The interview at 8-15am on the 15th July lasted no more than five minutes and in fact Moore was never officially interviewed again . Chief Superintendent Metcalfe SHOULD and COULD have asked more questions of Moore , but for whatever reason failed to do so. Alfred asked for his solicitor , but his pleas apparently fell on deaf ears . He was , as he put it , " cross examined" by Detective Chief Inspectors Jenkins and Edington on the Sunday evening from about 8pm up to one in the morning. Both Policemen later denied that such an interview had taken place.
In mid afternoon on the 15th July Moore was TOLD by George Metcalfe that he was being put up for identification and did he want a solicitor. Moore told Metcalfe the name of the solicitor he wanted to act for him. This however was a Sunday and after some twenty minutes of trying , Metcalfe returned to the cell saying that the solicitor in question , could not be found. Had such a solicitor turned up , he would without doubt have informed his client , that he did not have to go on such an identification parade. Nevertheless at about 4-50pm that afternoon Moore was taken to the Royal Infirmary in Portland street , Huddersfield where he was led into a room and was confronted by other men who had been seconded to the proceedings. He was allowed to select his position in the line of nine men , according to Moore he selected to be the third man from the left. After a short time , the nine men were ushered into the side ward where Constable Jagger lay recovering from major abdominal surgery. According to Moore , as they were being led in , he was jostled by Supt Metcalfe and another Detective , as a result he ended up in the centre of the line with four men on either side.
According to the evidence , the only witnesses to what happened at the parade were Superintendent Sydney Foster and Detective Inspector David Bradley ( Huddersfield Borough Police ) . Their evidence was to the effect that when Jagger was asked to point out the man who
shot him and Inspector Fraser , without hesitation , he immediately pointed to Moore.
We now know somewhat differently. A few years later , one of the men who had been part of that parade , a Mr. Herbert Woodhouse , went public with his recollection and views. He publicly stated that he didn't think Jagger was in a fit state to make a positive identification . Part of what he said are this :- He ( Jagger) looked like a man who had been hit by a truck. He was obviously in pain and shock. He was still receiving blood . As he pointed his finger , it was shaking and kept moving between various men in the line up. For this reason Jagger was asked to count from left to right. This was very convenient , considering that somehow Moore was now in centre position and anyone who could count to five was sure to get their man , Jagger duly obliged. The parade was dismissed and Moore was asked if he was happy with the conduct of the parade , knowing no better , he replied , " Yes , but it wasn't me ".
A few minutes later Superintendent Metcalfe , charged Moore with the Murder of Inspector Fraser to which he replied , " How could it be me , I've told you I was in bed". Later that afternoon Moore was again present when Pc. Jagger made his deposition to Magistrate Mr. Percy Crowther . Alfred Moore was told that he was entitled to cross examine Jagger , but again not having either the skills or legal representation , he asked just one question , " Are you quiet sure ?". which drew the simple response , " I am quite sure ". He was then taken back to the cells at the West Riding Police station in Huddersfield.
Following the death of Constable Jagger ( Monday 16th July ) Moore was charged with his murder to which he replied , " I'm on the spot , I know I am ".
The following Morning Alfred Moore appeared before the West Riding Magistrates court in Princess Street , Huddersfield , where he was at long last legally represented . He was remanded in custody to Armley jail for one week.
Next we follow the trial , the aftermath and my eventual involvement almost sixty years on.
Monday, 15 December 2008
Friday, 12 December 2008
The Killing Fields
The prosecution case against Alfred Moore was this ;
At about 11-45pm on the night of Saturday 14th July 1951 ten Police officers were keeping watch on Whinney Close farm at Kirkheaton. They were placed so that all roads and footpaths could be observed and anyone entering or leaving the farm could be observed , one officer being hidden in a hen hut some 75yds from the farmhouse. It was said that each officer was about 150yards from the other and in effect the farm house had been encircled. The night was still , with no moon and as the observations commenced , the weather was fine. The trap was set , the wait had begun.
All was quiet until about 1-55am when the silent night air was shattered by a number of gunshots. After the initial shock and confusion one officer , Pc. Sellick ran from his post in the direction to which the shots had come , his attention was drawn to a lighted torch someway ahead in the fields below the farmhouse. On reaching this point Sellick discovered Detective Inspector Duncan Alexander Fraser and Police Constable Arthur Gordon Jagger lying in the grass , both had been shot. Fraser was dead at the scene , whilst Jagger had been mortally wounded but was said to be conscious . Visibility across open ground was said to be good up to sixty yards and against the hedgerows it was down to thirty. Sellick , saw or heard no one moving in the fields around him. ( Others would later say they saw or heard nothing moving in the fields and nobody saw anything or anyone entering the farmhouse). Sellick began blowing loud on his Police whistle and other officers were quickly upon the scene. About an hour later
the two fallen officers were transported over the fields on stretchers to the local brickworks where an ambulance waited to take them the the Huddersfield Royal Infirmary. Later that morning , Constable Jagger underwent major abdominal surgery in an attempt to save his life , however he was to die some thirty hours later ,on Monday 16th July 1951.
Back in the fields below the farm , re-enforcements had arrived , some armed . The man who would lead the investigation , Det.Chief Superintendent George Metcalfe , had also arrived and was being briefed about the incident. It was said that in the aftermath of the shootings , lights had been seen albeit for a short time in the farmhouse and now as day was begining to break , a clearer view of the farm could be had and it was noticed that large puffs of smoke were coming from one of the chimney pots and this continued for about fifteen minutes.
Shortly before 5am Chief Superintendent Metcalfe , accompanied by Police Constable Sydney Cleaver , who was armed with a revolver , approached the farmhouse. They saw a figure in an upstairs bedroom window. This was Mrs. Moore , and the Superintendent called out to her , and she opened the window. She was made aware that they were Police officers and that they wished to speak to her husband . She told the two that she and her husband would be out in a moment.
A few moments later the door to the farmhouse was opened and Alfred Moore stepped out , he was unarmed , wearing a shirt and flannel trousers and a pair of wellington boots. After a brief conversation during which he admitted to having a shotgun in the house , Constable Cleaver stepped forward and handcuffed Alfred Moore who was then told by Metcalfe that he was being arrested , why he was being arrested was not very clear , especially to Moore. Nevertheless he was taken away to the Divisional Headquarters of the West Riding Constabulary in Princess Street, Huddersfield.
At about 8-15am that morning , Alfred Moore was interviewed by Metcalfe and a Detective Inspector John Edington . The interview itself was rather short and some of the content was denied by Moore as being purley the imagination of Supt. Metcalfe. Alfred Moore did not admit any part in the murders , he gave them an account of his movements the previous day and night and whilst admitting that he walked his brother , Charles , home to the Almondbury area of Huddersfield , he had immediately returned to the farm via the public footpaths which ran through the fields . As far as he could remember he had arrived home around midnight. His defence was simple , at the time of the shootings , he was at home in bed with his wife and children. AlfredMoore maintained that was the case from day one, right up the the day of his excecution . However there was much more drama to come later on that particular Sunday
At about 11-45pm on the night of Saturday 14th July 1951 ten Police officers were keeping watch on Whinney Close farm at Kirkheaton. They were placed so that all roads and footpaths could be observed and anyone entering or leaving the farm could be observed , one officer being hidden in a hen hut some 75yds from the farmhouse. It was said that each officer was about 150yards from the other and in effect the farm house had been encircled. The night was still , with no moon and as the observations commenced , the weather was fine. The trap was set , the wait had begun.
All was quiet until about 1-55am when the silent night air was shattered by a number of gunshots. After the initial shock and confusion one officer , Pc. Sellick ran from his post in the direction to which the shots had come , his attention was drawn to a lighted torch someway ahead in the fields below the farmhouse. On reaching this point Sellick discovered Detective Inspector Duncan Alexander Fraser and Police Constable Arthur Gordon Jagger lying in the grass , both had been shot. Fraser was dead at the scene , whilst Jagger had been mortally wounded but was said to be conscious . Visibility across open ground was said to be good up to sixty yards and against the hedgerows it was down to thirty. Sellick , saw or heard no one moving in the fields around him. ( Others would later say they saw or heard nothing moving in the fields and nobody saw anything or anyone entering the farmhouse). Sellick began blowing loud on his Police whistle and other officers were quickly upon the scene. About an hour later
the two fallen officers were transported over the fields on stretchers to the local brickworks where an ambulance waited to take them the the Huddersfield Royal Infirmary. Later that morning , Constable Jagger underwent major abdominal surgery in an attempt to save his life , however he was to die some thirty hours later ,on Monday 16th July 1951.
Back in the fields below the farm , re-enforcements had arrived , some armed . The man who would lead the investigation , Det.Chief Superintendent George Metcalfe , had also arrived and was being briefed about the incident. It was said that in the aftermath of the shootings , lights had been seen albeit for a short time in the farmhouse and now as day was begining to break , a clearer view of the farm could be had and it was noticed that large puffs of smoke were coming from one of the chimney pots and this continued for about fifteen minutes.
Shortly before 5am Chief Superintendent Metcalfe , accompanied by Police Constable Sydney Cleaver , who was armed with a revolver , approached the farmhouse. They saw a figure in an upstairs bedroom window. This was Mrs. Moore , and the Superintendent called out to her , and she opened the window. She was made aware that they were Police officers and that they wished to speak to her husband . She told the two that she and her husband would be out in a moment.
A few moments later the door to the farmhouse was opened and Alfred Moore stepped out , he was unarmed , wearing a shirt and flannel trousers and a pair of wellington boots. After a brief conversation during which he admitted to having a shotgun in the house , Constable Cleaver stepped forward and handcuffed Alfred Moore who was then told by Metcalfe that he was being arrested , why he was being arrested was not very clear , especially to Moore. Nevertheless he was taken away to the Divisional Headquarters of the West Riding Constabulary in Princess Street, Huddersfield.
At about 8-15am that morning , Alfred Moore was interviewed by Metcalfe and a Detective Inspector John Edington . The interview itself was rather short and some of the content was denied by Moore as being purley the imagination of Supt. Metcalfe. Alfred Moore did not admit any part in the murders , he gave them an account of his movements the previous day and night and whilst admitting that he walked his brother , Charles , home to the Almondbury area of Huddersfield , he had immediately returned to the farm via the public footpaths which ran through the fields . As far as he could remember he had arrived home around midnight. His defence was simple , at the time of the shootings , he was at home in bed with his wife and children. AlfredMoore maintained that was the case from day one, right up the the day of his excecution . However there was much more drama to come later on that particular Sunday
Monday, 8 December 2008
Murder by Legal Means
Welcome,
My name is Steve Lawson ,between 1966 and 1974 I served with the West Yorkshire Police
where I spent six years in the CID . During that period I dealt with offences ranging from the theft of bottles of Milk to the ultimate crime , Murder.
My name is Steve Lawson ,between 1966 and 1974 I served with the West Yorkshire Police
where I spent six years in the CID . During that period I dealt with offences ranging from the theft of bottles of Milk to the ultimate crime , Murder.
I wish to share with you the details of one particular murder.It occurred not whilst whilst I was a serving police officer but happened in the early hours of Sunday 15th July 1951 at Kirkheaton , a small village on the outskirts of the town of Huddersfield , in what was then the West Riding of Yorkshire ( now West Yorkshire). At the time of this murder I was living about three miles from the scene and as a young boy I was fascinated by stories which emanated from local people about the crime , never once in my imagination did I think that one day I would become involved in the story of Alfred Moore.
Alfred Moore (pictured right) was 36yrs years old , a poultry farmer who had a smallholding in the village of Kirkheaton where he lived with his wife and four small daughters who ranged in age between 2yrs and 10yrs of age. Alfred Moore was convicted of this particular crime and on the 6th February 1952 was hanged at Armley Prison , in Leeds. Did the Jury get it right , was justice done , or was Alfred Moore innocent ?.
Through this Blog , I will share with you , the case for the prosecution and that of the defence. I will highlight flaws in the prosecution evidence , I will introduce information gleaned from my own investigation , at the end of which it will be come clear that , in my opinion , an innocent man was sent to the gallows.
Alfred Moore had long been suspected of carrying out burglaries within the Huddersfield Division of the West Riding Constabulary , and although never convicted of any such offence , he did admit at his trial that he was responsible for a number of such offences. He was a burglar who attacked premises by stealth , entry to Mill offices , Co-ops and Post offices was often gained by the use of duplicate or skeleton keys where once inside , he would usually open the safe and steal cash , postal orders and postage stamps. It is believed that on one occasion he stole a quantity of American Dollar bills.
These offences had not been committed whilst he was living at Whinney Close Farm , Kirkheaton a property he had purchased at Public auction in April 1951 , they had been committed whilst he was living at Gyn Lane , Honley and Manchester Road , Milnsbridge two addresses on the outskirts of Huddersfield . The police had no evidence against Moore and could only watch as he appeared to prosper , going from from the humble terrace house in Manchester Road to the detached bungalow in Gyn Lane and finally the farm at Kirkheaton. According to a police report soon after Moore had taken up residence at Whinney Close farm (April 1951) an offence of office breaking had occurred in the area , once again Moore was the chief suspect and a plan of action was drawn up. The plan was simple , a number of Police officers would keep the farmhouse and surrounding fields and tracks under observation with a view to arresting Moore on return from one of his burgling activities , hopefully he would be in possession of stolen goods at that time and the mission would have been accomplished.
On the night of Saturday 14th July 1951 , ten police officers under the overall command of Detective Chief Inspector Arthur Leslie Jenkins gathered at the Divisional Headquarters of the West Riding Constabulary in Princess Street , Huddersfield . They arrived at the Police station at about 10pm , all were in civilian clothing and none were armed , among the party of ten were Detective Inspector Duncan Alexander Fraser , head of the Huddersfield Divisional CID and Police Constable Arthur Gordon Jagger. The story began in that Police station and the following is the case for the prosecution
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