UK UK - Vishal Mehrotra, 8, West London, 29 Jul 1981, found deceased in Rogate, West Sussex, 1982

[dotr]

April 18 2023 lengthy article
By Colin Campbell

Vishal Mehrotra: Killed boy's family cannot forgive police inaction

The father of Vishal Mehrotra says his death 40 years ago has not been fully investigated by police.

www.bbc.com

''The family of an eight-year-old boy whose body was found in woodland more than 40 years ago has accused police of failing to fully investigate his death.
Vishal Mehrotra disappeared from west London in July 1981, and his remains were found in Rogate, West Sussex, seven months later.
The BBC has traced a paedophile with potential links to the case.
His family had been told by detectives the man was believed to have fled to Asia but could not be found.
James Russell, who denied being part of a paedophile ring operating in London and Sussex, had never been questioned about Vishal's murder, and claimed he had never heard of the schoolboy.''

''Listen to Vishal: A nine-part podcast, available on BBC Sounds from 17 April

Vishal vanished as he walked home from shops in Putney in 1981 on the day of the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.
Four years ago, when reviewing an unconnected case, Sussex Police discovered it had missed how a convicted paedophile, Nicholas Douglass, had written a document he entitled "Vishal", which he finished a year after Vishal's remains were found.''

''Douglass also had connections to the area where Vishal's remains were found as his mother lived nearby. But he has repeatedly denied having anything to do with Vishal's murder.
When Vishal disappeared, Douglass had been part of a group of paedophiles who were abusing children at a boarding school. The group included James Russell.''

''Two years ago, Sussex Police told Vishal's family there was nothing to connect the group to Vishal's death - despite never speaking to Russell, who the BBC found in Sri Lanka.
Russell had fled the UK whilst under investigation for child sexual abuse in 1996. When the BBC spoke to him he admitted an attraction to boys of Indian heritage.''

 

[alb1on]

As I stated previously, my parents remember this case being in the news. If Vishal had been a working-class boy, I doubt there would have been much attention. (Compare Hannah Williams' case to Milly Dowler's, for example.)

My point was simply that Kitkat 28 described him as a working class boy when he was nothing of the sort. The amount of attention depends on many things although I do agree that the media (more than the police) will pay more attention to white middle class cases. But even this is affected by other factors. For many years the Ruth Wilson case from Dorking received limited coverage despite her being a white middle class 16 year old who went missing in very odd circumstances. Undoubtedly this was affected by the reluctance of the parents to engage with the media. However, in the Mehrotra case I would say the police, whilst not perfect, did a decent job but without success. Unfortunately both the media and discussion threads have a tendency to overlook the difference between suspicions and evidence.

 

[THX]

Hmmm l wonder if they have eliminated the dirty dozen

Also wondering why Sussex police are leading if he went missing on Met ground - is it usual for the lead to be where the body was found?

The IOPC released a report a while ago saying the police had looked into it and could find no link to any of the dirty dozen. There has been a lot of very bad reporting on this case regarding Leslie bailey etc. I think the latest podcast by the BBC on Vishal is much more plausible. But there's still a lot of investigation that needs to be done to fill in gaps.

 

[THX]

My point was simply that Kitkat 28 described him as a working class boy when he was nothing of the sort. The amount of attention depends on many things although I do agree that the media (more than the police) will pay more attention to white middle class cases. But even this is affected by other factors. For many years the Ruth Wilson case from Dorking received limited coverage despite her being a white middle class 16 year old who went missing in very odd circumstances. Undoubtedly this was affected by the reluctance of the parents to engage with the media. However, in the Mehrotra case I would say the police, whilst not perfect, did a decent job but without success. Unfortunately both the media and discussion threads have a tendency to overlook the difference between suspicions and evidence.

I think Sussex police have made some terrible mistakes. Not least that it has now emerged that they should have been doing a case review every two years, but have only done one in 40 years. They also told the family that one of the major suspects had gone missing in Asia somewhere and they hadn't traced him, and it subsequently emerged that his location had been known to them for many years - he'd been claiming his pension and given the DWP his address in Sri Lanka, and the passport office had also renewed his passport several time. Sussex police subsequently said that sending an officer to Sri Lanka would have been "disproportionate". They have also not interviewed victims who claim they were abused at a house in Kew. I do take your point though. There is a toxic culture around these cases. God knows what the families must feel. So many of these podcasts and TV productions seem to be primarily motivated by the journalists' or producers' desire for kudos and clicks, rather than an altruistic desire to solve the case. The narratives are often distorted to suit the story they want to portray.

 

[THX]

Confession emerges in unsolved murder review - BBC News

A review into the unsolved murder of an eight year-old boy reveals a child abuser had confessed to killing him.

Vishal Mehrotra went missing from west London in 1981 and his remains were found later on a farm in Rogate.

His family learned of the confession following a BBC investigation and his father Vishambar has called for a fresh inquiry.

Police said the suspect was interviewed in 1982 but was "an inveterate liar" who quickly retracted the confession.

However, the suspect has not been eliminated from Sussex Police's ongoing investigation and Mr Mehrotra said the force had "many questions to answer" about its handling of the case.

Wonder who that was

 

[THX]

That programme - just watched - certainly showed good grounds for questioning Sidney Cooke and fast given they said he's 94 and in poor health.

The other interesting fact it highlighted was why the 2005 report when they looked at the case again was so heavily redacted.

That programme I think left a bad taste in the mouth for a lot of people. It seems like at times they distorted the truth in the search for drama (e.g. when they said that 'Jason Swift worked on the fairs and may have got to know Sidney Cooke that way'). In fact it's been well known for years how Jason Swift knew Sidney Cooke. Sadly, Jason came from a truly terrible background characterised by appalling neglect and dysfunction, and had fallen in the 'rent boy' scene in London and had got to know them that way. He believed he was in a relationship with another of the gang, Lennie Smith, who 'pimped' him out at Victoria Station), he ended up 'working at the fairs' in Southend because he'd been taken there by the gang - it was a paedophile hotspot and he was being 'pimped out' there too. In terms of the points mentioned in the programme - the IOPC released a report a while ago saying that the police had looked at the Sidney Cooke gang and could find no link at all between any of them and the crime. The Leslie Bailey thing is also bizarre. It's believed that he was in prison at the time, and it has also been long established that he didn't know Cooke until 1984. Again, the IOPC released information about what the lady who claimed to have seen Vishal on the tube with Bailey actually said. She had actually claimed that she saw the boy at 12:00 midday (before Vishal went missing), her description of the boy didn't match Vishal, and perhaps most importantly, she said the man she saw him with 'looked like the comedian Mel Smith'. It's astonishing how distorted these things get. As for Cooke, it's a possibility that he did it, certainly. Not really his part of London though and it leaves the question how he did it? from what we know, the murders were all committed at 'sex parties' in flats or caravans. Possible he did it at the fair he was allegedly going to, but as in the Mark Tildesley case, there would most likely have been witnesses.

 

[alb1on]

I think Sussex police have made some terrible mistakes. Not least that it has now emerged that they should have been doing a case review every two years, but have only done one in 40 years. They also told the family that one of the major suspects had gone missing in Asia somewhere and they hadn't traced him, and it subsequently emerged that his location had been known to them for many years - he'd been claiming his pension and given the DWP his address in Sri Lanka, and the passport office had also renewed his passport several time. Sussex police subsequently said that sending an officer to Sri Lanka would have been "disproportionate". They have also not interviewed victims who claim they were abused at a house in Kew. I do take your point though. There is a toxic culture around these cases. God knows what the families must feel. So many of these podcasts and TV productions seem to be primarily motivated by the journalists' or producers' desire for kudos and clicks, rather than an altruistic desire to solve the case. The narratives are often distorted to suit the story they want to portray.

Sussex police are not perfect but the Sri Lanka and Kew aspects are not significant. The Sri Lanka individual was never a major suspect and was only labelled as such by journalists looking for a headline, although I agree they should have found and interviewed him. The Kew case of the Elm Guest House is a classic case of a conspiracy theory where the truth has been mixed with myth. Despite the Met running 4 separate investigations (Fairbank, Fernbridge, Midland and Athabasca) no evidence of child abuse at Elm Guest House emerged and there is no doubt that the original source of the allegations (Chris Fay) was a dodgy source to say the least. Elm Guest House was a gay brothel but that does not make it a site of child abuse. None of this means there is not a connection to either organised abuse rings or prominent people. The Sidney Cooke group are obvious suspects, but were thoroughly investigated without turning up enough to charge and there were well known people mixed up in abuse (Janner and Morrison being the best known cases) but nothing has linked them to this case. No doubt errors were made but it is difficult to see sufficient evidence for charging without a confession or solid witnesses or newly available forensic methods identifying evidence from any material recovered when the body was found.

 

[Mrs Marple]

That programme I think left a bad taste in the mouth for a lot of people. It seems like at times they distorted the truth in the search for drama (e.g. when they said that 'Jason Swift worked on the fairs and may have got to know Sidney Cooke that way'). In fact it's been well known for years how Jason Swift knew Sidney Cooke. Sadly, Jason came from a truly terrible background characterised by appalling neglect and dysfunction, and had fallen in the 'rent boy' scene in London and had got to know them that way. He believed he was in a relationship with another of the gang, Lennie Smith, who 'pimped' him out at Victoria Station), he ended up 'working at the fairs' in Southend because he'd been taken there by the gang - it was a paedophile hotspot and he was being 'pimped out' there too. In terms of the points mentioned in the programme - the IOPC released a report a while ago saying that the police had looked at the Sidney Cooke gang and could find no link at all between any of them and the crime. The Leslie Bailey thing is also bizarre. It's believed that he was in prison at the time, and it has also been long established that he didn't know Cooke until 1984. Again, the IOPC released information about what the lady who claimed to have seen Vishal on the tube with Bailey actually said. She had actually claimed that she saw the boy at 12:00 midday (before Vishal went missing), her description of the boy didn't match Vishal, and perhaps most importantly, she said the man she saw him with 'looked like the comedian Mel Smith'. It's astonishing how distorted these things get. As for Cooke, it's a possibility that he did it, certainly. Not really his part of London though and it leaves the question how he did it? from what we know, the murders were all committed at 'sex parties' in flats or caravans. Possible he did it at the fair he was allegedly going to, but as in the Mark Tildesley case, there would most likely have been witnesses.

BBM

I don't think that's an accurate portrayal. Jason wasn't in mainstream school and had a step mum but as far as l can tell the family couldn't understand why he ran away. (Sorry to off topic but that is a very upsetting comment for the family to potentially read).

 

[THX]

BBM

I don't think that's an accurate portrayal. Jason wasn't in mainstream school and had a step mum but as far as l can tell the family couldn't understand why he ran away. (Sorry to off topic but that is a very upsetting comment for the family to potentially read).

I'm afraid it's all too accurate, and it's something we should be very concerned about if we genuinely care about kids' welfare. It's been in the public domain for many, many years - if you can get hold of 'Lambs to the Slaughter' (the definitive book about Sidney Cooke gang and the victims), it goes into some depth about Jason (and the other victims') backgrounds and lives. The book was written with the assistance of police who worked on the case. Jason had an absolutely appalling life. Not one of his family went to look for him when he went missing. His mother didn't even tell the police about the postcards she'd been getting from him while he was reported missing. He'd been picked up by police in Soho by police previously when he was a very young teen - when Soho had a truly appalling reputation. He was also found wandering round Heathrow airport, dreaming so much of escaping. One thing we know now is that kids from chaotic families are sadly much more likely to fall victim of these predators because nobody is consistently playing the parental protection role. It was known to be true of all of the known victims of the Sidney Cooke gang, and sadly of others such as Daniel Handley and Daniel Entwhistle. That is the tragic reality.

 

[THX]

Sussex police are not perfect but the Sri Lanka and Kew aspects are not significant. The Sri Lanka individual was never a major suspect and was only labelled as such by journalists looking for a headline, although I agree they should have found and interviewed him. The Kew case of the Elm Guest House is a classic case of a conspiracy theory where the truth has been mixed with myth. Despite the Met running 4 separate investigations (Fairbank, Fernbridge, Midland and Athabasca) no evidence of child abuse at Elm Guest House emerged and there is no doubt that the original source of the allegations (Chris Fay) was a dodgy source to say the least. Elm Guest House was a gay brothel but that does not make it a site of child abuse. None of this means there is not a connection to either organised abuse rings or prominent people. The Sidney Cooke group are obvious suspects, but were thoroughly investigated without turning up enough to charge and there were well known people mixed up in abuse (Janner and Morrison being the best known cases) but nothing has linked them to this case. No doubt errors were made but it is difficult to see sufficient evidence for charging without a confession or solid witnesses or newly available forensic methods identifying evidence from any material recovered when the body was found.

You've got it very confused. The Kew case is not Elm Guest house - it has nothing to do with Elm Guest House. It was a previously convicted paedophile (for crimes picking up young boys in Piccadilly in the 70s) allowing his home in Kew to be used by other paedophiles to abuse kids. This man is quite easily identifiable with a quick google search. We simply don't know if the man in Sri Lanka is guilty or not, but it is known that he was convicted for picking up kids off the street, had a thing for young Asian boys, and was part of the wider paedophile ring working out of Muntham House school.

 

[THX]

Sussex police are not perfect but the Sri Lanka and Kew aspects are not significant. The Sri Lanka individual was never a major suspect and was only labelled as such by journalists looking for a headline, although I agree they should have found and interviewed him. The Kew case of the Elm Guest House is a classic case of a conspiracy theory where the truth has been mixed with myth. Despite the Met running 4 separate investigations (Fairbank, Fernbridge, Midland and Athabasca) no evidence of child abuse at Elm Guest House emerged and there is no doubt that the original source of the allegations (Chris Fay) was a dodgy source to say the least. Elm Guest House was a gay brothel but that does not make it a site of child abuse. None of this means there is not a connection to either organised abuse rings or prominent people. The Sidney Cooke group are obvious suspects, but were thoroughly investigated without turning up enough to charge and there were well known people mixed up in abuse (Janner and Morrison being the best known cases) but nothing has linked them to this case. No doubt errors were made but it is difficult to see sufficient evidence for charging without a confession or solid witnesses or newly available forensic methods identifying evidence from any material recovered when the body was found.

...and we know that Elm Guest House has been very, very largely sensationalised and distorted, but for the sake of accuracy, there was one case that has been verified of a 10 year old boy who was abused there. This was covered in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) and can be found here:

https://www.iicsa.org.uk/reports-recommendations/publications/investigation/westminster/part-d-police-responses-allegations-westminster-child-sexual-abuse/d7-allegations-connected-elm-guest-house.html

"The police investigation only identified evidence that a single child had been sexually abused at Elm Guest House. That was the 10-year-old boy about whom concerns had initially been expressed. The boy’s own account, together with a medical examination, provided evidence that the boy had been the subject of extensive sexual abuse. There was no evidence that any other children had been abused"

The man who called Mr Mehrotra in 1982 claiming to have known that Vishal had been taken there also proved to have mental health issues. Again though, the abuse happening at a man's house in Kew was nothing whatsoever to do with Elm Guest House.

 

[alb1on]

You've got it very confused. The Kew case is not Elm Guest house - it has nothing to do with Elm Guest House. It was a previously convicted paedophile (for crimes picking up young boys in Piccadilly in the 70s) allowing his home in Kew to be used by other paedophiles to abuse kids. This man is quite easily identifiable with a quick google search. We simply don't know if the man in Sri Lanka is guilty or not, but it is known that he was convicted for picking up kids off the street, had a thing for young Asian boys, and was part of the wider paedophile ring working out of Muntham House school.

I have seen repeated attempts to link this case (and others) to Elm Guest House but if that was not your intention I understand and have no comment on the other case you cite as I have no information. However the central point remains. There is a complete lack of evidence to bring charges and it is not for want of trying by the police even accepting that their efforts sometimes fell short of perfect for the reasons I gave. There is no point in berating the system for failing to bring charges if to do so would result in them being dismissed by a judge before they even reach a jury. This case is not unique. The Genette Tate case and speculated links to Robert Black falls into a similar category. A strong suspect but without sufficient evidence to bring charges before he died despite the use of huge police resources. And it sometimes goes further with a case like Mary Boyle in Ireland where Black was linked to the case despite strong evidence of it being a local offender. Regrettably a failure to identify an offender or even the use of a known offender as a distraction is sometimes the outcome.

 

[THX]

I have seen repeated attempts to link this case (and others) to Elm Guest House but if that was not your intention I understand and have no comment on the other case you cite as I have no information. However the central point remains. There is a complete lack of evidence to bring charges and it is not for want of trying by the police even accepting that their efforts sometimes fell short of perfect for the reasons I gave. There is no point in berating the system for failing to bring charges if to do so would result in them being dismissed by a judge before they even reach a jury. This case is not unique. The Genette Tate case and speculated links to Robert Black falls into a similar category. A strong suspect but without sufficient evidence to bring charges before he died despite the use of huge police resources. And it sometimes goes further with a case like Mary Boyle in Ireland where Black was linked to the case despite strong evidence of it being a local offender. Regrettably a failure to identify an offender or even the use of a known offender as a distraction is sometimes the outcome.

There's actually been a development on Vishal's case today. Sussex police have said they are opening up the investigation again, based on the information in the podcast, and have apologised to Mr Mehrotra - "The force said it had visited Vishal’s father, Vishambar, 77, and apologised for an “oversight” which meant it missed a potential link to a paedophile ring at a school in West Sussex near where the child’s body was dumped."

Police reopen Vishal Mehrotra murder case after missing link to paedophile ring

Detectives are re-examining a four-decade-old murder case of an eight-year-old boy after apologising to his family for missing links to a paedophile ring.Vishal

www.thetimes.co.uk

I fully take your point and agree about this case being not unique. There are far too many cases out there which have not had a fraction of the attention this one has had, and which are very deserving of further investigation (Kevin Hicks being one that springs to mind which has been appallingly neglected). However, I hope very much that something does come of Sussex's police's new investigation. There is some potential evidence that the Muntham House group (and possibly some others in a wider ring) may have been responsible for at least one other notorious unsolved child abduction.

 

[THX]

I have seen repeated attempts to link this case (and others) to Elm Guest House but if that was not your intention I understand and have no comment on the other case you cite as I have no information. However the central point remains. There is a complete lack of evidence to bring charges and it is not for want of trying by the police even accepting that their efforts sometimes fell short of perfect for the reasons I gave. There is no point in berating the system for failing to bring charges if to do so would result in them being dismissed by a judge before they even reach a jury. This case is not unique. The Genette Tate case and speculated links to Robert Black falls into a similar category. A strong suspect but without sufficient evidence to bring charges before he died despite the use of huge police resources. And it sometimes goes further with a case like Mary Boyle in Ireland where Black was linked to the case despite strong evidence of it being a local offender. Regrettably a failure to identify an offender or even the use of a known offender as a distraction is sometimes the outcome.

By the way, have you listened to the recent BBC podcast? It is very interesting - it's simply called 'Vishal'. It's available at the link below or on the BBC sounds podcast. The

BBC Sounds - Vishal - Available Episodes

Listen to the latest episodes of Vishal on BBC Sounds.

www.bbc.co.uk

Whether you agree with the conclusions or not, it does give a very good insight into the absolutely industrial scale level of child abuse that was happening in the 70s and 80s, and how non existent child protection was in institutions that were meant to be protecting children. I hope in future that someone can do a really in-depth documentary about just how intricate and wide spread a lot of those paedophile networks were. Someone once compared their organisation to the mafia, and I think there's perhaps a bit of truth in that.

The man in Kew seems to have been connected to a number of other paedophiles over the years. The judge's comments in his 1976 court appeal have been published online and they mention how he had access to another man's flat, and took kids he'd picked up in Piccadilly back there. He also had previous convictions. He was born in the 1920s so God knows how long he'd been offending. He seems to have had a similar arrangement for his own house in Kew with some of the Muntham House ring (and probably more), whereby he gave them access to his home to abuse boys in.

 

[alb1on]

By the way, have you listened to the recent BBC podcast? It is very interesting - it's simply called 'Vishal'. It's available at the link below or on the BBC sounds podcast. The

BBC Sounds - Vishal - Available Episodes

Listen to the latest episodes of Vishal on BBC Sounds.

www.bbc.co.uk

Whether you agree with the conclusions or not, it does give a very good insight into the absolutely industrial scale level of child abuse that was happening in the 70s and 80s, and how non existent child protection was in institutions that were meant to be protecting children. I hope in future that someone can do a really in-depth documentary about just how intricate and wide spread a lot of those paedophile networks were. Someone once compared their organisation to the mafia, and I think there's perhaps a bit of truth in that.

The man in Kew seems to have been connected to a number of other paedophiles over the years. The judge's comments in his 1976 court appeal have been published online and they mention how he had access to another man's flat, and took kids he'd picked up in Piccadilly back there. He also had previous convictions. He was born in the 1920s so God knows how long he'd been offending. He seems to have had a similar arrangement for his own house in Kew with some of the Muntham House ring (and probably more), whereby he gave them access to his home to abuse boys in.

Whether you agree with the conclusions or not, it does give a very good insight into the absolutely industrial scale level of child abuse that was happening in the 70s and 80s, and how non existent child protection was in institutions that were meant to be protecting children. I hope in future that someone can do a really in-depth documentary about just how intricate and wide spread a lot of those paedophile networks were. Someone once compared their organisation to the mafia, and I think there's perhaps a bit of truth in that.

I am always a bit cautious on the reports of activity in the 70s/80s/90s, not because I do not believe it was happening but because of its useful effect of diversion from cases involving high profile persons. In the early 80s Thatcher promoted Peter Morrison after the security services told her of his offences. In the late 80s and early 90s the investigation into Janner was deliberately obstructed, including the future Chief Constable of Derbyshire (then Sergeant Mick Creedon) being ordered to stop his inquiry (as he has stated publicly). And in the late 90s DI Clive Driscoll (who went on to get the Lawrence convictions) was taken off the Lambeth investigation after he wanted to question the Boatengs. And every time these cases have been resurrected an old unconnected case suddenly springs up to take the attention. I have sympathy for the police. The smell suggests the fingerprints of politicians and security services in pulling the strings.

 

[THX]

I am always a bit cautious on the reports of activity in the 70s/80s/90s, not because I do not believe it was happening but because of its useful effect of diversion from cases involving high profile persons. In the early 80s Thatcher promoted Peter Morrison after the security services told her of his offences. In the late 80s and early 90s the investigation into Janner was deliberately obstructed, including the future Chief Constable of Derbyshire (then Sergeant Mick Creedon) being ordered to stop his inquiry (as he has stated publicly). And in the late 90s DI Clive Driscoll (who went on to get the Lawrence convictions) was taken off the Lambeth investigation after he wanted to question the Boatengs. And every time these cases have been resurrected an old unconnected case suddenly springs up to take the attention. I have sympathy for the police. The smell suggests the fingerprints of politicians and security services in pulling the strings.

Yeah, I've read all the IICSA stuff on those cases, but it the inquiry goes much deeper and looks at systemic abuse in various institutions. I think it is very much established now that child abuse was happening on an industrial scale back then (and almost certainly always has been). We know this from the many, many people who've come forward from different schools and organisations - the Lambeth kids Homes, The North Wales kids Homes, The Shoeburyness paedophile ring (which seemed to involve the world and his dog in Southend - there's a great podcast about it), the scandal in the Medomsley centre for young men, not to mention a million other schools and not even to mention what was going on in many churches or indeed sections of the Scouts. It wasn't just 'people high up', it was and always has been people from all sections of society. Indeed, it's well established that the majority of child abuse happens in families. Just look at what has happened in Wolverhampton recently. 21 people convicted in a very poor community, including members of an extended family. Also - just look at yesterday's verdict on the Nikki Allen case in Sunderland. Justice finally for her murder in 1992. She came from a very poor estate in Sunderland and a family friend killed her. We get into very dangerous territory when we try and characterise child abusers as belonging to one section of society. They're literally in every part of society. The abuse the kids suffered is just as bad if it was done by somebody 'high up' as if it was done by the man next door.

 

[THX]

I immediately thought it was so heavily redacted because there may well be well known name/names in the investigation.

The whole Sidney Cooke angle is very tenuous. The recent BBC podcast 'Vishal' points towards a much different set of suspects - a paedophile ring based at Muntham House school for boys with behavioural and emotional problems in Sussex, who were also regulars in south London, using the home of a friend in Kew to abuse boys (N.B. this was NOT Elm Guest House). This gang was convicted of other offences in the 1990s, and the man in Kew had previous convictions for picking up boys in Piccadilly. The account of a woman claiming to have seen Leslie Bailey on the tube has also been very distorted over the years:

1) The IOPC released details of what the woman had actually told the police when she reported it in the 80s - that she'd seen the man and boy at 12:00 on her way in to the royal wedding. This was two hours before Vishal went missing. She'd also said the man with the boy looked like the comedian Mel Smith. Absolutely nothing like Leslie Bailey. The description she gave of the boy was also nothing like Vishal other than him being Asian.

2) Leslie Bailey didn't know Cooke until 1984. He was also very likely in prison at the time.

 

[chips1986]

What are the theories on this one the cooke gang a celebrity paedophile ring or someone else

 

[dotr]

• 
  
• Holly Christodoulou, 10 Jun 2024 rbbm
• Tragic tale of boy, 7, whose grim murder was linked to 'dirty dozen' paedo ring
• ''Mark set off for the fairground in Wokingham, Berkshire, in June 1984 on his bicycle - promising his parents he would be home at 7.30pm.
  But the youngster never made it back after being abducted, raped and murdered by a notorious paedo gang known as the "dirty dozen".
  Chillingly, 40 years on from the horror, Mark's body has never been found.''

''THE feared gang is believed to be behind the killings of at least 25 children in the 1980s.''
'The gang have also been linked to the disappearances of two boys, Martin Allen and Vishal Mehrotra, who were abducted from London in 1979 and 1981.''