The Bizarre Death of Monika Telling

There are always two sides to a story, so the saying goes, and this bizarre case from the 80`s exemplifies it.  It concerns a rich boy, or putting it bluntly, a spoiled man from a very wealthy family, who never worked a day in his life but lived a jet-set lifestyle, thanks to his family connections.  Michael Telling was related to the Vestey family, but grew up with mental problems from a young age.  Some observers put it down to never having to face up to responsibilities, and that money solved all.  Well, his troubles began, he said, when he met American Monika Zumsteg, fell in love with her and married her.

    Some months later, she had vanished and Telling had told people that she had gone back to the USA.  He hired private detectives to find her.  Her credit cards were being used proving that she was alive.  But that was only a smokescreen.  Monika Telling was dead, and had been for a number of months.  Telling had stored her body in a partly built sauna, which would seem strange to many, then five months after he killed her, he hired a van and took the body to Devon.  There, at Haldon Hill, just outside Exeter, he chopped off her head with an axe, leaving the torso, but taking the head home with him!  The remains were discovered within days by plumber Colin Marshall, who immediately summoned Police.  They soon beat a path to the High Wycombe home of Michael Telling, and discovered the head there.  When arrested for murder, he claimed he had "101 reasons to kill her".

    He went on trial at Exeter Crown Court, and claimed that his wife was an alcoholic, taking heroin and cocaine, was bisexual, and constantly taunted him about her affairs with men and women.  A string of witnesses gave evidence in court, that Monika constantly belittled and humiliated her husband, had said she was only interested in his money, had lesbians over to the home for sex and drug sessions and eventually, he snapped.  He denied murder but admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.  He was found guilty of manslaughter and served ten years in jail.  Upon release, he emigrated to Australia, and easily mingled with the society crowds there.  They had no idea about his past.

    On the other side of the coin, there are people who posted on a blog about the case, that she was never the monster she was portrayed as.  They believe that their relative and friend was subjected to character assassination, and that the problems with Telling stemmed from his background.  However, there are those who remember her as being good, back in the States, but witnesses gave evidence in court to the contrary.  Did she turn into the booze and drug addled satyr that was portrayed in court, or was there more to this than was said? People have differing opinions but at the end of the day, I can only report what was in the public record. 

John Francis Spriggs - Double Killer

What does it say when a person kills, then kills again after they are released from prison?  Does it scream that the much vaunted "rehabilitation" of dangerous felons has not worked?  We see one example after another of this, but the difference with John Spriggs, is that he was originally sentenced to death in 1957, but subsequently reprieved on medical grounds.  It all began on 14th November 1957 when 29 year old Spriggs was thrown out of the College Arms pub in College Road, Erdington, a district of Birmingham.  He went to his home in Brackenbury Road, Kingstanding, and grabbed a revolver he had and went back to the pub.  He shot the barman who ejected him, 42 year old Harold Cunningham, who lived in Twickenham Road in Kingstanding, four times.  He died in the arms of his wife.

    He ended up in a hospital, but Assistant Chief Constable George Blackborrow announced that when he was fit to be released, Spriggs was to be charged with murder.  Under the provisions of the new 1957 Homicide Act, use of a gun made a murder a capital crime with the punishment of Judicial execution.  On the 19th December 1957, Spriggs was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death.  His appeal of diminished responsibility was rejected but two days before his execution, he was reprieved on medical grounds.  Just over 25 years later, he was to kill again.

    Now it was 1984 and Spriggs, who was released on licence in 1978, was living in accommodation in Florentia Street, Cathays, in Cardiff.  The body of his landlady, 53 year old Margaret Larkin, was found with severe blunt force injuries.  Spriggs was found dead upstairs, assumed to have taken his own life.  All I can say is good, but why did he murder Mrs Larkin?  They had been friends since Spriggs was released from prison, but there are people who do not need a reason to kill, and if he had mental problems, then why the fuck was he released?  Will authorities ever wake up?

The Unsolved Murder of Melanie Road

It is hoped that a mass DNA screening of local men, or men that lived in the area at the time, will finally lead Police to the savage killer of 17 year old student Melanie Road, who was brutally attacked on her way home from a night out.  It was June 1984 and Melanie had been to the Beau Nash Nightclub in Kingston Parade, Bath, with her boyfriend and other friends.  She left the club at 1.30am and decided to walk home which not take her very long.  It became a fateful decision.  She was never to make it home.  At 5.30 that morning, milkman Tony Noonan was out delivering with his 10 year old son, Ian.

    This young boy spotted the body of Melanie lying in a pool of blood, in a cul-de-sac that led to Melanie`s home in St. Stephens Close.  She had been stabbed multiple times.  Police launched an intensive manhunt that saw 90 people be arrested over a period of time but nobody was ever charged.  They believed that the killer would have been covered in her blood, leading to the assumption that the attack was frenzied.  They also believed that he injured himself during the attack, implying that he probably cut himself.  Police stated that there had been no sexual assault.  Despite the best efforts of the Police, the case ran cold, then in 2009, somebody rang Police and spoke about the murder.  Appeals were made for this person to come forward but there has been no response.

    Recently, Police launched a DNA screening of men, convinced that this will lead them to the killer.  This is reminiscent of the first DNA screening in the later 80`s that caught double schoolgirl killer Colin Pitchfork, in Leicester.  If the killer is still about, he will be avoiding doing anything that will get him arrested because swabs are now routine, and it will flag up on the national database.  Let us hope it does.

Charles Dingle - Drugged Up Scumbag Murderer

This man conjured an infamous tabloid headline in New York in 1983, when he murdered the owner of a bar he was in and then forced a woman to decapitate him.  It was April 1983, when Dingle, who harboured fantasies of being a cop but was rejected because of a not very nice criminal record, decided on a night out.  Dingle went into a topless bar in Queens, called Herbie`s, and was his usual obnoxious self; throwing booze back and snorting cocaine off the bar as if it was going out of fashion.  The girls were not dancing that night, but Dingle made a scene about wanting girls to dance.  The bar owner, Herbert Cummings, tolerated this man for a couple of hours.  His wife was one of the dancers and was sat at the bar, just having a drink, with a couple of the others.  Finally, when security guard Dingle was given his bill, he exploded screaming that he was not going to pay it.  He was told by Herbie Cummings to leave.  Dingle responded by drawing a gun and shooting Mr Cummings in the head.

    He then locked the doors of the bar, holding four women hostage.  Just to show what a nice gentle man he was, he raped one of them.  They were all constantly threatened with death by this drugged piece of shit, then a knock was heard at the door.  A woman had called there.  So as not to have her call anybody that might upset his plans, he let her in and led her to the others.  He spotted one of her business cards.  She was a Mortician.  He thought his dreams had come true!  She could dig the slug out of the dead man`s head, so cops would have no bullet to link to him.  He gave her a steak knife and ordered her to cut it out, but after some time, she said she could not do it.  Dingle then ordered her to remove the head or he would kill them all.  This poor woman was forced to cut off the head of her friend Herbie, whilst his wife watched in sheer terror.

    The head was put in a box and covered with decorations and streamers, then Dingle ordered a cab from a less than scrupulous firm.  When it arrived, the driver was ordered into the bar at gunpoint, with Dingle taking the Mortician and Mrs Cummings as hostages.  They drove over to Manhattan, intending to dump the head in the river.  Because of the huge amounts of booze and cocaine, Dingle was dozing off, and the car was pulled over and the women escaped, going to Police.  They came across Dingle still in the car, and they wrestled him out and arrested him.  The head was still in the box in the car.  He was tried in a non-jury case and convicted of 2nd degree murder, rape and kidnapping.  He received 25 years to life, and has been denied parole three times.  He has an appalling conduct record in prison, and is viewed as still too dangerous to be released, yet this twat claims he is completely innocent.  Five eye witnesses, cop witnesses(to his arrest) and overwhelming physical evidence still does not prove guilt!!!!  He should have been put down.

Kiernan Kelly - Mass Murderer?

Kiernan Kelly is not a name that will ever stand out as one of the most evil bastards ever to walk this country as it does not have the headline grabbing appeal of Sutcliffe, West or Neilsen, but rest assured, he is one twisted man.  Kelly first made the headlines in 1984 when he was convicted at the Old Bailey of two murders.  Originally from Ireland, 54 year old Kelly came over in 1953 and lived as a vagrant, but developed a pathological hatred of them despite being one himself.  His first known victim was another vagrant known as Hector Fisher, who was found dead from multiple stab wounds on December 25th 1975.  His body was discovered in a Clapham churchyard.  Last seen alive on Christmas Eve, he was seen loitering with a group of men dressed up as Santas.  All these were questioned by Police but nobody was arrested.  One of them was Kelly.

    Then 18 months later, on 2nd June 1977, 68 year old Maurice Weighly was found murdered in Soho.  His face and genitals had been mutilated.  He had also had the neck of a broken bottle forced up his rectum.  Two tramps were found with bloodstains on them, and they were arrested.  One of them was Kelly.  The other vagrant gave evidence for the Prosecution, but the Defence lawyer destroyed his credibility by citing his alcoholism and that he was blind drunk when the alleged assault took place.  Kelly was acquitted of murder.  Kelly later admitted he poured white spirits down the throat of this man, killing him.

    Then in May of 1983, an elderly was pushed in front of an oncoming train at Kensington Station but fortunately, the train driver was able to stop in time.  Witnesses identified Kelly as the perpetrator, and so he was charged with attempted murder.  Incredibly, despite witnesses testimony, the jury could not reach a decision, and so this twisted killer was acquitted.  Kelly was arrested for a robbery and being drunk, and put in a cell with vagrant William Boyd, 55.  But Kelly resented having to share a cell and so he smashed the skull in of Boyd and then strangled him with a ligature made from shoelaces and socks. Unbelievably, he was only charged with manslaughter!  He was convicted of this and sentenced to life.  Then he made admissions to killing Hector Fisher, Maurice Weighly, the vagrant who gave evidence against him, another vagrant who died under a train days after the Kensington attempt.  Police could only confirm that an accident had occurred at Oval Station.  He also claimed to have pushed a man under a train at Baker Street Station in 1953.  He was also convicted of killing Maurice Weighly.   A Psychologist told the court that in his opinion Kelly is far too dangerous to be ever released and should stay behind bars for the rest of his life.  Kelly also claimed to have made many attempts to kill over the years, too many to remember, which if true, makes him a truly evil bastard, but just the sort of man to evoke sympathy from the do-gooders, bleeding hearts, prison reformers and Liberty, but then again, since when do victims count?

The Murder of Elsie Salter

This is one of those instances where some scumbag has murdered, been given a sentence of not much over ten years, then the bastard years later, murders again in exactly the same fashion.  This reptile was called Bernard Joseph McCrorey.  The circumstances of the death of Mrs Salter go way back to 1962, when her husband, Bill, went on a coach outing with friends to the races at Thirsk.  He left Elsie to run his pub, The Kendal Castle Hotel, and back in those days, opening hours on a Saturday were 12.00 to 3.00pm, then reopen at 6.00pm that evening.  Barmaid Pauline Green decided to go in just a little bit earlier to help get things ready but was surprised to find the pub closed.  She went and fetched her husband and they both entered by an unsecured fire door.  In the kitchen, they made a gruesome discovery. 57 year old Elsie had been battered beyond recognition.  They discovered the till had been emptied, making this a murder/robbery.

    Police tried to work out if the killer came through the fire door or did he hide inside, from the mid-day opening?  A list of regulars was given to Police who immediately questioned them all.  The regulars were shocked and appalled at what happened to Mrs Salter.  With one exception; Bernard McCrorey, a 29 year old labourer, with a history of mental problems.  A search of his home revealed a blood stained hammer, and at this point, McCrorey spilled his guts.  Yes, he had hidden himself in the pub, in the toilets, with the view of seeing what he could steal from the Salters.  But Mrs Salter disturbed him and he responded by battering her numerous times over the head with a hammer.  He then emptied the till and stole 100 cigarettes.  Mrs Salter had been struck eight times, an autopsy later revealed.  Earlier that day, McCrorey tried to borrow money from Mrs Salter but was refused.  This angered him, and he muttered to other regulars that she would be sorry. 

    McCrorey was put on trial for Capital Murder, as this came under one of the five provisions that constituted a hanging offence; Murder in the furtherance of theft.  For the prosecution, the Senior Medical Officer at Walton Prison in Liverpool, testified that McCrorey seemed normal to him.  The Defence fielded Psychiatric specialists who testified that they viewed McCrorey as abnormal.  The Jury at Manchester Crown Court, however, convicted him of murder and he was duly sentenced to death.  His appeal was upheld by the Court of Appeal who decided that the Judge misdirected the Jury over the issues of mental illness.  He was reprieved and sentenced to life, in which he served 12 years!  The case files have a 95 year closure ruling on them.  Why?

    Then just to show how much McCrorey reformed and rehabilitated, in 1984, he battered Leicester pensioner Walter Thompson to death WITH A HAMMER!!!!!!  He was duly "sentenced to life" again but the family of Mr Thompson must have felt severe revulsion to find out that McCrorey had been once sentenced to death for murdering somebody with a hammer.  Yes, one of those great examples of "protecting the public" the authorities do so well.  Mr Thompson was bludgeoned to death by a man who thought nothing of using a hammer so brutally, but authorities cowered at the thought of making him pay for his violence.  It is an instance where you think that the Russians and Chinese have a much better method; a bullet to the back of the head.

The Unsolved Murder of John Welch

This 45 year old father of two was found bludgeoned to death in a hotel room in Newcastle on 26th November 1980, but there was no resolution to the case, which became known as the "Room 101 Murder" and now it goes through the cold case review teams every couple of years.  Mr Welch worked for a subsidiary of the Ladbrokes gaming empire, and was in town to wind up the Macau Casino.  He had travelled from his home in Lincoln and had booked into the Swallow Hotel, in Newgate Street.  Mr Welch was planning to meet some of his colleagues for dinner but failed to show.  Concerned, they phoned the hotel and staff made the gruesome discovery.  He had been battered to death, Police believed, after answering a knock on his door. His car was taken from the hotel car park and left at St. George`s Terrace, in Jesmond. Nobody had any ideas as to may have committed this act of brutality, all rooms in the hotel were occupied but nobody heard or saw anything, and now closure rests on these rolling reviews by Police.

    By 1985, they had interviewed 6,500 people and taken more than 3,200 statements, but in November 1990, there were dramatic developments when two men, one from Cheltenham and the other from Dyfed in Wales, were arrested, brought up to Newcastle and charged with murder.  They both admitted being in the hotel at the time Mr Welch was murdered but denied any involvement.  Then in March 1991, the CPS decided to drop the charges against the two men.

    The cop in charge of the review team expressed publicly that he was confident that given the advances in forensics, they will crack at least a dozen unsolved north east murders.  This declaration did receive a couple of raspberries from readers of one Tyneside newspaper, one saying it was all hot air, and another questioning as to why they were not solved in the first place.  Well, all murder investigations are not solved in an hour like on TV, and a percentage of crimes do go unsolved.  That is a fact of life.  If they can put the killers away, then it should be supported.  After all, there are families who have suffered murder and want justice.  It is not hard to fathom that out.

The Unsolved Murder of Stephen Sweeney

The murder of Tyneside businessman Stephen Sweeney had all the hallmarks of a professional hit, in that he was shot several times whilst sat at his desk in the factory he owned.  Mr Sweeney, 45, owned Cascade Furniture Factory which was located on the Stoneygate Industrial Estate, in the Felling district of Gateshead.  He was found slumped over his desk by his long term partner Carol Taylor, and their 7 year old daughter Siobham.  Police set up a huge squad devoted to this case, involving 60 officers, and they did uncover some details, which may have had a bearing on the case.

    They uncovered details of shady deals, and that the company was in financial straits.  Some time before his death, Tonegate Ltd, an upholstery firm, plus Cascade Upholstery, had been wound up, with the accounts last filed in 1996, owing £25,000 to the Vatman - now HMRC - plus £74,000 to its creditors.   The scale of the Police manhunt can be gauged that they questioned 9,000 people, and it was thought a major breakthrough had occurred when four people were arrested but later released without charge.  Police still conduct reviews of the case, and the family still make appeals for information, but sadly, all these years on, there is still no resolution.

The Gatwick Station Murder

This case goes back to 1965 and the senseless murder of 28 year old divorced woman Pat Woolard by 32 year old factory worker Michael Gills.  Miss Woolard was on her way to London from Bognor, where she attended college, studying art.  The fateful day for her was 3rd September, when the 4.06 train arrived at Gatwick Airport train station.  The trainee teacher from Whitstable in Kent, was found dead in one of the compartments, with knife wounds to her heart and throat.  Her underwear had been pulled down, indicating sexual assault.  Police immediately launched a major enquiry, and the following day, a good  suspect emerged; Michael Gills.  A woman had been indecently assaulted in Bognor Park.  She had been savagely punched in the face and had her panties torn.  Gills lived in Crawley at the time, and was taken to Horley Police station to be interviewed over this offence and to be questioned over the death of Miss Woolard.  

    His alibi for the murder was that he was at work.  Gills had a plaster on a finger which was removed, showing an almost healed cut.  Gills explained that he did it working and he was seen to by the factory nurse.  They let him go.  Miss Woolard`s attache case, basket and handbag were discovered by Three Bridges station at Crawley.  Police questioned Gills again three weeks later.  Now he admitted he had not told them the truth.  He went to Brighton, and just walked around for hours , then returned home.  When asked why he lied, he did not reply.  When asked why he lied to his own family as to where he was, he replied that his wife did not like him going anywhere alone, particularly with the charges he was already facing.  He was given a two year prison sentence for the assault in Bognor Park at West Sussex Quarter Sessions.  The case was still open by June of the following year when Gills was visited in Chelmsford Prison by DCI Harvey & DCI Stothard, after Gills was said to have made remarks about the case.  The two detectives made it clear they wanted to talk to him about the murder and that he knew something.  He admitted that he hated women who rejected him, or looked down their noses at him.  Then he admitted killing Miss Woolard.

    Now he tried to pin the blame on the victim, claiming that she was looking at him suggestively, so he asked her sex, and then she snubbed him, so he lashed out.  He also claimed she kept showing off her legs to him.  He cut her hand with a knife, then stabbed her twice, after struggling to stop her pulling the emergency cord.  "She was just like the rest" he said, meaning all the women in the world who had rejected him.  He broke up the knife and discarded it, but despite taking Police to where he dumped the pieces, none was found.  He also admitted taking her possessions.  He could remember what he said, she did and did not do, but strangely, suffered amnesia on what she supposedly said to him.  He was held at Wandsworth Prison, awaiting trial, and his past was unearthed.  And it was not pretty.  He had served a number of sentences for small crimes, from Borstal to prison, but he had problems with instability, immaturity and a very impulsive nature.  He also had a problem with sex;  he could not control himself.  In jail, he forced another prisoner to have sex with him.  In Borstal, he tried to force his way out with a knife.  He was so violent, it took five officers to subdue him.  Convicted of the murder at Surrey Assizes on 28th October 1966, he was sentenced to 15 years prison.  He was released in 1976.  Shows how much Miss Woolard`s life meant to a parole board.

    You do not need to be a genius to work this out.  His rampant libido meant he tried it on with Pat Woolard, she rejected him, so he saw this as another knockback by women, so he decided to kill.  He made no mention of pulling down her panties, which clearly showed it was a sex attack.  Then the woman he attacked in Bognor Park.  He knocked her down and ripped her panties.  Another sex attack.  Then there is the homosexual attack in prison, again another sexual assault.  All this proved that Gills was a sexual predator.  You viciously kill a woman because she refuses to drop her knickers for you, and serve just ten years, despite the other attacks you carry out, well, let`s raise a glass for the caring justice system we had back then.

Terry Cutts - "The Young Houdini"

Terry Cutts acquired his nickname of "Houdini" because he had the ability to get out of any secure place where he was held, be it prison, Army Detention or Approved Homes.  He viewed every institution as a challenge, as if he was escaping from Colditz.  His escapes in total, up to 1957/58 were fourteen.  He got out of secured Approved homes eight times, Army Detention twice and prison four times.  His fourteenth escape was from Armley Prison in Leeds, which was six months after an escape from the same prison, where he remained at large for two months.  The Police set up an extensive manhunt with forces throughout the country being alerted.  Cutts, 30, was serving 7 years 9 months - double sentence - originally 3 years 9 months for stealing a car, then four years were added when he was recaptured.  He was only wearing only a shirt & underpants when he escaped by cutting through cell window bars and climbing over a high wall.

    His freedom did not last very long as two Police officers went into a cafe in Briggate, Shipley, making routine enquiries.  Their gaze fell upon a shabbily dressed man with his hat pulled down over his eyes, eating a fry up( bacon & eggs, fried bread, cup of tea) when the two officers challenged the man.  They were Detective Constable Reg Firth & PC White.  Suddenly a violent struggle broke out, bringing the cafe proprietor, who hit Cutts over the head with it, stunning him.  The officers informed the staff to call Police, and bundled Cutts outside and into their car.  DC Firth had blood over his face and shirt, resulting in needing six stitches in a local hospital.  Very quickly, more officers arrived on the scene, and Cutts was taken to Shipley Police Station, then back to Armley Prison.  Houdini was back inside.

Jackie Dancy - Biker Moll

Jackie Dancy turned into a woman who thrived on cocking a snoot at authorities in the States and was brazen enough to walk into Police stations in disguise, where she was wanted.  She started off as a very studious and conscientious teenager but as is often the case, she decides to rebel against her parents.  She hooked up with a biker from a small outlaw club in Florida, something her parents completelt disapproved off, but she was now getting set in her ways.  To complete this rebellion to the full, she became a topless dancer, and made herself some money.  She did marry her biker, Edward Dancy, still a young woman, and carried on dancing, but he earned himself a spell in jail.

    She still hung around with his club buddies but one night she was dancing in a club, when her eye fell upon a patron really admiring her.  His name was Charles Hackett, and they hooked up together, but after so long, trouble was about to erupt big time.  One night, in an apartment in Longwood, Florida, her husband burst through the door, having been released from jail, so Hackett grabbed a sawn off shotgun he kept and shot Edward Dancy twice, severely wounding him.  He left the apartment for a couple of minutes, but when he returned, Dancy was dead.  Jacky had managed to strangle him with some cord because he was too injured to resist.  Hackett was horrified at what she had done, but together they wrapped the body up and dumped it.  It was easily discovered.  Enquiries led to them both but Hackett was picked up by Police whilst Jackie went on the run.  Hackett tried to take the entire blame, but the truth was discovered.  He was jailed for up to 16 years. but fell foul of prison authorities when he was caught tunneling out of the jail with others.

    Jackie went back to topless dancing, and had a habit of putting on disguises and walking into Police stations, looking at the wanted posters, and if she saw one of herself, asked if she could take it.  This gave her a huge rush as she thrived on attention.  Her luck ran out when she was arrested at the Sahara Nightclub in Biloxi, Mississippi, where she was dancing.  What did for her was the biker tattoo she had done on her backside and this was recognised by a patron. Off she went to jail, ending the rebellious streak she warmed to.  She was only 21.

"Faces of the Underworld"

This interesting series hosted by Bernard O'Mahoney is a tie-in to his successful book entitled "Faces" in which many not very familiar or completely unknown names feature.  So far, he has covered Glasgow, London, Manchester & Newcastle, and what makes a welcome change, is that people no longer "say the right things".  As an example, Eddie Richardson, talking about the Krays, did not hold back.  "They did not have a brain between them" making a joke of claims by "Gang Boss" Lambrianou that "Reggie could have been a successful businessman"  I have posted before that if they were the "Supervillains" some people still make them out to have been, then why did they need crooked businessmen like Freddie Gore & Leslie Payne to do their deals for them?  It must have come as a shock to the lunatic fringe, i.e. the Kray fan club, to hear Fred Foreman say that a number of big villains had a meeting to discuss getting rid of their heroes, due to them not caring how much Police attention villains started getting, because of their activities.  Foreman stated it was either arrest or a bullet.

    Manchester had to have the QSG, as they had been a dominant force from the 60`s.  Every big city has a thriving underworld as crime does not stop at Watford Gap.  Nice to see Arthur Donnelly interviewed, but that city has changed so much with the gun gangs running riot and the emergence of Paul Massey as a significant force.  I think this is the first time I have ever seen him in talk in a documentary, but despite prison sentences, Mr Massey has never been convicted of actual crime, his stints inside resulting in convictions for violence.  Obviously, the Police will say different but it has to be backed up with proof, which has not happened.  One thing that does stand out is that he is totally fearless.

    Newcastle naturally featured Paddy Conroy, and the troubles between the Conroy, Sayers and Harrison families.  Again, nice to see other faces such as Billy Robinson and Kenny Anderson.  Panda Anderson spoke about when the Krays visited Tyneside but says he was not impressed with them.  Others spoken about included Viv Graham & Lee Duffy and an interview with Brian Cockerill, showing the Northeast has never been a pushover.  Funnily enough, it was never named as a city that the "Gang Boss" and his brother were going to take over.  

    Glasgow featured Arthur Thompson, Paul Ferris & Walter Norval, whose name, south of the border, was not as big as Thompson, Ferris, et al, but he has been a major force for decades, and if what is said about him is true, then stands alongside Thompson as a Capone comparison.  He certainly did not stick his head above the parapet in search of publicity or notoriety.

    Mr O'Mahoney is not a universally liked man.  Some have called him a grass, because he was put in a very difficult situation but he does not care what others say or think about him, and he does answer honestly.  Those who have hated him, do so because he speaks his mind, not making the right noises.  He once called me stupid in an email, politely, but he was right.  It was a wake up call I needed, and have never looked back.  

The Unsolved Murder of Peter Stone

Another puzzler for the unsolved murder casebook is that of Cambridgeshire postman Peter Stone.  The Police have officially closed the book on this despite all unsolved homicides remaining open.  Whatever had 37 year old Mr Stone done to be bludgeoned outside a pub is still unknown.  This brutal assault occurred on 30th November 2003, outside the Chequers Pub on High Street, in the village of Cottenham.  Mr Stone was taken to the Addenbrooke Hospital but died from his injuries the next day.  Police acted swiftly, by arresting four men in Swansea, with the help of Swansea Police on 2nd December.  It seemed that they were preparing to board a ferry to Ireland, and were brought back to Cambridge.  The following day, a 49 year old man also arrested and questioned.  The four men arrested in Wales were released on 6th December without charge, and then two months later, on 2nd February, the 49 year old was released without charge.  The police then arrested a sixth man in January 2004, but the 33 year old was later released later in the year, without charge on 24th November 2004.

    The Police investigation started with between 40 & 50 officers, but after a couple of weeks, the squad was scaled down to 15 officers, then later on to 7, and in 2005, they closed the case, admitting defeat, but hopefully, over the years, the unsolved murders will be subjected to review, and maybe one day, the assailant or assailants will stand trial.  Nobody should ever be allowed to get away with murder.

The Murder of Julie Hogg

This case stands out in British legal history as the first case heard after the 800 year old Double Jeopardy Law was scrapped in England & Wales, though not in Scotland.  The case was brought after years of tireless campaigning by the parents of victim Julie Hogg, with backing from top legal experts, to retry William Dunlop for the murder of their daughter.  Julie, from Billingham in Teeside, went missing in 1989.  She was later found, bundled under a bath by her mother, and the immediate suspect was a former boyfriend, Billy Hogg.  He was later arrested and charged with her murder, but despite two trials, both resulted in deadlocked juries, and he was formally acquitted in 1991.  Julie`s parents believed completely that Hogg was responsible, and started to campaign for a change to one of the oldest laws in this country.  Meanwhile, Hogg ended up in prison on another charge, and whilst in there, he confessed to a prison officer that he did murder Julie but thought he was safe due to Double Jeopardy.  The officer reported the conversation.

   Talk of the law being changed was first mooted by Lord MacPherson, after the debacle of the Stephen Lawrence murder, and eventually it was changed in 2005, but new evidence had to be presented.  In this case, it was what Hogg told the prison officer.  In September 2006, he was put on trial for a third time, but now pleaded guilty to killing Julie and was subsequently jailed for life.  If this change is so wrong, then the scumbags at Liberty should tell this to the faces of Mr & Mrs Hogg, and of course Mr & Mrs Lawrence, but we know they will never have the guts to do that.

The Babes in the Wood Murders

There had been a few multiple murders of children in wooded areas that have carried the name from the old children`s tale.  There was the Cannock Chase murders in the mid 60`s of three young girls, in which Raymond Morris was convicted of two of them.  There was another around 1970 that was investigated by Leonard "Nipper" Read, of a small boy & girl but failed to find their killers.  This double murder took place in october 1986, when two nine year old girls, Nicola Fellows & Karen Hadaway, were found strangled in the Wild Park area of Brighton.  Suspicion quickly fell on a young man, Russell Bishop, and he was charged with two counts of murder.  Evidence was that a sweatshirt was found on the route that Bishop would have taken to his home.  Fibres found on the shirt matched fibres on the victims.  There were also Ivy spores on the shirt that matched the crime scene, but Bishop denied the shirt was his and he was acquitted by a jury.

    Now we move forward to February 1990, and Bishop is arrested for the abduction, molestation and attempted murder of a seven year old girl.  In December 1990, Bishop is jailed for a minimum of 14 years, and of 2007, was still in jail.  That tells you loud and clear that Bishop had a thing about hurting young girls, but despite changes to the double jeopardy law after 800 years, in 2005, it was felt there was insufficient evidence to charge him with the murders of Karen & Nicola.  Of course, the change of this law had its critics, notably the wankers at Liberty, citing innocent people could be jailed.  Well, the tabloids screamed for this law to be changed in order to charge Colin Stagg, but as it is now known, the real killer of Rachel Nickell was Robert Napper.  I have not come across anything from Liberty screaming from the rooftops about the Police, led by Keith Pedder, and the honey trap, concocted with the help of Paul Britton, about the attempts to get Stagg say "I did it" by any method possible.  On this point, their mouths have remained firmly shut. 

    The people of Brighton organised a protest march about the failure to catch a heinous child killer, but will the killer ever be apprehended by modern and advanced forensics, is open to debate.  Bishop was cleared of their murders and is therefore innocent, unless evidence is provided to say otherwise.

Horace "Big Mac" McKenna

Big Mac was a larger than life character who was involved in running a string of successful strip clubs in Los Angeles, from the latter part of the 70`s until his demise in a burst of machine gun fire, in 1989.  Horace McKenna, a native of New Orleans, stood 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighed around twenty stone - nearly 300 pounds, and had spent some years as a member of CHP - California Highway Patrol, working with his much smaller partner Michael Woods.  He was an avid bodybuilder, and not somebody you would have forgotten very easily.  He was busted over some charges with a few others and spent a couple of years inside.  Upon his release, he decided to open up a strip club - as a cop he would have been familiar with these joints - but his record would have prevented him getting a licence.  So he turned to his old CHP buddy, Mike Woods, and persuaded him to come in with him.  McKenna was basically the muscle and could easily sort out any trouble in the club - The Jet Strip - with Woods handling the management and books.  The club was a runaway success, so they opened a string of clubs throughout the Los Angeles County area, which brought untold wealth.

    The difference between the two was vast.  Mckenna, big, mean, in your face, the life and soul of the party, buying a lush spread in the Brea area, where he kept exotic animals, and Woods, quiet & unassuming, enjoyed staying with his family, and stayed mainly in the background.  For more than a decade, life could not get better, but as is the case, cracks started appearing in the relationship between the two.  McKenna indulged in Cocaine, which, let's face it, changes your personality.  Woods had hired a guy who had arrived from England, Dave Amos, who was in his early twenties, beefy, and was hired as a bouncer.  He became friendly with one of the dancers that had been seeing Big Mac, and Big Mac did not like it all.  There were heated moments between them, so Amos hired a man to watch his back, John Sheriden.  He befriended him after Sheriden frequented the bar.  He was a chronic drug abuser.  There was talk of an investigation into the financial affairs of Woods & McKenna, which resulted in them blaming the other for skimming from the clubs.  Big Mac lived very lavishly.  A claim was made that Big Mac threatened to rape the daughters of Woods, another that he struck Woods after an argument.  Things were about to explode.

    In the early hours of March 9th 1989, McKenna was being taken by limousine to his home by driver Bob Berg.  As he got out to operate the gates, a blast from a machine gun ripped into McKenna, who was sat in the back.  He was struck by 20 rounds.  He was 46 years old.  Hundreds attended his funeral.  Cops could not get anywhere with their investigation and it ran cold for nearly a decade.  In 1997, 26 year veteran of the force, Rick Morton decided to give the case another go but he too, ran into a wall of silence.  Then unexpectedly, a couple of years later, John Sheriden walked into the station and confessed to the killing.  He claimed that he had turned over a new leaf, found religion and was haunted by what Bob Berg had told him were McKenna`s last words "Tell my mum I love her!"

    He laid out the whole story that he was hired by Amos to kill McKenna but took a couple of months to decide to do it.  He wore a wire which helped snare Amos, so he in turn, wore a wire to ensnare Woods.  He was duly arrested.  Amos & Sheriden agreed to testify and received 20 years each for manslaughter, whereas Woods was convicted and sentenced to 25 to life.  Opinions on forums vary greatly about McKenna.  Some say he was a great friend, a generous man who would help anybody, whilst others have said he was a nasty bully that intimidated people all around.  Best thing to say is "You Decide!"

The Unsolved Murder of Brian Hardwick

When a person is shot to death, you would be thinking that there had to be a very serious motive behind it, but when no motive is apparent, it makes it very difficult for police to catch the perpetrator.  Such a case is the still unsolved murder of Bradford man Brian Hardwick, who was gunned down at his place of work and the only evidence at the scene, was that of robbery.  Mr Hardwick was shot twice at Huddersfield  Car Electricals in Colne Road, Huddersfield, on November 21st 2001, but not found until the following day.  He was seen by his colleagues washing his hands, ready to go home, but found his car had a flat tyre, so he prepared to change it.  He was found the next day by the owner.  Mr Hardwick had been shot twice.  His wallet, a purse, a pendant & chain were missing, suggesting a robbery.  His credit car had been used at an Asda ATM in Fartown, Huddersfield, shortly after, and £350 had been withdrawn.  It was the only withdrawal using his card.

    Mr Hardwick had previously lived in Cleckheaton, Birkenshaw, and not long moved to Wibsey in Bradford.  He was 50 years old at the time.  police concentrated on people seen near the garage on the day.  A couple of men were seen separately hanging about.  Mr Hardwick had an argument earlier that day with a man who wanted his car electrics checking without making an appointment.  That is hardly a reason to shoot a man dead.  And as for getting just £350 from a cashpoint, that is simply ridiculous, or is it an example of the American type of murder where you just do not need a reason, slowly emerging in this country?  What about Junkies?  Where would a junkie get the money for a gun?  And if they did have it, that would instantly go to the pushers, ruling out that scenario.  This case is one of 30 that local Police still have reviews on, but 13 years on, there seems to be no solution or closure for his family.  As with my other posts on these unsolved deaths, anybody knows anything, contact the Police.

The Murder of Carly Bateman

This murder illustrates just how sick people can be, with twisted obsessions with very young girls.  Geoffrey Porter, from Wigan, is such a man.  He was convicted in 2002 of murdering 17 year old prostitute Carly, in Bolton.  Porter had a long record of indecent assaults against girls aged just 8, 10 & 11.  He picked up prostitute Carly, strangled her and then dumped her body in an alley.  She weighed a tiny six stone and looked years younger than she actually was.  It is common for very young looking hookers to become favourites of perverted punters because they feel like they are fucking a very young girl.  What they truly are, is apparent to the girls, but it can be construed that if they keep these paedos happy, then they may not attack children.  And no doubt they go home to an unsuspecting wife, afterwards.

    Porter was trapped by DNA and fibre evidence, but proclaimed his innocence.  The Judge, Justice Holland, commented on how young Carly looked and this was the reason for the crime.  Carly had become addicted to - what else - but heroin, and had to get money somehow.  Her mother, worried sick, travelled from her home in Doncaster, leaving money with Carly`s friends, so she did not put herself at risk on the streets.  The family had moved to Doncaster, from Bolton but Carly returned to it`s streets.  Porter, 41, had been evicted from his home because he was living with a prostitute, had lost his job working in a warehouse, and was sleeping in his car.  Diddums!  Porter was also a Mormon churchgoer, but as is seen very often, some of the worst offenders are regular churchgoers.  Since when does standing in front of an altar or cross make somebody a good person.  Look at Catholic priests and the abuse scandals that always arise and the sadism of Nuns, which stems from sexual repression.  That commandment is always ignored; thou shalt not kill.  At least Porter is no longer available to wreck more young lives.

Unsolved Murder Casebook: Elsie Freeman & John Malthouse

Today i bring to you another two unsolved killings that occurred in Cambridgeshire that Police have looked at in cold case reviews.  The first was of a retired but reclusive nurse, Elsie Freeman.  She was found battered to death in her bedroom in March 1998.  She was discovered with her feet bound.  The attack took place at her home in Mill Road in Impington, Cambridgeshire, and she had lain dead for three days.  Police started an investigation which included dredging a nearby pond, located off Newnham Road, but found nothing.  The case went cold.  The investigation was revived in a rolling review of unsolved cases in 2007 but after months of investigation, again nothing was found, and so Police closed down the case and it seems that the killer of the 76 year old, has gotten away with murder.  Police originally thought that it was a burglary gone wrong, but why kill an old lady?  Most burglars are young, and usually drug addicts looking to find something to sell.  As with reclusive people, their properties can be rundown, so an experienced burglar should not be bothered with a rundown home but a junkie desperate for a fix....

    The second unsolved death was that of a homeless man John Malthouse.  Mr Malthouse lived in various parts of Cambridge, but that ended on August 22nd 1986, when he was found violently beaten to death in a public toilets in Victoria Avenue, off Midsummers Common in Cambridge.  Most likely, he used the toilets for somewhere to sleep, but why should he be beaten so savagely?  Did somebody find him in there and decided to use him for a bit of "sport?"  Let`s face it, contrary to the bullshit spouted by whingers and apologists, there are many scumbags who are just aching to cause trouble or injure somebody, usually a weaker or vulnerable person, just to show what big men they really aren`t.  A sad fact of life, and in all probability, a man is killed for no reason at all.

The Mysterious Death of Freddie Mills

Freddie Mills was one of the biggest sporting heroes this country has ever produced, and certainly the most popular boxer.  From honing his craft in fairground booths as a teenager to becoming the Light Heavyweight Champion of the World, he did it all.  But long after his retirement, he had inexplicably been found dead in his car, from a gunshot.  The official explanation was suicide but many, including members of his family, believe different.  There is also a long standing claim that he was a notorious serial killer.  Younger viewers would say "who is he?" others would reply, "a true sporting legend".

    Frederick Percival Mills was born 26th June 1919, in Bournemouth, where he acquired his first boxing gloves as a young boy and did some sparring with his brother.  It was after he left school that he started as a fairground booth fighter at age 16, taking on members of the public for a couple of rounds.  This was one of the tough learning schools that numerous fighters went through, learning their trade.  Heavyweight fighter Tommy Farr was another who learned in the booths.  Mills had his first professional fight in 1936, and in under four years, ran up a very impressive record.  Mills` style relied on punishing punches, and aggression, which meant he took quite a bit of punishment.  Over the years he took on more superior opponents such as Jock McAvoy, Jack London, Len Harvey, then ran into the American Gus Lesnevich for the world title but lost.  He fought Bruce Woodcock and the American Joe Baksi, then met Lesnevich again, for the world title.  This time he won, and reigned from 1948 to 1950, but lost his title to the great fighter Joey Maxim.  He retired from the ring.

    Mills then started playing cameos in films, and was a regular on TV.  He opened his nightclub "Freddie Mills` Nitespot" on Charing Cross Road.  Later on, it has been said that he was in financial trouble and unsuccessfully tried to sell the club.  Another problem was a newspaper story saying that some of the hostesses at the club were prostitutes, but Mills apparently had no idea of this, but mud has a tendency to stick.  The Krays visited his club often, but they enjoyed being around fighters.  One problem he definitely had was recurring headaches, thought to have been caused by his willingness to take punishment in the ring.  Events turned on July 25th 1965, when he was found dead in the back of his car, at the back of the club.  He had been shot through the eye.  A rifle was found next to his body.  Nipper Read investigated the case and concluded that it was suicide.  Not a popular decision with many.  Then all kinds of theories and conspiracies sprung up.  He was killed by the Krays, was one.  Would either of them fancied a straightener with him?  Besides they really admired him, plus Read said they had no involvement.  He crossed a Chinese Syndicate, was another.  No evidence has been produced to support this.  He was heavily in debt to a crime syndicate, was yet another.  What crime syndicate?  They must have a name.

    The most outrageous(in my view) was that he was the notorious London serial killer, "Jack the Stripper" a killer of six or more prostitutes, most being murdered between 1964 & 1965.  Where this sprang up from was the suspect was a former boxer who committed suicide, tying Mills in, but worked as a security guard on an industrial estate.  John Du Rose was convinced this man was the killer, but his name has surfaced on the net.  It was not Mills.  However, a couple of books have claimed that he WAS the killer but without actual proof, this is simply speculation.  People saying "I remember...." is not enough.  I do not think this mystery will ever be resolved but who was "The Stripper" may yet be revealed.  My money would be that it is not Freddie Mills.

All Things Blackpool

Having a look at searches made and logins to my blog, the name of Mitzi Walsh popped up a couple of times.  I do know a bit about him, but there are things that came from my former father-in-law, as he lived in Blackpool, and knew most of the Walsh family.  Many years back, he did work with one of them.  He said that "They were a rough lot" (He wasn't soft either!) and that most of them worked as doormen.  Mike Walsh was born around 1930/31 and according to London villain Eric Mason, around 1951/52 he had a go at three guys giving him and his wife a bit of hassle.  He battered them.  They in turn went to the Police and so six uniform went to arrest him and he battered them, earning him a spell in Dartmoor Prison, where he broke rocks with Mason.  The next mentioning was by Tony "Gang Boss" Lambrianou, who claimed he and his brother "Took over the town"  More like they ponced people around who let them get away with it.  Doormen in Blackpool have always had a tough reputation, so would they allowed a couple of Londoners to "rule the roost?"  I do not think so.  Lambrianou talked of Mason running up a huge bill that he could not pay.  The gang boss claimed that as it was not clear as to whether Mason was in with the Krays, Walsh could do nothing.  The Walsh family had interests in the club they were in.  More like, he wrote the bill off as Mason was an old friend.

    Walsh has maintained a long friendship with Mason, throwing one party for him after he came out of prison, and probably knew most of the big villains in the North of England. There is one photo of him with Mason and Jimmy "The Weed" Donnelly.  It has been said that Mason was helping him with his memoirs, which I think would be an interesting read.  But my former father-in-law told me that they were not the only people around the city.  There was a violent villain named Carl, who had his little mob, into all sorts.  There were a couple of rough families who took no messing off anybody.  But looking back at Blackpool, there was a major villain called Abe Tobias, who Frank Fraser says was situated there in the 50`s & 60`s.  Then there was the former Chief Constable of Blackpool, Stanley Parr, who years later was sacked because he used his position and influence to ensure his friends never faced any charges.  Glasgow Mr Big, Arthur Thompson, reportedly set up a drugs base there at the beginning of the 80`s.  There was a murder of a young man on the beach in the early 90`s and a young doorman named Gary Ward was jailed for it.  He pleaded guilty because he thought the person beaten to death, was a man he said he had a fight with, a quarter of a mile from the murder scene.  He believes the man he gave a serious beating to, was none other than Viv Graham.  

    Mr Ward`s case was taken up by investigative author Steve Richards but as of yet, it is unknown if his appeal was ever allowed.  At the beginning of the 70`s, a jewel robbery carried by Londoners went wrong when Freddie Sewell shot dead Superintendent Gerald Richardson(I remember this case)  Sewell spent a very long time in prison.  The big name Doorman in Blackpool over the last three decades is Steve Sinclair, who described his battles in his book "The Blackpool Rock" and clearly shows the level of violence that pissed up holidaymakers get up to there, and why the doormen needed to be able to handle anything.  Yes, it is the "Vegas" of England.

Maury Travis - A Serial Killer

Coming across rather unknown serial killers is far more of interest to me than repeated things about Bundy, Gacy, Dahmer, etc.  This man received his comeuppance because his ego obviously got in front of his brain, just like Rader.  Maury Travis took his own life whilst in a jail because Police had solid proof he was responsible for some of the crimes he was accused of.  He even videotaped his torturing of his victims, again, like others such as Lake & Ng and Parker Ray, he had to have video and sound recordings of the suffering he was inflicting.  Travis was born on 25th October 1965 in Ferguson, Missouri, and ended it all on 10th June 2002.

    He was arrested whilst working as a waiter and was on parole for robbery.  He was facing two Federal complaints of murder, and was locked up in a St Louis County jail when he took his own life.  His downfall came when the St Louis Dispatch ran a profile feature on murder victim Teresa Wilson, where Travis responded with a letter to the newspaper, along with a map.  The words he wrote included "I`ll tell you where many others are" and & "To prove I`m real, here`s directions to number seventeen!"  The letter had a return address of an online bondage website, but Police could not determine more.  The map, however, was discovered to have come from Expedia.com, and so Police were able to trace him.  Police found a torture chamber in his home, along with instruments of torture, clippings from newspapers, and recordings of his torturing of his victims. 

    The known victims and suspected victims include Alysia Greenwade, found in Illinois in April 2001.  She was last seen alive in Missouri.  Betty James` body was found two months later in Missouri.  She had last been seen in Illinois!  Others include Teresa Wilson, Brenda Beasley, Yvonne Crues & Verona Thompson.  All four women had been subjected to torture and strangulation.  Let us hope their families have found closure.

Charles Albright - "The Eyeball Killer"

This man, currently incarcerated in Clements Units, Amarillo in Texas, is also known by two other names; The Dallas Ripper & The Dallas Slasher.  He has been diagnosed as a psychopath by medical experts, but though he is suspected of three gruesome murders, he has only been convicted of one, and that was only on circumstantial evidence.  He has been deemed as too dangerous to ever be released, despite his age and use of crutches.  Albright`s notoriety was due to the murder victims having their eyes surgically removed, but people should be aware of Albright`s obsession with eyes.  It is a subject that he truly exudes controlled excitement.  His demeanour is also very controlled.  So who is He?

    Charles Frederick Albright was born on August 10th 1933 in Amarillo, Texas, but he was adopted by school teacher Delle Albright and her husband, Fred.  She was strict and protective to him and also helped him advance two grades at school.  As a teenager, he acquired a gun and liked to shoot animals.  His mother helped him stuff the animals but they were unable to afford the proper taxidermists glass eyes so used buttons instead.  He graduated into petty crime, which included forgery, as he forged documents that helped him get into North Texas University, where he expressed an interest in medicine and surgery.  He never finished his stint at NTU.  He was caught stealing cash and had firearms, which landed him one year in jail.  When released, he made it into Arkansas State Teacher College, but he could not contain his criminality when he was again caught stealing.  He had majored in pre-med.  He was expelled, so he put his forgery skills to work and with documents he had stolen, wrote numerous Masters and Bachelors degrees for himself.  He married and had a daughter but the couple split in 1965 and eventually divorced in 1974.  Albright had a knack for getting put on probation whenever he was caught committing crime.  He again stole, this time from a store which earned him 2 years 6 months, but he was out after just six!

    Now, in a neighbourhood he moved to, he was able to charm his neighbours into thinking he was very dependable and so they asked him to babysit their children.  One day, he repaid this kindness by molesting a nine year old girl.  This offence, again, earned him probation.  By 1985, he had befriended a woman named Dixie and persuaded her to move in with him.  Soon, she found herself paying all the bills, he was unable to keep a job or just did not seem to try.  He did get a job as a newspaper delivery man but that was just a ruse for him to visit prostitutes.  December 13th 1990, prostitute Mary Lou Pratt aged 33, known to work the Oak Cliff district of Dallas, was found wearing only a t-shirt that had been pulled up.  She had been shot in the back of the head. The Medical Examiner discovered that both eyeballs had been surgically removed.  Forward to February 10th 1991, prostitute Susan Peterson was found shot to death in South Dallas.  Her t-shirt had been pulled up, exposing her breasts, like Mary Lou, and her eyes had been removed.  The next month, 18th March, prostitute Shirley Williams was found naked.  She had been shot in the head and face.  Her eyes had been removed.  Three days later, Albright was arrested and charged.  The evidence was very circumstantial but the jury was swayed by it and convicted him.  He was only convicted for killing Shirley Williams, as the only evidence they had, tied him to Shirley.

    Naturally, Albright claims he is innocent but an interview with top forensic psychiatrist Dr. Michael Stone, showed his true demeanour.  He calmly denied everything, but when Dr Stone touched on the subject of eyes, Albright lit up.  You could see the excitement in his eyes and face but he was very controlled.  It was a topic he absolutely relished.  Scary!  He is said to have his cell walls covered in pictures and drawings of eyes.  Have they got the right man?  After seeing his interview with Dr. Stone, no doubt in my mind.

The Death of Johnny Delaney

This story strikes home very hard to me as I witnessed the aftermath, but had no idea what had actually happened until the following day. Johnny Delaney was from a travelling family, situated in Liverpool, but decided to travel to Ellesmere Port, to visit some friends.  It was May 28th 2003.  Fifteen year old Johnny was with some of his friends when an argument of sorts broke out between Johnny`s friends and a group of local youths.  They ran from this group but Johnny tripped and fell.  They were on him and started kicking the living daylights out of him.  They split but two carried on, kicking and stamping on the head of the helpless lad.  Witnesses shouted at them to stop but they stated in court that these two responded with "He`s only a fucking gypsy" then they ran off.  Paramedics called rushed him to the Countess of Chester Hospital where he later died.  

    Right from the start, local Police called this a race hate crime, and soon had the youths in custody.  The two boys were charged with murder but in Chester Crown Court, despite the evidence of witnesses, the Judge stated that it was not a hate crime.  Plus, they were cleared of murder but found guilty of Manslaughter, and sentenced to four and a half years, which incredibly, they appealed.  The Delaney Family were appalled at the remarks of the Judge and the leniency of the sentence.  As far as they were concerned, their son was killed simply for being a gypsy.  Police still viewed it as a hate crime.  A shrine has been set up by his family at the spot where he was brutally attacked, and is visited and maintained by other gypsies and travellers.

    Where do I fit in?  I had just come home from work and looked out of my bedroom window and saw a lad lying down on the field.  This huge field backs on to the houses on the upper part of Grace Road.  My house was on the opposite side of the road but there is a gap between the terraced houses and therefore I could see much of the field.  There are usually lots of kids playing football or cricket on the field, and many just lie down, taking it easy. That is what I thought I saw.  Minutes later, two paramedics were kneeling over him.  My thought was somebody had gotten hurt playing football, or something similar.  It was the next day that I was told what had happened.  Police made extensive door to door enquiries, with me telling them what I saw, and also what my girlfriend had seen during the day.  The cop speaking to us made it clear that they were treating it as a hate crime.  I have had plenty to say about some cops in Ellesmere Port but in this instance, they did everything right.  They supported the Delaney family with the contention that it was racially motivated.

    I wonder if the two young thugs now walk about boasting about being killers, attempting to instill fear or "respect?"  Certainly, the courts in this country are too cowardly to accept that, repeated kicking, stamping and jumping on the head of a completely helpless victim is MURDER!!!!!  A victim lying dead with a shattered skull from this kind of onslaught is NOT accidental.  It is premeditated. I feel that the courts  must not upset the professional apologists, with their excuses, hand wringing, and blaming everybody except the assailants.  Sadly, this crime is common in this country but it is time that the Justice System woke up and hit these thugs with all the force that can be mustered.

  

Andrew Young - Innocent Victim

The Laws in this country have a tendency to pop up and treat the victims of crime and in particular, murder, with nothing but contempt.  A recent case was that of 40 year old Andrew Young, who was killed by a thug, who received a paltry 4 year sentence(will only actually serve two), a decision upheld by the Lord Chief Justice, after an appeal by Attorney General Dominic Grieve on the leniency of the sentence.  Andrew, who suffered from Asperger's Syndrome, and so was vulnerable, was violently punched by convicted robber Lewis Gill, fell and struck his head in a crowded Bournemouth street.  What had he done to deserve this?  Gill was walking with a man called Victor Ibitoye, who was riding a bicycle on the pavement.  Andrew said that riding a bike on the pavement was dangerous.  With that, Gill launched himself at Andrew, striking him with a vicious punch that knocked him down, where he struck his head.  With that, this bastard simply walked away.  There was numerous witnesses and cctv that caught the whole incident.  Andrew died the next day in Southampton Hospital.

    He was given just 4 years for manslaughter, because he pleaded guilty(well he could not fucking deny it!) indicating "remorse" - yeah sure - but this sparked national outrage.  The Appeal Judges said the sentence was fair and not lenient!  To add insult to injury, this scumbags mother, Sherron O`Hagen  said that the case was no big deal, what is the fuss all about?  That scumbag son of yours killed a man for no reason, that`s what you stupid bitch.  Typical apologist shit, not giving a toss what their offspring do.  Was justice served here?  Not a chance!  But not to worry, there will always be the civil liberties and human rights cunts who will be praying for Lewis Gill.  The family of Andrew Young will never enter their minds.  

The Ordeal of Jennifer Schuett

Jennifer Schuett suffered the most savage and sickening attack from a paedophile who left her for dead.  This attack took place in August 1990, when sick, twisted bastard Dennis Bradford snatched 8 year old Jennifer from her bedroom and made off with her.  He then raped the little girl and then, if that was not enough, he slit the child`s throat, and then left her, convinced that she would soon be dead.  But it did not work out like that, and miraculously, little Jennifer survived.  Police were able to get samples left by the assailant, but DNA was still a developing science, so were unable to build a profile at that time.  It was nine years later, that the continuing improvements in technology, they not only built a DNA profile, but got a match on the database.

    The assailant was Dennis Bradford, and was traced to Arkansas, but it was ten years before Police were able to build a case, and in 2010, Bradford was scheduled to appear on charges of rape and attempted murder.  Justice was denied because Bradford committed suicide before the trial.  The effects of the horrific attack, badly damaged Jennifer internally, but thanks to science, IVF and a determined medical team, Jennifer fell pregnant, something she and her husband thought would never happen.  Naturally, in this day and age, there will be the wankers who would feel sympathy for Bradford but the picture of Jennifer lying in a hospital bed with a tube in her throat, so she could breathe, should shock any liberal thinking bastard.  Bradford topped himself.  Good.  Jennifer and her family have rebuilt their lives.  Tremendous courage.

Stephen Downing & The Murder of Wendy Sewell

The murder of Wendy Sewell and the subsequent arrest and trial of Stephen Downing, is one of those notorious cases that Police wish would just fade away.  Stephen Downing spent 27 years in prison before his conviction was finally quashed in 2002, but the killer of Wendy Sewell remains at large.  As far as the Police are concerned, Downing is the killer and even issued a Colin Stagg-style "We are not looking for anybody else".  Recently, the shit hit the fan when retired cop Chris Clark revealed that he obtained a copy of the pathology report, and this report was allegedly buried by the Police.  He said that it would have exonerated Stephen Downing.  Nothing new there.  What are the facts about the murder of Wendy Sewell?

    Stephen Downing was 17 years old, working as a groundsman in a cemetery in Bakewell, Derbyshire.  It was the 12th September 1973, when he returned from a break, he came upon the bloodied body of Legal Secretary, Wendy Sewell, aged 32.  He ran to a phone to call 999.  Wendy had most of her clothes removed, indicating sexual assault, and had been bludgeoned severely.  Police spotted some blood on his clothes , so they arrested him and took him in for questioning.  He was grilled for nine hours, and the questionable tactics by Police included not informing him of his rights, and preventing him from sleeping by shoving him and pulling his hair.  Stopping people sleeping is known as Sleep Deprivation.  He was also mentally challenged, having the mind of a middle school pupil.  But this was in the golden days when rules went out of the window.  It was said that officers ran bets on who would extract "The Confession" from him.  After all this time, he signed a statement, inexplicably written in pencil(after all, pencil is easily erased), a statement written out by an officer, he said.  Stephen Downing was barely literate. It could easily have read "Cor blimey guv, You've got me bang to rights on this.  By the way, I committed every unsolved crime in Derbyshire!"  A person barely able to read and write would not know what he is signing.  Miss Sewell died two days later in Chesterfield Royal Infirmary.  He was duly put on trial at Nottingham Crown Court in February 1974 and duly convicted.  The Judge made reference to Stephen admitting indecently assaulting Miss Sewell whilst she lay critically injured, something he says he never said.  There is no transcript available from the court case.  He says the blood on his clothes came from Miss Sewell attempting to speak and spraying spots.  A blood spatter expert said it was "text book on the perpetrator getting blood on his clothes."  He protested his innocence right from the start and continues to, this day.  As a man "In denial" he never received parole hearings, and spent 27 years in prison.

    Years later, through the efforts of his family, they enlisted the help of a newspaper man, Don Hale, from the Matlock Mercury.  He looked into the case, and ran a long campaign on Stephen`s behalf.  He did concentrate on the private life of Wendy Sewell, but this spiralled when the national papers caught hold of it.  Because Miss Sewell had an active sex life, in true tabloid tradition, she was then branded "The Bakewell Tart!"  No doubt her family were appalled by this.  Let`s face it, a female celebrity with an active sex life would never be called by the tabloids, it would be called "adventurous" or something funny or exotic.  Never, "tart, slag, slapper, bike, etc".  A witness came forward, claiming to have seen Miss Sewell alive and well, at the time Stephen was allegedly attacking her.  The claim was found to be false as the woman was short sighted, and no reason was found for the claim.  Stephen received leave to appeal in 2001 and his conviction was quashed in 2002.  They cited the much improved forensics on blood spatter, the denial of his rights and to a solicitor, the tactics used during questioning, keeping awake and hair pulling, and so ruled it was unsafe.

    A cold case review was undertaken and after a long investigation, Police concluded that "They are not looking for anybody else" meaning that every other person in Britain has been eliminated!!!!    Then came the bombshell in January 2014 with an allegedly suppressed pathology report that would have exonerated Stephen Downing, and a subsequent report demanding answers from the Police.  This is one of those very ugly cases, with others such as Derek Bentley, James Hanratty(never mind the DNA claim) John Stalker, Stefan Kisko, Tommy Bourke and others.  

The Murders of Michaela Hague & Dawn Shields

Readers may wonder why I feature a great number of murders of women, and prostitutes on this blog.  The reason is simple; many cops have a cavalier view on prostitute murders, that they are professional victims.  The public conception of their murders is worse.  Plus, a point that I hope comes across, is just how manly and tough men are who target the weaker sex.  Yes, there are many woman haters, but how many choose to obliterate a woman`s life?  Murder is murder, no matter who the victim is.  Michaela Hague, aged 25, from Pitsmoor in Sheffield, was working as a prostitute in the Bower Street area on 5th November 2001.  The mum of one was found in a secluded car park in Spitalfields.  She had been stabbed 19 times in the neck and back.  She was rushed to the Northern General Hospital, but died three hours later from her numerous wounds.  But she was able to give a description to the Police Officer first on the scene, and he wrote the details on his hand.  She was picked up by a man just after 19.00 hours and found an hour later.  She described her assailant as white, bespectacled, about 38 years old and around 6 feet in height.  He also wore a wedding ring.  Thirteen years on, he remains at large.

    The second murder is that of Dawn Shields, aged 19.  Like Michaela, a mother of one.  She was discovered in a shallow grave on Mam Tor, near Castleton, in the Peak District.  Her nude body was found by National Trust Wardens, on 22nd May 1994.  She had thought to have laid there for a week.  Police scoured all the surrounding area for her clothes but found nothing.  She had suffered extensive head injuries, and Police believe she was murdered elsewhere.  This murder was suggested by one of Professor David Wilson`s Criminology students as possibly being committed by Stephen Griffiths, the killer of three women in Bradford.  Unless Griffiths was in Sheffield at the time, then he is ruled out.  This was at least thirteen years before he killed in Bradford.  He boasted that he did more then said he only killed the three.  He could be a suspect for Rebecca Hall, but what exactly has he been up to prior to the first murder, that of Susan Rushworth?  We only speculate, which, obviously, is not proof.  As ever, any knowledge, pass it on to the Police.

Teens Who Kill PT2

A recent documentary about five men who killed as teenagers and received life without parole, was a very interesting viewing.  You got to gauge the five and what they had to say about the crimes for which they were convicted.  The first was two boys, 16 at the time, who killed a young girl at their school, named Cassie.  Brian & Torey.  When jailed, Brian was taken under his wing by an older inmate who told him to cut the bullshit and face up to his crime.  Which he has done.  Now he says, yes, he and Torey killed Cassie.  Brian tried to fit in at school but felt he was always an outsider or outcast.  The reason why was obvious.  He stuttered.  This made him shy and no doubt, tongue tied when trying to converse with girls.  He felt hatred for the world.  He admitted to liking what Harris & Klebold did at Columbine.  Another boy who felt like him was Torey.  They actually filmed themselves planning their murder, but Torey wanted to do a "Scream" style killing.  Cassie was stabbed to death and they wore clown like masks.  So whose idea did they use?  Torey believes he is innocent and his parents believe he was "manipulated" by Brian.  Yes, that`s right.  How many charismatic leaders are there who stutter?  To me, the parents believe what they want to believe, and I got the impression he wraps them around his finger

    Another young boy at the time, Jacob, shot and killed his mother and stepfather.  Judging by what he said, he was abused by both of them for years, and snapped.  He says that he would have had big regrets if it had been any other people but he had no remorse for his parents.  Indeed, he hated his mother far more than his stepfather.  He said that as a young boy he was continuously given enemas by his mother.  This gives to speculation that he may have "cleaned out" for his stepfather.  If true, then it is very sick.

    Josiah killed his parents, and his sister said that the family had been part of a religious cult.  For years, they had cult members, in and out of their home.  She said that their parents could and should have done a better job at protecting them.  This implies that these "People of God" were allowed by the parents to do whatever they pleased to the children.  Great `eh!  People who like to preach about God & Jesus who think nothing of sexually abusing youngsters.  Amazing just how many sick perverts there are who try to hide under the banner of religion.  Again, if you look at all the weird freaks in the "God Squad" Berg, Koresch, Jones, etc, as mentioned before, mysteriously the Ten Commandments go out of the window.

    The last case was a lad called Sean.  This case was different, as Sean was a member of the Bloods, and he shot killed a Crip or a Crip associate, so it was a gang killing.  Sean was jailed in 1990, and after so many years, he turned his back on the gang culture, started educating himself in prison, and was trying to convince jailed youngsters to quit the gang lifestyle.  In 2011, he was actually paroled, and his mission is still to turn people`s lives around.  Let us hope he stays true to his word.  What all these did was wrong.  Very wrong.  But no matter what the circumstances, murder is wrong and you pay the price.

The Quality Street Gang

Long regarded as big time villains in Manchester, and also regarded as a myth by some Police Officers, really has come to the public attention with the memoirs of Jimmy "The Weed" Donnelly and a feature in a documentary about the Manchester Underworld.  This circle of friends started out as the Market Men, as most of them worked in the Meat Market.  The nucleus of this mob were boxer Jimmy Swords, his brother Joe, Jim Donnelly, Dennis Crolla, Jack Trickett, brothers Vinnie & Louie Schiavo, Mick Brown, Jimmy Riley & Joe Leach.  They were immortalised on record by Thin Lizzy with "The Boys Are Back in Town".  Singer Phil Lynott`s mother ran an establishment in Manchester where they socialised a lot.

    Some of these young men were involved in a violent fracas at the Wilton Club, in which one man was put in hospital and the huge doorman, Andy Partington, was set upon by Jimmy Swords.  This brought them to the attention of many of the city`s top villains and tough nuts.  Jimmy Swords had a straightener with a former top fighter named Peter King and demolished him.  It was around 1967, that they walked into a club and the doorman supposedly said, "The Quality Street Gang`s here" and the name stuck.  Despite what has been claimed about them over the years, only a small number of them and their associates were villains.  Most run car sales pitches, businesses, pubs, scrapyards, etc.  But their reputation was such that any place they went into, there was no trouble, as they would take care of it.  One man that was said to have been a member was a businessman named Dougie Flood, named by his children in a battle over his will.  He was also said to have been one of the men who met the Krays at Piccadilly Station and warned them off.  No such incident ever took place.  Jimmy Donnelly stated that Flood was never anything to do with them.

    Over the years, most have prospered as businessmen, and indeed, one man I worked, used to get the company cars from them.  One day Vinnie & Louie came into the depot to speak to the Chairman, and the Foreman, who had actually introduced them.  They did hit the headlines in the mid 80`s, as they were alleged to have had Deputy Chief Constable John Stalker on their payroll.  Of course it was a total fabrication, designed to discredit Mr Stalker, who was conducting a highly sensitive enquiry in Northern Ireland.  Very few of them had any convictions and these were for very petty crimes many years back.  Indeed, Police Chief Peter Topping stated that because they do not have convictions, that does not mean they are not criminals.  As most senior Police Officers are Freemasons, I wonder how many criminals he rubbed shoulders with, if he is "On the square!"  His very own words can be used against him.

    But as we entered the 80`s, the gang culture changed very dramatically, resembling Los Angeles than a major British city, and so the power of the QSG dropped, but even today, they are still held in high esteem by many younger villains and hard men.  Like in all big cities, each section had its own big and small villains, tough guys, streetfighters and they like.  It is not the sole preserve of London.  The QSG has been immortalised in three songs by Thin Lizzy; The Boys Are Back in Town, Johnny The Fox meets Jimmy The Weed & Waiting For An Alibi.

The Disappearance of Colleen Wood

It is not surprising that the disappearance of this lady is featured on a forums, and the people who use it, do not hold back on their comments as to what happened and who is responsible.  The lady in question is Colleen Wood, a native of Dayton, Ohio, born on December 2nd 1947, and later on in life, realised an ambition to move to Florida, where she bought a home and found herself a job she really enjoyed.  It was in Florida that she met a man born in the Netherlands called John Lee Paul, and fell hook, line & sinker for him.  Paul, who was born 3rd December 1939, had been a racing driver, but Colleen was not to know that this man had been jailed for 15 years for drug smuggling and the attempted murder of a federal witness.

    She met him through a personal ad, but Paul had not long been released from prison, yet he had a yacht named "Island Girl" and seemed well off.  Paul persuaded Colleen to sell her Condo, which she did and that he would invest her money for her.  Colleen told her son Michael, that they were going sailing for a while and that she would be in touch.  Her employer, Maureen Canada, spoke to Colleen on her cell phone, whilst she and Paul were out at Key West, inviting her to a christmas party.  Colleen never showed up at the party.  Her son Michael was desperately trying to contact her but her cell phone account had been closed.  He contacted Police, but they said they could do nothing as a crime had not even occurred.  Michael went on the Internet to search any details about Paul, and was shocked to see details of his crimes.  Police spoke to him but he said he and Colleen had split up after a row.  He told Michael that his mum turned up at his yacht with a footballer boyfriend, to get her possessions.  Whoever spoke to him, received a different version of events.  Some months after Colleen vanished, there was movement on her credit cards.  Cameras at ATMs filmed two different women using her cards.  Police tracked them down and they admitted they did it for a man, fitting Paul`s description.  Also, ads appeared in newspapers under her name and paid with her card.  The person who placed them was a man.

    Paul vanished before Police could arrest him for parole violation, but have absolutely no evidence linking him to Colleen`s disappearance.  Paul is keeping clear of places where he could be extradited from.  Everybody believes that Paul has murdered her and where else to dump her body but at sea.  He has a history of violence, he had the means of disposal, he had her credit cards and got women to draw Colleen`s money out.  He keeps giving different versions of what happened, and has fled.  What more circumstantial do you need?  Hopefully, this shark will get his comeuppance.

James Michael Randall - Has he Killed More?

James Randall was given two death sentences in Florida for the murder of two prostitutes but later had the sentences overturned.  Randall is suspected of more attacks and murders due to his predilection for erotic asphyxiation.  He was born on 28th August 1954 but he only came on to the radar of Law Enforcement in 1984, after the disappearance of Boston woman Holly Jean Cote, who was last seen alive on 4th March 1984 in the Gardner area.  Her body was found in May of that year, in a marsh near to Birch Hill Dam in Royalston.  Her killer was never traced but later in that year, Randall was said to have told his wife, Linda and also some Mental Health professionals he was seeing.  The area where Holly was found, was well known to Randall but no evidence was found to link him to her death.  Then two years later, he was convicted of sexual battery to his wife on 18th July 1986.  Later that year, he yet again, faced charges of sexual battery against his wife.  He was also charged with kidnapping her.  This time he went away for 5 to 7 years in a Massachusetts prison.

    Upon his release in 1992, Randall upped sticks and moved down south to Florida. A couple of years later, the naked bodies of strangled prostitutes started appearing.  The body of Wendy Evans was found by a passing trucker in Myrtle Lane, Oldsmar, on October 20th 1995.  Then the naked body of Cynthia Pugh was discovered naked on January 19th 1996.  There would be two more prostitute murders, both naked and strangled but no evidence at the scene.  All the bodies were stripped of anything such as rings or jewelry.  A person of interest did emerge but he was eventually eliminated.  Tyre tracks were found at the scenes were a unique Firestone make and vehicles that had them fitted were checked and eliminated.  The last to be spoken to was Randall.  He was cooperative but when they went back to ask more questions, he fled in his vehicle, resulting in a car chase.  He stopped and fled, leading to a huge search of the immediate vicinity.  After four days hiding in woods, he surrendered on 1st July.

    A background check showed that Randall enjoyed the sexual asphyxiation aspect with consensual and nonconsensual partners.  There were claims that he violently attacked his girlfriend Terry-Jo Howard on a number of occasions.  In April 1997, he was convicted on two counts of murder and sentenced to death.  He appealed this sentence and in 2000, the Florida Supreme Court overturned the Death Sentence, replacing it with life imprisonment.  They decided that the deaths were not deliberate but accidental due to his liking for erotic asphyxiation.  He is incarcerated in Liberty Correctional Institute in Florida.  Police in both Florida and Massachusetts believe he carried out more murders but cannot find evidence to charge him.  He is a suspect still in the death of Holly Cote, and is believed to have killed the other two prostitutes in Florida.  He is out of the way but Police cannot officially close these three outstanding cases.  Maybe one day....