TREVOR JOSEPH HARDY "THE BEAST OF MANCHESTER"

Written by Amanda Wood

Trevor Joseph Hardy became known as "The Beast of Manchester" after the murder of three teenage girls in the Manchester area, between 1974-1976. Trevor Hardy was born on 11th June 1945 in Newton Heath, Manchester. He was brought up by a well-respected working-class family in an area of terraced houses where all the children knew each other and played together in the streets. Trevor was the second youngest of four children. It became apparent very early on that Trevor was the black sheep of the family. The birth of Trevor's younger brother Colin seemed to spark the start of Trevor's uncontrollable bad behaviour. In primary school Trevor

Trevor Hardy with the police.

Hardy began to bully his classmates, this soon led onto theft and burgling homes and businesses where he would aim to take cash rather than personal possessions, minimising his links to the crime and already working out "how to get away with it". Local people soon began to lock their doors as Hardy was well known in the area. He spent much of his early life locked up in institutions, borstal and approved schools but kept escaping. In order to keep him detained, at age 15 he became the youngest person to be locked up in Manchesters Strangeways adult prison.

This behaviour continued through the years and Trevor became increasingly more violent and volatile with age, he was a ticking time bomb, unpredictable, feared and well known for all the wrong reasons. "A trouble maker with a short fuse" handy with his fists and very quick to use them especially after a few drinks.

As a teenager, Hardy shot another young lad in the head with an air rifle. As his violence escalated, he began to carry a knife. In an unprovoked attack, he approached a man head butting him in the face then stabbed him in the leg narrowly missing an artery. Hardy was actually hailed a hero during 1972 when he rescued a couple from a burning building. This was short-lived however when it was found that Trevor Hardy started the fire. Hardy committed another brutal attack in 1972, assaulting a man with a pickaxe in a dispute over a round of drinks. He served 5 years in the Isle of Wight's, Albany prison. Walking free on the 18th November 1974. Hardy already had murder in mind and within weeks would commit his first brutal murder.

Hardy's first known murder victim was Janet Lesley Stuart, age 15 whom he mistook for a schoolgirl named Beverley with whom he had a friendship and was infatuated with. He was out looking for revenge on Beverley as she had told Hardy of her new boyfriend.

Janet Lesley Stuart

Janet Lesley Stuart had been dropped off in Newton Heath and was on her way to meet her boyfriend for a works party. Unfortunately, she bumped into the vengeful Hardy who stabbed her in the throat killing her on New Years Eve 1974. Hardy then took her in his car and buried her in a shallow grave in a clay pit in Newton Heath. In a morbid twist, the psychopath returned with an axe numerous times over the following months to dismember the body. he removed the young girls head and tossed it into a lake, her hands and feet were also removed and buried elsewhere in the vicinity. A ring was even removed from the dead girl's finger to give to a new love interest.

During this period Trevor Hardy began a serious relationship and fell in love with an older lady Shelagh Farrow.

Hardy's second victim was 17-year-old Wanda Skala who was murdered on 17th July 1975 on Lightbowne Road, Morton as she walked home from the Lightbowne Hotel, where she worked. Just minutes away from home, Wanda was bludgeoned repeatedly over the head with a brick shattering her skull and leaving her in an unrecognisable state, she was strangled with her own clothing, her socks tied around her neck. The brutal monster then proceeded to mutilate her body biting off one of her nipples and leaving his teeth marks embedded on her skin. her body was then stripped and left lying on her back arms and legs outstretched and partially buried under bricks and cardboard.

Wanda Skala

The following day she was spotted by a passer-by, her bare legs sticking out from beneath the pile of bricks and cardboard covering her torso. It was thought that Wanda's eyes were missing and police searched the vicinity, later they were discovered embedded in her torso. Hardy kept her blood-stained clothes and handbag as macabre trophies, he returned to the gruesome site the following day when the police had gone and left her shoes at the scene, possibly to taunt police and this would make him feel he was in control of the situation. Seven days after the murder Hardy and girlfriend Shelagh insisted on meeting his brother Colin in the Albian pub in Middleton for a drink. Hardy bragged to his brother about the murder saying "I did it", that night they all returned to Colin's home, things turned nasty and Hardy attacked Colin beating him unconscious.  The following morning Colin contacted the police and Trevor was arrested. However Hardy had already concocted an alibi with his girlfriend. Shelagh told police he had been with her the evening of the murder. While in custody, Hardy dramatically filed down his teeth with a nail file which had been smuggled into his cell in a bid to not be incriminated by the bite marks he had left on his victim.
Unfortunately, due to alibi given to him by his girlfriend and no other evidence to go off, Hardy was freed by the police. He'd gotten away with murder and would soon claim his third victim, much to the horror of his brother Colin, who now feared for his own safety.

Sharon Mosoph

Sharon Mosoph was aged 17 when she became Hardy's third victim. In March of 1976, Sharon was returning home from a work's party. She was seen getting off the bus at the bus stop by the Rochdale Canal a short distance from her home, sadly she would never make it to her front door. Shortly after getting off the bus, Sharon chanced upon a man attempting to break into her place of work and challenged him. Unfortunately for the young girl the man she had just crossed paths with was none other than Trevor Hardy. Hardy strangled Sharon with her own tights, she was also beaten badly around the head and had bite marks on her body, one of her nipples had been bitten completely off by the grotesque serial killer.  It was later found that Hardy had thrown Sharon into the canal, then had an afterthought, he decided to jump back into the canal to mutilate the areas where he had bitten her, to removed evidence. The next day Sharon's body was found in the canal by someone who worked at a nearby dairy. There had been a keen frost that night and Sharon's body was secured in the cold frozen water of Rochdale Canal.  Police Frogmen was seen retrieving her body from the Canal.

A huge murder hunt was launched to find the "Monster." Police linked the murders of Sharon Mosoph and Wanda Skala and realised they were now looking for a serial killer.

Realising that his days were numbered, a desperate Hardy went on the run. He lived in quarries, railway tunnels and on canal banks. During this time he also violently assaulted a woman in a nightclub toilet.

Trevor Hardy's girlfriend Shelagh Farrow recanted her previous statement she made to the police and informed them that the alibi she had given him was a lie.

Trevor Joseph Hardy was eventually apprehended in August 1976 for the murder of two girls, Wanda and Sharon. However, during his interviews, he also admitted to the murder of his first victim Janet Lesley Stuart. He showed no remorse as he led police to her burial site.

During the trial, Hardy sacked his QC and conducted his own defence, attempting to get a lesser charge of manslaughter. This was not accepted by the court and Hardy was found guilty on all three counts and sentenced to three life sentences. The killer never accepted his guilt and therefore showed no remorse.

Trevor Hardy appeared in high court once again in 2008 to settle the terms for his life sentence. Hardy asked for his minimum term to be set at 30 years, however, this was rejected by the judge. Mr Justice Teare remarked that "the utterly wicked" Hardy would serve a whole life sentence and die behind bars as the evidence had shown "sexual or sadistic conduct" and there were no "mitigating features".

Whilst in prison Hardy contacted Sharon Mosoph's family by letter and proceeded to blame his upbringing and parents for the way he had turned out. He never accepted the blame for his crimes and showed no remorse. On September 25th, 2012 Trevor Hardy collapsed in his cell at Wakefield prison after suffering a massive heart attack at the age of 67. He had been incarcerated for 35 years at the time of his death.

These are truly heart wrenching crimes, three young girls taken from this world in such horrific circumstances. Their families have been subjected to a lifetime of loss and torment. Sharon's life could have been spared if Hardy had remained in custody after the first arrest. I do wonder if Hardy had other victims, I find it hard to believe Janet Lesley Stuart was his first murder due to the viciousness of the murder and dismemberment of the body. Hardy seemed to know what he was doing and obviously got sexual gratification from the killings.

THE EAST LANCS RIPPER PART 1

Written by Scott Williams-Collier

PART 1


The A580 or as it is better known locally in the North West "East Lancs Road" is the first purpose-built inner-city highway in the UK. It links the city's of Liverpool and Salford and was built to provide better access between The Port Of Liverpool and industrial areas in East Lancashire around Manchester. The road was officially opened on 18th July 1934 by King George V.

Being born in the small mining town of Leigh situated just under 12 miles away from Salford, the East Lancs Road is one I am very familiar with and one I have used thousands of times over the years. The road is used by thousands of vehicles every day and gives great access to Liverpool, Salford and all the other towns situated along its path, as well as quick easy access to the M6 Motorway. However, it's a road which has links to a much darker story, one that shocked a nation and terrified the local communities!

On the 18th of October in the afternoon of 1988, an elderly couple pulled over on a remote road, Winick Lane in Lowton a short journey just outside Leigh. The couple had stopped to stretch their legs after a long car journey. While there they discovered a naked body dumped in a ditch in the farmer's field by the side of the road. They raised the alarm and alerted the police to their terrifying discovery. The body was that of Liverpool prostitute Linda Donaldson; she had been horribly mutilated, her breasts had been removed and an attempt had been made to take off her head.  The prostitute had two stab wounds to her back and seven others around the body. It must have been a terrible and macabre sight for the police officers that arrived on the scene.

Linda Donaldson

The murder shocked the town of leigh. I vividly remember my father speaking to my stepmother about the crime and seeing it on TV and in the papers. I distinctly remember the shock, fear and intrigue I felt, which was almost tangible, on learning of such a horrifying crime happening so close to home. In fact, it is one of the reasons why I believe I became so fascinated with the topic of true crime, in particular, serial killers and unsolved murders.

Linda was last seen on the corner of Canning Street in Liverpool at around 1.30 am on Tuesday 18th October. She was observed by a friend walking towards a dark car which was pulling into back Cannington Street. That would be the last time anyone would ever see Linda alive again.

At the time Linda Donaldson's body was found in the farmer's field there was a TV dramatisation of Jack the Ripper starring Michael Caine on TV, marking the 100th anniversary of the Whitechapel Murders. Police believed that the program had perhaps inspired the killer who they described as a maniac to commit this gruesome murder. Now although I agree certain material can sometimes serve as fuel for someone with an antisocial deviant personality, it's not the reason for someone committing a violent offence. At the end of the day if you are that way inclined you will go out and offend regardless of what material you look at. Having good morals and empathy for other human beings can never be undermined by looking at certain types of material.

Det Cheif Supt Ken Clarke of Greater Manchester Police said "we are looking for a maniac, a sadistic killer who could strike again. The type of man who could do this to another human defies description." Now the Detective was definitely correct on one thing; the killer would strike again. However, the perpetrator certainly is not a maniac. This is an individual who is cold, calculating, organised and forensically aware.

A Maroon Ford Granada was spotted parked at the location where Linda's body was discovered at around 5:45 am and was still there an hour later. Police requested that the owner of this vehicle come forward to give evidence as they may have seen something.  As the owner of the vehicle never came forward it's very likely that this was the killer's car.

Just a little over two years later, Det Cheif Supt Ken Clarks worst fears came true, when the dismembered body of prostitute Maria Requena was found in five bin bags stuffed inside a bed mattress just over three miles away at Pennington Flash nature reserve. The body parts were discovered by John Faulkner and his son who were out fishing at the west side of the lake near Slag

Maria Christina Requena

Lane car park. Maria had been strangled then dismembered, her clothes were also missing.

The last positive sighting of Maria was on New Years Day 1991 by one of her friends Debbie at around 10:15 pm. As Debbie was getting into a punters car, she said "see you later" to Maria and watched her walking away towards Canal Street in Manchester. That's the last time Debbie would see her friend again.

There are striking similarities in both the cases of Linda Donaldson and Maria Requena. They were both prostitutes, they were both picked up in cities (either end of the East Lancs Road in Liverpool and Manchester), brutally murdered then deposited in quiet rural areas a few miles apart, and all their clothes were missing. In both crimes, a knife was used. Linda Donaldson was killed with stab wounds and then horribly mutilated. Maria Requena was strangled and then dismembered. It's quite feasible that the killer may have intended to dismember Linda Donaldson too, but was disturbed during the process and decided to mutilate the corse instead and leave her dumped in the farmer's field. There are several reasons why a serial killer would mutilate and dismember a corpse. The most obvious is that mutilation and dismemberment make it harder for the body to be identified, dismembered will also make it easier to transport and conceal the body. We must also remember with deviant sociopaths who have the compulsion to kill, that everything in their violent behaviour is about power and control, something they never had in childhood. Being able to mutilate and dismember a corpse gives them ultimate power and control over the victim's body, it allows the murderer to unleash their rage and anger and demonstrate the power and control they have over the victim. I believe being able to do this and defile the victim's humanity is sexually gratifying and stimulating to the killer. I believe that Linda Donaldson and Maria Requena were killed by the same killer

There is at least one other crime close to the East Lancs Road which I now believe is linked to the murders of Linda and Maria. That is the 1994 murder of prostitute Julie Finley. Julie was last seen

Julie Finley.

alive at about 10:30 pm on Friday, August 5th 1994 near the rear of the Royal Liverpool Hospital. She was last seen in this area speaking to an unknown white male of average build and height in his 20s to 30s. The day after Julie's naked body was found dump in a carrot Field by a cyclist near the Rainford By-Pass about 4.4 miles from the East Lancs Road. Julie had been strangled.

Not long after the murder someone claiming to be Julie's friend called "Tina", called the police and informed them that Julie had said she was going to meet a taxi driver from Prescot. Tina promised the police that she would call back in to speak to them, but she never did.

Someone fitting Julie's description was seen outside the Wheatsheaf pub arguing with a white male who was trying to drag her into a white van on the evening she vanished. It's quite possible she went to the pub with the suspect. The day after she was found dead in a nearby carrot field.

It's quite possible that the suspect's attack was more of a spontaneous attack on Julie which is why she was quickly dumped and left in the nearby carrot field without any dismemberment or mutilations taking place. We must remember that serial killers don't always follow the exact same modus
operandi in every murder as well. What does ring true in these three cases is that they were all prostitutes, enticed into a vehicle in an urban area, murdered, then dumped in a quiet rural area and had all their belongings and clothes removed. They were all dumped close to the East Lancs Road. Linda Donaldson was killed with stab wounds, both Maria Requena and Julie Finley were killed by strangulation. In the murder of Maria Requena, the murderer obviously had more time to dismember her body.

Disposition sites of Linda, Maria and Julie

In the next part of this series of blogs on the East Lancs Ripper, we will look into the case further and at a possible suspect who the police should look into. I will be using material which was well researched and very kindly provided to me by ex-Police Officer and published author Chris Clark.

To be continued................

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR CHRIS CLARK.

Questions posed by Scott Williams-Collier

1. Tell our readers a little about your early life. Where did you grow up and what was family life like?

I am Chris Clark, formerly Police Constable 409 of Norfolk Constabulary, I came into the world on Christmas Day in 1945 the eldest child of Tom and Stella Clark. Dad had joined the Royal Airforce in June 1939 when he was still seventeen. WW2 started in the September and in 1940 he was posted to Bircham Newton in Norfolk where he met my mum in nearby Stanhoe. The war interrupted their courtship until March 1945 when they were reacquainted and were married at Fakenham Register Office on 13th August with mum carrying a noticeable bump! It was a few months after the war when I made my appearance and the United Nations Organisation had just been born, it was also the start of the trials of Nazi Germans in Nuremberg.

In October 1952 Dad was posted to the Far east Transport Wing VIP Flight and based at FEAF Headquarters at Changi in Singapore and spent most of his time during the next two and a half years flying the Commander in Cheif around various Bases of Command including Kai Tak in Kowloon Hong Kong during the end of the Korean War and during the Malaya Emergency. During this time we again went to live with my Grandparents Jack and Florrie Stringer who in the meantime had moved to No.4 Ramp Row Cottages, Bircham Road, Stanhoe. Goodness knows how we all fitted in this small two up one down cottage, as there were three adults and by now five children, with a sixth one on the way. I remember that the downstairs was an open plan lounge kitchen and dining area.

Rationing was still in force so wild rabbit caught from Major Ralli's Farm was the mainstay of our existence; another favourite being rabbit braised in the oven with onions and gravy or jugged hare. Rationing had continued after the end of the war.  In fact, it became stricter after the war had ended than during the hostilities. Bread was on ration from 1946 until 1948, potato rationing began in 1947, sweet rationing continued until February 1953 and sugar until September 1954; with meat and other food rationing continuing to July 1954.

The toilet at Stanhoe was in the little shed at the end  of the garden, an original "thunder box" fitted out with a wooden bench seat with a hole cut out for one's bottom and underneath was a large metal bucket which had "Elsan" toilet disinfectant in it, the  bucket was to catch the "number one's and numbers two's" and there would be newspaper cut into squares on a hook for toilet paper. When the bucket was nearly full Grandad would dig a pit and empty the contents of the bucket into it, cover it with soot and askes then refill it; at night time we had a porcelain potty under the bed which was taken down in the morning and emptied.

I was eventually one of eight children and because of dad's postings, educated at various schools in Norfolk, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Wiltshire and Singapore. We eventually settled in 1955 at "Excelsior" Brook Road in the village of Dersingham close to Sandringham, this is where I completed my education at St George's Secondary Modern at the age of fifteen. By then I had seen the insides of nine different assorted primary junior and secondary modern schools.  


2. Did you have any other jobs before becoming a police officer, if so what were they?

Upon leaving school in July 1961 having excelled only in Science, Geography and Gardening I obtained a place as a Student Worker on a one year's course at Burlingham Horticultural Station near Acle in Norfolk. It took three separate trains to travel to Dersingham Station to Lingwood Station with my Cycle on board in the Guards Van, where I boarded with a retired schoolteacher Mrs Mingay in the village of Lingwood together with a fellow student from Ipswich. At Burlingham, I studied all theory and practical aspects of growing crops flowers and plants etc. I completed the course at the end of August 1962.

My Next job from 1962 to 1964 I had two years employment on a pig and poultry farm at Home Cloisters Farm in Roydon near Kings Lynn, where I cycled five miles each way, before and after work. having 500 heard of pigs and 2000 chickens to feed, water and muck out as well as frequent deliveries of animal feed was a particularly taxing task at times. It was during this time that I experienced the worst winter of my life, which started abruptly the end of December 1962 and gave the first White Christmas since 1938. There was a predominate biting easterly wind which came from Siberia. This weather continued for over three months and it was the coldest winter on record since 1740, there was still frozen snow on the ground in mid-April. And during this winter the North Sea in The Wash at Hunstanton froze beyond the Pier.

During 1964 I became a kitchen gardener to HM Queen Elizabeth 2nd at Sandringham where I grew fruit flowers vegetables and mushrooms for the royal table as well as commercially for Covent Gardens in London. I lived in "The Bothe" the single men's quarters at the gardens which had an enclosed dormitory where I had a good-sized oak-panelled room.

3. You spent nearly 30 years working as a police officer. What motivated you to join the police, and what roles did you undertake while working for the police force?

During January 1966 whilst employed at Sandringham, two workmates who had both been special constables and they knew that I was looking for a challenge in life and between them, they suggested a career in the police. I had originally intended joining the RAF but was under qualified and didn't have 20-20 vision for flying. I placed my application to be a Constable and a Sergeant at Dersingham Police Station called and discussed my application to join Norfolk Constabulary. I later at the police sat an examination consisting of an English essay, mathematics and general knowledge, somehow with several different schools and teaching methods behind me I scraped through and joined on 10th March 1966.

After 13 weeks at Eynsham Hall Police Training College in Oxfordshire, I was passed out in July 1966 and posted to the Hellesdon Section of Norfolk Constabulary where I was on foot/cycle beat patrolling on my own with no tutorship. This was the time when Harry Roberts was on the run for 3 months after the Shepherds Bush Murders of 3 police officers and there was a nationwide search out for him. I completed 7 full night shifts patrolling alone during those 3 months, not knowing where Roberts was. He was eventually arrested in Essex.

During April 1967 I was posted to King's Lynn in West Norfolk and spent the rest of my career (apart from 4 years 1978-1982 as a beat officer) there until August 1994 when I was medically retired suffering from severe PTSD (which I still suffer from). As a none-driver, I started off on foot or cycle patrol working various beats in town, which I did on and off for 9 years until 1976 when I passed my driving test. During that time I also worked in the Control Room and as Acting Sergeant.

During 1968 with the advent of Unit Beat Policing I started off the new nationalised intelligence system called The Collator (Local Intelligence Officer) and I was also Deputy Collator until I got the role in 1987.

From 1969 until 1981 ancillary to my other patrol duties, I was a Royalty Protection Officer to HM The Queen at Sandringham House, this in those days was completely unarmed.

During 1972 the Court System changed from Assizes and Quarter Sessions to Crown Court and I was the first King's Lynn Crown Court Officer.

In 1976 having passed my test I was a Panda Car driver dealing all emergency calls, etc.

In 1978 I was posted to Gayton Beat and once a month did a week night duty on Section Motor Patrol.

In 1982 I returned to King's Lynn, firstly on Section Motor Patrol and then on permanent in King's Lynn Control Room until October 1987. This included CAD Control and Deploy radio, PNC Police National Computer, CCTV.

On the 1st and 2nd of May 1985, I was at headquarters on a "MIRIAM" a Major Incident Room Course where I was trained as a Force Major Incident Room Indexer/Researcher and later in 1987 would receive training on a new computerised major crime system the first generation of "HOLMES".  During 1985 and 1986, I was involved in 7 major crimes.

During October I was posted as a Local Intelligence Officer for West Norfolk and during that time built up a cross border intelligence exchange with both our neighbouring Divisions as well as our neighbouring forces, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, I also worked with various Crime Squads of 5 and 3 District and RICO Regional Intelligence Offices at New Scotland Yard and Wakefield.

During January 1991 until retirement in 1994, I returned to permanent Control Room as a main controller. 


During 1993 I did apply for 3 separate posts as a Regional Crime Intelligence Officer, but my age (47) went against my applications.

Finally, at the end of August 1994, I was medically retired, suffering from burn out and severe PTSD.

4. Did you ever work on any big cases during your time with the police?

During 1985 and 1986, having been trained in the MIRIAM Major Crime system I was involved in 7 separate Major Crime Investigations, these included the attempted murder of two schoolgirls committed by Terrence Pocock: On this hot sunny but fateful day in July 1985 two young teenage girls were out enjoying themselves on a summer's day during their school holidays in Cambridgeshire. Terrence Pocock from Stetchworth near Newmarket in Suffolk was out for another reason, he was going to kidnap and rape and probably murder at least one young female on this day and at the time he neither knew nor cared who the victim(s) would be, it would be a random forcible attack to satisfy his lust then murder using an ornamentals sword before disposing of the body or bodies. However, the girls managed to survive and raise the alarm and give a description of their attacker, and Pollock was arrested by good intelligence.

The second case, just over 7 weeks later, the kidnap and sexual murder of 3-year-old Leoni Keating by Gary Hopkins. During September 1985 little blonde-haired Leoni Keating also known as Cornell, who was aged three years old (the same age as my daughter), was on holiday with her mother in Caravan K24 at Seashore Holiday Camp part of the huge sprawling complex of Vauxhall Caravan Park situated on the north side of Great Yarmouth adjacent to the golden sandy beach of this popular Norfolk seaside resort. They had escaped for a short time the inner city environment of Acton London where they lived in a battered wives hostel with a group of other women and children who they had come on holiday with. Leoni's mum had never seen the child happier as she had played all day long on the sandy beach, and paddling in the chilly North Sea surf, but now the holiday was over; tomorrow they would be going home.

On that last evening of Friday, the 13th Leoni dressed in pyjamas was tucked up in bed by her mother who went out at 10:00pm for some light relief, babysitter and patrolling baby watch had been arranged for 10:30pm and Leoni was left alone asleep in the locked static caravan, but with the window ajar for ventilation. Due to a mix up the babysitter was half an hour late and when she arrived at 11:00pm the front door of the caravan was open, Leoni's bed was empty and it was wrongly assumed that her mum must have changed her mind and taken Leoni with her. When Leoni's mum returned from the Disco Bar at 12:10am some two hours later she found neither babysitter nor Leoni, In the confusion that followed it wasn't until 3:00am that Norfolk Constabulary were alerted.

The first reaction was that Leoni had probably woken up before the babysitter arrived and had got up and wandered off. Officers with dogs and powerful torches searched the camp, the beach and seas front. Perhaps she had been found wandering by other campers who had taken her in for the night. But by dawn, there was still no sign of her.

As soon as Great Yarmouth Police received the missing person report a force-wide manpower team was set up and a search made during the night and into the next dawn of the immediate area in the belief that Leoni had awoken and being alone had wandered off and had some sort of an accident or had drowned in the sea. With still no trace of her on the Saturday morning, Norfolk Constabulary called on all Early Turn duty officers in the country to muster and go to nearby Caister Holiday Camp for briefing and deployment and I was one of the officers from Kings Lynn who was so deployed.

On arrival at Caister, I saw that there was an enormous amount of police officers and holidaymakers alike and after a briefing on the circumstances, we were tasked with going to Great Yarmouth and conducting an extensive search of The Race Course, Sand Dunes, Caravan Site consisting of approx. 1000 caravans to search together with the entire Norfolk Constabulary Police Dog Section and as many holidaymakers and local people who were available. Coastguards, two lifeboats and air-sea rescue helicopter searched offshore whilst we combed the landside but to no avail. What was not known at the time was that a little girl barley out of babyhood had been snatched through the caravan window and spirited away into the night to be sexually assaulted and murdered. The following Sunday Papers were full of the report and most carried a copy of the last photograph of the Littel Leoni playing happily with her rag doll on the beach a few days before.

Little did anyone on the enquiry know then that the little child was already dead and more than 40 miles away floating semi-naked, gagged and tied up in a water-filled drainage ditch at Mildenhall in Suffolk having been raped and murdered by being thrown in the water whilst still alive with her hands and feet tied behind her back with a yellow washing line, like one of the young victims of Robert Black; 10 year old Sarah Harper.

But as heinous as the crime was this little mite was no more than a toddler and could not have put up any fight; having expended his evil lust her perpetrator left her trussed up like a piece of meat before tossing her into water to die an agonising drowning with no chance of survival.

A Major Incident Room was set up at Great Yarmouth Police Station with everything coming in being placed on the newly formed HOLMES (Home Office Large Major Enquiry System) computerised system.

The terrible news everyone had feared came; Leoni was found five days later in the manner described. Some 40 miles away from Great Yarmouth, a women motorist pulled into a picnic site on the A1065 road at Barton Mills, situated between Bury St Edmunds and Mildenhall in Suffolk. It was a pleasant site, with wooden tables set back from the road in a copse of pine trees.  

It took 3 months of good intelligence work to find the perpetrator, Gary Hopkins who lived 2 counties away in Bedford.  

5. What inspired you to become a writer?

I originally Researched and wrote my father's 25 year RAF Biography and further spin-off of two WW2 RAF Squadrons. Around 2012 I learned from Jeanne who had suffered in silence for some 40 years, that she had been nearly snatched as a young teen from a village in Cambridgeshire and quickly realised that it had to be Robert Black. I then set out researching his early timeline.

6. In your book, Yorkshire Ripper. The Secret Murders. You brought to the publics attention at least a further twenty-two murders possibly committed by Peter Sutcliffe. The murder victims also included some males. What were your experiences writing this book, were the police authorities helpful or did you feel certain people wanted to silence you and your investigations?

Having exhausted my quest for Robert Black, I then found a pattern of attacks and murders throughout the UK during the 1970s which indicated to me the method and motive of Peter Sutcliffe, wrongly labelled "The Yorkshire Ripper". I spent from 2012 until January 2015 researching these cases and the book was published at the end of June 2015.

I locked horns with West Yorkshire Police over an FOI Release of the withheld parts of the Byford report and Release of The Sampson Report as well as Keith Hellawell's list of possible other victims.

I contacted a number of police forces where my investigation took me and not one has looked at a single unsolved case I brought to their attention with Peter Sutcliffe in mind.

7. What is your opinion on the Fred Craven murder case in Bingley, and how the police managed to lose all the important case information of this terrible crime?

Sadly, Irene Vilder, Fred Craven's daughter and who was my friend; died last year without ever seeing justice for her father's murder. 

It was quite clear from the beginning and after Peter Sutcliffe's conviction that West Yorkshire Police cynically set about getting rid of any casefiles which may have involved him that they missed in West Yorkshire. This is apparent when Desmond O'Boyle (the Officer who questioned Sutcliffe and gained his conviction) thought in 1981 that both Fred Craven's murder and John Tomey's attack were Sutcliffe's work, but was told that SOCO fingerprint evidence had been lost.

They later told Irene that the Crime Files had been lost in a move from Keighley to Dewsbury. Last year I sent an FOI and WYP state they hold a murder file on Fred Craven:

Our ref: 2545/18
Date: 05/07/2018

Dear Mr Clark,

Thank you for your request for information received by West Yorkshire Police on 29/05/2018. You requested the following information:

You have published the unsolved murder of Fred Craven:

Date of offence 22/04/1966
Location Wellington St. Bingley
Victim Surname Fred Craven
Age 60
Method Blunt instrument

Could you please confirm whether you hold a 1966 crime file for this case if so I request a copy of the Pathologist Report.

West Yorkshire Police can confirm that they hold a copy of the crime file for the murder of Fred Craven. The Pathologist report contained within this file is exempt by virtue of Section 30(1) - Investigations and proceedings conducted by the public authority.

8. Do you believe Peter Sutcliffe will ever be charged with any additional crimes or do you believe he will take his secrete murders to the grave with him?

There are a couple of documentary publications in the pipeline for release in 2020. These will be far-reaching and cover some of the unacknowledged survivors.  There are 4 cases that can be progressed, the 1975 admitted attack on Tracy Browne,  the 1979 admitted attack on Ann Rooney,  the 1977 murder of Debra Schlesinger and the 1980 attack on Maureen (Mo) Lea. The latter two former Det Supt Chris Gregg made public in 2002 that they could charge Sutcliffe with if he were to be released under the 30-year tariff.

9. Are you currently writing anything at the moment, and if so what is it about?

I am very busy:

I ghost-wrote and provided the foreword for Stephen Downing's forthcoming book November release "The Case Of Stephen Downing" Pen & Sword.

I helped research and edit as well as a foreword for "On The Trail Of The Yorkshire Ripper" by Richard C Cobb Pen & Sword.

I am currently writing 7 books:

"The Millenium Killer" Christopher Halliwell over 20 unsolved murders, including "The East Lancs Ripper Murders" Three Teeside murders and a number of others in the West Country and Midlands.

"Exposing Jack" a new suspect for the 1960s unsolved "Hammersmith Nude Murders aka Jack The Stripper."

"Gone Fishing" 7 unsolved murders investigation aimed at Angus Sinclair/Gorden Hamilton.

"Steve Wright Revisted" The Suffolk Strangler servel unsolved cases pointing at him. 

"Mark Of The Ripper" The 1972 murder of Judith Roberts, the miscarriage of justice to Andrew Evans and the likelihood of a Peter Sutcliffe crime.

Two further miscarriages of Justice based:

"The 1982 Aldershot Dog Walker Murders" Peter Fell spent 18 long years wrongly convicted. I now have a tangible suspect.

Finally: "The Pub Rapist" it covers the case of Paul Barry Taylor who committed several tapes and the murder of Sally Ann McGrath in the Peterborough area during the 1970s before going under the radar near Portsmouth for 30 years from 1982 until Justice caught up with him. Linda Cook was murdered and Michael Shirley was wrongly convicted and spent 16 years in prison before DNA proved it was not him.

10. Final question and something I like to ask is; what advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

Believe in yourself and the book you want to write.

Don't just cut and paste other works but research and come up with something fresh and innovative.

Explore all avenues of what the subject matter is and try to think outside the box.

Make your story fascinating and compelling, so that the reader is compelled to explore it cover to cover.

Best Regards.

Chris.

PLEASE CHECK OUT CHRIS CLARK'S BOOKS AND WEBSITES BELOW

Website: Armchair Detective
Facebook: Armchair Detective
Amazon: Chris Clark

TOP FIVE BIGGEST RATS IN MOB HISTORY

Written by Scott Williams-Collier


Honour amongst thieves, a term that used to mean something to someone in organised crime circles decades ago, well for the most part anyway. For someone fully entrenched in a life of crime, talking to the police and telling on your friends is the ultimate in disloyalty and a sign of weakness. You know exactly what you are getting into when you decide to walk that road and live outside the law, everyone does. Co-operating witnesses seem to be the norm nowadays but back in the day, in the golden era of the mob they weren't so prevalent. There are some though, from that era who decided to betray their oath to the mob and their partners in crime. Here are The True Crime Page Podcast's TOP FIVE BIGGEST RATS IN MOB HISTORY

5. Joseph "Joe Cargo" Valachi. The first member of the Italian-American Mafia to admit to its existence in America.

While serving time with mob boss Vito Genovese for drug trafficking in 1962, Valachi received a kiss on the cheeks from Genovese, something he took to be a kiss of death.

Paranoid and waiting for an imminent attack, Valachi armed himself with a metal pipe he found in the prison. He bludgeoned a fellow inmate to death he believed was going to kill him.

After being arrested for the attack, Valachi decided to turn over information on the mafia and co-operate with the authorities. Although his testimony never led to any major arrests, he did for the first time admit to the existence of the mafia and even gave it a name "Cosa Nostra" (Our Thing) in English. Valachi exposed to the public, the inner workings of Cosa Nostra, the structure of the families, bosses and other members and rituals. This was devastating to the mafia. A hundred thousand dollar bounty was put on Valachi's head by Vito Genovese.

Valachi lived out the remainder of his years at the Federal Correctional Institution, La Tuna, in Anthony, Texas. He passed away on April the 3rd in 1971 from a heart attack outliving his mafia boss Vito Genovese by two years. The contract on his head was never collected.

4. Abe "Kid Twist" Reles was one of the most feared killers in the enforcement arm of the National Crime Syndicate, Murder Inc.

Murder Inc was a group of ruthless assassins responsible for hundreds of murders throughout the 1930s and 1940s. Abe Reles was one of their most feared killers. After being implicated in numerous killings and facing the electric chair in1940, Abe decided to save his own skin and squeal on his friends and fellow assassins.

Becoming a government witness and turning over damaging information to the authorities; Abe Reles implicated his boss Lepke Buchalter, Louis Capone, Mendy Weiss, Harry Maione, Harry Strauss, Frank Abbandando, Irving Nitzberg, and even his childhood friend "Buggsy" Goldstein. All of them would die in the electric chair.

Abe Reles threw all his friends under the bus to save his own skin, and his next target would be the most feared mobster in Murder Inc; Albert Anastasia. This would prove to be his undoing. There was no way the mob would sit back and let Abe Reles get away with such treachery.

On November the 12th 1941, while being guarded in his room at the Half Moon Hotel by five police officers. Abe was reported to have fallen to his death while trying to escape, by climbing out of his hotel room down bedsheets he had tied together. The scene looked like it had been rigged to make it look like an escape. Reles hadn't shown any indication of trying to escape during this time.

Police had clearly been brided to step aside and let someone into the room. Once in there, they threw Abe "Kidd Twist" Reles out of his hotel window to his death. A newspaper gave him the very apt title  of "The Canary Who Could Sing, But Couldn't Fly."

3. Phil "Crazy Phil" Leonetti was the underboss of the Philadelphia crime family, and at the time he decided to flip was the highest-ranking member of Cosa Nostra to ever co-operate with the authorities.

Phil was the nephew of probably the most notorious and violent mob boss in Philadelphia history; Nicky Scarfo.

Leonetti climbed the mob rankings along with his feared uncle, eventually being promoted to underboss by Scarfo in what was the bloodiest time in the Philidelphia mob scene. Scarfo had dozens of people whacked in this period and Phil Leonetti participated in many of them. After making millions and rising to second in command the law finally caught up with the family in 1989.

After being sent down for 45 years in a 1989 racketeering case along with his uncle, Leonetti decided he couldn't do the time and decided to co-operate and testify against his fellow members in Cosa Nostra including his own uncle. He also admitted to ten murders allowing him to be released in just five years time. After being released Leonetti went into hiding and has been ever since, only making a few appearances on TV in which he was heavily concealed wearing a disguise on both occasions. 

In interviews, Leonetti tries to portray himself as someone who believed he was doing the right thing for his family. Only killing bad people who wanted to hurt him and his crime family. That's nonsense, Cosa Nostra is and always will be all about money and power. Phil did very well during his heyday, he made millions, climbed the mob rankings to second in command and murdered at least ten people along the way.

Interestingly after being released from prison, he married the former girlfriend of Vincent Falcone, whom he murdered in 1979.

To this day Phil Leonetti lives in hiding, in fear for his life. His uncle, Nicky Scarfo died in prison in 2017 at the age of 87.

2. Joseph Massino is the highest-ranking member of Cosa Nostra to ever co-operate with the authorities and only the second boss of a family to do so, the first one being Ralph Natale of the Philadelphia crime family.

In 2004  Bonanno crime family boss, Massino was facing murder charges and further racketeering charges including arson, extortion, loansharking, illegal gambling and money laundering. Facing a oneway trip to death row he decided to flip and co-operate. This is something you would not expect from a boss of a crime family, someone who is supposed to be so entrenched in this life; other bosses kept their mouths shut and went away for life.

With the prospect of a trip to death row though, self-preservation kicked in and the boss decided to become an informer. Massino gave up the shooters in the 1981 three capos murder, a crime he himself had organised after fear of a power struggle within the Bonanno crime family. One of the shooters,  Canadian mob boss, Vito Rizzuto was sent down for ten years as a result. Massino also agreed to wear a wire and try to get Bonanno acting boss, Vincent Basciano to admit that he had conspired to have a prosecutor, Greg Andres murdered. Instead, Massino recorded Basciano admitting to ordering the murder of Randy Pizzolo, something that landed him a life sentence.

Joseph Massino now lives under witness protection and will do for the rest of his life.

1. Salvatore "Sammy The Bull" Gravano rose to second in command, in arguably the most powerful crime family in America at the time, the Gambinos.

In 1985 after conspiring with John Gotti, Sammy played a key roll in planning the murder of Gambino boss, Paul Castellano. Having Castellano killed, John Gotti took control of the family and Gravano eventually rose to Underboss.

Gravano made millions during his time in the mob and was known to be greedy. Anyone who stood in his way of making money or became a concern would be killed without hesitation. Gravano had friends murdered, at one point even his own brother-in-law Nicholas Scibetta. All that was found of his brother-in-law was an arm after being dismembered.

Sammy The Bull's worst crime would have to be the killing of an innocent teenager who had absolutely nothing to do with organised crime. 16-year-old, Alan Kaiser was an innocent kid minding his own business on Kings Highway in Brooklyn when Sammy Gravano and Louie Milito tricked him into walking over closer to the car so that they could kill him. The teenager was killed in what was a case of mistaken identity. These two psychos didn't even stop for a second to look at how young and innocent Alan was, no questions asked, and just killed him in the street. Gangsters killing gangsters is one thing but killing an innocent kid who had nothing to do with organised crime is totally cruel and savage to the core.

In December of 1990 after years of pursuit, the law finally caught up with the Gambino family, John Gotti, Sammy Gravano, and Frank Locascio were all arrested at the Ravenite Social Club. They were denied bail. During this time tapes were played and John Gotti was heard making unflattering comments about Sammy. Implicating him in murders and saying that he was too greedy. This apparently infuriated Gravano and according to him was the reason he decided to inform and turn state evidence in 1991. Gravano believed Gotti was setting him up so he turned on his boss and fellow members of crime. This was not the case. The only mistake John Gotti made was being caught on tape talking too much, he would never have co-operated in a million years. The Tapes gave Gravano an excuse to take the easy way out and dump everyone else in jail for a long time. Gravano's testimony sent down dozens of mob guys for long prison sentences. He himself, after admitting to 19 murders only did 5 years then was released into witness protection.

Gravano didn't like living in the witness protection program, he did not like the constraints on his freedom and opted to leave it and live out in the open after just a few years. Old habits die hard though and by the late 90s, the former Underboss of the Gambino crime family drifted back into a life of crime. He started a major ecstasy drug-dealing operation, selling thousands of ecstasy tablets earning as much as $500000 a week. The police caught up once again with The Bull in 2001 after informants implicated Gravano in his own drug ring. Sammy The Bull Gravano was sent down for 20 years for his part in the drug ring. He was released early in September 2018 and is now a free man again. Some could say that he is extremely lucky and privileged to be walking the streets again after the life he has led.

Sammy The Bull Gravano is set to be on the Valuentertainment YouTube channel this coming Friday the 18th of October. This is certainly going to be an explosive interview and I know for a fact there are going to be a lot of people upset and angry once it hits the internet, and I'm not surprised! Sammy Gravano is a career criminal, gangster, cold-blooded killer, treacherous to his core and my biggest rat in mob history!

DID THE YORKSHIRE RIPPER KILL MEN?

Fred Craven.

Written by Scott Williams-Collier

Peter Sutcliffe is in no doubt, in my opinion, the most ruthless serial killer in the UK. There are still many unanswered questions about the serial killer's crimes. I have always believed that Peter Sutcliffe attacked many more women than he was eventually tried for in court. In fact, there are some including myself, that believe Sutcliffe started by targetting men.

In April of 1966 in the small town of Bingley in West Yorkshire, Fred Craven, a well known and well-liked character and bookmaker was found horribly murdered. Fred was found in his office bludgeoned to death with what is thought to have been a hammer. Money had also been stolen from the premisses.

Now a murder in a small town like Bingley back in 1966 would have been a phenomenal event. Murder in a place like Bingley was practically unheard of and for one to have been so savage and brutal made it even more spectacular.

Fred Craven with one of his Daughters.

Fred Cravens's daughter, Irene Vilder is convinced that her father's killer is Peter Sutcliffe. Sutcliffe was well known to the Craven family. He lived a few doors away from Fred and played with his children as a child growing up. He was even invited into the Craven family home for food with the other children in the street where they all lived

Peter Sutcliffe also asked one of Fred's daughters out on a date on more than one occasion during his adolescents, which she declined. Sutcliffe also placed bets with the bookmaker. Interestingly Sutcliffe's younger brother was questioned about the murder of Fred Craven.

I have to ask myself how can someone be so utterly ruthless and callous, bludgeoning an elderly man to death who stood only 4 feet 7 inches in height. The only person in Bingley who had those types of credentials was Peter Sutcliffe.

Peter Sutcliffe could have very easily left the scene of the crime through the back of the building onto the canal pathway, and walked the short distance down the canal to his home without being seen during the late morning that day.

Unfortunately, during a move to a new police station, the police in Keighley lost all the evidence on the Fred Craven murder, so we are very unlikely to ever have closure on the Fred Craven case. Unless of course, Peter Sutcliffe was to stand up and say he was the murderer. That's never going to happen in a million years, Sutcliffe would never admit to killing men as it blows his story of mental illness out of the water.

John Tomey

There are three other men who Sutcliffe is suspected of attacking which resulted in two deaths and one man seriously injured with life long brain damage.

Taxi driver, John Tomey picked a passenger up one evening in 1967, who asked to go to Bradford. According to Tomey, the passenger changed his mind several times about where he wanted to go and eventually asked Tomey to take him to Bingley. Not far from Bingley on the Moors, John Tomey had become lost and leaned forward to look at a map, just as he was about to ask his passenger "where the hell are you taking me" he had what felt like an explosion go off inside his brain. The Passenger reigned down at least seven more blows to his skull. His Skull was fractured in eight places.

After regaining consciousness John Tomey realised his driver's side window had been smashed. He managed to drive his car to a house to get help, leaving his attacker on the moors. The photofit description John Tomey gave to the police looked just like Peter Sutcliffe. In fact, after Peter Sutcliffe was apprehended, and before his arrest was announced, Tomey was shown a lineup of mugshots. He took just 20 seconds to pick out Peter Sutcliffe.

Possible victim, Gordon Snowdon

George Ellis was a cemetery worker at the Bingley cemetery and a work colleague of Peter Sutcliffe. He was found dead by the side of the road in 1967 a few months before Sutcliffe was sacked from his job as a gravedigger. The police at the time believed he was a victim of a hit and run while walking home in the dark after work.  The police allowed work colleagues to go see George Ellis's body, which was being held at the church chappel, to pay their final respect. The group which included Sutcliffe was expecting to find him in a mangled mess. However, they found him lying across the slab with no marks on him apart from the back of his head which was fractured.

Ex-police officer and author Chris Clarke researched and highlighted these cases bringing them to the public's attention in his book Yorkshire Ripper: The Secret Murders. Chris also believes Peter Sutcliffe Murdered Petrol station attendant Gordon Snowdon in 1979, who was found with severe head injuries. A cash register had been stolen from the scene. Mr Snowdon died later of his injuries in the hospital.

Peter Sutcliffe

There are too many coincidences with some of these cases to ignore them. The three that I am convinced Peter Sutcliffe attacked are the murder of Mr Craven,  the brutal attack on Mr Tomey, and the mysterious death of graveyard worker Mr Ellis. These attacks all happened inside or close to Sutcliffe's home town of Bingley where he grew up. He knew two of the people that died, and John Tomey has said that Sutcliffe was definitely his attacker. The manner in the way they were attacked bears all the hallmarks of Peter Sutcliffe's modus operandi.

The murder of Fred Craven and the brutal attack of John Tomey were actually flagged up by police officers during the ripper murders. However, the senior police chiefs rejected the idea as the Yorkshire Ripper only targetted women. Maybe if they had looked into the cases further they could have made a link to Sutcliffe sooner!

Peter Sutcliffe has obviously denied any involvement in these attacks. He's not going to admit to them either. Denying involvement gives him power and control over the police and the victim's families. He's also not going to back down from his claims of mental illness and hearing God's voice commanding him to kill prostitutes. This gives him some kind of shield to hide behind and to make himself a victim too.

Regardless of what happens in the future with these cases, as far as I am concerned Sutcliffe started his reign of terror, years before the Ripper murders and targetted men.

MANIC HAMMER ATTACK

Murderer Gwen Massey.

Written by Amanda Wood

What lead to a seemingly ordinary woman to bludgeon another woman to death in a manic attack with a hammer?

Gwen Massey was a beautiful woman from Rudyard, she was a Sunday School teacher and had a passion for music. Singing at concerts and churches, even once winning the top prize at a music festival in Blackpool.

Police search for clues

It was a partically cold winter, there had been keen frost overnight on Friday the 8th of February in 1963. A red mini estate with lights still on had been abandoned in front of Mow Cop Castle, High Street, Mow Cop.  A few people had noticed the unfamiliar vehicle but thought it had maybe broken down.  The following day Mr. Ruben, a curious bus driver decided to take a closer look. He rubbed the frost from the window and peered inside with his torch. To his horror, he had discovered the body of fifty two year old Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Walton slumped across the back seat of the car.

The abandoned car at Mow Cop

Investigator soon uncovered a horrific crime of passion. Gwen Massey was previously having a secret love affair with Mary Waltons husband, Frank Walton, with whom she sang a duet in Congleton. This marked the start of the affair, which continued until Mrs. Walton found out in October in 1962, although at this point she did not know who the affair had been with.

Mary's abandoned car

I believe Gwen Massey was desperate to continue the love affair with Frank and believed the only person that stood in her way was Frank's wife, Mary.

Gwen Massey arranged a meeting with Mary Walton at the Plough pub in Endon, then tricked her into going back to her house in Rudyard. whilst there Gwen viciously attacked Mary with a brick hammer, striking her at least eight times in the head. She then bundled Mary's body into Mary's car and drove her up to Mow Cop, where she abandoned the car with Mary slumped across the back seat.

The brick hammer used in the attack.

Gwen then walked the eleven miles back home through a blizzard and large snowdrifts in the freezing conditions in a pair of stilettos in order to evade capture.  Witnesses had seen Gwen on her journey back home in the blizzard.

Only Gwen herself knows if murder was the intention when she arranged the meeting, or if it came about with a fit of anger.

The court case began on May 1963. On the 30th of May 1963 after just over an hour, the jury found Gwen Massey guilty of murder and she began her life sentence. She served only six years and was released after exemplary behavior at the age of forty on the 30th of May 1969.

After committing such a brutal murder, Gwen Massey was extremely fortunate to have such a short prison sentence.

CHARLES CHUCKIE RUSSELL PASSES AWAY

Written by Scott Williams-Collier


Chicago Outfit soldier Charles Chuckie Russell has passed away from cancer. 

The prolific burglar and member of the Grand Avenue Crew once said he had robbed thousands of homes during his career, and no one ever refused to open their safe for him. He also said that the best way to motivate his victims into opening their safe was to threaten them with a butane torch to the bottom of their feet.

The mobster was arrested in December of 2016 after trying to purchase guns from an undercover agent. A further search of his home revealed an illegal firearm.

Chuckie was facing 15 years in prison but was too ill to face trial. After pleading guilty to the single firearm charge he was released on bond. He spent the remainder of his days living with his girlfriend, Patricia Spilotro who was the niece of notorious mobster Anthony The Ant Spilotro.

Russel once said, "Nothing gets my juices flowing like putting a gun to someone's head, taking their stuff and making it mine!" He also apparently said to agents after his 2016 arrest, "You guys did a great job."

Being terminally ill with cancer obviously isn't a nice way to go but I couldn't imagine facing at least 15 years in prison at 70 years old would be either.

Charles Chuckie Russell was moved to a hospice in the final days of his life, where he passed away from prostate cancer.

THE BOARDED BARN MURDERS

Written by Amanda Wood

40 years ago a macabre double murder took place on bonfire night in 1979. The naked bodies of two wealthy ladies, Anne Carryer and Elizabeth Christine Blood both 39, were found in separate bedrooms in a large 16th-century country cottage near Congleton. They had both been gagged, Mrs. Carryer had also been raped then both ladies were both callously shot in the head with a double-barrelled shotgun.

The house had been owned by Anne Carryer's mother who had recently died. The two ladies who had been friends since school had driven to the cottage separately to sort out her possessions. The murders were discovered by Anne's sister-in-law around 7:30 PM.

The Police lead by superintendent Tom Brooks launched a massive investigation utilising 120 police officers in an attempt to track down the killers.  Roadblocks were set up and every passing motorist was questioned by the police.

Tracker dogs combed the countryside surrounding the cottage searching for clues and the weapons used in the attack.

Police search for clues.

There appeared to be no motive for the brutal attack. Police originally thought it was possibly a burglary gone wrong, as the house had at one time contained many antiques.

In a lucky twist of fate, police were lead 70 miles away to Huddersfield. Here the police investigating the theft of lead from a church roof stumbled upon a sawn-off shotgun, which was hidden beneath the bed of suspect Stephen Anderson.  In turn, this also lead to the arrest of Paul Hebel and Paul Jennings. The three eventually admitted to hiring a Ford Cortina and driving over to Scholar Green.

It is believed locally that the suspects had intended to kidnap a relative of wealthy businessman Alex Humphreys, a local supermarket owner, who in later life became a director at Stoke City Football Club.  It is believed the kidnap plot was to extort money from the wealthy businessman.

Ramsdell Hall 

Sadly for the two ladies, the three men turned up at the wrong house, and with no valuables to take they proceeded with their shocking crime. The three tormented the two ladies forcing them to dance naked for them. Elizabeth then had to watch with a loaded gun to her head, as Jennings raped her best friend. The two women were then lead away to separate bedrooms where they were bound to the bed and shot in the head through pillows with a sawn-off shotgun.  Elizabeth Blood had also been shot in the neck and Anne Carryer was also shot twice in the small of her back.

All three men were convicted and sentenced at Chester Crown Court to serve a minimum of 30 years for murder, aggravated burglary, and rape.

Stephen Aderson committed suicide within hours of his sentence at Risley Remand Centre by setting fire to the mattress in his cell. The two remaining men Phillip Jennings and Paul Hebel it is believed would have been released from prison in 2010. The pair would then be in their mid-50s and able to enjoy many years of freedom unlike the poor two ladies, who they brutally murdered on that chilling night.

I'm sure that this brutal crime will be long remembered in the local area of Scholar Green.