EAST LANCS RIPPER PART 2

Written by Scott Williams-Collier

PART 2

In my last blog, we discussed the three murders of prostitutes Linda Donaldson in 1988, Maria Christina Requena in 1991 and Julie Finley in 1994. Sadly these brutal murders still remain unsolved today and the perpetrator untouched by the long arm of the law. The victims and their families are yet to get any justice and any imminent arrest seems unlikely.

There are striking similarities used in the modus operandi in these crimes which lead me to believe they were committed by the same offender. All the women in question were prostitutes, picked up in urban areas, murdered and then dumped in a quiet rural area in another town, close to the East Lancs Road. All the girls had all their clothing and belongings taken. Linda Donaldson was killed with a knife and horribly mutilated, Maria Requena was strangled then dismembered and dumped just three miles away from the deposition site of Linda Donaldson. In the case of Julie Finley, she had been strangled and dumped naked in a carrot field near the Rainford Bypass in St Helens. I believe the murder of Julie Finely was possibly a more impulsive murder which is why a knife was not used, the killer may have been disturbed or panicked and decided to dump her quickly. We must always remember that serial killers don't always follow the exact method of operation for every murder, and may sometimes vary the way they kill a victim to avoid crimes being connected.

There have been many people questioned about these crimes over the years, most notably rapist and murderer David Smith was questioned about the murders of Linda Donaldson and Maria Requena. Yet we are still waiting for someone to be charged with murdering any of these ladies. Unfortunately, as time moves on it becomes more difficult to see a positive conclusion to solving these crimes.

I hate to say this but in the cases of murdered working girls, I don't believe they are always given the same treatment as, say, the murder of respectable middle-class women would be treated. Some in the police force, unfortunately, view prostitutes as second class citizens. They live a risky lifestyle, usually have drug and alcohol dependence and often they are estranged from or have strained relationships with their immediate family. This makes them the perfect target for a serial killer. They are more accessible, more willing to get into a car with a stranger and to go off somewhere where they will be isolated. They are a lot less likely to be missed straight away and the police are less likely to take their disappearance seriously, to begin with. A prostitute is also a lot less likely to contact the police if they are raped or violently attacked.

These cases are still solvable, it's so important that we keep unsolved cases like these out in the public domain. It could help prompt a potential witness to come forward with valuable information which could solve one or more of these cases. It also keeps pressure on the police to keep investigating these crimes.

I had Ex-Police Officer and now published author Chris Clarke on my podcast show recently to discuss the East Lancs Ripper case. Chris has been undertaking a painstaking investigation of these cases and believes that Christopher Halliwell should be looked into as a person of interest in the murders of Linda, Maria and Julie. Halliwell was a keen fisherman and narrowboat enthusiast and was known to travel extensively around the country undertaking various jobs and possibly on narrowboat holidays, he, therefore, likely has a good knowledge of the countries waterways and canals, like the Leeds and Liverpool canal at plank lane not far from the deposition site of Maria Requena at Pennington Flash. He possibly fished at Pennington Flash lake too which is a popular fishing location.

Suspected serial killer Christopher Halliwell who is serving two life sentences for the murder of Becky Godden and Sian O'Callaghan has links to Liverpool. Recently a witness came forward and made it known that Halliwell worked as a window fitter in the area and lived in nearby Aughton around the time of Julie's murder. The Witness also claimed that Halliwell drove a 1986 white D reg Ford Transit Van like the one spotted near the entrance to the carrot field where Julie Finley's body was dumped. Halliwell fits the general description of the white male seen talking to Julie in Liverpool the night before her body was found in the carrot field.

Christopher Halliwell removed and took clothing and personal belonging from his two known victims. In fact, in 2014 police drained and searched a small pond and woodland were they discovered Halliwell liked to fish. There they retrieved 60 items of women's clothing buried in the woodland which is believed to be a secret trophy cache. They also recovered from the pond boots belonging to Sian O'Callaghan and a shotgun.

Chris Clark

Key points raised by Chris Clark and why he believes Halliwell should be considered a suspect.

1. The abduction of Linda Donaldson crossed force boundaries, with the abduction in the Merseyside Police force area and the deposition in the Greater Manchester Police force area, which is consistent with Halliwell's modus operandi.
2. All three victims fitted Halliwell's victim preferences (were prostitutes) and were enticed into a vehicle.
3. Halliwell lived in the Liverpool area, he may have travelled through Liverpool on narrowboat holidays on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, which is situated three miles from the abduction points of Linda Donaldson and Julie Finlay. 
4. Julie Finlay was witnessed talking to an unknown white man, of average height and build aged in his 20s to 30s. Christopher Halliwell was thirty in 1994 and fits the general description.
5. Shortly after the murder of Julie Finlay a woman calling herself Tina called the police and told them that on the night of her murder, Julie said she was going to meet a taxi driver from Prescot. Halliwell is known to have worked as a taxi driver and Prescot is 6.5 miles from the deposition site at Rainford. 
6. The taxi driver from Prescot may have been a regular client of Julie Finlay. Halliwell was a regular client of Becky Godden before he murdered her, so this again is consistent with his use of prostitutes and his modus operandi. He has also worked as a taxi driver for a large part of his life.
7. Halliwell lived in the Liverpool area and travelled widely. It is probable that he knew Manchester. He may have holidayed on the Rochester Canal, which would take him into Manchester City Centre close to the abduction point for Maria Christina Requena.
8. Halliwell used prostitutes, so may also have been familiar with all three abduction points from picking up prostitutes while living in Liverpool, visiting Manchester, or being in both cities on narrowboats holidays. 
9. The deposition site for Maria Christina Requena's body at Pennington Flash is within a third of a mile from the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, Leigh Branch. The deposition site for Linda Donaldson at Winwick Lane in Lowton is 3.6 miles from the deposition site of Maria Requena.
10. Halliwell may have gone fishing at Pennington Flash while living in the Liverpool area or on a narrowboat holiday while moored at the nearby Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Plank Lane.
11.  Halliwell worked at various jobs including bin man. Pennington Flash where Maria Christina Requena's body was found is literally a few minutes walk away from Leigh Waste & Recycling Centre on Slag Lane which is 3.4 miles away from the dumping site of Linda Donaldson on Winwick Lane.
12. Linda Donaldson's body had been washed down to remove fibres that could provide forensic evidence. Halliwell burned clothes and discarded seat covers and floor mats from his car after abduction Sian O'Callaghan, to destroy forensic evidence. This is entirely consistent with a forensically aware offender, such as Halliwell.
13. All three deposition sites were in rural areas, which is entirely consistent with Halliwell's modus operandi. 
14. Maria Christina Requena's body had been put into water, which is consistent with the murders Carol Clarke, Lindsay Jo Rimer and Caroline Glachan all of whom Halliwell is suspected of murdering. 
15. Maria Christina Requena's body had been dismembered and wrapped in bin bags which is consistent with the murder of Melanie Hall (Halliwell is a possible suspect in Hall's murder). Again consistent with a forensically aware offender.

I believe Christopher Halliwell is the most viable suspect we have had to date in the East Lancs Ripper case. Here we have a killer who is suspected of murdering multiple women across the country. A suspect, who is forensically aware, who has travelled extensively around the country. Has owned over 80 cars and is a keen fisherman and narrowboat enthusiast who likely has extensive knowledge of the countries waterways, canals and rivers. He is also a collector of women's clothes and all three women in the ripper case had all their belongings and clothes removed never to be found again. Is it possible that any of their belongings are among those 60 items found at the pond back in 2014? It is hard to ascertain if that's the case, as things stand at the moment the police are yet to show these items to any of the families of potential victims. 

More importantly, we now know Halliwell has links to the North West, in particular, Liverpool where he lived and worked. As far as I am concerned it's a no brainer that the police need to speak to him about these crimes.  They also need to show the general public the landscape paintings found in his home which could be depositions sites for other victims. There is so much the police forces could be doing to investigate these cases further, which unfortunately doesn't seem to be happening at the moment. The very fact that a meagre £40,000 was given to investigate Christopher Halliwell and finding other potential victims should tell us all how important the police view the cases of missing or murdered women potentially connected to Halliwell. 

I will be doing a full feature on the East Lancs Ripper case in the coming weeks on my podcast show at The True Crime Page Podcast. All I can ask is that you share this blog and any of my other work connected to the East Lancs Ripper case, we need to keep this case alive and out in the public domain so it's not forgotten about. Linda Donaldson, Christina Maria Requena and Julie Finley may have taken the wrong path in life, but they were human beings like the rest of us, they all had dreams and aspirations just like me and you. They all took a path that they wouldn't have took under different circumstances, a path that unfortunately ended with them losing their lives. My hope is that one day these cases will finally be solved and justice will prevail for these young ladies who lost their lives in the most brutal way imaginable.