Yorkshire's Multiple Killers by Charles Rickall

Author:Charles Rickall
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781783408597
Publisher: Wharncliffe
Published: 2013-06-10T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Douglas Wakefield

Leeds, 1974

Parkhurst Prison, 1978

Douglas Wakefield was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his uncle in 1974. Whilst an inmate of Parkhurst, on the Isle of Wight, he killed his cell-mate, another murderer, Brian Peake, saying that he thought he was his uncle.

1. Leeds, 1974

He’s gone to Bolton-upon-Dearne

When Derek Wakefield’s brother asked his nephew Douglas Wakefield where Derek was he was told that he had gone to his sister’s at Bolton-upon-Dearne. On 18 May 1974, his brother rang their sister and she said he had not been to see her lately. Following further enquiries, relatives visited Gipton police station to report their concerns. Derek’s disappearance was of interest to the police because he was on bail on a burglary charge. Derek and Douglas were both meant to report to the police each day but Derek had not done so since 3 May.

The police went to Derek’s home in Foundry Place, Gipton, Leeds and searched the house and garden. They were suspicious when they saw freshly dug earth in the back garden. Early on the morning of Sunday, 19 May, Derek’s body was found, buried three foot deep below the freshly dug earth. On the Monday, Douglas Wakefield, a twenty-seven-year-old unemployed labourer appeared before Leeds magistrates charged with the murder of his uncle, Derek, a forty-three-year-old labourer, at the home they shared. The magistrates were told that Professor David John Gee had conducted a post-mortem. The Professor found that Derek had suffered forty-six stab wounds and compression of the neck. Chief Superintendent Dennis Hoban and Superintendent Jim Hobson had interviewed Douglas at Gipton police station, during which he had admitted killing his uncle. Later on, he made a statement in the presence of his solicitor. Mr Barrington Black, representing Douglas, asked for reporting restrictions to be lifted. The large police presence at their home had led to rumours that there was more than one body and he wanted it made public that the police were satisfied that only one death was involved. Douglas was remanded in custody.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.