UK UK - Penny Bell, 43, Ealing, London, 6 June 1991

[Tortoise]

I feel a listing of all numbers Penny had recently called from the home phone and the office phone would have narrowed down a suspect. Perhaps there were incoming calls number withheld, but it would have given police a timeframe for when this began, if the money withdrawal was related. There had to be an arrangement to meet and I suspect an earlier communication, or a few.

 

[CSIAngus]

I minded to agree the car park was just a convenient place either for Penny or the attacker to get off the road. I didn't realise just how overgrown the spot where she parked was and it gives more shielding than I realised.

Has it ever been confirmed what weapon was used? Presumably a knife of some sort? Forensics are usually pretty good at working out what sort of knife and so on. I did wonder with 50 stab wounds if it was something quite small.

Could it be possible Penny had the £8,500 with her in order to pay someone off or a blackmailer or perhaps for some sort of deal but changed her mind and refused to hand it over leading to her passenger attacking her?

I did wonder if it was possible she picked up a random hitchhiker who attacked her but given she was already apparently running late that doesn't seem likely.

As for Richmond he comes across as a fantasist. That said his fingerprints were in the car and he did claim to have met her that day. Presumably the police had good reason to discount him so quickly. Which brings me on to another point. Has it ever been stated what, if any, other fingerprints/DNA were found and if any of them remained unidentified?

In one of the documentaries, a long knife was referenced but I don't know what that was based on. I did wonder whether she had taken it from her own kitchen that morning for defence and it was turned on her. It's frustrating that we do not have access to the autopsy and coroner's reports.

The decorative samples that she took with her and that were laid out in the car would perhaps fit with her meeting Richmond, who was not only a family friend but a builder. His prints were in the car (the only ones acknowledged by the investigation) and he has stated that he met her that morning. Did he take the £8,500? There's something odd about him. He almost wants to put himself in plain sight. I can't recall any other forensic evidence being publicly acknowledged. Would be interesting to learn the basis upon which Richmond was ruled out by investigators. There are no photos of him that I can find to compare with any witness accounts.

 

[davidt]

I feel a listing of all numbers Penny had recently called from the home phone and the office phone would have narrowed down a suspect. Perhaps there were incoming calls number withheld, but it would have given police a timeframe for when this began, if the money withdrawal was related. There had to be an arrangement to meet and I suspect an earlier communication, or a few.

I imagine they did something like that. It's possible of course there was no appointment. Most of us at some stage have used the "Sorry can't stop, I've got an appointment" excuse if we want to avoid a conversation or someone etc. It might just have been a ruse to get away from the builder who wanted to talk to her.

 

[Tortoise]

I imagine they did something like that. It's possible of course there was no appointment. Most of us at some stage have used the "Sorry can't stop, I've got an appointment" excuse if we want to avoid a conversation or someone etc. It might just have been a ruse to get away from the builder who wanted to talk to her.

I think it's more likely than not that there was an appointment/arrangement to meet the man who was in her car.

 

[SBops]

In one of the documentaries, a long knife was referenced but I don't know what that was based on. I did wonder whether she had taken it from her own kitchen that morning for defence and it was turned on her. It's frustrating that we do not have access to the autopsy and coroner's reports.

The decorative samples that she took with her and that were laid out in the car would perhaps fit with her meeting Richmond, who was not only a family friend but a builder. His prints were in the car (the only ones acknowledged by the investigation) and he has stated that he met her that morning. Did he take the £8,500? There's something odd about him. He almost wants to put himself in plain sight. I can't recall any other forensic evidence being publicly acknowledged. Would be interesting to learn the basis upon which Richmond was ruled out by investigators. There are no photos of him that I can find to compare with any witness accounts.

I have seen a photo of him but I cannot remember where. I would say with much certainty that she was not having an affair with him. He is quite an unattractive man and rough looking.

 

[Kell1]

Overkill often indicates interpersonal rage or in some cases, mental illness, id look close on this one, begin with a thorough victimology assessment, dig into her background and those around her to see if theres any potential lead.

The manner of death is up close and personal, though in the UK stabbings are as common as shootings in the US due to their ban on firearms.

She apparently withdrew a large sum of money a few days before her murder for no disclosed reason, which is interesting (behavioral shift prior to murder) what happened to that ? did she have it with her, was it taken ?

Wikipedia states that she was stabbed in the chest and arm, possibly indicating defensive wounds , whats interesting is that it also states that she was initially stabbed from her right side indicating that the killer was seated in the passenger seat, then exited the car after she was incapacitated or deceased, then stabbed her from the drivers side door .

I saw some reference to a possible murder for hire, but it was ruled out for some reason, id be interested in examining that theory and the reason it was eventually ruled out .

I didnt see anywhere she was robbed, stalked or sexually assaulted, so unless theres more info available it seems very personal

 

[SBops]

Overkill often indicates interpersonal rage or in some cases, mental illness, id look close on this one, begin with a thorough victimology assessment, dig into her background and those around her to see if theres any potential lead.

The manner of death is up close and personal, though in the UK stabbings are as common as shootings in the US due to their ban on firearms.

She apparently withdrew a large sum of money a few days before her murder for no disclosed reason, which is interesting (behavioral shift prior to murder) what happened to that ? did she have it with her, was it taken ?

Wikipedia states that she was stabbed in the chest and arm, possibly indicating defensive wounds , whats interesting is that it also states that she was initially stabbed from her right side indicating that the killer was seated in the passenger seat, then exited the car after she was incapacitated or deceased, then stabbed her from the drivers side door .

I saw some reference to a possible murder for hire, but it was ruled out for some reason, id be interested in examining that theory and the reason it was eventually ruled out .

I didnt see anywhere she was robbed, stalked or sexually assaulted, so unless theres more info available it seems very personal

All of which has been discussed on this thread.

 

[CSIAngus]

I have seen a photo of him but I cannot remember where. I would say with much certainty that she was not having an affair with him. He is quite an unattractive man and rough looking.

Very odd that his fingerprints were inside the car and, as far as we know, they were the only ones found. As far as I can tell, there is no explanation given for this other than his own assertion that he met her that morning. Given the timeline it seems extremely tight for her to have met two men in the time from leaving her home to arriving at the car park.

 

[SBops]

Very odd that his fingerprints were inside the car and, as far as we know, they were the only ones found. As far as I can tell, there is no explanation given for this other than his own assertion that he met her that morning. Given the timeline it seems extremely tight for her to have met two men in the time from leaving her home to arriving at the car park.

I am not saying that he was not in her car, just that the reason he gave for being in her car need not be true. What if he knew of her husband's past life and assumed that she would welcome a 'real' man's advances and then was angered by her rejection?

 

[CSIAngus]

My theory is that JR met her that morning, she had withdrawn the cash for him for services unknown but sufficiently private to keep it secret. The decorative samples were to show him as he was a builder and 'a family friend'. At some point he came on to her as she was driving, and it spiralled after that. She may have had a kitchen knife for self defence as he creeped her out, but it was turned on her. Or he took the knife intentionally to threaten or to kill her. He is my prime suspect. MOO

 

[CSIAngus]

I am not saying that he was not in her car, just that the reason he gave for being in her car need not be true. What if he knew of her husband's past life and assumed that she would welcome a 'real' man's advances and then was angered by her rejection?

Perhaps he was threatening to 'out' her husband and that the £8,500 was blackmail money. I can't recall whether his bisexuality was a secret at that point. I know the investigators made that known but I've never understood why. Then he decided he wanted something more from her than just the cash.

 

[SBops]

Perhaps he was threatening to 'out' her husband and that the £8,500 was blackmail money. I can't recall whether his bisexuality was a secret at that point. I know the investigators made that known but I've never understood why. Then he decided he wanted something more from her than just the cash.

Yes, pretty much what I think too. Maybe she did not want her husbands past stuff to come out, to protect her children from the ugliness that it would have engendered back then and then he thought he could control her with that knowledge.

 

[Terryb808]

Yes, pretty much what I think too. Maybe she did not want her husbands past stuff to come out, to protect her children from the ugliness that it would have engendered back then and then he thought he could control her with that knowledge.

I'll join you on this one, he has to be the prime suspect based on it being personal. He made such a fool of himself trying to sell his story, was he desperate for money? it could be a case of hiding in plain sight" all along.

 

[Terryb808]

I have taken a look at this and read through a few blog posts, some have mentioned that Robert Napper was a likely suspect and also that Jean Bradley was murdered by the same person as Penny Bell.
Regarding Jean Bradley I think that Robert Napper is a very likely suspect, the witness descriptions are more fitting and I feel he was responsible.
However, Penny’s killer appeared to be far more calculated, and had an escape plan, but at the same time from a psychological point of view appeared out of control.
I didn’t initially link Jean Bradley & Penny Bell, in one blog I read a witness highlighted seeing a man in what appeared to be his underwear, he was wet as if he’d been washing himself. If this is correct, then someone like Robert Napper would be a likely suspect.
What doesn’t fit is the missing £8k, if this was a case payment to the builders for example then blackmail can be ruled out and a person like Napper comes back into the frame.
Has anyone else read about this witness and the man in his underwear?

 

[dotr]

Robert Napper: The serial killer we all forgot
By Professor David Wilson 28 MAR 2013
''Here, Professor Wilson, from the Centre for Applied Criminology at Birmingham City University, reveals why he believes Robert Napper – the man who killed Rachel Nickell in 1992 – could be behind a string of unsolved murders.

TO a psychopathic killer with a warped hatred of mothers, Rachel Nickell must have looked the perfect victim.

She was young and energetic, with model looks, and those who knew her say the love she felt for her two-year-old son Alex was almost luminous.

Mother and son were walking together on Wimbledon Common when Robert Napper struck. He stabbed Rachel 49 times before fleeing the scene.

Today it is the name of Colin Stagg, the innocent man lured into a honey trap by the Metropolitan Police, that is connected most often to the killing. Napper, now 46, who was remanded indefinitely in Broadmoor in December 2008 for committing the murder, has all but disappeared from public gaze.

As well as Rachel Nickell’s murder, he is also the convicted killer of Samantha Bisset and her daughter Jazmine, four, both horrifically slaughtered in 1993.

And he is widely acknowledged as the likely perpetrator of the so-called Green Chain rapes, a portfolio of sex attacks on upwards of 70 victims in the early 90s.

As a criminologist, I have met a number of serial murderers. I am convinced that all those I came across were responsible for more than the murders they were convicted of.

By paying attention to these individuals and their crimes, by taking the trouble to look at what drives them, and their method of killing, we might just be able to solve the “cold cases” so beloved of dramas like Cracker and Waking The Dead. Robert Napper is one of these individuals.''

3 Sep 2021
Rachel Nickell killer's 'relaxed life' after sickening rape and murder rampage
''Robert Napper managed to escape justice for 16 years after the horrifying murder of Rachel Nickell.

The serial rapist sexually assaulted and stabbed the young mother 49 times in broad daylight while she was out walking her dog on Wimbledon Common in south-west London in July 1992.

After committing the sickening frenzied attack, imposing 6ft 2in Napper fled the scene, leaving Rachel's two-year-old son Alexander pleading: "Wake up, Mummy."

The police launched a massive manhunt and questioned 32 men in connection with the devastating crime, with innocent Colin Stagg bering arrested on suspicion of murder in September 1992.

As part of Operation Ezdell, an undercover Metropolitan police officer pretended she was romantically interested in Stagg as part of a cover 'honeytrap' operation designed to draw out a confession.

Robert Napper was responsible for the murder of Rachel Nickell (
Image:
PA)

Robert Napper arriving at the Old Bailey handcuffed to a guard

''Napper, a paranoid schizophrenic with Asperger's syndrome''

 

[Pinkizzy]

I read on the Lollytruecrimes blog that Napper may have been the scruffy blonde man leaving the train after stabbing Deborah Linsley in March 1988.

 

[Pimlipo]

I read on the Lollytruecrimes blog that Napper may have been the scruffy blonde man leaving the train after stabbing Deborah Linsley in March 1988.

I think they had DNA in that case that never matched any known person in the National database so surely rules Napper out

 

[Terryb808]

Lolly does a lot of true crime stuff, makes for interesting reading. I guess DNA profiles and the accuracy depend on Storeage and age.
Anyone interested in forensics (and DNA) should take a look at “Expert Witness” a series available on iPlayer. It shows what can be achieved even with very old cold cases.

 

[Terryb808]

I understand David Videsette is working on another book, maybe he’ll take a look at the Penny Bell murder.
After all it’s on he local patch.

 

[Dan Cooper]

Interesting - in terms of MO it does sound like it could be Napper, although he tended to strike young mothers who had their children with them.

If you assume JR or some other friend/associate/family member linked to Penny, then the attack seems especially horrific.