UK UK - Lee Boxell, 15, Sutton, 10 Sept 1988

[sarrickuk]

I don't believe that Lee committed suicide. I appreciate that it's the biggest killer of young men and back in the 1980's feelings of that nature weren't shared as they are now, but I really don't get the feeling that he would have taken his own life. He seemed, by all accounts, to be somewhat of a level-headed teenager.

However, I do believe he never intended to go to watch Charlton play Millwall at Selhurst Park that afternoon as he suggested to his friend. Instead I believe that Lee was the victim of foul play in or around 'The Shed' the so called unofficial youth club at St Dunstan's in Cheam, run by the grave digger William Lambert. I believe that he dropped in there on the afternoon he went missing and was witness to something going on that would've been a crime. I believe that the perpetrator(s) of whatever it was he saw attacked him for what he had witnessed and either intentionally or accidentally killed him, then disposed of his body. I believe that there is still a veil of silence surrounding this - 36 years later - for one of four reasons;

1. The victim of whatever Lee witnessed is still too scared to speak for any number of reasons
2. The perpetrator(s) are still alive and are deliberately not speaking
3. The perpetrator(s) have since died and taken the secret with them to their grave(s)
4. The perpetrator(s) are already in prison for another (unrelated) crime; the likes of Brian Field who died in prison in February 2024 who murdered Roy Tutill from Brockham Surrey (not a million miles from Cheam) in 1968 but who was only convicted in 2001.

 

[greenwoodlad]

I don't believe that Lee committed suicide. I appreciate that it's the biggest killer of young men and back in the 1980's feelings of that nature weren't shared as they are now, but I really don't get the feeling that he would have taken his own life. He seemed, by all accounts, to be somewhat of a level-headed teenager.

However, I do believe he never intended to go to watch Charlton play Millwall at Selhurst Park that afternoon as he suggested to his friend. Instead I believe that Lee was the victim of foul play in or around 'The Shed' the so called unofficial youth club at St Dunstan's in Cheam, run by the grave digger William Lambert. I believe that he dropped in there on the afternoon he went missing and was witness to something going on that would've been a crime. I believe that the perpetrator(s) of whatever it was he saw attacked him for what he had witnessed and either intentionally or accidentally killed him, then disposed of his body. I believe that there is still a veil of silence surrounding this - 36 years later - for one of four reasons;

1. The victim of whatever Lee witnessed is still too scared to speak for any number of reasons
2. The perpetrator(s) are still alive and are deliberately not speaking
3. The perpetrator(s) have since died and taken the secret with them to their grave(s)
4. The perpetrator(s) are already in prison for another (unrelated) crime; the likes of Brian Field who died in prison in February 2024 who murdered Roy Tutill from Brockham Surrey (not a million miles from Cheam) in 1968 but who was only convicted in 2001.

I think this is a really good summary of what most likely happened to Lee. Someone knows what happened to him and that person is out there........

 

[greenwoodlad]

Also re the football narrative ...he was a football fan ...if he was actually intending to go to a match - would he not have worn a football shirt? - looking at photos of his room it looked to be full of football stuff inc shirts ..would he really have been going to a football match in a Fred Flintstone t shirt - I don't think so.....

 

[tes1984]

Also re the football narrative ...he was a football fan ...if he was actually intending to go to a match - would he not have worn a football shirt? - looking at photos of his room it looked to be full of football stuff inc shirts ..would he really have been going to a football match in a Fred Flintstone t shirt - I don't think so.....

If it was a match against Millwall, who had a feared firm of hooligans, then wearing civilian clothing might have been a smart idea.

For some reason I thought Lee was a fan of Sutton United FC, and was possibly heading to watch their match. Maybe I'm mis remembering things.

 

[dalsglen]

It was a Crystal Palace vs Millwall match.

 

[greenwoodlad]

All teenagers have secrets ...Lee had secrets ...I think there was a part of his life that his parents didn't know about clearly ....going to the shed - but interesting that he has friends that didn't know about this - and presumably he had friends at the shed ? a double life .....but the shed was a mistake ....but where is he .....I think he was placed in a recently dug grave or one where a burial has just taken place - the existing graves were never excavated.......