Do the police want to catch the real killer?.
Wed Jul 24 20:26:46 2002
Statement by Don Hale, co-author of 'A Town Without Pity' the fight to clear Stephen Downing of the Bakewell murder. Portia thanks MOJUK for passing this on.
Nita Downing
The mother of Stephen Downing - the man who had his conviction quashed after spending 27 years in jail for a murder he did not commit - was attacked and badly beaten in her own home last week.
Mrs Juanita Downing (68) suffered a vicious and violent attack by a crazed thug when she answered a knock to the back door of her council house in Bakewell, Derbyshire. The frail pensioner, who has just recovered from a double bout of pleurisy was struck in the face several times during this unprovoked attack and dragged down three concrete steps before being beaten again by a dark haired man last Thursday night. The man described as between 30-40, dark haired and with a black top and jeans fled the scene in haste and is believed to have escaped in a waiting vehicle driven by an accomplice. This attack follows a previous visit by the same person some three weeks ago. On that occasion, the man arrived on a motorbike and was dressed in a dark helmet and leathers. He threw stones at her door to attract attention and when Mrs Downing opened the door, he told her he was going to get her and investigative journalist Don Hale, the man responsible for leading the eight-year campaign to secure her son's freedom.
When the man arrived last week, he repeated that he said he'd be back as he thumped her. Mrs Downing received a black eye and severe cuts to her cheek, ribs and legs. It is also understood that she has a broken wrist and will undergo an X-Ray this week when the swelling has gone down. Mr Hale, the former editor of the Matlock Mercury, claimed this was a determined and premeditated attack on a defenceless old lady and came after her self-employed husband Ray had been called out on a taxi job. He said someone had obviously been watching the house. Her daughter Christine was upstairs in the bathroom and eldest son Stephen was away at his flat in Chesterfield.
On the first occasion, she received verbal abuse minutes after Stephen and Ray had left for an evening out. The family reported a series of threats and intimidation to the police following the official re-opening of the case last April. Police agreed to monitor the situation and were so concerned of a possible attack on members of the family that they installed panic alarms with direct access to Bakewell police station. Don Hale said at the weekend: It came as quite a shock that anyone should attack Nita in such a cowardly and vicious attack. Out of all the personalities involved with Stephen's campaign, Nita was the most unlikely target. She has never harmed anyone in her life.
I spoke with Nita and Stephen and she was still very shocked and shaken by the incident. She reported the first verbal attack to the police and this latest incident has affected her very badly. There is a huge difference between threats and an attack - particularly on your own doorstep - and she is now very wary of being on her own. Stephen was stunned by the threats and the serious assault on his mother. He said the police and paramedics arrived within minutes of the attack and treated her at the scene. An emergency doctor was called but she did want to go to hospital as it would have meant going to Manchester - some 30 miles away. The next day, senior detectives arrived together with a police photographer and doctor. The scene was forensically examined at the time and it is hoped this person will eventually be found.
My main concern is that the police did not warn me or my family about the previous attack or this serious assault. I had to rely on the Downing family to tell me what had happened. I was away on Thursday night and my wife was home alone. I am concerned that she too could have been a victim. The very least you could expect was a phone call. I feel the police have again been negligent in not warning me and my family about these threats and wonder if they have been taking the claims seriously.
It took me eight-years to free Stephen Downing and I faced considerable police hostility throughout. It was only after his conviction was quashed in January and I published my book (Town Without Pity) that they officially re-opened the case and began to search for the real killer. If they studied the case history, they would realise that there are some dangerous characters involved. Several witnesses reported threats in 1973 and beyond, and certainly when I began my investigations from 1994, I suffered threats, intimidation and personal attacks.
I believe this attack and other incidents are very much concerned with the murder inquiry and it follows a visit from the police to my home on Tuesday night when the police confirmed their inquiries had stirred a hornets nest. A neighbour also reported a prowler in my rear garden that same evening. It is all too coincidental to be anything else and the attacker named us both.
The police should have issued an immediate warning and should have allowed Mrs Downing to talk to the press. An identikit picture should be released together with full details of the assault and a request for witnesses. The police prohibited her from speaking with media and to allowing any photographs to be taken. In normal circumstances the police would encourage public support and would besiege the media with publicity. Here they seem to be in reverse. This is a murder inquiry and this attacker could provide a vital clue. Their attitude is again very strange, almost as if they dont want to catch the assailant. Maybe it is the same with the real killer? Here we have a fresh and important lead. DNA and witness sightings could lead them back to the killer.
The police refused to talk with me this weekend and said they had an incident room in Ashbourne 20 miles away. When I called, I found it was closed until Monday. What sort of a part-time force have we got? No wonder national and rural crime figures are rising. Perhaps we should ask the villain to only work between 9-5pm on weekdays. Once again, protection has shown to be inadequate and it seems to be a case of too little too late once more from the Derbyshire force.
as to find Wendy Sewell a young woman with an intriguing background battered within an inch of her life in Bakewell cemetery where he worked as a gardener. He was 17 years old, naive and lacking literacy skills. Bakewell police reputedly took bets as to how long it would take Stephen, who had to be shaken awake during long hours of gruelling questioning to 'confess'. Sadly Wendy later died and was unable to establish that Stephen, brow beaten in custody without a solicitor present, was not her assailant. Stephen's 'confession' sealed his fate for the next 27 years.