UK Alan Wood, 50, tortured/nearly decapitated,Edenham Road, Lound, 21 Oct. 2009

[dotr]

Police launch new appeal 10 years after man was brutally tortured and killed
''Ten years ago, supermarket worker Alan Wood disappeared and was found three days later, tortured and brutally murdered in his home near Bourne.

Now, a decade on from "one of our force’s most serious and disturbing unsolved crimes", Lincolnshire Police have issued a new appeal for information.

The force said: "October 2019 will mark the 10 anniversary of the murder and Lincolnshire Police and their colleagues from East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) are appealing for your assistance in identifying the person(s) responsible, as beyond a possible financial motive, it is still not known why the most disturbing crime in Lincolnshire’s recent history was committed.''
''Alan suffered a deep wound to the back of his neck which suggested an attempted decapitation
Alan Wood was last seen alive on October 21 2009 at his local pub, the Willoughby Arms in Little Bytham. Three days later he was found tortured and murdered in his living room by a friend.

His bloodied body was found at his home in Edenham Road, Lound, approximately 16 miles north of Peterborough, by a friend and work colleague, who was concerned he had not turned up for his shift.

Alan's hands had been bound with sellotape and he had been stabbed repeatedly in the head. Detectives think these wounds were inflicted to torture Alan, possibly to give up his bank card pin numbers.''

Alan Wood was 50 years old at the time of his untimely death (Image: Lincolnshirepolice)

 

[dotr]

 

[dotr]

Dec 11 2019 rbbm
'New leads' in 2009 'disturbing murder'
''Alan Wood, 50, was bound and tortured before being killed at his home in Lound, Lincolnshire, in October 2009. His bank cards were also stolen.

Lincolnshire Police said it was reviewing CCTV footage from 2009.

The force said it was looking into possible sightings of a suspect using cashpoints in Bourne and Stamford.''

''Mr Holvey said the force was also following leads involving possible vehicles that were involved.

Mr Wood, who ran a small gardening business, had no known enemies and was killed in "a totally unprovoked attack", police said.

He suffered a "brutal and sustained" assault, during which he was repeatedly stabbed in the eye, had his throat cut a number of times and an attempt was made to decapitate him.
Lincolnshire Police said it was one of the force's "most serious and disturbing unsolved crimes".

''Mr Holvey said a reward of up to £50,000 was being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

At the time, DNA was recovered from the scene, which police believe could be from a suspect who may have been "visiting our country and are no longer here".

 

[dotr]

BBC
Enhanced images of murder suspect
rbbm.
''The images show a man in Bourne shortly before Mr Wood's cash was withdrawn.

The suspect, who is wearing a cap and scarf, was walking along the town's West Street at about 2100 GMT on 22 October, not long after the murder took place.

Mr Wood, who ran a small gardening business and also worked nights filling shelves at Sainsbury's, had no known enemies, according to Lincolnshire Police.''

''At the end of February, the case was featured on the BBC's Crimewatch for the second time, when detectives revealed they had a full DNA profile of one of the attackers from the scene of the crime.

Four men have so far been arrested in connection with the murder.

Three have been released from bail without further action while one, aged 20, remains on police bail.''

 

[dotr]

At this link click top of this video and (to the right), are a number of you tube video appeals in several languages including Latvian, Polish, Lithuanian and Albanian.

 

[Deadbeat]

I remember watching the original reconstruction for this at the time on Crimewatch UK. It’s always stuck with me, because of the level of violence used, the lack of a motive and the fact they never caught anyone for it.

I’ve read various articles and watched a few documentaries on this case over the years and there seems to be a couple of different theories.

The two they focussed on in the Donal MacIntyre: Unsolved documentary were that the victim Alan, who worked in a local Sainsbury’s, bore a striking resemblance to the manager of the store . A possibility is that it was mistaken identity and the perpetrators thought he had a lot more money than he did as well as perhaps a safe and keys to the store. Sadly he didn’t and perhaps that’s why he was tortured to such an extent? The second theory is based around the idea that Alan used the services of European prostitutes on occasion. It was alluded to that he may have called these out to his property. They would therefore know he lived alone and also that he had some money (not the amount they thought though).

The motive appears to be money, they did steal his card and a man was spotted on CCTV using it, but the levels of violence used also make it seem as though there may have been a personal grudge too?
The CCTV image is very clear despite the man having his face covered with a scarf, there was also a footprint left at the scene from a rare foreign Converse trainer. My belief is that the person (or persons) responsible for this have likely fled the country.

 

[Al Ka]

First time I am hearing about the case and how awfully horrific.

Majority of stabbings occur in torso area and sometimes in legs or arms by accident when stabbing is frantic. But being repeatedly stabbed in the head and face? Eye? Ugh. Very rare and unhinged.

I have to read up but I am surprised his gardening business is not mentioned more or as primary link. My assumption would be that he hired seasonal or even one off help with his recent gardening job.

Murder happened inside of his own house, so he probably let those people in himself.
Did they come to get paid for their work and were not happy or felt cheated? I can see someone with short fuse totally loosing it in this scenario. It would also explain ransacking place and taking his bank cards.

===
A witness at one of the cash machines has helped the police create this picture of the suspect

CCTV of murder suspect.

Well, I would not call this shot very clear.

 

[Deadbeat]

Some very good points indeed. You’re right regarding his gardening business, he was self employed but as you say he may well have been hiring people to help him. I haven’t heard it mentioned in articles I’ve read or docs as a motive but I assume it’s something the police have looked into??

The CCTV images aren’t really that clear, you’re right. I have recently been looking into the disappearance of Claudia Lawrence too and was comparing them to the CCTV captured in that case. In the grand scheme of things though you’re right, they’re not the clearest images. They do however give us an idea of his walk, height, build and clothing if nothing else.

A few other things of note regarding the ATM man -

• 5ft 9in to 5ft 11in tall
• He seems to be dressed in a "smart casual" manner. From the CCTV images we have he appears to be wearing a distinctive striped scarf
• Previously unreleased CCTV footage appears to show the offender smoking.
• We believe he uses, or has used Delaine buses. (Bus ticket found at crime scene)
• We believe he may wear Converse trainers. (Footprint found at crime scene)
• He has local knowledge - demonstrated by seemingly deliberate avoidance of the CCTV systems in Bourne and Stamford. Use of Delaine buses also increases the likelihood of being local or having local knowledge.
• He has an unusual walk. Experts outside the force have analysed CCTV footage and come to the conclusion that that he limps due to his right leg being slightly longer than his left leg. The offender may or may not be aware of this condition.
• One offender would have been injured after the crime as his blood was found at the scene. That injury could be to his hand.
• Around the time of the crime the offender may have had a few hundred pounds more than normal.
• It also seems unlikely he has offended since. A world-wide search has been carried out but no match has yet been found on any police DNA database.
• 
  This link has a good detailed account of everything : Who Murdered Alan Wood?

 

[dotr]

Donal MacIntrye: Unsolved, Episode 02
Video.
Donal MacIntrye: Unsolved, Episode 02

''Alan Wood was bound, tortured, and mutilated at his home in the tiny rural Hamlet of Lound, near Bourne in Lincolnshire, in October 2009. His case is being reopened by a team of investigative journalists to find out why no one has paid for this crime.''

 

[Novosti]

Horrific attack. The evidence does point to robbery being the motive - probably more than one offender, some degree of preparation for restraint (tape etc) and what appears to have been a long period of torture while they tried harder and harder to get information about money, and presumably got more and more frustrated, and therefore violent.

There are other cases of Eastern European robbery gangs using extreme violence and torture in people's homes. But usually where they knew the victim had a cash safe with business takings, large jewellery collections etc. In this case, it seems they got something badly wrong : either mistaken identity, or misleading information on Alan's access to liquid wealth. Both Sainsbury and prostitution seem plausible reasons why the robbers alighted on Alan. Maybe also something to do with his business (did an ex employee know about cash takings?). Although on Sainsbury they might have needed to drive him back to site to open safes etc, so it seems a more complicated plan.

I was a bit surprised by Clive Driscoll focusing on mood swings and drugs. The cash point guy was reasonably evidence aware e.g. the scarf and the hat. They plausibly left the country. And the MO seems much more consistent with extreme violence as a tool of robbery - not a disorderly psychotic episode (which probably wouldn't involve more than one perpetrator, with preparation).

A personal/relationship motive also seems unlikely - for similar reasons.