He was in the cells at Marlborough Street Magistrates Court, but again, managed to escape. It was December 24th. Police now knew he had a woman friend, Susan Stephens, and she was put under surveillance.  She had received phone calls from Martin.

    14th January 1983 saw Susan Stephens travelling in the back of a hired Mini.  Driving was a friend Lester Purdey.  In the front passenger seat was film editor Stephen Waldorf.  Unknown to them, they were being trailed by a car with armed Police officers inside.  Only one knew what Martin looked like.  They were stuck in traffic in Pembroke Court, in the Earls Court area of London.  One officer approached the car on foot, DC Finch, who claimed the driver seen him, spoke to the passenger, who reached for the back seat.  Finch fired two shots into the near side rear tyre, then shot four times at Stephen Waldorf.  The other armed cop, DC Jardine, fired five shots through the rear window at Waldorf.  Lester Purdey leapt out of the car and ran,  Waldorf tried to follow Purdey despite serious injuries.  He was shot twice through the open door by Jardine.  Waldorf later remembered somebody putting a gun to his forehead, then saying "OK cocksucker!" then pulling the trigger, but his gun was empty.  Waldorf was then brutally pistol whipped as he lay critically injured, handcuffed and  dragged onto the pavement.  Susan Stephens was dragged screaming hysterically , from the car.  Stephen Waldorf had serious head, abdomen & liver injuries.  Miraculously, he survived.

    David Martin was later arrested again.  When challenged, he ran into West Hampstead Tube Station, but was arrested without incident.  He was convicted in court of the attempted murder of PC Nicholas Carr and sentenced to life.  He later committed suicide in prison.  Stephen Waldorf made a complete recovery and received £150,000 in compensation from the Police and Sue Stephens received £10,000 in compensation.  Finch & Jardine went on trial for attempted murder but were cleared.  The general consensus at the time, felt that the Judge`s summing up gave the Police a licence to shoot to kill, regardless of the situation.  Police firearms training has improved considerably but there are still serious incidents of unarmed people being shot dead, producing the claim that we are now very close to government sanctioned death squads. The fact that the officers were cleared means I cannot give my opinion on the actions due to our gracious libel laws.

Wednesday 23 October 2013

Triple Killer Barry Prudom

This episode from the early 80`s showed a forward thinking Police Chief bringing in an expert tracker to locate a man escaping from surrounded areas, and this tracker leading Police to his hideout, which resulted in death.  This man, Barry Peter Prudom, became dubbed by the media "The Phantom in The Forest" but there was nothing glamorous about this vicious killer.  He murdered two Police Officers, attempted to murder another and cold bloodedly shot a tied up couple in the head.  The lady survived but her husband died.  This was no hero.

    Prudom was born Edwards in Leeds in 1944 but his mother remarried some years later to Alex Prudom and he changed his name.  He ended up in an approved school during his teenage years but after leaving Meanwood Secondary School, he got an apprenticeship as an Electrician.  In 1965, he married Gillian Wilson and had two children.  In 1969, Prudom joined B Squadron 23 Special Air Service (V) based in Leeds but was rejected for being unstable and a lack of discipline.  He started a job as a grocer and even worked in Saudi Arabia to bring in more money.  Whilst in the Middle East, his wife left him for another man and cleaned out the bank account.  He hooked up with a woman named Carol Francis, and travelled around, even working in Canada and the US.

    Back in the UK, 1982, Prudom was arrested and charged with a violent assault but failed to appear in court and so a warrant was issued for his arrest.  Prudom had with him a gun that he smuggled in from the US. On 17th June 1982, PC David Haigh went to serve a summons on a poacher near Harrogate, but was not heard from. A colleague found his car near Norwood Edge, and PC Haigh dead from a shot to the head.  An enquiry cleared the poacher and a man whose name was written on PC Haigh`s clipboard.  Prudom was in a green Citroen, which was seen by the murder site, and the diligent work of an officer put a name to the suspect; Prudom. The car was found burned out by Ledsham in West Yorkshire.  Prudom made his way to Torksey in Lincolnshire, where he broke into the home of pensioner Freda Jackson.  He tied her up, stole money then left her.  He moved on to nearby Girton, where again he broke into a house.  He tied up the occupants then ruthlessly shot the couple in the head.  George Luckett died, but miraculously, Sylvia Luckett survived and somehow broke free of her bonds and reached a neighbours` house.

    Now Prudom was at Bickley where Police dog handler Ken Oliver challenged him.  He responded by shooting PC Oliver in the face, and as he staggered for cover, shot several times more.  His dog attacked Prudom and was shot twice but it survived.  Police converged on Dalby Forest in force and searched for the gunman.  He escaped.  At Old Malton, Police Sergeant David Winter and PC Mick Wood challenged Prudom who shot at them.  Prudom pursued the officers , shooting Sergeant Winter three times.  He died.  Journalists covering the story were actually at this murder scene where Prudom attempted to shoot them, causing them to scatter.  Amongst possessions found, was a survivalist book written by former SAS man Eddie McGee.  Indeed, it transpired that Prudom had attended some of McGee`s survivalist classes.

   McGee was brought in and started tracing the fugitive.  The town of Malton was sealed off by Police who believed Prudom was still there.  He broke into another pensioners home, taking them and their son hostage.  He shared a meal with them , tied them up and left.  He had a shelter rigged up, 300 yards from the Police station where the centre of operations was based.  McGee noticed dew drops disturbed on grass and followed a trail to a shelter.  The Police moved in, and threw some stun grenades by the shelter.  A shot rang out, so the order to fire was given.  Prudom was found with a bullet wound to the side of the head.  He had taken his own life.  Prudom lies buried in an unmarked grave in Harehills Cemetery in Leeds.  In 2011, Ken Oliver, the officer seriously wounded by Prudom, passed away.

Monday 21 October 2013

The Murders of Annie Eels & Samantha Tapper

This brutal double murder at least had one redeeming factor and that is the twisted bastard who committed it was caught and received a minimum of twenty five years.  What drove the killer to murder two women was that he was a gambling addict who owed around £16,500 to banks and credit companies, and thought that their place of work would provide a nice sum of money.  They worked at Rachael`s Health Studio, a massage parlour, in Shrewsbury town centre.  Annie Eels, 55, was simply the receptionist and not involved in any illicit goings-on.  The other victim, Samantha Tapper, 23, was a prostitute.

   Garry Harding, 22, from Welshpool, Powys, had waited in Shrewsbury Town Centre, passing the time reading a newspaper, and keeping observation on the parlour until he knew they were alone.  He had a blunt instrument with him.  Before he had spent time scouring the internet on various methods of killing, showing premeditation.  He knew the studio as he had used it for sex with prostitutes.  It was July 1st 2006 when Harding made his move.  He entered the studio posing as a client but immediately attacked Mrs Eels, from LLansantffraid in Powys, striking her at least 16 times with what may have been a hammer.  He then attacked Samantha Tapper, from Wolverhampton, striking her at least 14 times.  Harding then searched for money, finding money that Miss Tapper had made from her clients.  The deceased were found in a front room, in the early hours of 2nd.

    Harding was quickly arrested and put on trial at Birmingham Crown Court.  Three hours into the trial, he pleaded guilty to both murders and was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years, which considering the research into killing he did, was a bit light.  He should have got a whole life sentence, meaning he leaves prison in a pine box.  A pity.

Sunday 20 October 2013

The Unsolved Murder of Brenda Evans

Another unsolved Chester murder was that of 17 years old Brenda Evans on October 7th 1977, in the village of Poulton, south of Chester.  Brenda, of Yew Tree Cottage, Poulton, worked at the village Post Office & General Store, and what was customary for her, was during her lunch break, she would walk to her aunt and uncles` house, for a bite to eat, then return to work.  On this particular day, she bade farewell to her relatives to return to the Post Office.  She never made it.  Her boss, Sam Roberts, was surprised that she had not returned, and later, her mother popped into the Post Office.  Mr Roberts told her of Brenda`s absence, which surprised her and she immediately became concerned.

    Mrs Evans organised a search party with relatives and friends.  Later, the mother of Brenda`s boyfriend, John Pritchard, discovered her body in a wooded area.  Edith Pritchard found her body, dumped down a 12 foot manhole.  She had been strangled with her own tights.  John Pritchard, a farm worker, was working just over a quarter of a mile away, cutting hedges.  This prompted Police to question him intensively, which they did for 27 hours.  He was not released from Police bail for four weeks, but the investigation ground to a halt.  The case gets the standard periodical review and with the advances in DNA and forensic technology, Police hope that something may surface.  As with the hundreds of unsolved murders, maybe one day the guilty will be caught.  Let us hope so.

The Unsolved Murder of Lynne Trenholm

This edition of the murder casebook opens with the unsolved murder of 29 years old prostitute Lynne Trenholm at a massage parlour in the Broughton area of Chester, down the road from where I originate.  It was at 10am on a sunday morning, 9th June 1991, when her body was discovered in an upstairs room at Pinky`s Massage Parlour.  She had been stabbed to death in a frenzy.  The parlour, understandably, closed soon after.

    The Police launched an intensive manhunt in which more than 700 people were interviewed, including a number of men who used Pinky`s solely for sexual purposes.  They were sure that many more men who used Pinky`s had not and would not come forward.  The solitary clue Police have, is a fingerprint that cannot be eliminated.  This from time to time, is entered into the fingerprint system but it still fails to find a match.  After some time, the case ran cold, but it is reviewed at least every two years, with public appeals for any information.  A review and appeal in 2001 did produce 18 phonecalls from the public, but this did not result in any arrests.  There have been further appeals in 2011 & 2012, with the Police hopeful that somebody may pass on that vital piece of information.

    The mother of Lynne, who hailed from Failsworth, outside of Manchester, has made her own appeals to the public to come forward.  She said "It did not matter what she did at Pinky`s".  At the end of the day, she was the victim of murder, and twenty two years on, hopefully, the perpetrator will be brought to justice.

    

Saturday 19 October 2013

The Mysterious Death of Herbert Wilkinson

This unsolved murder goes back to 1967, and the Cheshire village of Middlewich.  Herbert Wilkinson had been a Solicitor but he found himself in trouble over his practice, which led to him being struck off by the Law Society at the end of 1966.  It was also alleged that Wilkinson had homosexual tendencies.  The Law regarding homosexuality was changed in 1967, when sex between consenting adults above a certain age was no longer a criminal offence.  It was on June 2nd 1967, that Wilkinson wrote out a note for his housekeeper and then he vanished.  His body was discovered in October 1967 by two men looking for fox earths.  Wilkinson had been buried in a shallow grave beside the Trent & Mersey Canal at Whatcroft.  He was later identified by pieces of his clothing and his shoes.  Autopsy could not conclusively prove the method of death, but it was thought to by strangulation or a blow from a blunt object.

    The murder investigation was headed by Chief Superintendent Arthur Benfield, a man who came to prominence by leading the Moors Murders enquiry.  During an intensive hunt, lasting more than six months, Benfield could not produce a suspect to be charged.  The hunt became one of the biggest in the country, with Police taking more than 800 statements, and interviewed 8000 people in Middlewich and 9000 people across the country.  Later, at an inquest at Northwich in March 1968, the Jury delivered a verdict of wilful murder by person or persons unknown.  The location of the grave was in a remote spot so Police believed that Wilkinson had been taken there by boat.  The case remains open.

An Unsolved Ripper Murder?

It has just emerged that an unsolved murder from 1979 MAY have been committed by Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe.  This is the belief of retired Police Officer Chris Clark.  What goes against it is the fact it was the same day Sutcliffe murdered Barbara Leach in Bradford.  The murder was that of Alison Morris, a 25 year old teacher from Ramsey in Essex, who went for a walk on September 1st 1979.  She was repeatedly stabbed in a frenzied attack.  Police ruled out the Ripper as it was the day that Miss Leach was butchered by Sutcliffe in Bradford, and despite an intense manhunt, the case remains open and unsolved.

    Retired cop Chris Clark who served with Norfolk Police for more than 30 years, is examining 17 unsolved cases, and is doing his own detective work.  What he has unearthed is very interesting.  He has discovered that Sutcliffe had been seen in the area of the murder around the time of it.  What should be remembered is that Sutcliffe was a lorry driver, and they travel around the country.  A couple spoke to a lorry driver looking for directions for nearby Harwich, and when he was arrested for the murders in the north, they recognised the picture of the accused, as the man asking them for directions.  He had time to get back to Bradford.

    Alison was stabbed with a single edged blade.  Now those people whose way of looking at things "Criminal Minds" style who say that Sutcliffe used a hammer and screwdriver and it does not fit his MO.  Well, let us be logical. Criminals do not work to an MO set in stone.  Who is to say that Sutcliffe did not keep a knife in his lorry and his murder tools in his car?  Remember that in 1969, Sutcliffe was arrested carrying a hammer and screwdriver but was charged with being "equipped for theft".  He was arrested in the red light area of Bradford.  Was he "looking for a place to rob" or was he looking for a vulnerable victim?  Earlier in 1967, a Bingley taxi driver was brutally attacked by a young bearded man with a hammer, and was left with injuries that left him unable to work again.  On a hunch, detectives took all the photofits they had compiled during the Ripper hunt, plus Sutcliffes` 1981 AND 1969 arrest pictures.  The taxi driver immediately picked out the 1969 photo as his attacker.  This was shot down by a senior detective with "He only attacks women!"   Obviously, as author Michael Bilton pointed out, he changed his attacks from men to women, as they would not fight back as much, as the taxi driver did.  Michael Bilton also links Sutcliffe to an unsolved 1964 murder of a Bingley bookmaker.

    There are retired cops who find retirement boring and look for tasks to keep them and their minds active.  Doing their own cold case reviews is a very good way ala "New Tricks" and they are capable of unearthing more and new evidence.  More power to men like Chris Clark.

Thursday 17 October 2013

The Unsolved Murder of Victoria Hall

The murder of young Victoria Hall remains an open case after fourteen years, and Police seem to be no nearer to a successful conclusion.  A young man was charged with her murder but the evidence relied totally on bits of dirt, which was challenged by defence lawyers, and the Jury agreed by acquitting him fairly quickly.  

    Vicky Hall was just 17 when she vanished on Sunday night 19th September 1999 after a night out with her friend Gemma Algar to the nightclub The Bandbox in Felixstowe.  They were on their way back to their homes in nearby Trimley St Mary, when they parted company. Vicky was just two hundred yards from her home.  Gemma said she heard some screams but did not know who it was.  Vicky was found twenty five miles away in Creeting St Peter near Stowmarket.  She was unclothed and dumped in a water filled ditch.  An autopsy revealed she had been suffocated but not sexually assaulted.  

    Police launched a huge inquiry but did not get any suspects until the case of a young businessman was prosecuted that ended in acquittal.  One very interesting person did emerge years later due to his notoriety; Steve Wright, the Suffolk Strangler.  He lived in Trimley at the time and the night before the disappearance of Vicky, a car was seen following a young woman.  A witness could only give a partial registration number, so the Police used their national computer to get matches of partial car numbers in the area and surrounding areas.  This flagged up Wright but he was never interviewed and not considered a suspect.  I wonder what they think now.  Hopefully, one day the Hall family will get the answers they have been seeking.

Gangland - The Sons of Silence MC

This outlaw bike club is now one of the major OMGs in the US, which puts them amongst the Angels, Pagans, Outlaws, Bandidos, Mongols, Warlocks, Gypsy Jokers & Galloping Goose.  They were formed in 1966 in Niwot, Colorado, and formed a second chapter in 1968 in Iowa, then adding more chapters in Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, North & South Dakota,Tennessee & Wyoming.

    The club later on took the route that other big clubs have taken by establishing clubs in other countries, and set up their first European chapter in Munich in 1998, then setting up three more German chapters in Freising, Gangfoken & Nurnburg, then in 2007 another chapter in Viernheim.  They suffered a number of arrests and jailings of members over the last ten years for firearms and drug offences, but they did cement friendships in Scotland by a contingent visiting the Blue Angels in Glasgow.

    There was a documentary about the annual Sturgis Rally shown on TV years back, and there was footage of the SOS.  One was trying to properly interpret the Latin logo that is on their colours and one other kept correcting him, annoying him so much that he threatened to have the knowall  knocked back to being a prospect.  Expect more European chapters from this club.

Wednesday 16 October 2013

More Tales From Liverpool

Today I relate some more tales from Scouseland that I have acquired over the years.  Back in the seventies, the main nightclubs there were the Grafton and the notorious She Club.  One friend related a story of a coach party going to Liverpool for a big night out, and ended up at the She Club.  Due to the size of the party wanting entrance, one small but very broad doorman, told this guy that they all could come in but they were going to be watched, and any hint of trouble, then they were all out instantly. "Well", he said, "we were having a great time but as usual there is always one that spoils it for everyone.  This bouncer grabs the lad starting trouble, and with one hand around his neck, he lifts him off the floor and says to me, "All of you out now or you`re fucking dead!"  They did not argue.  He also related another tale of nightlife in Liverpool, when he witnessed two huge doormen kicking the living daylights out of some fellow.  "One kicked him, he hit the wall immediately behind him, he rolled back from the wall, where he was met with a kick from the other.  This happened a number of times.  I did not hang about, and moved away quick!"

    Another tale is from a guy I worked with in the eighties, who was from a criminal family in Liverpool, though he was apparently the only one who was not an out and out villain.  He did "help out" his family in disputes with anybody.  One such touch of "help" involved a guy being held against a wall whilst he drove a car into his legs!  He also kept a sawn off in his home "just in case!"  He did have opinions about certain hard men.  "Eddie Bean?  Handy feller but there are guys smaller than him that can flatten him" (Bean was a hard nut doorman who ran into the "Stanley Boys")  "Eddie Palmer?  A very handy guy with his fists"  (Ricky Tomlinson remembered him being doorman at the Colombo Club and said Palmer was a knock out merchant)

    Getting more up to date, one mechanic I worked with told of running back to Liverpool, none other than Curtis Warrens` main man, Johnny Phillips, who casually opened the glove box to show off the gun he had in there.  This mechanic worked at the garage that Phillips took his car to.  He said he shit himself when he was shown the gun, as he then kept looking around for signs of an ambush as Phillips had had  a serious fall out with other Liverpool villains, and this was well known around Liverpool and Birkenhead.

    A great friend of mine, Keith died quite recently and he often spoke of a relative who worked on the door at the She club, and the night he saw him in action.  They were having a private do at some  club when seven lads wanted to come in but when told they could not, started some trouble.  This guy told Keith to hold his drink for him, went out and flattened all seven of them!  I will not put his name.

Monday 14 October 2013

Jane Andrews - Murderess

Jane Andrews was a working class girl who craved an extravagant lifestyle but when that was threatened she exploded with violence.  One man was lucky; he walked away from her but another was not so lucky.  She viciously murdered him.  What made the story all the more headline grabbing was the fact that Jane Andrews worked for Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.

    Jane Andrews was born in 1967 in Cleethorpes to a joiner and social worker, who did well at school, but suffered from depression, panic attacks and an eating disorder, leading to a suicide bid at 15.  The family moved to Grimsby, and at 17, Andrews had an abortion.  She entered Grimsby Art College, and later found a job as a childrens` clothes designer for Marks & Spencer.  It was in 1988 she answered an anonymous advert for a dresser and was interviewed by Sarah Ferguson, who immediately took her on.  Her job now found her making a new circle of wealthy and influential members of higher society.  She married in 1990 to Christopher Dunn-Butler, an executive for IBM, who was very much older than her.  This marriage ended five years later due to her very adulterous behaviour.  She then met Dimitri Horne, the son of a wealthy Greek businessman.  This relationship did not last, and Horne left her.  She reacted to him leaving her by smashing up their flat. She then took an overdose but supposedly did not require any medical treatment.   Another dream of marriage to riches had gone.

    She was introduced to a successful young businessman, Tom Cressman, in 1998, and very quickly moved into his Fulham home.  Now she lost her job at Buckingham Palace, officially to cost cutting, but it was alleged that Sarah had a fling with a Count, who had taken a shine to Andrews so she had to go.  Andrews now found a job at Claridges but she lasted just two months before she lost this job.  Everything now rested on Tom Cressman marrying her, but he refused to.  He was said to have met another woman, which Andrews found out about, which resulted in yet another row.  This one was so violent, Cressman phoned Police but in time honoured tradition, they did not respond.   This was fatal for Tom Cressman.  Whilst he slept, she smashed him over the head with a bat, then stabbed him several times.  She then fled, calling and texting various people, but was found in Cornwall, again having taken an overdose.  She received treatment and was charged with murder.

    At her trial, she claimed she suffered abuse at Cressman's` hands, and that she suffered abuse as a child.  This did not sway the Jury; she was convicted and given life.  Incredibly, in 2009 she escaped from East Sutton Park Prison in Kent but was recaptured days later in a hotel with her family.  She was denied parole in 2012.  

    Let us look at the facts.  She saw wealthy men as her gateway to a life of luxury.  When they were ending it, it threatened her world of hoped for opulence.  She could not handle a man finishing with HER.  This was not love.  The man was a means to an end; luxury.  What would she be faced with?  The possibility of having to get a man who was not loaded.  Heaven forbid.  Was it murder?  Of course it was murder!  She stood over him with a cricket bat and proceeded to smash his head in.  That was not enough.  She then stabbed her helpless victim a number of times.  That is not manslaughter, it is cold blooded murder, but considering the couple of times she has already been denied parole, shows just how lightly she got off.  Many would have served fifteen years plus before that.  Is she a danger?  Think of her track record when it comes to men rejecting her.  It will take a brave bastard to brush all that aside and get cosy with her.

Sunday 13 October 2013

Michael & Suzan Carson

This murderous couple ended the lives of two men and a woman, simply because of the delusional "beliefs" and the goading and urging of Suzan Carson, to her lover, Michael.  They were not actually married but she adopted his surname.  Her name was Susan, but she changed the second "s" to a zee.  She had a warped view of the muslim faith and just made anything fit her beliefs, and the claim that she was psychic.  She had long dabbled in hallucinogenic and other drugs, which no doubt, did not alter her perception of the world, as they are harmless.  Right.  Her husband divorced her, fed up of her drug taking and lifestyle.

    James Carson had married young and had a daughter but his wife divorced him after nine years, unable to cope anymore with his personality and mood swings.  He then ran into Suzan who then told him he was now called Michael.  It was 1981.  They travelled around, taking drugs at every opportunity, staying at any place that they were welcomed.  A young woman called Keryn Barnes, who was taken with their philosophies and lifestyle.  A very tragic mistake.  Suzan convinced Michael that she could spot a witch anywhere and Keryn was one, so she had to die.  She was battered around the head and stabbed eleven times.  They fled the San Francisco area and went down to Southern California, and ended up staying at an illegal marijuana farm.  After a short time, they fell out with a friend of the owner, Clark Stevens.  Stevens was shot a couple of times in the head, later revealed, at Suzan`s urging.  They disappeared.  Much later, remains were discovered and the Police were brought in!  The person in charge wanted to grow marijuana, but not be involved in murder.

    The couple got a ride from a man called Hellier but they soon fell out with him, and when the car stopped, Carson shot him after much urging from her.  They took off in the car, and a chase ensued.  Suzan was driving and crashed but they escaped into dense woodland, staying in an old hut.  Carson travelled to Los Angeles to get more drugs but was arrested due to a resemblance to a wanted rapist.  Using a false identity, he managed to bluff his way out, and had managed to hide a gun in the Police car when arrested, due to a sloppy search.  He took off back to Suzan, but the gun was discovered in the car.  Pictures of Carson were circulated amongst Police departments down the West Coast, and San Francisco cops immediately recognised the man they were seeking for the murder of Keryn in 1981, two years previously.  A hunt ensued and eventually they were arrested, and charged with three murders in three different jurisdictions.  Carson would plead to Keryn`s murder if he could have a press conference.  They both freely admitted the other two. This they played up to with relish, loving the exposure, with her sickeningly grinning all the time.  They were both lifed off, believing that they had done no wrong.  She was a number of years older than Carson and it was believed that Keryn was murdered because she was young and attractive and Carson might have taken a serious liking to her.  He did whatever Suzan told him to.  I believe the victims were murdered simply for no reason; she deciding on the spot "They have to die!" and using her twisted beliefs and logic as an excuse.  Should have put the pair of them down.