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

[davidt]

Penny Bell's daughter teams up with top cop to try and solve her mum's killing

Penny Bell's daughter Lauren has teamed up with retired Met Detective Chief Superintendent Brian Edwards who led the initial investigation into her mother's murder to try and solve the case

www.mirror.co.uk

 

[Pinkizzy]

He must have parked his car near the crime scene

 

[Terryb808]

He must have parked his car near the crime scene

Looking at this you’re right, also may have had an accomplice with a van. If it blocked the space near the hedge and then pulled out when Penny’s car came in, it effectively reserved the space.
If it the stopped across the rear of her car no one would see anything.
I’ve only taken a very basic look at this case, but somewhere in my notes I have a witness saying that they saw a man covered in blood running away from the area.

 

[dotr]

2021 rbbm.
A post-mortem revealed that Bell had suffered more than 50 stab wounds.

She was last seen leaving home at 9.40am in her pale blue Jaguar XJS (pictured). At around midday, police were called to Gurnell Grove Swimming Pool over reports of a woman slumped in the driver's seat of her car, covered in blood. Bell was pronounced dead at the scene

Detectives appeal for information on Penny Bell's murder 30 years on

Penny Bell was stabbed more than 50 times while in her car at the Gurnell Leisure Centre in Ealing on June 6, 1991. Her killer has never been caught and police and family have issued a fresh appeal.

www.dailymail.co.uk

• ''On Wednesday, detectives revealed that a new witness had come forward in January 2019 saying she'd seen a man in his underwear on the day of the killing
• The man was in his early 30s, tall, tanned and wearing blue striped boxer shorts, a white t-shirt and a chunky chain link bracelet, and carrying a rucksack
• He was seen crossing a footbridge on the A40 Western Avenue in Greenford ''

''DS Stansfield revealed that in January 2019, a new witness came forward to report that they believed they had seen a man in his underwear walking across the footbridge that crosses the A40 Western Avenue in Greenford on the day Bell was killed.

The man appeared wet, as if he had just washed, according to the witness, who recalled seeing the man at around 10.50am to 10.55am. ''

''Over the years a number of people have come forward claiming to have seen a Jaguar car similar to Bell's in Greenford Road the morning of her death driving erratically.

Another witness contacted police to report a possible sighting of Bell at Black Park, Iver, Buckinghamshire, on Thursday 6 June about 9.40am.

She describes how a woman fitting Bell's description, driving an identical car met with the driver of a bronze saloon car in Fulmar Common Road. She was sure from the subsequent publicity that it was Bell.

Another witness claimed that between 9.50am and 10am he also saw a pale blue Jaguar XJS parked in Fulmar Common Road. ''

 

[Terryb808]

2021 rbbm.
A post-mortem revealed that Bell had suffered more than 50 stab wounds.

She was last seen leaving home at 9.40am in her pale blue Jaguar XJS (pictured). At around midday, police were called to Gurnell Grove Swimming Pool over reports of a woman slumped in the driver's seat of her car, covered in blood. Bell was pronounced dead at the scene

Detectives appeal for information on Penny Bell's murder 30 years on

Penny Bell was stabbed more than 50 times while in her car at the Gurnell Leisure Centre in Ealing on June 6, 1991. Her killer has never been caught and police and family have issued a fresh appeal.

www.dailymail.co.uk

• ''On Wednesday, detectives revealed that a new witness had come forward in January 2019 saying she'd seen a man in his underwear on the day of the killing
• The man was in his early 30s, tall, tanned and wearing blue striped boxer shorts, a white t-shirt and a chunky chain link bracelet, and carrying a rucksack
• He was seen crossing a footbridge on the A40 Western Avenue in Greenford ''

''DS Stansfield revealed that in January 2019, a new witness came forward to report that they believed they had seen a man in his underwear walking across the footbridge that crosses the A40 Western Avenue in Greenford on the day Bell was killed.

The man appeared wet, as if he had just washed, according to the witness, who recalled seeing the man at around 10.50am to 10.55am. ''

''Over the years a number of people have come forward claiming to have seen a Jaguar car similar to Bell's in Greenford Road the morning of her death driving erratically.

Another witness contacted police to report a possible sighting of Bell at Black Park, Iver, Buckinghamshire, on Thursday 6 June about 9.40am.

She describes how a woman fitting Bell's description, driving an identical car met with the driver of a bronze saloon car in Fulmar Common Road. She was sure from the subsequent publicity that it was Bell.

Another witness claimed that between 9.50am and 10am he also saw a pale blue Jaguar XJS parked in Fulmar Common Road. ''

Your summary covers most things and if the sighting of the tanned male in his underwear is correct it eliminates an accomplice.
As I’ve said previously the attack appears to be emotional and maybe motivated by jealousy?
Alternatively it could just be someone like Robert Napper, it fits his MO. However, the well tanned man in his underwear does not. Plus, it’s well off his patch and I understand he generally stayed within his own zone.
Sadly, witnesses who come forward many years after the event can be unreliable. It’s not intentional, just that subconsciously they fill it missing areas within their memory with fact from the TV & press.
The tanned man with the gold bracelet is a good example, he was shown on Crimewatch.

 

[Pinkizzy]

Penny's murder could be linked to Deborah Linsley's murder (1988)

 

[davidt]

Out of interest I went back and watched the original Crimewatch reconstruction and appeal. One thing struck me is that they cover the man seen standing near or by a brown or bronze colour car. The reconstruction clearly shows the man getting out of tbe car and they clearly state he was seen getting out of the car. Just about everything I've seen since makes a point of saying it's not known if the man was just standing by a car or if the car was his. I wonder when and why the narrative changed.

The other point relates to tbe £8.5k Penny withdrew in cash three days before her murder. Then as now it says she'd never drawn this amount of cash out before. But I've never seen it put in to context. Implication is this was an unusually large withdrawal. But its never specified by how much. She did withdraw cash from time to time so was this £8.5k massively more than usual, a lot more or a bit more etc? Also the money was withdrawn from their joint account rather than from a personal account whivh she also had. So it doesn't look like she was trying to hide it but she didn't record it anywhere like she usually did. But who withdraws such an amount from a joint account without telling their other half they are doing it and why?

 

[Blanche]

JR prints were in the car, were any on the steering wheel as there is a witness who said he saw the passenger with his hand on the steering wheel and described seeing a gold bracelet but no mention of him wearing gloves, so were there prints found on the steering wheel ? did JR have an alibi , what was it ? what did his wife say about his movements that day? he came forward with this story about being in love with her but she didnt reciprocate, his photo looks a lot like the photofit especially his hair, it was the CPS who decided not to bring charges against him and after that the police wound down their investigation but we have to say JR was never charged ........ i know what i think happened and why.

 

[Pinkizzy]

What do you think happened?

 

[Blanche]

I think she was killed by someone she knew and it was sexually motivated in the sense that this person felt rejected by Penny.

 

[JayBix]

I heard that it was a horrible case of double mistaken identity. The person who alerted me to this case lived in or near the area at the time & said that even though it had never been reported as such to the police, it was spoke about frequently by people in pubs etc at the time. Penny's husband was being blackmailed & Penny withdrew the money to pay the blackmailer off, however on the morning of her murder she let the wrong person, her killer, into her car. At the same time someone had been payed to kill a woman who was a court witness & testified against someone in the crime underworld. She was expected to pick him up in her car at the exact time & location were Penny picked up this killer. The intended victim was 5-10 minutes late & this saved her life. In the meantime Penny arrives on the scene at the arranged location & not being familiar with her husband's blackmailer, unfortunately & very sadly, allows her killer into the car. The blackmailer saw this & got a good look at the killer but couldn't go to the police out of fear that he would be wrongly blamed for her murder but probably spoke to Penny's husband & told him to forget about the money & never speak to him again. The contract killer in Penny's car is now in a panic because he realizes Penny isnt the right woman & she has clearly seen his face & heard the names of the underworld criminals who have put him up to it & quickly decided in a frenzied panic that he had to kill poor Penny who knew she was in danger & mouthed help & turned on her hazard lights etc. This man was a professional who made a huge mistake but was experienced enough to bring a change of clothes & knew how to blend into thin air unnoticed. The Criminal underworld has probably helped shield him knowing he had made a mistake & realizing that if it became knowledge that a hit had been put on a woman whose identity could be linked to Penny's murder it might leave a trail that leads to the hitman & back to them - so they cancel the hit on the original woman who is probably still alive & oblivious to everything. I don't know how accurate this is but there are some people who are convinced this is exactly what happened.

 

[CSIAngus]

I heard that it was a horrible case of double mistaken identity. The person who alerted me to this case lived in or near the area at the time & said that even though it had never been reported as such to the police, it was spoke about frequently by people in pubs etc at the time. Penny's husband was being blackmailed & Penny withdrew the money to pay the blackmailer off, however on the morning of her murder she let the wrong person, her killer, into her car. At the same time someone had been payed to kill a woman who was a court witness & testified against someone in the crime underworld. She was expected to pick him up in her car at the exact time & location were Penny picked up this killer. The intended victim was 5-10 minutes late & this saved her life. In the meantime Penny arrives on the scene at the arranged location & not being familiar with her husband's blackmailer, unfortunately & very sadly, allows her killer into the car. The blackmailer saw this & got a good look at the killer but couldn't go to the police out of fear that he would be wrongly blamed for her murder but probably spoke to Penny's husband & told him to forget about the money & never speak to him again. The contract killer in Penny's car is now in a panic because he realizes Penny isnt the right woman & she has clearly seen his face & heard the names of the underworld criminals who have put him up to it & quickly decided in a frenzied panic that he had to kill poor Penny who knew she was in danger & mouthed help & turned on her hazard lights etc. This man was a professional who made a huge mistake but was experienced enough to bring a change of clothes & knew how to blend into thin air unnoticed. The Criminal underworld has probably helped shield him knowing he had made a mistake & realizing that if it became knowledge that a hit had been put on a woman whose identity could be linked to Penny's murder it might leave a trail that leads to the hitman & back to them - so they cancel the hit on the original woman who is probably still alive & oblivious to everything. I don't know how accurate this is but there are some people who are convinced this is exactly what happened.

The level of overkill doesn't suggest a hit. They'd have to be a very incompetent hitman to create such a bloodbath in a public place. All the evidence suggests that she knew her killer. For me there is only one, very obvious suspect who has repeatedly drawn attention to himself over the years, whose fingerprints were the only ones in her car other than hers, and who admitted being in her car that morning.

 

[JayBix]

The level of overkill doesn't suggest a hit. They'd have to be a very incompetent hitman to create such a bloodbath in a public place. All the evidence suggests that she knew her killer. For me there is only one, very obvious suspect who has repeatedly drawn attention to himself over the years, whose fingerprints were the only ones in her car other than hers, and who admitted being in her car that morning.

But was it overkill or something that was made to look like overkill as a double bluff along with the displaying of the wallpaper samples & the money vanishing? Someone in the murder business would know how to cover their tracks & make a hit look like a crime of passion.

 

[CSIAngus]

But was it overkill or something that was made to look like overkill as a double bluff along with the displaying of the wallpaper samples & the money vanishing? Someone in the murder business would know how to cover their tracks & make a hit look like a crime of passion.

I'm struggling to think of an example of a hitman staging such a double bluff.

 

[davidt]

Interesting but is there any evidence at all to support this and where did the story come from? Seems pretty far fetched for all that to fall in to place.

I do wonder about the £8,000 and what it was for. Still find it hard to believe Penny withdrew such a large sum of money from their joint account without her husband having any knowledge of it.

 

[davidt]

Too late to edit previous post but we should also remember that the £8k would be around £18k today. That's a lot of cash.

 

[Terryb808]

Too late to edit previous post but we should also remember that the £8k would be around £18k today. That's a lot of cash.

As she took the money from the joint account blackmail sounds like the most likely reason. Maybe she was trying to protect her young daughter from something unsavoury coming out.
I just can’t see a hitman doing this, it would be just a job to them, get it done quickly, cleanly and without fuss.
What hitman drives into a busy leisure centre car park at 10.30am to commit murder. No one in their right mind.
It’s more likely to be the blackmailer who on arrival just lost it big time. It was far too ferocious an attack.
The other alternative is someone like Robert Napper, it’s got his MO for sure.
I read that one of the Mets detectives from the original investigation is working with Penny Bells daughter on the case.
I’m personally glade she’s getting professional help and I really hope they solve this.

 

[davidt]

As she took the money from the joint account blackmail sounds like the most likely reason. Maybe she was trying to protect her young daughter from something unsavoury coming out.
I just can’t see a hitman doing this, it would be just a job to them, get it done quickly, cleanly and without fuss.
What hitman drives into a busy leisure centre car park at 10.30am to commit murder. No one in their right mind.
It’s more likely to be the blackmailer who on arrival just lost it big time. It was far too ferocious an attack.
The other alternative is someone like Robert Napper, it’s got his MO for sure.
I read that one of the Mets detectives from the original investigation is working with Penny Bells daughter on the case.
I’m personally glade she’s getting professional help and I really hope they solve this.

The cash has always bothered me. As I understand it,

Penny drew out £8,500 in cash a few days before she was murdered.
She had not drawn out such a large sum before ( no idea what sort of sums she usually drew)
She drew it from their joint account
She didn't tell her husband or anyone she was doing it, or what for.
The cash remains unaccounted for.
We don't know if the cash was used for the purpose it was drawn for or if something else happened to it.
We don't know if Penny had it with her on the day she was murdered.
We don't know if it's even connected to Penny's murder.

She usually was good at recording things and it strains belief her husband wouldn't eventually find out about it. Doesn't really add up for me.

 

[Pinkizzy]

Two people were murdered on Horsenden hill Helen Deterville (1998) and Steve Jindu (2000)

 

[CSIAngus]

JR prints were in the car, were any on the steering wheel as there is a witness who said he saw the passenger with his hand on the steering wheel and described seeing a gold bracelet but no mention of him wearing gloves, so were there prints found on the steering wheel ? did JR have an alibi , what was it ? what did his wife say about his movements that day? he came forward with this story about being in love with her but she didnt reciprocate, his photo looks a lot like the photofit especially his hair, it was the CPS who decided not to bring charges against him and after that the police wound down their investigation but we have to say JR was never charged ........ i know what i think happened and why.

Is this photo of JR published? Link?