Field House, Marthall, Knutsford

Undetected / Unresolved Homicide

Walter Humphrey Name of victim Walter Albert Humphrey Age of victim Aged 71 yrs Date of offence 26th January 1953 Location of Offence Field House, Marthall, Knutsford Modus Operandi Approximately 12.35 am on 26th January 1953, the victim, then aged 71 years was working as a night watchman at a 24 hour garage located on the main Manchester Road, Knutsford, when he was struck from behind by a blunt instrument. The perpetrators had attempted to remove a cash box from the garage, but were unable to do so as it had been secured to a shelf. The victim suffered trauma to the head and died later of shock and head injuries. Fingerprints were later obtained from the cash box and matched to a male who had died. The male was not spoken to.

Known Suspect/s

Harry Baker Name of victim Harry Baker Age of victim Aged 61 yrs Date of offence 23rd June 1958 Location of Offence Location of murder has never been established , but the body was found on the A50 at High Leigh near Knutsford Modus Operandi Deceased was found dead in a field near to A50.

Known Suspect/s Currently no known suspect/s

Herbert Wilkinson Name of victim Herbert Wilkinson Age of victim Not known Date of offence 9th October 1967 Location of Offence Trent & Mersey Canal, Whatcroft, Middlewich Modus Operandi On Sunday 8th October 1967 the body of former solicitor Herbert Wilkinson was found in a shallow grave, in a wooded area close to the Trent and Mersey canal at Whatcroft. The victim, who had been reported missing from home by relatives, had sustained severe head injuries and had been strangled using an unknown ligature.

Known Suspect/s Currently no known Suspect/s

Jacqueline Ansell - Lamb Name of victim Jackie Ansell Lamb Age of victim Aged 18 Yrs Date of offence 8th March 1970 Location of Offence Mere, Knutsford Undetected / Unresolved Homicide Modus Operandi Approximately 2.30pm on Sunday 8th March 1970, the victim a young female was last seen alive, hitch hiking Northbound at the start of the M1 Motorway. Six days later her body was found in a copse in Mere Cheshire. A Home Office post mortem examination was carried out, which revealed that the victim had been strangled.

Brenda Evans Name of victim Brenda Evans Age of victim Aged 17 years Date of offence 7th October 1977 Location of Offence Old Lane, Pulford, Chester Modus Operandi At 18.55 hours on Friday 7th October 1977 the mother of the victim’s boyfriend was in a wooded area close to a disused airfield when she discovered the victim’s body in a manhole inspection pit. Approximately forty minutes earlier the victim had been reported missing. It was later found that the victim had been brutally assaulted both physically and sexually and her death was the result of strangulation using her own tights, which were still in situ around her neck. She had also sustained severe injuries to her throat and wrist, which was consistent with being cut with a sharp instrument.

Leslie Guntrip Name of victim Leslie Alan Guntrip Age of victim Aged 72 years Date of offence 15th February 1978 Location of Offence Bradford Mill Farm, Winsford Original Beat / Division Congleton Modus Operandi Approximately 9.50 am on 16th February 1978 the victim was found dead in his home by the bread delivery man. The police were informed and subsequent examination of the body revealed that the victim had been struck numerous times about the head with a blunt instrument. Motive appeared to be robbery; however the only item taken from the isolated cottage was a single barrelled shotgun.

Lynne Trenholm Name of victim Lynne TRENHOLM Age of victim Aged 29 yrs Date of offence Victim discovered 2155 hrs Friday 09.06.91 Location of Offence ‘Pinkies’ premises,100 Boughton, Chester Modus Operandi Between 17.00 hours and 20.00 hours on the 9th June 1991 the 29 Undetected / Unresolved Homicide year old victim was working at a massage parlour, located at Boughton, Chester when she was attacked with a knife in a first floor room. The victim sustained fatal stab wounds to her back. Known Suspect/s Currently no known suspect/s

Veronica Anderson Name of victim Veronica Mary ANDERSON Age of victim Aged 42 yrs Date of offence Victim found 0315 hrs Sunday 25.08.91 Location of Offence Old Tannery Complex, Tannery Lane, Penketh Modus Operandi At 22.10 hours on Saturday 24th August 1991, the victim a housewife and mother of two children left her home in her motor Vehicle intending to meet up with her brother. Approximately two hours later her vehicle was discovered on the Old Tannery complex with her body inside. The victim had been strangled. All doors were locked apart from the passenger door.

Jonathan Ball / Timothy Parry Name of victims Jonathon BALL / Timothy PARRY Age of victims 3 years / 12years Date of offence Saturday 20.03.93 Mid-day Location of Offence Bridge Street, Warrington. Modus Operandi Bomb explosion, Warrington town centre Investigated as a terrorist attack

Tracey Mertens Name of victim Tracy Ann Mertens Age of victim 31 years Date of offence Victim discovered 1622 hrs Friday 23.12.94 Location of Offence St Michaels Church, Macclesfield Road, Nr Congleton. Modus Operandi Approximately 11.00hrs on 23rd December 1994, the female victim was abducted from an address in Birmingham by two black males who, having bundled her into the rear of a canary yellow Mark II Ford Escort, drove her to the above location where she was then doused with petrol and set on fire. The victim was discovered at 16.20hrs the same day and taken to hospital. She died as a result of burns, the following morning at 05.20hrs. Known Suspect/s Currently no Known suspect/s Undetected / Unresolved Homicide Stephen Primrose Name of victim Stephen Primrose Age of victim 34 years Date of offence 4th January 1996 Location of Offence 248, Chester Road, Whitby, Ellesmere Port Modus Operandi At 16.55 hours on Thursday 4th January 1996 the victim was found by his wife in the front room of their home with severe head injuries. The post mortem and corroborating forensic examination concluded that the victim had been assaulted with a blunt instrument, which caused a depressed fracture of the skull.

Alan Jeffrey Morris Name of victim Alan Jeffrey Morris Age of victim Aged 44 years Date of offence 31st December 1998 Location of Offence 10, walker Street, Chester Original Beat / Division Chester Modus Operandi The deceased received a fatal stab wound directly into the heart. His girlfriend and co-habitee Jane Elizabeth Rowe was arrested for this offence which occurred at her home, 10 Walker Street, Chester.

Known Suspect/s Jane Elizabeth Rowe was acquitted of the offence at Crown Court

Charles Raymond Jones Name of victim Charles Raymond JONES Age of victim Aged 42 years Date of offence Victim found 0015 hrs Monday 26.01.98 Location of Offence Outside 5 Parkfield Road, Northwich. Modus Operandi The victim was found in the street with a serious head injury, possibly attacked by unknown persons. He later died of the injuries sustained.

Julia Webb Name of victim Julia Margaret WEBB (nee PEAKE) Age of victim 52 years Date of offence Victim found 1730 hrs Wednesday 22.07.98 Location of Offence Wooded area adjacent to Kennel Lane, Sandiway, Northwich Modus Operandi Deceased was found dead in wooded area Near to Kennel lane, Cuddington. Offender/s unknown attacked this adult female in a quiet rural lane using a blunt instrument to inflict fatal injuries to the head. Her body Undetected / Unresolved Homicide was left in a wooded area nearby

Baby ‘Callum’ Name of victim Not known - Abandoned baby (male) Age of victim New born baby - 14.03.98 Death believed to have occurred within 2 hours of birth. Date of offence Body found approx 1045 hrs Saturday 14.03.98 Location of Offence Area of uncovered land adjacent to approach road – Gulliver’s World, Warrington. Modus Operandi Unidentified infant found dead, abandoned at Callands, Warrington.

Katherine O’Brien Name of victim Katherine O’Brien Age of victim Aged 27 years Date of offence 3rd May 1999 Location of Offence 67, The Croft, Runcorn Modus Operandi Known Suspect/s The partner of Katherine O’Brien was charged with her murder. The accused Ian Paul O’Brien was found 'not-guilty' and acquitted of the offence at Crown Court in May 2000.

Jody Michael Burns Name of victim Jody Michael Burns Age of victim 27 years Date of offence 15th June 2001 Location of Offence Taxi rank, High Street, Runcorn Modus Operandi The deceased was involved a fight involving members of a group of up to sixty people at the Taxi rank, High St, Runcorn. As a result of injuries he sustained, he died several days later. Two participants in the fight were arrested in connection with the offence. They were Not charged with manslaughter / murder but were charged with public order offences arising from the incident.

John Iveson Name of victim John Iveson Age of victim 37 years Date of offence (Reported) 2nd February 2007 Location of Offence N/K. Last sighting at a poultry farm in Nantwich on 30th January 2007 Modus Operandi On Friday 2nd February 2007 Iveson was reported missing to Cheshire Constabulary. There have not been any confirmed sightings of him since 30th January 2007. Undetected / Unresolved Homicide Known suspect/s Paul Billington and Mark Done were arrested on suspicion of the murder of Iveson and were charged on 12th September 2011. On 13th April 2012 Both Billington and Done were acquitted at Chester Crown Court.

Wayne Lee Bassnett Name of victim Wayne Lee Bassnett Age of victim 30 years Date of offence 22nd December 2010 Location of Offence Pepper Street Hale Village Widnes Modus Operandi Ongoing conflict between Organised Crime Groups resulted in persons shooting Bassnett to the head causing fatal injuries.

Known suspect/s Michael Eves (15/03/87) – arrested and charged with the murder of Bassnett, but after 3 x trials was acquitted at crown court. Witnesses failed to provide any evidence at court.