The Bank Holiday Murders by Tom Wescott (2014)

[martin wilson]

Hi all

Old Bailey online 13th December 1886. Henry Clarke and Louisa Goff. Coining Offence.

William Thick arrested the above, seems pretty straightforward, although there was some business about a file found on the table, which puzzles me, unless it was sufficient evidence to search the accused.

All the best.

[martin wilson]

Hi all

Old Bailey Online 21st April 1884.

Thick again, this time with the interestingly named William Marshall, who was 18.
The Witness William Marshall had a son William b. 1865, so he would have been 19 in 1884.
Could be anybody of course.
All the best.

[martin wilson]

Hi all

Old Bailey online 17th October 1892.

Thick again, and (to me) a dodgy ID parade.

All the best.

[Monty]

Hi all

Old Bailey online 17th October 1892.

Thick again, and (to me) a dodgy ID parade.

All the best.

I'll bite....how was the I D parade dodgy?

Monty

[martin wilson]

Hi Monty.

Id of John Long and George Seals, Thick said he got them as near as he could to be fair.

Well sort of, Seals had 'not much beard' according to John Cole Detective B,and as Seals was estimated at 5' 11" 'they waited until they got big ones'

Not much beard, Cole 'some of the giants had whiskers and moustaches'.

Waited until they got big ones, Andrew Rognaas prosecutor, 'some of them were as large as Seals and some were little'.

All the best.

[martin wilson]

So to sum up, some of the tall ones looked nothing like Seals and the others were too short.

Other than that it was bang on.

All the best.

[Monty]

Hey Martin,

I see your point, however Thick did follow The Police Code directive on Identification of Prisoners, see below.

Whilst Coles stated that Seals "had not much beard then", and that "some of the giants had whiskers and moustaches" he didnt say all. He also stated that he did not think any of them (those in the parade) were clean shaven, indicating that they mimicked Seals decription to some account.

Rognaas identified Seals via his coat anyway, and not his height, build or chin growth.

Monty


PS Apologies for the poor quality of the image

[martin wilson]

Hi Monty

I'll concede on the code, I'll concede on the practicalities, but simply no. If that had happened on your watch you would have said 'you must be f****** joking!'

All the best.

[Monty]

Hey Martin,

As the pair had previous, and the victim was certain, and the defendants didn't seem to complain at the line up, II say justice was seemingly done.

Monty

[Trevor Marriott]

So to sum up, some of the tall ones looked nothing like Seals and the others were too short.

Other than that it was bang on.

All the best.

The way round the height issue was for all to be seated and positioned at the same height in the chairs

https://www.trevormarriott.co.uk

[martin wilson]

Hi Monty

You might be surprised to hear that I agree with you.The Confessions of a Copper tv series came and went without the world ending, my guess is that I can't be the only one who is tolerant (within reason ) of planting evidence if it gets an obvious ratbag put away.


Oh come on Trev!, you know as well as I do they just went to the nearest lodging house and said 'you,you and you'.
Anyway, do you want to explain why your great, great grandad Joseph was just standing around talking when he should have been keeping an eye on Mitre Square?

All the best.

[Monty]

I understand what you are saying Martin,

Its valid and I agree. What you suggest obviously did happen on occasion

Its all a game, and as they said in Confessions, "you did what it took to get the job done."

That's different from being on the make.

Monty

[martin wilson]

Hi Monty

Strangely enough that's the impression I'm getting plodding through the Old Bailey, all the boys in the band are there, Thick, Abberline, Halse, White, and Thick just comes across as a bloody good thief taker.

All the best.

[Tom_Wescott]

The cops with the best criminal connections usually are, Martin.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[martin wilson]

Hi Tom

I think it actually supports your theory that someone was pulling the strings without implying Thick was dirty.
I am a tiny bit clearer on Thick and who and what he was, and I must admit I do like him, the case discussed above reads almost like a Monty Python sketch.
He wasn't Abberline, I urge anyone interested in the case, to read up on Abberline in court at the Old Bailey online, there's not that many.
It wont get you any nearer to finding out who JTR was, but it will comprehensively demolish the 'stupid plod' theory if there are any who still believe in that.
All the best.