UK UK - Janice Weston, 36, Murdered, A1 Layby, Brampton, Cambs. / London, 10 September 1983

[davidt]

Have been looking around in an attempt to find out more about TW. Really can find very little. They'd been married around 15 months and it was his second marriage, her first. They had met through her work. Janice left him £300k in her will. That's around £1m today. Apparently he wouldn't have access to the lump sum but it was set up to provide him with an income for life. There's nothing wrong with that but you do wonder if Janice had any particular reason for doing things that way.

Can't really find anything much else on TW at all. No idea if he was thought of as a reputable businessman etc. I note a lot of articles mention his arrest and then he was subsequently cleared. Is that correct? I know he wasn't charged with anything but was he ever officially eliminated as a suspect? You do often see things repeated as fact when they aren't. Quite a few articles say Janice was driving to Clopton Manor but that isn't established fact either nor is it known for sure if she was even driving the car. Its quite likely that's what was happening but it isn't established fact at the current time.

 

[tes1984]

The will does look suspicious, but - playing devil's advocate - interest rates were very high when Janice made the arrangements, so perhaps she thought that (if anything happened to her) she was setting her husband up for large annual sums without disturbing the lump sum.

 

[davidt]

One further question. What was the murder weapon? Its a straightforward question but puzzles me a bit. Most articles refer to it as a car jack. However some say it was a tyre lever/wrench. A car jack seems quite an unlikely and awkward unwieldy item to hold and use as a weapon to me. A tyre lever/wrench makes more sense to me but its a jack that is usually mentioned.

 

[tes1984]

Not sure what the weapon was. I thought it was a tyre iron, but some reports say it was a car jack.

 

[sportstergirl]

Could it be a jack handle? I had a jack that needed a pole like handle inserting to work it.

 

[tes1984]

I think the tyre iron was found in the bushes a bit away from the ditch where Janice was found.

She had wounds to her arm so had put up a fight/tried to defend herself. It seems like the killer used 'overkill' and beat her more than 'necessary'.

Looking at the photo of the forensic team examining the car it looks like the original front registration plate was still on the vehicle. Not sure about the rear plate though. The media reports don't really make it clear if the plate/plates were actually replaced or not.

 

[davidt]

I think the tyre iron was found in the bushes a bit away from the ditch where Janice was found.

She had wounds to her arm so had put up a fight/tried to defend herself. It seems like the killer used 'overkill' and beat her more than 'necessary'.

Looking at the photo of the forensic team examining the car it looks like the original front registration plate was still on the vehicle. Not sure about the rear plate though. The media reports don't really make it clear if the plate/plates were actually replaced or not.

I'm not sure they make it clear what plates were actually ordered either. Front, back or both?

 

[tes1984]

I'm not sure they make it clear what plates were actually ordered either. Front, back or both?

IIRC the man ordered new front and rear registration plates, and paid around £10 for them.

If he was the killer, then it's very strange that he didn't take the £37 cash found in the car, although we don't really know if Janice left home with more money than that. For all we know, she took hundreds in cash with her that evening, and he helped himself to the lion's share.

 

[davidt]

IIRC the man ordered new front and rear registration plates, and paid around £10 for them.

If he was the killer, then it's very strange that he didn't take the £37 cash found in the car, although we don't really know if Janice left home with more money than that. For all we know, she took hundreds in cash with her that evening, and he helped himself to the lion's share.

If he did order both plates that's even odder as its unlikely both originals needed replacing. More likely they were wanted for another car altogether and that's bizarre as well. It's not as though ordering both looks less suspicious or anything as people would regularly be replacing one or the other. That's notmal.

Agree with you about the money. We only know what was found in the purse not what might have been in it to start with. Its also possible there were other items Janice took with her that night which were taken that we have no idea about. It's like Penny Bell where money was left behind but possibly £8,500 may have been taken. We don't know for sure. Also as it was £37 at least some of it must have been coins which he might not want to be bothered with.

 

[INSP MORSE]

Jani

Lastly, Janice Weston's murder has been linked to Peter Tobin who had an association with the A1. Did Tobin kill nine more women? Police piece together murderer's horrific past. However, his crimes were sexually motivated and there is no evidence the JW was sexually assaulted. Perhaps she just happened to meet another bogey man that night, who wanted her car and wouldn't take no for an answer.

Janice was q black belt in judo. The motive may have been sexual but when the perpetrator tried to make their move they found they bit of more than they can chew.

 

[tes1984]

Jani

Janice was q black belt in judo. The motive may have been sexual but when the perpetrator tried to make their move they found they bit of more than they can chew.

I doubt it was a sexually motivated attack, but JMO and you never know.

Janet tried to defend herself and had bruising on her arms. Even with her judo training, she wouldn't have stood a chance against a surprise attack with such a weapon.

 

[tes1984]

Sorry that should be 'Janice' not 'Janet'...

 

[tes1984]

This is one of the most baffling cases I've ever researched. So many possibilities, yet nothing seems to make sense!

 

[INSP MORSE]

I doubt it was a sexually motivated attack, but JMO and you never know.

Janet tried to defend herself and had bruising on her arms. Even with her judo training, she wouldn't have stood a chance against a surprise attack with such a weapon.

We dont know it was a surprise attack. She may have fought with the perpetrator before the perp used the weapon hence the bruising on her arms.

 

[tes1984]

We dont know it was a surprise attack. She may have fought with the perpetrator before the perp used the weapon hence the bruising on her arms.

True, although IMO there doesn't seem to be much (other than the bruised arms) to suggest a fight or prolonged struggle took place.

 

[INSP MORSE]

True, although IMO there doesn't seem to be much (other than the bruised arms) to suggest a fight or prolonged struggle took place.

Well i think bruised arms is an indicator she put up a defence.

 

[outback]

I'm not sure it didn't have a sexual component. The murderer may have tried something but she put up to good of a fight. Her training in judo may have kept it from becoming a sexual assault.

Interesting case. Wishing it gets solved one day.
Jmo

 

[rvlvr]

True, although IMO there doesn't seem to be much (other than the bruised arms) to suggest a fight or prolonged struggle took place.

Indeed. If the theory that Janice was struck over the head while changing a tyre is correct I doubt she’d have been in a position to fight back, judo training or no judo training.

Isn’t it true her body was found in a ditch by the roadside too? So it’s possible she was dragged there by the arms?

It’s also a strange place for an attacker to strike, isn’t it. Were they waiting in the lay by on the off chance a solo female pulled in? I believe it was raining pretty hard that night, so this seems hard to believe. Had she picked up a hitchhiker? Perhaps. But it seems an odd location to attempt a sexual assault, imo.

 

[tes1984]

Isn’t it true her body was found in a ditch by the roadside too? So it’s possible she was dragged there by the arms?

It’s also a strange place for an attacker to strike, isn’t it. Were they waiting in the lay by on the off chance a solo female pulled in? I believe it was raining pretty hard that night, so this seems hard to believe. Had she picked up a hitchhiker? Perhaps. But it seems an odd location to attempt a sexual assault, imo.

Janice was found by a cyclist who was out on a training session. IMO her being dragged by the arms seems a possibility.

It's definitely a strange place for an attacker to choose. A tow truck, police car or good samaritan could have pulled in to help at any moment. Plenty of potential witnesses too. A lot of witnesses came forward but nobody seems to have seen anything suspicious as they drove by.

 

[tes1984]

Does the killer wait until the tyre is changed before he strikes? Or does he bludgeon Janice, dump her body nearby, then finish changing the tyre before driving off?