Stephen Downing became the longest serving miscarriage of justice, suffering 27 years
in prison trying to clear his name within our system that continued to maintain he
was 'IDOM' ('In denial of murder'). His misfortune was 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.
Don's book is 372 pages of determination against a
background of numerous death threats, and sinister moves by the authorities to have
Don believe that the evidence he was seeking to help him establish Stephen's innocence
was 'destroyed.' Imagine Don's reaction when the supposed 'burned' pick axe handle
murder weapon is found to be an exhibit in Derby POLICE MUSEUM! With the help of
inside contacts who risked their careers Don is able to unearth the crucial paper
work and start to piece together a long awaited jigsaw puzzle.
As Don's quest for
justice starts to unfold the death threats mount. Phone calls of intimidation to
his office where he is editor of 'THE MATLOCK MERCURY newspaper are followed by similar
calls to his home. His movements are known and Don details the many attempts upon
his life. Who were behind these death threats? Who owned the vehicles that tried
to ram him off the road? Who was behind the hit and run outside Matlock cinema incredibly
witnessed by a policeman parked near by?
Don's search for the truth includes a patient's
dying confession to his male nurse. A nurse who years later is dying of AIDS and
contacts Don when the story has taken off in ‘THE MATLOCK MERCURY' and consequently
attracts the national press. Eye witness contributions ignored and scorned in 1973
by police start to emerge out of the woodwork from unlikely sources and from as far
away as Greece! Will Derbyshire police now investigate the reported and documented
death threats endured by Don Hale? The force has ample opportunity to read detailed
accounts of sinister moves and cover ups in this gripping book. Readers are guaranteed
to be sweating from page one! Invisible people went to extreme lengths to silence
Don who became even more determined to expose the truth. The question is why did
they?
The outcome was a hard won successful battle. Stephen is freed on appeal, and
Don Hale is voted 'Journalist of the Year' and also scoops the title of' 'Man of
the Year'. Derbyshire police I understand are reopening the case and I would say
that this book can only assist that forthcoming investigation. It has to be one of
the most compelling books anyone interested in justice and the system can read.
Posted: July 2002. Revised to add the following statement by Don Hale Fri, May 2, 2003.
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 don’t
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.
www.slimeylimeyjustice.org
THE FIGHT TO CLEAR STEPHEN DOWNING OF THE BAKEWELL MURDER. BY DON HALE WITH MARIKA
HUNS and HAMISH McGREGOR. PUBLISHED BY CENTURY.
BOOK REVIEW BY KAREN WALSH. RESIDENT
OF MATLOCK FOR 20 YEARS HOME OF DON HALE WHO CAMPAIGNED FOR THE RELEASE OF STEPHEN
DOWNING.