Innocents
How justice failed Stefan Kiszko and Lesley Molseed
How justice failed Stefan Kiszko and Lesley Molseed
Upon the exposure of this miscarriage of justice (conviction in July 1976/life sentence) and Kiszko's release from prison in 1992, a new investigation began and the original police files were reviewed. Following up on certain leads had abruptly stopped after Kiszko's conviction. The following describes how and why Raymond Hewlett became the Number One suspect in the Molseed case.
In February 1991, Campbell Malone, with the help of a private detective named Peter Jackson finally urged the Home Office to reopen the case, which was then referred back to the West Yorkshire Police. Detective Superintendent Trevor Wilkinson was assigned to the job. The following excerpts describe work done by Wilkinson's team, specifically in regard to suspect Raymond Hewlett:
WDC Alison Rose scrutinised a box of documents and read action number 588 - interview of a Todmorden man (Raymond Hewlett) by Det. Sergeant David Paxton prior to Kiszko's arrest. After Kiszko's arrest this line of enquiry had been halted.
Sgt. Paxton had indicated he was unhappy about his suspect and that further enquiries should be made. Concerns included the fact that Hewlett had a previous conviction for a sexually motivated offence and owned a Morris 1000 van.
DS Paxton visited Hewlett's address in Todmorden and was told by Susan Hewlett that her husband had left the area shortly after the discovery of Lesley Molseed's body.
Nov 7 1975, Paxton interviewed Hewlett at Burnley Police Station where he was being held after being arrested for theft. Hewlett told Paxton about a trip to Scotland on Sept 20, 1975 in a car he had stolen from Morecambe, together with his brother in law Martin Ginley and two friends, John and Michael Goodall. They were all arrested in Lachgilfield in Ayrshire,charged with breaking into caravans and remanded in Barlinne Prison until Sept 25 when they were bailed to attend court on Nov 6, 1975. Hewlett returned home by train.
Hewlett stated that on Oct 5, 1975 he was at home with his wife until 2 pm when he went out for a walk in Central Vale Park, Todmorden, with a girl named Rosalie Dolan (his under-aged lover - although he kept this fact from Paxton).
Hewlett said he had been with Dolan until 5 pm that evening and claimed to remember meeting a man who had owned the model shop on Halifax Road. He had gone to the home of a friend, Gerald Shawcross, until 6:30 pm when he returned home.
Paxton found it suspicious that Hewlett could account for his movements on the Sunday in fine detail but was unable to provide details about what he had done on the Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.
Hewlett's explanation as to why he had left Todmorden so soon after the Molseed killing was that he had left for southern Ireland on the following Friday with Rosalie Dolan and remained there until October 24th when he returned to his wife.
Hewlett told Paxton that the Morris 1000 van had been obtained in Scotland and was a blue ex-GPO van. He said he had swapped a Hillman Imp for the van before Martin Ginley sold the van for (pounds)10. He was unable to say who had the vehicle on October 5th. (The day it was seen at the lay-by.)
Paxton established that Martin Ginley had appeared in court in Scotland on Nov. 5th and was at that point detained in Barlinne Prison.
Susan Hewlett had limited knowledge of the blue van. She thought her brother had sold it without Raymond knowing. Rosalie Dolan, then age 15, had confirmed Hewlett's alibi. Gerald Shawcross confirmed Hewlett's visit to his house but did not recall the date.
Paxton requested that Martin Ginley be interviewed in Barlinne prison, but due to Kiszko's arrest, the interview was canceled.
(((Details of Hewlett's other violent attacks on girls, including a knife attack to be added...)))
WDC Rose traced Martin Ginley. Ginley stated that he did not remember Hewlett having a Morris 1000 van and did not recall being present when Hewlett exchanged a Hillman Imp for that van. Ginley said he had not seen Hewlett after the trip to Scotland until they met up during Hewlett's 3 month sentence at Barlinne.
WDC Rose interviewed John and Michael Goodall who said the trip to Scotland in 1975 had been taken with the intention to rob a post office that Hewlett knew but the plot was ended by their arrest for breaking into the caravans.
The Goodalls said that Hewlett had arrived at their house in the early evening of Thursday October 9,1975 (the day after Lesley's body had been found.) He had arrived in a blue Morris 1000 van, similar to a GPO van, in which all four had driven to a housing estate in Rochdale where Hewlett wanted to visit his sister-in-law Margaret Ginley (Martin Ginley's ex wife).
When they arrived at Margaret Ginley's home, Hewlett decided not to make the call and they returned to the Goodall house in Burnley. The following day Hewlett and Dolan had left for Ireland in the van.
WDC Rose then visited Margaret Ginley. She lived on the Kirholt Estate, opposite the homes of James McGurgon Baillie and William McCondichie, who were close friends of Danny Molseed.
The estate joined the Turf Hill Estate and the Molseeds, including Lesley, had been frequent visitors to the Baillie household.
Margaret Ginley told WDC Rose that Raymond and Susan Hewlett were frequent visitors to her house and that her daughter Carol frequently visited the Hewlett house in Todmorden.
WDC Rose interviewed Carol Ginley who told her that following her weekend visits to Todmorden, Raymond Hewlett would take her home. Sometimes they traveled on Hewlett's motorbike but Carol remembered that at least on one occasion she had gone home in a light blue van similar to a GPO van.
Hewlett had denied ownership of the blue van when he was interviewed by Paxton in 1975. He had also denied visiting the Rochdale area in 1975. WDC Rose had proved both those assertions to be false; Hewlett still owned the van at the time of Lesley's murder and he was still visiting Rochdale (Margaret Ginley) in 1975.
WDC Rose then established contact with Rosalie Dolan, the 15 year old who had given Hewlett's alibi for the day Lesley Molseed disappeared and was likely murdered (Sunday Oct 5, 1975). Dolan had moved to Australia but first spoke to WDC by telephone and was then flown back to the UK at police expense.
Dolan said that on Oct 5, 1975 Hewlett had arranged to meet her at Todmorden market place at 5 pm. He arrived over two hours late for their meeting. Dolan said that Hewlett "appeared bothered" and asked her "Will you cover for me with the police?" He made mention of theft of motor cars and Dolan agreed. Hewlett told her to simply repeat to the police what they had done on the *previous* Sunday (Sept. 28,1975) and rehearsed the story with her. He told her that he might have to go away and asked her to go with him. She agreed to do so.
Earlier (September 1975), Dolan and Hewlett had run away to Scotland for ten days - touring and sleeping in Hewlett's blue van. When it became cold, Hewlett had broken into a caravan and stolen a Scottish tartan which they used to keep warm. They returned to Todmorden and continued to meet weekly each Sunday.
On the day that Lesley Molseed's body was found, according to Dolan, Hewlett asked her (Wednesday at lunch-time) to run away with him again. Dolan had taken clothes with her on Thursday and Hewlett met her from school that day. They spent the night with the Goodalls in Burnley and then set off for Liverpool early the next morning. On the way, Hewlett told her that the police were looking for him, using the cameras on the side of the motorway, so they drove on A and minor roads.
Dolan said that although they had little money, Hewlett decided to abandon the blue Morris van in Liverpool. That night they traveled by ferry to Dublin and then made their way to Cork, using the name of "Dolan" for their lodgings. Hewlett had obtained employment picking mushrooms. Rosalie earned money by cleaning and washing for the man in the flat below them. Hewlett changed Dolan's birth certificate so it would appear that they were actually married. Dolan said that during that period Hewlett had been quiet and withdrawn.
Hewlett and Dolan returned to England after three weeks in Ireland. The day after their arrival, Hewlett told Dolan that he was going to store their luggage at the railroad station before going out to find work and for her to wait for him on the bench. She waited for him but he did not return and she spent the night under an upturned boat on the beach before going to the police to get help to get home.
WDC Rose showed Dolan the Crimewatch reconstruction of the Molseed case, which had aired previous to their interview. Dolan told the officer that the van seen at the lay-by on October 5, 1975 was similar to the vehicle Hewlett had then owned and had abandoned in Liverpool. She also recalled the damage repair to the front passenger door.
Det Rose took Dolan to the Turf Hill Estate and to the A627 murder scene. Dolan recalled having visited both places but did not recall the circumstances of being there.
Dolan did not know whether Hewlett owned a knife but that she herself had owned a pocket knife which she left in the van and had never seen again.
Hewlett's entry on the police database was amended to indicate that should he be arrested, the Molseed incident room should be notified.
In September 1991, Hewlett was arrested as he entered Holyhead port, arriving on a ferry from Ireland. He was in the company of a woman and her three children. The woman's 9 year old daughter complained that Hewlett had indecently assaulted her, entering her bedroom at night, fondling her and masturbating over her. The mother was advised to report the matter to the RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary) as the offenses had occurred in their jurisdiction. (Note this indicates the molestation had occurred in Northern Ireland).
Hewlett was returned to Stoken Prison in Leicestershire to complete a sentence from which he had absconded in December 1990.
In June 1992, Trevor Wilkinson arranged for Hewlett to be transferred to Armley Prison in Leeds to facilitate interviewing him concerning the murder of Lesley Molseed.
More to follow....
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