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The
Official Website of S. C. Lomax
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Author Scott returns to the scene of some unsolved crimes to shed new
light on dark and bloody murder tales January 01, 2010 Derby Telegraph The servant, just 15, had
written a letter to her sister, in which she claimed she was being treated
"like a dog" at Rolleston Park Farm, near Burton. Mary Wrathall, a daughter of
the farm owner, read the letter, which was never posted, and became incensed,
telling people she was going to give Clara a fright. She later claimed to be
picking apples at the time of Clara's murder, in April 1910. But when her
basket was found a day later, it was covered in blood and was not near the
orchard. The police investigation
focused on another worker at the farm, Robert Frost. Now a book by Derbyshire
author Scott Lomax, which looks at unexplained murders in the county,
provides compelling evidence against Mary, and in defence of Robert. Scott, who spent four years
researching and writing the book, says it offers hope to relatives decades
on. "During the course of
my research I have contacted, and been approached by, the friends and
relatives of several of the victims whose murders I have written about,"
he said. "Speaking to them
brings it home to you that this is more than just a historic mystery, that it
has totally shaped these people's lives. "Even after decades,
they still deserve to know what happened, why it happened and who was
responsible." Unsolved Murders in and
Around Derbyshire offers alternative theories to what was known at the time,
with Scott using recent interviews and searching through evidence to try and
prove his cases. Another murder he looked at
for the book is the killing of George Harry Tyler. George ran a small taxi
business in Birmingham and, in April 1947, he picked up a man dressed in full
RAF uniform at Birmingham New Street railway station. The man asked to be
taken to Derby, but when the taxi reached the A38 at Clay Mills, it was
stopped and George was shot, before being bundled into the back. The gunman set off on foot
towards Derby and was seen by passing motorists. It is thought he then went
to Nottingham and Leicestershire before disappearing. Serving in the RAF during
the Second World War, George was based at Bletchley Park, famous for its
Enigma code work. Scott believes it was during this war service that he met
his killer. Since the Telegraph ran a
story saying he was compiling a book on unsolved murders, he has been given
details about the murdered man. "I was contacted by a
distant relative," he said. "He has provided me with information
about George's background and believes that George may have been murdered
because he was a bit of a "so-and-so", who was known to have made
enemies in his war service." Also featured in the book
are Thomas Ward, beaten over the head with a piece of wood in Mackworth;
teenager Mavis Hudson, found suffocated just outside Chesterfield, and
Herbert Nottingham Turner, aka Mexican Joe, who had his throat slashed in
Swadlincote. In the case of Mavis, Scott
is urging the police to begin a cold case inquiry, where they look at
unsolved crimes years later. He believes there is a compelling case for it. Mavis, 15, was murdered in
December 1966 and died of asphyxiation or suffocation. She was found almost
naked in a derelict outbuilding in Spa Lane, on the edge of Chesterfield. An investigation which
followed drew a blank, but Scott has been contacted by someone who was a
close friend of Mavis. This woman has asked him to
help call for the investigation to be reopened – and he has offered his
full support. "It has been a difficult
and occasionally emotional journey," said Scott. "However, I am
already finding it to be rewarding because I have been given information that
may be worth the police pursuing. "I have already been
given three names for three of the more recent cases, not to mention having
shed new light on some of the older cases. It is my hope that this book will
generate further information and maybe lead to breakthroughs." In another case, where
Samuel Fell Wilson was shot dead as he drove home in Nottinghamshire, Scott
has been contacted by people living as far away as Canada, offering fresh
information. He has also been in touch
with relatives of the murdered man – and also people related to
potential suspects. "Public awareness and
publicity are essential to shedding new light on old unsolved crimes. The
Telegraph has been directly responsible for getting people to contact me with
information. I am certain there are plenty more people who know a lot of relevant
information who, for whatever reason, have remained silent. "There may have been
family loyalties, for instance, that are no longer so pressuring. I would
urge anyone with information to contact the police. It is never too late to
solve a murder. For cases in my book, as far back as 1930, there are relatives
of the victims who recall the crime, whose lives have been affected ever
since, and who still require justice. "It is encouraging to
see that, even after years and decades, there is still a desire to solve
these cases and there is a real interest among the public at large. While
many of those responsible for the crimes in my book will have long died,
there is still every hope that some of the more recent cases may be
solved." Unsolved Murders in and
Around Derbyshire, published by Wharncliffe Books, is available from most
bookshops at £12.99. To return the list of articles I am referred to in, please
click here |
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Website created by
S. C. Lomax in September 2004. |
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