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

[davidt]

Apart from the recollection of the man who took the order for the plate, what is the evidence of the transaction? The incident was supposed to have occurred only hours after her body was discovered, in a nearby village, and before her car was found in Regents Park. Doesn't make sense.

The man didn't ask verbally for a registration plate but handed over a piece of paper. Does that piece of paper survive as evidence? Was a receipt issued with a counter foil recording the plate number? Presumably, he paid cash. Bit risky asking for a replacement plate of a murdered woman's car so close to where the body had recently been found, with her car found 60 miles away without new plates. Either it's just noise in the investigation, or on the outside an accomplice or the Perp sowing confusion. I fail to see how ordering replica plates at that point would do anything other than draw attention to someone, or perhaps draw attention away from the person ordering or committing the hit. And I do think she was executed to order. Who benefited? He was interviewed but had an alibi. MOO

Yes it does feel really odd. I imagine these days you can't just walk in and get a set of plates. You probably have yo gave ID and other paperwork. No idea what the rules were back turn. I've also wondered what actual evidence of the transaction existed. All the reports seem to be the same about what happened but nothing said about any physical evidence other than the person's say so.

 

[davidt]

There seems to be confusion in the reports as to whether she left a half eaten meal in the flat or took it with her. As to the keys to the property development, they might just live in the bag in her car. The cash in her bag was to pay for the tyre change perhaps. Most women back then, if not now, would not have left for any appreciable amount of time without their handbag, which was left in the flat with her cheque book and credit cards inside. She would take that with her if she was off up country surely.

I've changed a few tyres and not ended up with grease under my nails. Oil/grime maybe. Being beaten about the floor of an auto garage could certainly account for the grease under her nails.

The reports on the food found in the car vary. Some mention the half eaten meal, wine and others have also said bread and grapes. So that part is confusing. The manuscript being left in the car does seem curious though. I would have thought that was a very important item and not something you'd leave lying around in your car. Unless she had multiple copies I suppose. Bottom line is that for most of the items there's no definitive way of knowing when they were put in there.

 

[rvlvr]

The grease, tyre, missing tyre, and tyre iron all point to an auto garage being the murder scene. There is no evidence that she was killed in the lay-by and no evidence for her car traveling outside London.

Well, there is some evidence her car was there - I believe there were witnesses who reported seeing a car similar to Janice’s in the lay-by, and/or reported seeing a man changing a tyre there. Though as I understand it no one came forward to say they saw Janice there. But then no one came forward to say they saw Janice anywhere else, either. I’d have to do my research on this case again but I believe there was no evidence of a crime occurring at the Westons’ home, no evidence of a break-in, a struggle, an abduction, and no evidence of a killing taking place anywhere other than the lay-by. I do accept your point that we can’t be certain Janice drove to the lay-by and was killed there but the evidence to support alternate theories does seem almost nonexistent to me?

 

[ctaylor]

Yes it does feel really odd. I imagine these days you can't just walk in and get a set of plates. You probably have yo gave ID and other paperwork. No idea what the rules were back turn. I've also wondered what actual evidence of the transaction existed. All the reports seem to be the same about what happened but nothing said about any physical evidence other than the person's say so.

A bit more on the person buying the registration plates here in the Daily Telegraph from 22 September 1983, with his description. He paid £11 in cash for the plates which were £10.65 but he rushed out without waiting for the change.

 

[tes1984]

What is the evidence that she was driving north? Her body was found in a lay-by off the A1 and her car in London. There is no evidence that she drove her car to the lay-by or that she was killed there.

It may not be relevant to Janice, but sometimes pathologists can tell where murder victims were killed by particles breathed in as the victim takes his or her dying breaths.

 

[tes1984]

A bit more on the person buying the registration plates here in the Daily Telegraph from 22 September 1983, with his description. He paid £11 in cash for the plates which were £10.65 but he rushed out without waiting for the change.

Janice's purse was found containing £37. It would be a strange perp who leaves money behind and then pays for the replacement plates out of his own pocket.

The killer also left behind Janice's watch, which cost her £350. A jeweller recognised the watch and was looking through his customer records, but Janice was identified by dental records before he got back to the police.

Was it important to the killer that Janice was found and identified quickly?

It can take years for missing people to be declared legally dead, which would be a problem for anyone who wanted to cash in life insurance policies or claim Janice's estate.

 

[rvlvr]

Was it important to the killer that Janice was found and identified quickly?

It can take years for missing people to be declared legally dead, which would be a problem for anyone who wanted to cash in life insurance policies or claim Janice's estate.

Potentially, but also not so quickly that he couldn’t make his escape first? I believe it was on the Monday that her employer raised the alarm when Janice didn’t show for work and contacted her sister, who having seen the news of a murdered woman being found near the manor, put two and two together and called police, though I can’t remember the source of that so the usual caveats apply.

Saturday night to Monday morning is a nice window of time in which to compose yourself and tie up any loose ends. Though what the business with the number plates was all about I doubt we’ll ever know, sadly.

 

[tes1984]

Having a look through newspaper archives and found this from the Daily Mirror and found this article from August 1994 which mentions Alan Conner as a suspect. He murdered one woman and raped another before committing suicide one mile from where Janice Weston was found. It's a tenuous link but it seems he was definitely looked into but I can't find anything about him after this.

FWIR Conner grew up near Brampton.

The interesting thing about him as a suspect is that he was a drifter and survivalist type, who hid in isolated areas for days on end, hoping to encounter lone females.

His known murder was by strangling, not bludgeoning though. He also never had any money, so I find it difficult to believe he killed Janice, but didn't take her cash and expensive watch.

 

[rvlvr]

FWIR Conner grew up near Brampton.

The interesting thing about him as a suspect is that he was a drifter and survivalist type, who hid in isolated areas for days on end, hoping to encounter lone females.

His known murder was by strangling, not bludgeoning though. He also never had any money, so I find it difficult to believe he killed Janice, but didn't take her cash and expensive watch.

He killed himself not long after murdering Sandra Parkinson, didn’t he. Penned an apology note to her family. Not a very good one mind, and obviously was of no comfort to her loved ones, but he seemed to recognise he had an evil within him that he couldn’t control and so acted accordingly. Just can’t imagine him living with the guilt of killing Janice? I think police tried to link him to many other rapes and murders but his DNA never matched.

The excellent ITV series Murder by the Sea covered Sandra’s murder.

 

[CSIAngus]

Can you clarify? Had TW cut Janice out of his finances and joint property development? That's something I wasn't aware of at all.

By virtue of her murder.

 

[CSIAngus]

Well, there is some evidence her car was there - I believe there were witnesses who reported seeing a car similar to Janice’s in the lay-by, and/or reported seeing a man changing a tyre there. Though as I understand it no one came forward to say they saw Janice there. But then no one came forward to say they saw Janice anywhere else, either. I’d have to do my research on this case again but I believe there was no evidence of a crime occurring at the Westons’ home, no evidence of a break-in, a struggle, an abduction, and no evidence of a killing taking place anywhere other than the lay-by. I do accept your point that we can’t be certain Janice drove to the lay-by and was killed there but the evidence to support alternate theories does seem almost nonexistent to me?

Without identifying a crime scene it will remain non-existent. There was no evidence of a crime in the lay-by. Witness accounts of 'a car similar to Janice's' doesn't mean it was her car. How many of the witnesses came forward after seeing pictures of the actual car in the papers? The only physical evidence is her car parked in London with her blood on the inside of the windscreen and her body found dumped by a lay-by. Despite anniversary appeals, there doesn't appear to be any new forensic evidence in this case that we know of.

I think the purchase of the new tyre is crucial, as is the grease under her fingernails, the missing tyre, and the tyre iron murder weapon. They all suggest an auto garage to me as the most likely murder scene. Someone with control of such a facility, closed Saturday afternoon and Sunday, would have ample time to move the body, then move the car, and clean up the scene before opening on Monday.

 

[davidt]

Do the police still have the car so that forensics could be retested using the latest techniques. You would have thought whether the car was moved across London or driven a significant distance that some evidence would be left behind. Also what about the blood? Presumably it was tested. Was it matched to Janice in any way?

 

[davidt]

Without identifying a crime scene it will remain non-existent. There was no evidence of a crime in the lay-by. Witness accounts of 'a car similar to Janice's' doesn't mean it was her car. How many of the witnesses came forward after seeing pictures of the actual car in the papers? The only physical evidence is her car parked in London with her blood on the inside of the windscreen and her body found dumped by a lay-by. Despite anniversary appeals, there doesn't appear to be any new forensic evidence in this case that we know of.

I think the purchase of the new tyre is crucial, as is the grease under her fingernails, the missing tyre, and the tyre iron murder weapon. They all suggest an auto garage to me as the most likely murder scene. Someone with control of such a facility, closed Saturday afternoon and Sunday, would have ample time to move the body, then move the car, and clean up the scene before opening on Monday.

I'd definitely agree witness testimony is often totally unreliable. Some accounts say that the car had both its bonnet and boot open. Could that have been to obscure something? If it was another car that person never came forward. However, although in an ideal world you'd hope the person would come forward to be eliminated in reality there are a myriad of reasons they may choose not to that have nothing to do with the crime.

 

[tes1984]

Last comment is that her husband (AW, now deceased), was left an income for life from JW's will. That might not be motive in itself, but there is also cutting JW out of his finances and their joint property development. They had been married only 15 months, and he had been married before and had children. Perhaps it had already turned sour.

FWIR she made the will very soon after they married. It's interesting that she doesn't just leave a lump sum to her husband, especially as he's a financial advisor.

I also think it's interesting that they didn't own the London flat. They had been renting it since the start of the year.

They were both high fliers, yet don't own a London property? Many people would invest there before looking at country estates or houses in France.

I'm not sure if Clopton was Janice's first property purchase. I would expect someone with her wealth and salary to have been on the property ladder way before her mid 30s, but who knows?

 

[davidt]

FWIR she made the will very soon after they married. It's interesting that she doesn't just leave a lump sum to her husband, especially as he's a financial advisor.

I also think it's interesting that they didn't own the London flat. They had been renting it since the start of the year.

They were both high fliers, yet don't own a London property? Many people would invest there before looking at country estates or houses in France.

I'm not sure if Clopton was Janice's first property purchase. I would expect someone with her wealth and salary to have been on the property ladder way before her mid 30s, but who knows?

There is a newspaper clipping that says that although he wasn't left a lump sum there was a mechanism whereby he could potentially access the whole amount. Apparently it would require the agreement of both trustees, of which he was one.

 

[davidt]

Sorry I don't know from which paper this is.

 

[tes1984]

That article mentions Janice's shrewd speculation in the property market, so presumably she did own places prior to the purchase of the Clopton house.

 

[davidt]

That article mentions Janice's shrewd speculation in the property market, so presumably she did own places prior to the purchase of the Clopton house.

Looks that way. Have a feeling the article may have been from The Mirror. Notice it also mentions Janice's previous relationship with Heinz Isner. I've always been a bit curious about the nature of that relationship and can see how his family members may have harboured some resentment over it.