THE JULIE FINLEY MURDER; TIME FOR JUSTICE.

Julie Finley

Written by Scott Williams-Collier

Julie Finely was brutally murdered over 25 years ago, her naked body unceremoniously dumped in a carrot field close to a layby near the Rainford By-pass. There have been some interesting leads over the years, frustratingly none of them have led anywhere and the perpetrator has yet to be brought to justice.  Some of the witness statements that have been provided over the years have been very helpful, some promisings but frustratingly never led anywhere because the witness failed to get back in touch with the police again with further information. And as you get in huge murder cases like this one, there has been a fair share of red herrings thrown in there too, which likely had nothing to do with Julie's murder, much like the newspaper article I was reading from 1994 on the British Newspaper Archives website. In that article from the Liverpool Echo, a prostitute was attacked by a punter who told her he had murdered a prostitute a few months previously. She believed he was talking about Julie Finley. The problem here is this suspect was heavyset and had a tattoo on his arm and was driving a silver Ford Escort and had a local accent. Although the lady attacked no-doubt had a terrible experience with this individual and her statement was given with good intentions to take a dangerous individual off the streets, I don't believe that this is Julie's killer. For starters, he does not fit the physical description of the man she was seen talking to on Pembroke Street.

Then we have the phone call police received shortly after Julie's death, from a friend calling herself Tina. Tina provided some vital information that Julie was going to meet a taxi driver from Prescott. She promised to come in and see the police or ring them back, unfortunately, she never did and that line of enquiry went cold.

There was another witness that came forward about 10 months after Julie's death. A motorist rang the police to tell them about a story of a hitchhiker he had recently picked up who told him something very disturbing. At 10:30 am on Friday the 21st of July a motorist driving past the East Lancs Road and Rainford By-pass picked up a hitchhiker. As they approached the scene where Julie's body was found, he apparently became very agitated, so much so that the driver became concerned about his mental well being. The driver asked him what was wrong. The young hitchhiker then told him a very disturbing story. About 10 months before, his motorcycle had broken down on the same layby where Julie Finley's body was found nearby. He went on to say while he was there fixing his bike, he heard bangs and screams coming from a van parked nearby. He approached the van and opened the doors, there he saw a young woman naked shouting "help me help me, for god shake help me." Before he could do anything, a male appeared, told him to mind his own business as this was his girlfriend. He was told in no uncertain terms to get on his way. Surprisingly he did just that and left and failed to call the police. The following day Julies body was discovered by a cyclist in a nearby carrot field.

A photofit of the Hitchhiker

The police took this piece of information very seriously. In fact, they announced this on an episode of Crimewatch UK in 1995. The police were very keen to speak to this young man who had hitched a lift with the motorist, as he had information only they knew about. The police believe this witness was the last person to see Julie alive and had also saw the murderer up close. They believed based on the information he had, he is to be taken seriously as a witness, if not he must be considered a suspect. The Hitchhiker was described as being in his mid-twenties, clean-cut with short blonde hair in a crew-cut. The driver also mentioned to the police that this man was local due to his accent and is believed to be from the St Helens area. He said he was visiting his grandfather who lived in Ainsdale in Southport. The police urged this individual to call in to give a photofit but as with the Tina lead, this never happened and the trail yet again went cold.

However, there have been some positive pieces of evidence provided to the police, which could be integral in solving this case. That is the description of the man seen with Julie in Liverpool and near the Wheatsheaf pub close to the murder scene who was described as being a white male in his late 20's to early '30s, average build and height. There was also the description of the perpetrator's vehicle which was described as a D-reg Ford Transit van. Someone fitting Julie's description was seen arguing with a man outside the Wheatsheaf pub who was trying to force her into his van, the same van was later seen in the layby near the deposition site of Julie's body.

Frustratingly despite some valuable evidence provided over the years, nobody has been charged with Julie's murder. It has been an extremely painful time for Julie's family. Her father sadly passed away without ever seeing justice for his daughter. Julie's mother, Patricia Finley has said she will not rest until her daughters killer is caught and brought to justice. Over the last year or so, however, events have started to unfold.

Chris Clark.

Ex-police officer and author, Chris Clark started research back in 2014 into the background of notorious double murderer and suspected serial killer Christopher Halliwell. He has linked Halliwell to the East Lancs Ripper murders. Chris Highlighted the fact that Julie's murder and the murders of Linda Donaldson and Maria Requena fitted Halliwell's victim type and modus operandi. He also highlighted the fact that Halliwell was also a keen fisherman and narrowboat enthusiast who would likely have good knowledge of canals and waterways, like the Leeds and Liverpool canal and Pennington Flash. Halliwell also travelled extensively around the country doing various jobs and was also a taxi driver for large parts of his life.

It had been brought to the publics attention last year that notorious convicted killer Christopher Halliwell was actually living in nearby Aughton at the time of Julie's murder, which is about 4 miles away from where her body was dumped. The witness that came forward with this information also advised that Halliwell worked in north Wales at the time fitting windows during the week, and drove a white D-reg Ford Transit van. He would return to his home in Swindon at the weekends. This has apparently been confirmed by a second witness.

The good news is that the witness has now been spoken to by the police and they are now investigating this line of enquiry. Det Ch Insp Rachel Wilson who is leading the investigating said recently "We are investigating a new line of inquiry. A witness has come forward with information and has been spoken to by detectives." 

Christopher Halliwell

So are we now starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel in this long-running case? I really hope so; Julie and her family deserve justice. It's taken them a while but it is nice to see the police following up on this and finally investigating Halliwell as a suspect. Halliwell for me is the most viable suspect to date because we can tie him to the general area and know now that he had been living in the Aughton. Interestingly he has also worked as a taxi driver for large parts of his life; Julie was apparently going to meet a taxi driver from Prescott the night she went missing. He also fits the general description of the man seen with Julie perfectly and drove the same type of van seen at the Wheatsheaf pub and the layby near where Julies body was found. It's too much of a coincidence for me. The murder of Julie Finley matches Christopher Halliwell's modus operandi perfectly. Working girl, picked up in an urban area, murdered then dumped in a rural area with all her belongings and clothes missing.

Now what I want to know, and I hope this is the case, is that the police also look into two other murders which took place a short drive down the East Lancs Road from where Julie was killed. That is the 1988 murder of Linda Donaldson and the 1991 murder of Maria Christina Requena. Again both were working girls. Linda was last seen on the 18th of October 1988 at around 1:30 am at Canning Street less than a mile from where Julie Finely was seen speaking to the white male in Liverpool. Maria was last seen in Manchester heading towards Canal Street on New Years Day 1991. These were absolutely brutal murders which made national news and terrified the local communities, much like Julie's murder did. If the police are going to investigate him for Julie's murder they also need to look at him as the suspect for  Linda and Maria as well. 

Halliwell was a keen fisherman and also narrowboat enthusiast who went on narrowboat holidays. He would likely have good knowledge of the Leeds and Liverpool canal and Pennington Flash lake where Maria Requena's dismembered body was dumped. Linda Donaldson's mutilated body was dumped just over 3 miles away on Winick Lane in  Lowton. The location is just outside Leigh and very close to the M6 Motorway. It is quite possible Halliwell may have used the East Lancs Road and Winick Lane when going home back to Swindon at the weekends. 

These 3 murders have really stuck in my mind, so much so I have decided I want to write a book on the East Lancs Ripper case. I will be keeping my eyes and ears peeled in anticipation on what transpires from this new investigation and will keep everyone updated accordingly. I am also currently doing a lot of research into the case for my book, looking at other potential victims in the North West and the 4 suspects, Christopher Halliwell, David Smith, Alun Kyte and Duncan Munro McLuckie so this probably won't be the last blog I write on this subject. 

My next podcast will be a feature on the East Lancs Ripper case covering the murders of Linda Donaldson, Maria Requena and Julie Finley, so be sure to tune in for that one coming soon on my YouTube channel at The True Crime Page Podcast. Anyway, let's hope for now that the police do a thorough investigation into these three brutal murders. Julie, Linda and Maria and their families deserve justice, hopefully, that's just around the corner. 

THE UNSOLVED MURDER OF VERONICA ANDERSON

Veronica Anderson

Written by Scott Williams-Collier

It's been almost 29 years since the senseless and brutal murder of single mum Veronica Anderson, known to her family and friends as Vera.  Her murder has left her family and police alike baffled with no clear motive or suspects. Her daughter Lorraine Rigby has had to live with the harrowing experience of having to identify her dead mother's body when she was just 19 years old and pregnant with her first child, something that still bothers her to this day and will do for the rest of her life. She also had the challenging task of having to break the terrible news to her young brother Neil who was just 7 years old at the time.

This tragic event all unfolded on Saturday 24th of August 1991 on what should have been a normal evening watching TV. Her son Neil was asleep in his bed upstairs. At some point, Vera received a call from someone; a call which prompted Vera to ask her neighbour to babysit her son for ten minutes while she nipped out. She woke her son and dropped him off at her next-door neighbour's house and said she would be back in 10 minutes. She informed her neighbour that she wouldn't be long and was going to pick up her brother, her neighbour mentioned that this was unusual for her to say, "brother" as she would always refer to her siblings by name. Vera had also emptied her boot before leaving which would suggest she was making room to put something in the back of her car, then left around 10.15 pm. That would be the last time anyone would see her alive.

The Crown and Cushion pub.

Before Vera was murdered there was a possible sighting of her at The Crown and Cushion pub in Warrington at around 10:30 pm about twenty minutes after she had left her home. She wasn't a regular at this pub but it was a short distance from her home and also close to the location where her body would be found. A witness in the pub said they saw someone fitting Vera's description entering the pub looking for someone, not long after entering the pub she was seen sat with her back to the bar talking to someone who they could not see. Another witness in the pub said that they also saw someone they believed to be Vera talking to a white male said to be in his late-30s early 40s. The man was described as being 5ft 8in to 5ft 11in tall, slim build with sunken temples, mousey coloured hair cut short, a mousy coloured moustache and wearing a fawn jacket. The man also mentioned that they did not appear to be lovers or married but seemed to know each other.

Sketch of the suspect seen with Vera at The Crown and Cushion pub.

Shortly before closing time, the couple believed to be Vera and her companion had left. Nobody saw them leave the pub.

Later on, that evening around 11 pm Vera's car was spotted parked behind the Old Tannery works on Tannery Lane with the headlights on.  The area is about two minutes drive from The Crown and Cushion pub and overlooked by Kenneth Adamson's house. Mr Adamson remembered looking out of his back window in the evening before he went to bed and saw a car parked there with its headlights on. The area was known at the time as a lovers lane or a place where people went to use soft drugs. Due to this, the police would do regular patrols of the area every few hours in the evenings.

At 1:30 am Richard and Ilene Thomas were walking home along Tannery Lane from their local Social Club. They saw the car parked in the works and assumed it must have been a courting couple. Around 3:15 am a police officer discovered Vera's body slumped over the wheel of her car. She had been strangled and had her throat cut in a violent struggle. Her killer had left two items behind at the scene, a length of window sash cord (white) and a white cotton Minette Glove. The glove had come into contact with Vera's body and had likely been dropped and left behind by accident by the killer. It's possible these items may have been things the killer possibly used in his line of work. The knife used to cut Vera's throat has never been recovered. The fact that these items had been taken with the perpetrator to the meeting, shows that the murder of Vera was not a crime of passion or a heat of the moment thing. This shows clear premeditation and intent to kill Vera and attempt to avoid leaving fingerprints at the scene.

Vera Anderson's Ford Cortina

shortly after Vera's murder, another witness came forward and described picking a man up in his taxi on Warrington Road at about 1.30 am. The location where he was picked up is about half a mile from The Crown and Cushion pub and the murder scene. He asked to be taken to Halton View area which is about a hundred yards from Vera Anderson's home at Hadfield Close.  The man was described by the taxi driver as being in his 30s, wearing a raincoat. Significantly the man appeared to have an injured right hand with a handkerchief wrapped around it and his knuckles were grazed. 

On Thursday the 29th of August it was reported in the Liverpool Echo newspaper, that the police were anxious to trace a man and a little girl. They had entered the Sihouette wool shop in Halton View around 2pm on Saturday the 24th of August the same day Vera was murdered: the man purchased wool which he said was for Vera Anderson. This story is given credence in the fact that Vera liked to knit bunny rabbits for babies, she also sold them to truck drivers at the Roll Inn Truck Stop, where she socialised several times a week. The man in question was described as being 45 years old, above six feet tall, short brown hair with a heavy moustache, wearing a  shirt, tie and jacket. He was well built with large hands and possibly spoke with a local accent. The little girl was described as being about 8 years old, with shoulder-length dark hair with a pretty face. The police requested this man come forward as he could have vital information concerning Vera Anderson's murder. To this day as far as I am personally aware, this individual has never come forward. I find this piece of evidence very interesting, especially since Vera was seen later that evening just before her murder with someone who had a moustache, could this possibly be the same person?

It was also reported on Friday 30th of August that an anonymous person had put up a £3000 reward for information leading to Mr's Anderson's murderer being caught. Vera was obviously a very well-liked person and her murder had really upset and hurt the people who knew her.

Glove like the one left behind at the crime scene

29 years will have passed on the 24th of August 2020 this year, and Veronica Anderson's murder still remains unsolved with no clear motive. Looking at the evidence it's clear that this was a premeditated murder. The Killer took a length of cord, gloves and a knife to the meeting, which shows a clear intent to commit a violent assault on Vera. One thing which is not very clear is the motive. 

She was a regular visitor at the Roll Inn Truck Stop Motel in Widnes not far from her home. This was her main outlet for socialising and she would visit there several times a week. She was friends with many of the truck drivers there and had, in fact, had several steady relationships with truck drivers over the years. As far as her friends and family are concerned she was a good mother, well-liked and didn't have any enemies. She had a steady boyfriend who was a truck driver and stayed with her every Friday, then headed back home to the south of England where his family and wife lived.

Although Vera was a happy go lucky women who frequented the Roll Inn Truck Stop and had many truck driver friends, she was not a man mad women. Her daughter Lorraine said her mother was probably the most popular person at the truck stop, she used to do their washing for them and many of them would go to her if they had any problems, she was always happy to help.

It is quite possible that this murder was the result of jealous rage on the part of someone who was romantically interested in her, but that had been one-side, or was it entirely something else?

This crime is a baffling one, I keep mulling over the different possibilities and why this murder happened. One thing for sure is whoever rang Vera that night, whoever they were and whatever they had to say, it was enough to get her to drag her 7-year-old son out of bed and leave him with her neighbour. Then leave her house late in the evening which was out totally out of character. Interestingly, Vera also cleared space in her boot, surely doing this late on a Saturday evening was for a reason, what was she making room for in her boot? Vera also had to know her killer, there is no way the single mother would leave her son like that to go meet a stranger. I also find it curious that she lied to her neighbour about picking up her brother when in fact that was simply not the case. Obviously, Vera didn't want her son or neighbour knowing the real reason why she was going out so late in the evening.

In 1994 after the murder of Julie Finely, there was some suggestion that Vera's murder may have been linked to the unsolved East Lancs Ripper Case. Personally, I don't think that is the case. The East Lancs Ripper murders were all sexually motivated crimes against prostitutes. There is no evidence of a sexual assault on Vera or any signs of robbery as a motive, so there has to be something else. I have two theories on the motive of why Vera was murdered. My personal opinion on this is that this murder was possibly the result of jealous rage from an individual who was romantically interested in Vera. This for me is the most likely reason this murder took place. My other theory is that Vera may have gotten herself involved in something illegal, maybe someone had asked her to do something for them or had confided in her about something, then decided to silence her by taking her life; stranger things have happened before and we must always try and keep an open mind in cases like this. I also believe that whoever killed her was someone she knew and was likely a truck driver from the Roll Inn or someone who lived locally.

If you are from the Warrington or Widnes areas please share this blog with your friend and family. We need to raise the profile of this murder to keep the public informed and help raise awareness of Veronica Anderson's murder. I've said this many times and will say it again, every little help's and every writer, blogger, podcaster or true crime fan has their part to play. Putting out material like this or sharing it on your social media helps massively. It could help someone recollect something about the case which is a valuable piece of evidence. It may also give someone the courage to come forward with something they have held back for years as a result of loyalty or fear, allegiances change as the year's pass by! I would urge anyone who has any evidence regarding Vera's murder to call Crime Stoppers on 0800555111. Alternatively, if you are a family member or friend of Vera and would like to speak to me about the case you can contact me on my page at The True Crime Page Podcast.