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Unsolved Murders in London: 2012

These four murder cases in London in 2012 remain unsolved. Can you help? Contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Earl ‘Duke’ Warburton, 58, died after being assaulted during a robbery of his flat in Loampit Hill, Lewisham. Police were called to the address at around 2.25am on 15 February 2012. Mr Warburton, who was a well known character who ran a brothel named ‘Madonnas’, had suffered multiple injuries and was pronounced dead 15 minutes later. A reward of £20,000 was offered for information leading to the prosecution of those responsible for the murder but nobody was charged. On the second anniversary of the killing, DI Rick Murphy said: “We are particularly keen to speak to anyone who was in the area at the time of the attack and who may have seen or heard anything suspicious. We are also keen to speak to anyone who may have worked for him in the weeks or months leading up to his attack. We appreciate that given the nature of the business Mr Warburton ran people may be concerned about coming forward. We would like to stress that any information will be treated in the strictest confidence.” Contact the incident room on 020 8721 4868.

Marvin Hogan, 28, was stabbed to death for his car keys in Leyton, east London, on Monday 4 June, 2012. He was attacked after getting out of his silver Vauxhall Astra in Winsor Road during a row with a group of men. Mr Hogan was found injured in Thornhill Gardens at around 9.40pm and died in hospital in the early hours of the following morning. A postmortem gave the cause of death as a stab wound to the chest. His keyring, which held his car keys and the entry key to his flat, was stolen during the attack. Seven men were arrested but nobody was charged. During a renewed appeal in January 2013, Mr Hogan’s mother Jean Alleyne said: “l would like to appeal to anyone that knows anything about my son’s death to come forward, you do not have to leave your name this can be done anonymously. I feel that these were local boys who committed this murder and took my son away at a very young age from the people that loved him. I also appeal to family members, aunts, uncles and friends to do the right thing in helping to bring this person to justice that took my son from me and his family so cruelly that bank holiday Monday while I was at work. This person is still out there walking around free probably not far from where my son was murdered I want him caught so can have my peace. I will not rest until my son’s killer has been found.” Anyone with information is asked to contact the incident room on 020 8721 4805.

Pamela Wheeler, a 76 year-old widow, was found dead at her home after a suspected burglary. Police were called to the house in New Acres Road, Thamesmead, south London, at around 6.25pm on Sunday 22 July, 2012. Her wrists and ankles had been tied together and a postmortem gave the cause of death as suffocation and head injury. The last confirmed sighting of Mrs Wheeler was at a local Morrison’s supermarket on 9 July. Neighbours noticed that she had not left out food for the cats on the morning of Friday 20 July. Renewing the police appeal in July 2013, DCI Graeme Gwyn said: “This investigation remains open and I am keen to speak with anyone who has yet to come forward to police with any information that may assist our enquiries. Pam was attacked in her own home, and I am certain that someone has information that will assist us in bringing the perpetrator of this horrific and violent death to justice.” There were no publicised arrests. Contact the incident room on 020 8721 4805.

Teon Palmer, 28, was stabbed in the chest in Lower Edmonton, north London, at around 11.10pm on Saturday 20 October 2012. Detectives believe his car had all four tyres slashed shortly before the attack in Montague Road at the junction with Goodwin Road. Mr Palmer was pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses saw up to seven black males wearing hooded tops or jackets leaving the scene. Four of them are believed to have been on bicycles. Four men aged between 20 and 23 were arrested but nobody was charged. On the fourth anniversary of the murder, DI John Marriott said: “I strongly believe that there are people, who were not there that night, who know who stabbed Teon. I would urge them to contact us. It is also possible that allegiances have changed, and that someone, who may not have wished to speak with police at the time, may now be encouraged to do so. Teon’s family deserve to know what happened.” Contact the incident room on 0208 345 1570.

Domestic Violence part 2

Last month we looked in detail at the issue of domestic violence (or intimate partner) homicides in London by looking at the cases for 2011. In part two, we compare the figures for previous years.

So what are the trends in ‘DV’ homicides in London over the last five years?

In brief, over 2008 to 2011:

The proportion of DV cases increased from around 11 per cent to 13 per cent.
The number of DV cases remains relatively constant each year
The percentage of female victims fluctuates over time but is usually around 20 to 22 per cent

However the preliminary figures for 2012 (subject to change) are 19 female victims out of 93 total, or 20.4 per cent, of which 10 appear to be DV cases, or 10.8 per cent).

Obviously dealing with such a short time frame and relatively small numbers makes the identification of any real trends difficult. However, it seems that the decrease in homicide over the last five years does not really apply to female victims or domestic violence.

Year	2008	2009	2010	2011
Total victims	145	131	123	117
Female victims	32	23	30	26
Percentage Female	22.1	17.6	24.4	22.2
DV (both sexes)	16	14	15	15
Percentage DV	11	10.7	12.2	12.8

Note: For the category ‘Domestic Violence’ we have included all cases that involve men or women being killed by their partners or ex-partners. Some cases involve little or no history of violence and a small number of others are often described as ‘mercy killings.’

The full case listings are below (click on name to read summary in new window).

2008: Total number of ‘domestic violence’ cases: 16 (out of total 145 homicides, or 11.0 per cent)

Yvonne Barlow, 44, stabbed to death by her partner.

Emma Forrester, 34, stabbed to death by her husband.

Michael O’Brien, 43, stabbed to death by his girlfriend.

Graham Boyne, 41, stabbed to death by his wife.

Arsema Dawit, 15, stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend.

Samantha Boyden, 36, stabbed to death by her partner.

Abiodun Ilumoka, 40, stabbed to death by her partner.

Rahmona Ahmedin, 23, stabbed to death by her partner.

Ashley Reynolds, 23, thrown to her death by her partner.

Jusna Sabit, 36, battered to death by her husband.

Dina Sharpe, 39, battered to death by her partner.

Marilyn Leslie, 49, stabbed to death by her partner.

Shireen Khan, 41, strangled by her husband. (He was cleared of murder on the basis he was provoked).

Tara Reeves, 35, stabbed to death by her partner.

Kate Ellerbeck, 46, killed by her husband.

Tatiana Konalova, 47, stabbed to death by her husband.

2009: Total number of ‘domestic violence’ cases: 14 (out of total 131 homicides, or 10.7 per cent)

Lakhvinder Cheema, 39, poisoned by his ex-lover.

Varsha Champaclal, 43, stabbed to death by her husband.

Kulvir Kaur, 22, strangled by her husband.

Gloria Laguna, 48, killed by her husband.

Camille Mathurasingh, 27, stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend.

Darryl Phillips, 39, stabbed to death by his lover.

Elif Oruc, 42, stabbed to death by her husband.

Maleha Masud, 15, killed by her ex-boyfriend in a house fire.

Leah Questin, 37, killed by her boyfriend.

Lisa Beverley, 30, was battered to death by her ex-partner.

Olga Pleguezuelos, 35, was stabbed to death by her husband.

Geeta Aulakh, 28, was hacked to death on the orders of her husband.

Aysel Djevdet, 38, strangled by her husband.

Julie McKinley, 40, strangled by her husband.

There is also Natalie Correa, 27, who was battered to death at her home. Her boyfriend was acquitted of murder. Ayodele Akinsiku, 32, was stabbed to death by her brother-in-law.

2010: Total number of ‘domestic violence’ cases: 15 (out of total 123 homicides, or 12.2 per cent of total)

Maria Colaco, 50, battered to death by her partner.

Maria Coelho, 37, battered and suffocated by her partner.

Carmen Stanescu, 30, stabbed to death by her partner.

Czarina Baker, 21, strangled by her partner.

Donna Drepaul, 50, set on fire by her partner.

Sandra Voicehovska, 47, stabbed to death by her partner.

Svetlana Zolotovska, 40, stabbed to death by her estranged husband. Her mother was also killed.

Amanda Beresford, 36, set on fire by her partner.

Ghada Habib, 55, battered to death by her ex-husband.

Beata Slomiana, 33, suffocated by her ex-partner.

Indra Tharmananthan, 70, strangled by her mentally ill partner.

Jacqueline Barrett, 34, battered and strangled by her partner.

Joan Mungall, 69, smothered by her husband in what was described as a mercy killing.

Winifred Crowther, 83, stabbed to death by her husband.

Joan Chopping, 84, killed by her husband.

See the previous blog for the list of 2011 cases

Domestic Violence Murders in London in 2011

Domestic violence is said to account for 40 per cent of all female homicide victims in England and Wales. The other frequently reported statistic is that two women are killed by a male partner or ex-partner every week (from the Home Office analysis carried out in relation to the financial year 2003/4).

But how does this compare to London? We decided to look at the homicide cases in the capital during 2011 to see how they compare to the quoted statistics.

In summary, 26 out of out of the 117 homicide victims (22.2 per cent) in our database for last year were female. Fourteen of those 26 (57.7 per cent) were women killed by their husband, partner or ex-partner. In six of the 14 cases there was a definite history of domestic violence in the relationship, and in a seventh the suspect was on bail as a result of a previous incident.

Two of the 14 are commonly referred to as ‘murder-suicides’ where the killer committed suicide before they could be arrested.

Here is a list of the victims we’ve identified (click the link to read the case summary):

January 1: Jitka Nahodilova, 27, stabbed to death by her partner, who committed suicide.

February 2: Lorna Smith, 45, stabbed / suffocated by her ex-boyfriend.

April 20: Zandra Maxwell-Nelson, 24, stabbed to death by her estranged husband.

April 26: Lucinda Port, 29, stabbed to death by her partner, who committed suicide. Previous involvement of police.

June 20: Sarwat Malik, 60, stabbed to death by her husband.

July 5: Mumtahina Jannat, 29, strangled by her husband. History of domestic violence.

September 12: Sashana Roberts, 24, stabbed to death by her ex-partner. History of domestic violence.

September 26: Charito Cruz, 37, battered to death by her partner (suspect awaiting trial)

October 8: Gaynor Brockwell, 46, strangled by her husband.

November 11: Amina Adan, 32, beaten and stabbed to death by her partner. History of domestic violence.

November 19: Carmel Charles, 20, stabbed to death, believed to be domestic (the suspect is awaiting trial).

December 20: Jasmin Chowdhury, 33, beaten to death by her husband. History of domestic violence.

December 23: Desirie Thomas, 35, stabbed to death by her husband. History of domestic violence.

December 25: Ruby Love, 23, strangled by her partner and dumped in a canal. History of domestic violence.

But not every case is clear cut – for example Fiza Asif, 27, was murdered by her brother-in-law on January 4. Her husband was charged with murder but was acquitted.

Only one case out of 117 involves a male victim being killed by their female partner: Winston Sinclair, 73, fatally stabbed by his wife on January 16.

Additionally there is the case of Mohammed Zillur-Rahman, stabbed to death by his stepson – who claimed the victim was violent towards him and his mother.

In one or two other cases the nature of the relationship between victim and killer is unclear (see for example Siobahn Kelly).

We have not included cases of homicide involving relatives, even though they occurred in a domestic setting.

In our next blog we will look at the cases for 2008, 2009 and 2010 and see how they compare.

Note: Earlier this week the Metropolitan Police launched an operation targeting ‘domestic abusers’.

The Jack the Stripper Files: Closed until 2050

The police report which might shed light on the unsolved murders carried out by ‘Jack the Stripper’ in London in the 1960s is currently locked away in the National Archives, marked not to be opened until 2050.

If you were wondering why this is necessary nearly 50 years after the killings, then a recent Freedom of Information request reveals the reasons for the decision:

Releasing the document might impair a future ‘cold case investigation’ into the murders.
It could cause distress to families of the victims
It might cause damage or distress to a ‘third party’

Another interesting point is the policy that details of any investigation into an unsolved crime should remain confidential until the ‘hypothetical suspect’ reaches the age of 85. This could explain why the date of 2050 is chosen in the Jack the Stripper case, as the report is dated September 1965.

Links to a summary of the Jack the Stripper case and the police report held at the National Archives.

The full response is:

Disclosure of the information contained within this record would demonstrate how the police go about investigating serious crime, in this instance a series of murders of prostitutes in West London during the mid 1960s.
The police service is accountable to the public it serves and it is in the common interest that information that demonstrates how it performs across the range of its duties is made available. However, this comes with the following caveats; such disclosures of information must not impede the police from discharging their lawful duties to detect and prevent crime, and identify, apprehend and bring offenders to justice; nor should disclosure infringe the rights of individuals.
Disclosure of information, especially that relating to issues of public safety, could act to reassure the public and engender a sense confidence in the police, which would be in the public interest. However, this record contains information relating to the investigation of a series of murders that remain unsolved. This record also contains information, which, if put into the public domain, could cause substantial distress to the immediate, surviving families of the victims.
The information contained in this record is directly relevant to the investigation of a series of murders as yet unsolved. As such the Metropolitan Police Service would desire that the details of the investigation remain confidential until any hypothetical suspect reaches the age of 85 years, after which point, in common with CPS policy, a prosecution is unlikely to be pursued. This closure period would be based on an assumption that the suspect(s) would have been at least 16 years old at the material time. The rationale for this is that there remains a possibility that these murders could still be investigated and that a suspect could be identified, charged, brought to trial and convicted.
It is not possible to identify particular information that might be released into the public domain without the risk of compromising any future police actions; information that appears innocuous may have significance to an experienced investigator that is not immediately obvious to the lay reader; or may assume a new significance in the light of newly discovered evidence or developments in forensic or investigative techniques. The evolution of new scientific techniques, especially the technology of DNA, means that cases hitherto considered unsolvable, are being examined afresh. Increasingly police services throughout the country are setting up ‘cold case’ teams to review their case files on unsolved murders; in some instances these unsolved murders date back to the 1940s.
The premature release of this record into the public domain might, therefore, be detrimental to any future investigation and subsequent prosecution. Such an outcome would not be in the public interest.
This record comprises of a report that links together a series of prostitute murders in West London in 1960s. The report contains information a graphic and disturbing nature the disclosure of which is likely to cause substantial distress to the victims’ surviving, immediate families to the point where their welfare could be significantly harmed. Such an outcome would not be in the public interest.
A section 40 (2) exemption also applies to some of the information contained in this document. Section 40 (2) exempts personal information about a ‘third party’ (someone other than the requester), if revealing it would breach the terms of the Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998. The DPA prevents personal information from release if it would be unfair or at odds with the reason why it was collected, or where the subject had officially served notice that releasing it would cause them damage or distress.
In this document the exemption applies because it contains discussion of personal information relating to the deceased’s family and aspects of their own private lives. The individuals concerned would have no reasonable expectation that this information would be released into the public domain during their lifetimes, and to do so could cause them a considerable level of distress.
FOI Response

Researching Old Murders

As well as covering every new murder in London, we are also trying to expand the database backwards in time to the 19th Century. How do we go about it?

Some cases are so famous that vast amounts of information can be found easily online or in countless books, blogs and newspaper articles (Jack the Ripper, for example).

Many others are mostly forgotten, for a variety of reasons. But even then there is still plenty of information which can be dug up without a vast amount of effort. To illustrate this we looked at an unusual case of cyanide poisoning dating back to 1968.

The search began with an email from a visitor to the site:

Can anyone help me find out case and details of Murder of barmaid in Beehive Public House St Johns Road, Battersea London SW11. The barmaid was named Helen Enright commonly called Eilleen. A customer poisoned her with cyanide. this happened about 40 years ago.

At the time there was nothing in the Google search results for a Helen or Eileen Enright in connection with the Beehive pub in Battersea. The breakthrough came with a search on the Times Archive of newspaper reports between 1785 and 1985.

This revealed that there was a report of a murder case involving an Eileen Pooley at the Beehive pub in the Times of September 6, 1968.

Now we have full names for both the victim and defendant we could start searching other online newspaper archives such as the British Newspaper Archive, or the The British Library‘s online collection of newspapers from the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries (also available to search at the London Metropolitan Archives and other institutions). Users of the British Library can also access the online archives of the Daily Express and Daily Mirror.

The British Library Newspaper archive at Colindale also has copies of nearly every newspaper ever printed (both the actual paper and on microfilm) which can be examined by anyone with a reader’s ticket.

Another vital source of information (at least for cases dating to prior to 1913) is the Proceedings of the Old Bailey website, which often contains a fascinating amount of information including the evidence given by witnesses.

But for our case, which took place in 1968, the best place to look is at the National Archives in Kew. A search of their online catalogue for Eileen Pooley or Clifton Stofile reveals two files of interest:

1) The case papers of the Director of Public Prosecutions at DPP 2/4566 – unfortunately this file is closed until 2052 because it ‘contains sensitive personal information which would substantially distress or endanger a living person or his or her descendants.’

2) The records of the Central Criminal Court at CRIM 1/4966. This contains the statements of the witnesses and Clifton Stofile himself, together with a plan of the Beehive and photographs of the scene.

All of this information was pulled together for our story Guinness and Cyanide: The tragic death of Eileen Pooley. What was the result of the trial? Read and find out.