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.