UK UK - Ann Heron, 44, found at home with throat cut, Darlington, 3 August 1990

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

Yes I thought that too, that the implication was that the dog was familiar with the killer hence no barking.

I thought it odd too that they should mention the dog not barking rather than not hearing any shouts or screams from Ann.

Someone must have been in earshot that afternoon but who?

Refining it down - someone was in earshot OR it's a bogus statement made at the time to try implicate PH.

 

[JustJo]

Thanks for doing that Tortoise. I'd completely overlooked PH's sperm being found inside AH's throat. Presumably, there's a limited amount of time for sperm to remain in the throat after oral sex as it would ultimately pass through the digestive system. AH was also found with her bikini bottoms removed which strongly suggests a sexual element to her final moments. Plus the Police maintain that PH had a window of opportunity. I was absolutely convinced that PH was entirely innocent but I'm having doubts about that now.

I go back and forth on whether he is guilty or not. I don't think he came across very well in the documentary, but I think that might just be his personality.

The sperm in the throat must have been recent surely? I don't recall him saying they had any sexual contact that day. If it had been earlier that morning for example, I would think drinking and swallowing would have got rid of any traces.

Unfortunately I have a feeling this case may never be solved.

 

[CSIAngus]

I go back and forth on whether he is guilty or not. I don't think he came across very well in the documentary, but I think that might just be his personality.

The sperm in the throat must have been recent surely? I don't recall him saying they had any sexual contact that day. If it had been earlier that morning for example, I would think drinking and swallowing would have got rid of any traces.

Unfortunately I have a feeling this case may never be solved.

It was a hot day. She was sunbathing. I can't imagine that she would not have been taking in some fluids which would have removed all trace of her husband's semen if that act had occurred in the morning. That's why I can only conclude that the sperm in her throat must have arrived there and remained there at the point of her violent end. Her bikini bottoms had been removed and there was also semen from her husband on furnishing next to her body. I've completely flipped my opinion on this one.

 

[JustJo]

It was a hot day. She was sunbathing. I can't imagine that she would not have been taking in some fluids which would have removed all trace of her husband's semen if that act had occurred in the morning. That's why I can only conclude that the sperm in her throat must have arrived there and remained there at the point of her violent end. Her bikini bottoms had been removed and there was also semen from her husband on furnishing next to her body. I've completely flipped my opinion on this one.

It seems we are on the same page.

This murder has always creeped me out. Maybe it's because I'm from the north east or maybe the thought of a stranger murdering you while you're innocently sunbathing.... I don't know.

I always had it in my head that she was murdered outside. I was only 6 when it happened though so I remembered wrong. I'm glad I found this thread because I never forgot hearing about it on the news when I was little.

If it was a stranger, why were they inside the house? How did they get her inside? So many questions.

 

[CSIAngus]

It seems we are on the same page.

This murder has always creeped me out. Maybe it's because I'm from the north east or maybe the thought of a stranger murdering you while you're innocently sunbathing.... I don't know.

I always had it in my head that she was murdered outside. I was only 6 when it happened though so I remembered wrong. I'm glad I found this thread because I never forgot hearing about it on the news when I was little.

If it was a stranger, why were they inside the house? How did they get her inside? So many questions.

And how would a stranger attacker be confident that AH was home alone, and that they wouldn't be disturbed by others unseen within the house? The killer knew she was alone and that at the time of the attack that they would not be disturbed. IMO

 

[CSIAngus]

Durham Constabulary have always maintained that PH had a window of opportunity and that his alibi was not absolute. Do we know when they believe PH had a hole(s) in his alibi? And do we know the estimated time of death for AH?

 

[dotr]

rbbm.

Violent criminal on the run 'could be behind brutal unsolved murder'

The murder of the mum-of-three at her home near Darlington remains unsolved after 30 years

www.chroniclelive.co.uk

''The case featured on the BBC programme Crimewatch in October 1990 with viewers being told a blue car had been seen outside the house at about 4.45pm.''

Aeolian House, where Ann Heron lived

Aug 2022 rbbm.

Hunt for Glasgow mum’s killer continues 32 years after brutal home murder

Ann Heron's death sparked a media frenzy at the time before being featured in a Channel 5 documentary earlier this year.

www.dailyrecord.co.uk

Douglas Dickie Sarah Vesty
''She was also known to feel frightened by her home, Aeolian House, which was a conspicuous building on the main road to the airport. She was known to not want to be alone in the building.''


''On August 3, 1990, it seemed like a normal day except for the heatwave across the north east of England and so Ann said she would spend the day sunbathing in her bikini while her husband went shopping with a friend, before returning for lunch. Peter was back at work by 2pm and at around 2.30pm, Ann spoke to a friend on the phone and was reportedly in a good mood.''

''She was spotted sunbathing at 3.30pm at the front of the house where she had moved to avoid grass being blown into the back from a nearby tractor. It was the last known sighting of Ann alive.''

''A taxi driver reported a blue car speeding away from the scene at around 5pm - the time police believe Ann was killed. The driver was described as being between 35 and 45 with a suntanned complexion and short, dark hair.''

Ann Heron murder: A look back at the 1990 unsolved killing

The much-loved mum was originally from Scotland and moved to Darlington in the mid-80s

www.gazettelive.co.uk

''And on July 18, 1990, two weeks before Ann was murdered, two women were attacked on a footpath beside the River Wear in Durham by a man who grabbed them and threatened them with a knife.

An artist’s impression of their attacker, which was shown on Crimewatch looks like Benson, she added.

"He was an escaped prisoner with a propensity for violence including assault with a shotgun, robbery with a carving knife, and burglary," she said.

"His whereabouts were unknown to police at the time as he'd escaped [from jail], and he had ties to the local area."

After Ann's death someone claiming to be 'The Killer' sent sick letters to her family, the police, and newspaper The Northern Echo.

At the time detectives said publicly that they believed the handwritten notes had come from the killer, and were not a hoax, said Mrs Jarvie.

Earlier this year, Benson's ex wife, Ruth Bennet, was shown one of these letters by The Sun newspaper, and confirmed it was his handwriting.''

 

[WiseOwl]

Durham Constabulary have always maintained that PH had a window of opportunity and that his alibi was not absolute. Do we know when they believe PH had a hole(s) in his alibi? And do we know the estimated time of death for AH?

Police believe she was killed around 5.00 pm.

PH's 'hole' in his alibi is that he said when the meeting he was attending at Cleveland Bridge finished that day (believed to be between 4.00 & 4.30), instead of driving straight back to his office at Middleton St George on the A67 (which would take him past his home at Aeolian House), he said he went on the circuitous route through the village of Croft-on-Tees.

It seems odd that he would decide to take this way back to his office, it is well out of the way, so the police obviously thought that this was PH distancing himself from being anywhere near Aeolian House when the murder took place.

 

[CSIAngus]

Police believe she was killed around 5.00 pm.

PH's 'hole' in his alibi is that he said when the meeting he was attending at Cleveland Bridge finished that day (believed to be between 4.00 & 4.30), instead of driving straight back to his office at Middleton St George on the A67 (which would take him past his home at Aeolian House), he said he went on the circuitous route through the village of Croft-on-Tees.

It seems odd that he would decide to take this way back to his office, it is well out of the way, so the police obviously thought that this was PH distancing himself from being anywhere near Aeolian House when the murder took place

Seems a bit odd that on the very day his wife is murdered, and in the same window of time, that PH decides to take quite a bizarre longer route between work related locations instead of the much shorter and time efficient route past his own home.

 

[dotr]

Just came across a case which may be of some help in this one, it is regarding a jailed ex -mayor who has had his conviction for murdering a woman overturned despite his DNA found @ the scene. fwiw, imo.

Freed from prison in 1979 murder case, Beaver County man sues cold case police who put him there

A former small-town councilman in Beaver County who won a new trial in 2020 after spending a decade in prison for a 1979 murder he insists he did not commit...

www.post-gazette.com

Oct 5 2022 rbbm.
''In 2020, the state Superior Court reversed the conviction and ordered a new trial, saying that testimony from star pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht about DNA samples recovered from the scene was not based on science but rather his personal opinion.

Mr. Hopkins was released from prison. In January of this year the district attorney dropped the charges.

Mr. Hopkins' lawyer, Alec Wright, said the cold case cops renewed the investigation 30 years later by "selectively testing" the evidence for semen. State police leaders warned the team that finding semen was "meaningless" because Mr. Hopkins and Walsh were in a sexual relationship, Mr. Wright said.''

Ws thread..

CONVICTION OVERTURNED - PA - Politician charged in '79 cold-case murder DNA match

Republican politician charged with 1979 cold-case murder of 23-year-old lover after DNA breakthrough on victim's nightgown (Daily Mail) A Republican politician has been charged with the 1979 murder of his 23-year-old lover - who he is accused of choking to death in her bed. Pennsylvania...

www.websleuths.com

 

[Jen Jarvie]

There is no window of opportunity for Peter Heron. He had an alibi from 2pm to 6pm.

 

[WiseOwl]

There is no window of opportunity for Peter Heron. He had an alibi from 2pm to 6pm.

Hi Jen,

I know you took part in the TV documentary and are close to this case, so i hope you don't mind if you could answer a couple of questions for me please:

1. In the documentary the police stated that there was no sign of a struggle or forced entry, indicating she may have known her killer. The family dog had not been heard to bark to signal an intruder.

Where did the police get this information from about the dog not barking? The house is quite isolated so who was near enough to give that statement to the police?

2. Her husband went back to work at 2pm. Half an hour later, Ann spoke to a friend on the phone and seemed in good spirits. She was spotted sunbathing at 3.30pm at the front of the house where she had moved to avoid grass being blown into the back from a nearby tractor. It was the last known sighting of Ann alive.

Again, where did the information come from about Ann moving from the back of the house to the front to avoid grass being blown into the back from a nearby tractor? The only person we know who actually saw Ann after 2pm was the person who was on the bus who spotted her at 3.30pm, but they wouldn't have known about either Ann sunbathing at the back of the house or about the grass being blown into the back garden.

In the documentary the police mentioned both the dog not barking and Ann moving from the back to the front of the house, but they gave no explanation as to where they got the information from.

Hope you can help - thank you.

 

[Tortoise]

I haven't followed this case from the beginning, so I might have missed confirmation regarding PH's alibi.

I did notice his daughter said he had to be home at 5 o'clock:

he arrived at Cleveland Bridge at about quarter to 4. Dad finished his meeting, left Cleveland Bridge returned to his car and went back to the office. It was 5 o’clock, it was a lovely sunny night, he had to be home.

Yet PH said:

I left the office just before 6 o’clock


Is there a witness to where he was between 5 and 6?

 

[CSIAngus]

Is that the same window that PH says he went on what was a bizarre longer route to his office that conveniently avoided the much quicker direct route that passed his own house, thus putting him away from the crime scene. A bizarre journey that can't be verified by any eye witnesses.

I still find it hard to believe that PH's sperm in AH's throat could have remained there from lunchtime until she was killed. On the hottest day when she would be taking in regular fluids. I might be wrong, but I didn't get the feeling from her relatives and friends that their relationship was such that she would be giving him blow jobs with his pudding.

 

[CSIAngus]

I can't move on from the juxtaposition of LE not accepting that PH has a solid alibi (it's no more than jelly, as previously discussed) and PH's sperm being found in AH's throat. Notwithstanding that it was a very hot day, so one would expect AH to be drinking fluids whilst sunbathing, surely the act of producing saliva, which is constant, and the swallowing of that saliva on a regular basis, would have removed after several hours all sperm from her throat from the lunchtime visit of PH (assuming that AH would be of the disposition to give PH lunchtime blow jobs, which I would question given what we know of their relationship at that time). Which only leaves the deposition of PH's sperm in AH's throat immediately before she was murdered.

 

[Tortoise]

If his alibi was solid I don't think he'd have been charged when he was. JMO

2022 Channel 5 documentary (see post #50) - Text on screen: Durham Constabulary maintain that Peter Heron had the opportunity to commit this offence.

 

[WiseOwl]

If his alibi was solid I don't think he'd have been charged when he was. JMO

2022 Channel 5 documentary (see post #50) - Text on screen: Durham Constabulary maintain that Peter Heron had the opportunity to commit this offence.

I think this is undoubtedly because he told police that he took the long route back to his office (via the village of Croft-on-Tees) when he left the meeting (at Cleveland Bridge) around 4.30 that afternoon, instead of taking the A67 past Aeolian House.

Why he decided to go back to his office this way has never been fully explained, but the police were suspicious because it occurred more or less around the same time (5pm) that Ann was killed.

 

[shadwell]

Looked at this one a bit after the C5 documentary and did a trawl of available online media - presented without comment at:

Ann Heron murder (Darlington, 1990): media trawl.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyhXJ3dx3Ck Crimewatch October 1990 - witness account of blue car heading towards Darlington (05:43) ———————...

shadwellsblog.blogspot.com

 

[dotr]

Thank you @shadwell, link within your link..

‘The gazelle is fighting for its life. That’s what it felt like’

In the third part of our exclusive series about one of the North-East's most notorious murders, Debbie Simpson tells Chris Lloyd about seeing…

www.thenorthernecho.co.uk

2008 rbbm.

"After the meeting, instead of returning to the depot via the shortest route, which would have taken him past Aeolian House, he travelled through Neasham and Middleton St George in the hope of perhaps seeing his girlfriend, who would usually be walking her dog at that time," says Mrs Simpson.

"He did not see her and, as witnesses agree, he arrived back at the depot at about 4.50pm. His colleague, Paul Stiller, had just taken delivery of a new car and they went together to see it.''

"The forensic report says that a high percentage of the fibres on Ann's body were denim, which indicated that the guy who did it was wearing jeans, but they couldn't rule out the possibility that she had worn a denim skirt that day," says Mrs Simpson.

"That doesn't sound like Ann, as she usually wore pastel cotton skirts, and it certainly doesn't sound like Dad as he has never owned a pair of jeans in his life - he is of the old school and wears slacks even to this day.''

"There was also a tiny spot of DNA found on Ann.
''By 2005, developments in DNA testing meant the fragment could be analysed, and the results led to the arrest.

"It turned out to be dad's and it came from the carpet that Ann had fallen onto," says Mrs Simpson.

"The same DNA was found in 36 other places on the carpet.''

 

[CSIAngus]

Thank you @shadwell, link within your link..

‘The gazelle is fighting for its life. That’s what it felt like’

In the third part of our exclusive series about one of the North-East's most notorious murders, Debbie Simpson tells Chris Lloyd about seeing…

www.thenorthernecho.co.uk

2008 rbbm.

"After the meeting, instead of returning to the depot via the shortest route, which would have taken him past Aeolian House, he travelled through Neasham and Middleton St George in the hope of perhaps seeing his girlfriend, who would usually be walking her dog at that time," says Mrs Simpson.

"He did not see her and, as witnesses agree, he arrived back at the depot at about 4.50pm. His colleague, Paul Stiller, had just taken delivery of a new car and they went together to see it.''

"The forensic report says that a high percentage of the fibres on Ann's body were denim, which indicated that the guy who did it was wearing jeans, but they couldn't rule out the possibility that she had worn a denim skirt that day," says Mrs Simpson.

"That doesn't sound like Ann, as she usually wore pastel cotton skirts, and it certainly doesn't sound like Dad as he has never owned a pair of jeans in his life - he is of the old school and wears slacks even to this day.''

"There was also a tiny spot of DNA found on Ann.
''By 2005, developments in DNA testing meant the fragment could be analysed, and the results led to the arrest.

"It turned out to be dad's and it came from the carpet that Ann had fallen onto," says Mrs Simpson.

"The same DNA was found in 36 other places on the carpet.''

PH would no doubt argue that they had sex on that carpet many times. However, that doesn't explain the sperm in her throat.

Also, denim is used in jeans, skirts, shirts, bags, jackets, hats; all kinds of attire. She was wearing the bikini top but was naked below. Can we be certain that she didn't have and would never wear a pair of Daisy Dukes? Cut off jeans were not unknown in 1990. Were her bikini bottoms found at the scene? That PH 'never wore denim jeans in his life' doesn't mean he wouldn't wear them as disposables when doing his wife in.

PH taking the long route to the office rather than the shorter route by his house in order to catch a glimpse of his girlfriend walking her dog seems out of step with how PH dismissed the insignificance of his brief affair in the C5 documentary. Was that habitual dog walking corroborated by the ex?

Home invasion sexually motivated stranger murders are extremely rare and the perpetrator would never know that AH would be home alone. The only person that would know that was PH, who had at best a wobbly alibi, who found her body and whose sperm was in her throat. Nothing was out of place in the house, nothing had been broken or stolen and the dog hadn't reacted, as it wouldn't if the perpetrator was also its master.