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

[Jen Jarvie]

Thanks for posting this. I think you may have reposted it due to my request for the "appeal" video but I wasn't very clear (sorry abut that) as I was referring to when PH did a press conference on TV, shortly after the murder, to appeal for witnesses. I'm sure he did one through I may be wrong.

Thanks anyway.

Peter Heron did an appeal in 1990 shortly after the incidents. There isn't a publicly available copy of the video, but there are photographs that were in the national papers.

The appeal was for anyone to come forward ( as you would expect) and was shown on the local news (Tyne Tees).

 

[WiseOwl]

Peter Heron did an appeal in 1990 shortly after the incidents. There isn't a publicly available copy of the video, but there are photographs that were in the national papers.

The appeal was for anyone to come forward ( as you would expect) and was shown on the local news (Tyne Tees).

There is a clip of a public appeal by Mr Heron in the 2022 documentary, starts at 18.16:

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Is this the appeal you are referring to?

 

[Dave32]

I've read most of this thread I think, and sorry if I've missed it, but what colour/make of car was PH driving on the day of the murder? The car seems crucial, but the answer to this isn't mentioned on the wiki page.

 

[tes1984]

I've read most of this thread I think, and sorry if I've missed it, but what colour/make of car was PH driving on the day of the murder? The car seems crucial, but the answer to this isn't mentioned on the wiki page.

IIRC he's shown driving a white Mercedes in the Crimewatch reconstruction.

 

[tes1984]

I don't think the 35 years appeals mention anything car related, so it doesn't seem like the speeding blue car has been narrowed down to a specific make or model etc.

Unfortunately at this stage it's a dead end looking for a suntanned man in August, who drove a blue car.

 

[Spoof]

There is a clip of a public appeal by Mr Heron in the 2022 documentary, starts at 18.16:

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Is this the appeal you are referring to?

Is that why you're called "Wise Owl"? Great spot and thanks. Yes that's what I meant. I wonder if the complete footage of the press conference could be found as it'd be interesting to see how PH behaved. There's been plenty of analysis of those later found guilty of serious crimes whose behaviour was seen as "suspect" at the time and was later analysed to see if lessons could be learned. I wonder if PH has a copy of it?

 

[Spoof]

The thing is, while you’re right that police will be holding plenty back from the public, as I understand it the Herons - and JJ - have access to the files, because when PH was charged police had to provide the family and PH’s legal team with all the relevant information (from memory, PH’s daughter Debbie discusses this in the Channel 5 documentary).

So it’s not simply a case of JJ believing and repeating what she’s been told by PH, she’s saying she’s seen the witness statements and any other relevant documentation and in her eyes it stacks up.

You have to acknowledge though that just because something is in a witness statement, it does not make it true or that it occurred. There must be issues with the witness(es) otherwise PH would never have been charged in the first place.

 

[Spoof]

I've read most of this thread I think, and sorry if I've missed it, but what colour/make of car was PH driving on the day of the murder? The car seems crucial, but the answer to this isn't mentioned on the wiki page.

I'm not convinced if the car is crucial. Aeolian House is an isolated property off a main road, surely it could have regularly been used as a "turn around" point for those heading the wrong way etc.

 

[rvlvr]

I'm not convinced if the car is crucial. Aeolian House is an isolated property off a main road, surely it could have regularly been used as a "turn around" point for those heading the wrong way etc.

There’s ample room to turn around at the entrance to the driveway, no one would realistically need to drive all the way to the top of the 60-70 metre long driveway, park (a witness reported seeing a blue car parked outside the house), then travel back down it again, at speed, if they were simply turning around. Not only this, but the sightings occur around the estimated time of death. It’s a huge stumbling block in this case - there’s a good chance the killer was driving this car, but even if the car and its driver were speeding away from the house for a perfectly innocent reason, without knowing what that reason was then the car alone would be enough to put reasonable doubt in the mind of a juror imo.

But as @tes1984 says, unless someone comes forward with a tip about a panicked friend/relative/lover scrapping or selling a blue Astra in the days after the crime, or something similar, I think that lead has been exhausted, sadly.

There's been plenty of analysis of those later found guilty of serious crimes whose behaviour was seen as "suspect" at the time and was later analysed to see if lessons could be learned. I wonder if PH has a copy of it?

I really disagree on this point, analysing this stuff is a dead end and something of a pseudoscience - plenty of murderers give textbook performances at media conferences, other people ‘look guilty’ and turn out to be entirely innocent. There’s no normal way to grieve or plead with the public for help after a loved one is killed.

 

[WiseOwl]

Is that why you're called "Wise Owl"? Great spot and thanks. Yes that's what I meant. I wonder if the complete footage of the press conference could be found as it'd be interesting to see how PH behaved. There's been plenty of analysis of those later found guilty of serious crimes whose behaviour was seen as "suspect" at the time and was later analysed to see if lessons could be learned. I wonder if PH has a copy of it?

A copy of the press conference would be held in a news archive somewhere. Possibly BBC Look North for the North East & Cumbria might hold a copy, or the ITV news for Tyne Tees under the yfanefa (Yorkshire Film Archives/North East Film Archives) website could have a copy too.

 

[rvlvr]

You have to acknowledge though that just because something is in a witness statement, it does not make it true or that it occurred. There must be issues with the witness(es) otherwise PH would never have been charged in the first place.

It’s true that witnesses lie, and it’s also true (as PH alleged) that police lean on witnesses to say things that aren’t true, or to change their statements to ones that better suit the police’s narrative. And yes it’s true that PH was charged, but it’s also true that the case was discontinued due to a lack of evidence.

JMO, I think PH would have to be an incredibly brave man to keep drawing attention to himself and the case if his innocence hinged on a twisted arm here or a bribe there, but stranger things have happened.

 

[Spoof]

It’s true that witnesses lie, and it’s also true (as PH alleged) that police lean on witnesses to say things that aren’t true, or to change their statements to ones that better suit the police’s narrative. And yes it’s true that PH was charged, but it’s also true that the case was discontinued due to a lack of evidence.

JMO, I think PH would have to be an incredibly brave man to keep drawing attention to himself and the case if his innocence hinged on a twisted arm here or a bribe there, but stranger things have happened.

It's interesting that the link you provided, which is pasted below, is more about Peter Heron wanting to prove his innocence than identify the AH's killer. Interesting that the narrative he's putting forward is to criticise the police. All seems to be about him.

I am innocent, it's time to clear my name - Peter Heron's letter to Durham police chief

ON the last day of our series of articles about Durham Police's only unsolved murder for more than 60 years, we publish a letter to the police from…

www.thenorthernecho.co.uk

His assertions about the police are unverified and therefore can't be seen as true, especially as he's been proved a liar. It's very easy for him to make public statements that he knows the police can't publicly comment on. It's a well trodden path for someone accused of something, to keep maintaining their innocence. To play devils advocate though, even if he said nothing, others would accuse him of this proving his guilt so he's dammed if he does and dammed if he doesn't.

 

[Spoof]

There’s ample room to turn around at the entrance to the driveway, no one would realistically need to drive all the way to the top of the 60-70 metre long driveway, park (a witness reported seeing a blue car parked outside the house), then travel back down it again, at speed, if they were simply turning around. Not only this, but the sightings occur around the estimated time of death. It’s a huge stumbling block in this case - there’s a good chance the killer was driving this car, but even if the car and its driver were speeding away from the house for a perfectly innocent reason, without knowing what that reason was then the car alone would be enough to put reasonable doubt in the mind of a juror imo.

But as @tes1984 says, unless someone comes forward with a tip about a panicked friend/relative/lover scrapping or selling a blue Astra in the days after the crime, or something similar, I think that lead has been exhausted, sadly.



I really disagree on this point, analysing this stuff is a dead end and something of a pseudoscience - plenty of murderers give textbook performances at media conferences, other people ‘look guilty’ and turn out to be entirely innocent. There’s no normal way to grieve or plead with the public for help after a loved one is killed.

A witness may have seen that but it is still unknown as to whether it has a link to the case. The drivers involvement in a crime is an unproven theory at this stage, only conjecture links it.

I am not suggesting an analysis of the press conference would be "evidence" but rather interesting to see. There are of course always exceptions, as you have mentioned.

 

[rvlvr]

A witness may have seen that but it is still unknown as to whether it has a link to the case. The drivers involvement in a crime is an unproven theory at this stage, only conjecture links it.

Of course, but everything in this case is conjecture at this point. JMO, if the case against PH had gone to trial I think his defence team would’ve had a field day with the blue car sightings.

 

[Spoof]

Of course, but everything in this case is conjecture at this point. JMO, if the case against PH had gone to trial I think his defence team would’ve had a field day with the blue car sightings.

I doubt it, because the wouldn't be able to prove the car and its driver's involvement. An equally good advocate for the prosecution would have a field day with all the other possibilities relating to the blue car to discount the likelihood of its involvement.

The prosecution team on the other hand would have had a field day with the potential for human error in the witnesses statements, only PH's forensics/DNA being at the crime scene, there being "no other evidence" of third party involvement in any capacity and the fact that PH lied.

IMO PH is lucky it didn't go to trial.

 

[Spoof]

Of course, but everything in this case is conjecture at this point. JMO, if the case against PH had gone to trial I think his defence team would’ve had a field day with the blue car sightings.

Everything in this case isn't conjecture. Theories about third party involvement are conjecture.

 

[rvlvr]

I’m afraid at this juncture we’re just going round in circles - eg, we’ve discussed before how the DNA that was found on Ann belonging to PH wasn’t indicative of PH’s involvement in Ann’s murder. ‘DNA’ alone isn’t evidence of guilt - you need to show that it got there during the commission of a crime.

As for PH being a liar, he didn’t come clean about his affair, which is poor form, but - you know - let he who is without sin, and all that. PH says his movements can be accounted for, and as you can’t prove otherwise suggestions that witnesses are lying and so on are absolutely nothing but conjecture. A few more IMOs and JMOs wouldn’t go amiss in this thread.

The reality is there’s no case against PH. That doesn’t mean evidence of his involvement might not come to light one day, but as it stands there isn’t a single piece of evidence in the public domain that suggests he killed Ann Heron.

 

[Spoof]

I’m afraid at this juncture we’re just going round in circles - eg, we’ve discussed before how the DNA that was found on Ann belonging to PH wasn’t indicative of PH’s involvement in Ann’s murder. ‘DNA’ alone isn’t evidence of guilt - you need to show that it got there during the commission of a crime.

As for PH being a liar, he didn’t come clean about his affair, which is poor form, but - you know - let he who is without sin, and all that. PH says his movements can be accounted for, and as you can’t prove otherwise suggestions that witnesses are lying and so on are absolutely nothing but conjecture. A few more IMOs and JMOs wouldn’t go amiss in this thread.

The reality is there’s no case against PH. That doesn’t mean evidence of his involvement might not come to light one day, but as it stands there isn’t a single piece of evidence in the public domain that suggests he killed Ann Heron.

I don't need to prove anything as the police are the only ones who have the power and access to investigate on ongoing murder case and they say PH can't account for his exact whereabouts. You seem to have more faith in anything and anyone but them.

I'm not saying witnesses are lying, I'm saying that witnesses can make mistakes. Very different.

You state: "The reality is there’s no case against PH." which is false. PH is the only suspect.

Maybe you should have written the above sentence: "IMO The reality is there’s no case against PH." or perhaps "JMO The reality is there’s no case against PH." as surely that would be more accurate?

Do you think the police are in the wrong or have made mistakes on this case? If they have I'd be keen to know what they are.

Thanks.

 

[rvlvr]

His assertions about the police are unverified and therefore can't be seen as true

Not necessarily. It seems the witness that was lent on was PH’s friend and former boss, PS. According to this article from 2015 PS refused ‘to sign his 2005 witness statement saying he “didn’t recognise 40 to 50 per cent of it”.’ The author of the article claims this is ‘on the record’, I’m guessing by ‘record’ he means ‘in the police file’, but without approaching the journalist I couldn’t say for certain.

Peter Heron: 'Police banged on my door to accuse me of murder - and my life was destroyed yet again'

THERE was the early morning bang on the door, the five-strong team of a police, the famous little speech, ‘we’re arresting you on suspicion of…

www.thenorthernecho.co.uk

You state: "The reality is there’s no case against PH." which is false. PH is the only suspect.

Firstly, you don’t know how many suspects the police currently have, but even if this were true, being the only suspect in a case isn’t evidence of that suspect’s guilt. PH was a good suspect, but the evidence of PH’s guilt doesn’t exist.

Without access to the case file it’s impossible to know if mistakes have been made or opportunities missed re the investigation, on the surface it appears police did a solid job of chasing witnesses, trying to trace the car, obtaining forensic evidence by the standards of the day, and so on.

Clearly though, charging PH was a mistake. The police and the CPS overplayed their hands.

Edit: sp

 

[dotr]

3 August 2025 rbbm.

https://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2025-08-03/police-appealing-for-information-35-years-on-from-brutal-murder

''Despite extensive investigations over several years, her killer has never been found.

Durham Police is asking for anyone who knows something but never reported it to come forward.

The murder of the mother-of-three as she sunbathed in her back garden at Aeolian House shocked people across the region.

More than three decades on, with Ms Heron's family still waiting for answers, officers hope advances in forensic technology can finally bring her killer to justice.

Police are using such techniques as part of a review of the case but are still keen to hear from people with unreported information.''
11 hours ago

New appeal 35 years after mother-of-three Ann Heron's murder

Police are still investigating the murder of Ann Heron, whose body was found in Darlington in 1990.

www.bbc.com