As a result, they have not been able to follow lines of enquiry and his killer has never been identified. [24], Although sections of the press speculated the children had died of exposure due to the climate on 31 March and 1 April,[11] the clothing of each child strongly indicated both had been redressed after their deaths, leading both sets of parents and several police officers to strongly suspect they had not died of natural causes. This person is responsible for the operational management of the forest. He is also known to have formed a close friendship with paedophile Sidney Cooke. Manage Settings Living just a short car journey, as I do, from Epping Forest and having a keen interest in the paranormal I started researching all the weird and wonderful occurrences that have happened there. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Crime and Safety in Epping. When the searchers were later asked how they expected such dogs to react to discovering a body, one officer simply replied he did not know, whereas the other stated he expected the dog to refuse to move from the location. Investigators were unable to examine Hanlon's body for injuries to corroborate Jebson's confession to having bludgeoned the boy's face and body prior to his strangulation murder, as his body had been cremated. contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. As one might imagine the frightened woman screamed for help, which alerted a passing man who rushed to her assistance. He had then left the crime scene, taking Blatchford's underwear as a keepsake. Jebson is a very, very sad man.". He later entered a formal plea of guilty to both murders before Judge David Stokes at the Old Bailey on 9 May, with his defence counsel, John Evison, arguing his client had chosen to confess because he did not wish to take his crimes to his grave. Essex police launched the campaign today. So scepticism is probably in order. His most recent conviction had been for the December 1968 sexual assault of a six-year-old girl of acquaintances of his whom he had molested in her bedroom. The size and density of Epping Forest have made it a popular hideout for criminals and an infamous burial spot for bodies. Jebson is a very, very sad man. According to Robert Papper, his wife discreetly informed him: "I don't like him. "[39], Reportedly, Jebson informed the Pappers as he left their household: "I'll do something you'll regret. Epping Forest is probably best known as the site of at least one of the murders committed by highwayman Richard Turpin back in the 18th century. [22] The copse was less than six walking miles from the children's homes,[11] within sight of Sewardstone Road at Lippitts Hill,[16] and had been searched by police officers and search dogs on 9 April. Both bodies were redressed and left lying side by side, approximately one foot apart. It was as if they had just disappeared into the night. Due to the fact the area where the bodies were actually discovered was so overgrown, police had allowed search and rescue dogs to examine this section of the copse alone. [11], On 1 April, Superintendent Read visited both families to learn more about their children's friendship. This is something I am reluctant to endorse myself as a large hominid such as Bigfoot would have a hard time keeping hidden in a country as small as the United Kingdom. Dick Turpin knew Epping Forest well and organised many criminal activities from a base between the Loughton Road and Kings Oak Road, which in legend became known as 'Turpin's cave'. He was sentenced to five years' imprisonment for this offence, to be served at HM Prison Wandsworth. The 1996 questioning of Jebson revealed his years of incarceration had fuelled rich. AN AK AND AN UNSOLVED MURDER IN EPPING FOREST. Another incidence occurred when a James Frampton was returning home on a Saturday night and he too was attacked. [1] He died alone, had no friends or family, and informed staff he had no contacts whom he wished to be informed of his death, which was not disclosed to the media until 27 April.[56]. Hanlon's mother, Beryl, answered the door. It followed the fatal stabbing of gangsters son Darren Pearman. I was content it had reached the murder squad., But days later a senior Met officer told him the informant had retracted all his claims. The whistleblower told the Mirror: The informant was scared stiff. In a fatal drive-by shooting, Ron Fuller, 30, was killed by a lone motorcyclist as he left his house in Parkside, Grays, at 7.45am on August 29, 2000. writer derided this suggestion, claiming to know The largest category was Violent Crime, followed by Shoplifting. His claims the two had lured both children into his car, then "raped and buggered" both in a cellar for several days before discarding their bodies on the outskirts of Epping Forestwith his being an accessory after the fact with regards to the disposal of their bodieswere investigated, but quickly discounted. She was last seen in Basildon but was never seen again after that night. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. Police believe they were kidnapped from Arnold's home and Gooderham forced. The case gradually became cold, although several senior investigators never doubted the insistence of Read that the deaths were a clear case of murder. Essex Police have made numerous appeals for older murder cases in south Essex, including that of Andrea Daly. The forest has many stories tucked up safely under her leafy canopy . The Mirror showed the whistleblower a police report dated May 14, 1990, which corroborated the intelligence his informant had provided. It lies between the valleys of the rivers Lea and Roding. Update now. They also became known by this epithet as the coroner was unable to determine if they died of exposure or foul play at the initial inquest into their deaths, leaving an initial possibility the children had died by misadventure. They also became known by this epithet as the coroner was unable to determine if they died of exposure or foul play at the initial inquest into their deaths, leaving an initial possibility the children had died by misadventure. Following a ninety-minute hearing, during which the prosecution played an audio recording of Jebson's confession to the courtroom, Jebson was sentenced to two further terms of life imprisonment, to be served concurrently with his existing life sentence. If mathematical, chemical, physical and other formulas are not displayed correctly on this page, please useFirefox or Safari, This article is about the 1970 Epping Forest murders. [8], Shortly after 4:30p.m. on the afternoon of 31 March 1970, 11-year-old Susan Blatchford left her home in Riley Road, Enfield, north London, to call at the home of her school friend, 12-year-old Gary Hanlon, who lived in nearby Marrilyne Avenue. A 47-year-old man was arrested but never charged in relation to her death. This page was last updated at 2022-10-06 14:42 UTC. Chillingly, when he inspected his helmet he observed long claw-like scratches down one side. Moments later Nicholls, oblivious of the murders, arrived to pick his two friends up . mentioned earlier, he was passing on old myths and Shocked, the three friends then conducted a very thorough search of the area for the violent culprit but their endeavors were in vain because whoever or whatever had launched the attack on the man couldnt be found. Was the gunman who stalked a well-known courting spot in Epping Forest on the evening of Friday, December 22nd, 1989, a contract killer? [41][42] On this occasion, he expressed his wish to formally confess to the Babes in the Wood murders.[43]. He was conceived outside of wedlock, and was adopted as an infant. He later entered a formal plea of guilty to both murders before Judge David Stokes at the Old Bailey on 9 May, with his defence counsel, John Evison, arguing his client had chosen to confess because he did not wish to take his crimes to his grave. Is Epping Forest Safe? According to Jebson, early in the evening of 31 March 1970, he had encountered Blatchford and Hanlon by chance as he drove home from a job interview at a firm located on Ordnance Road, Enfield. His mother agreed, upon the promise he would return in one hour for dinner. Missing persons posters distributed described Blatchford as 5 ft (150cm) in height and wearing a green raincoat with red, stitched pockets, a floral blouse, and brown corduroy slacks. Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please The informant named an associate of the Kray twins as being behind the scam. Opinion: Should I sell my home before house prices crash? What [these children] went through before they died does not bear thinking about. [47] However, the sections of Jebson's statement regarding his movements following his job interview at the Ordnance Road firm in the hours following the children's disappearance were never verified. The woods are circa 2.400 hectare big. The informant said pub trade stock-taker Gooderham was killed because he knew too much about a scam involving gangsters using menace to take control of London pubs. Richard and Stuart, then aged 20 and 17, were forced to jump from a first-floor window. On this occasion, he expressed his wish to formally confess to the Babes in the Wood murders. On the night of 6 December, 1995, Nicholls claimed Steele and Whomes shot the three men in their Range Rover. Concern for the children's welfare was heightened by the fact that on the night of their disappearance the temperature had fallen below freezing point, and the morning of 1 April saw a snowfall across Enfield. Her letter However, the sections of Jebson's statement regarding his movements following his job interview at the Ordnance Road firm in the hours following the children's disappearance were never verified. View original page. Hanlon was described as being just 4 ft 2in (130cm) in height and was last seen wearing a brown cardigan, a fawn patterned pullover, and blue jeans. "These increases concern us which is why we are putting 150 more police officers on the streets of the county next year to bolster our resources and our capability to not only respond to incidents as they occur but also to conduct investigations. Please report any comments that break our rules. Over 100 lakes and ponds can be found in the forest, varying in size and age. Translated to kilometres approximately 19 kilometres long from north to south, and 4 kilometres wide from east to west. Shortly after her son joined his friend outside the front door, he asked his mother for permission to join his friend for a walk. Eleven weeks later, on the evening of 17 June 1970, the bodies of both children were discovered in a bird-watchers hide inside a densely-wooded copse by a young man named Leonard Cook, who had been walking his Labrador dog through the edge of Epping Forest. But this blog is not really about things that are plausible, or truthful, but about the things we couldnt even began to dream up. Two years after Jebson had initially contacted authorities, on 24 August 1998, he contacted Edmonton Police Station from HM Prison Wakefield.