To ask if you’ve met an infamous criminal?

[Anon778833]

Did they seem ‘normal’? Or did you get a strange feeling about them?

Relative was a police officer who arrested a known and notorious on local county armed robber. Not famous country wide but county wise he was well known and to be avoided and not even looked at if you could help it. His entire family is dodgy af and been in and out of prison.

Criminal was a boxer too and had nearly practically murdered an opponent once he'd been managed to be dragged off him in the ring.

He and his fellow accused absconded from court, about to be locked away for a very very long time (decades plus). The police report after they absconded was "known to be armed and dangerous. Do not approach."

Relative happened to be in a nearby town a couple of years later and spotted him and gave chase and after a huge tussle and their local police involvement he managed to apprehend and arrest him and he's still inside now.

Terrifying time though, entire family threatened, windowscreens damaged, his ex wife had her windows out in whilst their daughter had luckily just left the room, no social media pics allowed of any of them or allusions to them incase people on friends list knew them, threats sent through it (bright criminal family, no?) threats to the lives of his daughter, him, his nephews and niece and his parents...even a few times some female relatives were adamant they were being followed.

Luckily all a long time ago and things quiet now.

Me: This man

Not notorious except for local circles. I met him at church when I was 17 and he tried very hard to single me out for affection. It was flattering at first, but then he asked me to go for dinner with him and I got cold feet. Luckily, I confided in a friend's mum (member of the same church). She had a word with him and he backed off. This was about 10 years before the story came out and no one had any idea.

One of my ex bosses: Used to go to her grandma's house while mum was at work and her grandad wouldn't let the girl from over the road into the house. He said there was something weird about her and he didn't want her associating with her. This was a 10 year old Myra Hindley.

Just to add, I don't believe Jeremy Bamber is guilty. There's a lot of dodgy things about the case and it needs looking at again (with all the evidence this time)

@RockinHorseShit Are you sure it was Mary Bell you met, working as a barmaid in the 70s? As she committed her crimes in 1968, and was sent to prison the same year, when she was 11?

@ChocolateRiver

This thread really is quite compelling. I can’t believe the amount of murderers people know. Frightening really.

If you mean know as in friends etc or acquaintances then it’s a bit different I think.

None of the people I’ve mentioned I’ve been particularly close to, especially not my uncle (through marriage). He wasn’t a murderer as far as I know but did get others to do his dirty work and threatened my aunt with murder when they divorced, she knew he was serious too. I actually feel sick and quite embarrassed to be related to him albeit not by blood, and knowing what I know and if what he’s done is worse I really don’t want to know. My DGM actually asked her close female friend (after a court case, don’t ask, to do with my DGF whom she was divorced from but an executor for his deathbed will) when uncle intimidated and threatened her she actually asked her friend to get a hit man on my uncle! My DGM was wealthy, her own business and well spoken and thank god her friend said no.

Met Gary Glitter when I was around 22 backstage at a gig. He plied me & my freind with booze & offered us a (rebuffed) 'private party'. He was quite egotistical, gregarious & very self indulgant. Even with his shuzzed up wig & platforms he was still quite short. He was very generous & paid for our cab home as we'd missed the last train. I was horrified & disgusted when all the paedo stuff came out.

On my course at University was a mature student, fairly quiet and kept himself to himself, but friendly enough. Nothing that would make him stand out at all. The press then leaked that he had murdered his mother, and then served time for it.
He went on to become a church minister.

@RockinHorseShit Are you sure it was Mary Bell you met, working as a barmaid in the 70s? As she committed her crimes in 1968, and was sent to prison the same year, when she was 11

Yes I'm pretty sure, very late 70s, though it may have been early 80s. She was still in prison, but on some sort of pre release work experience. Though I didn't know that but until later

That s @Acrackineverything

My first boss turned out to be a criminal- he got a 7 year sentence. Funnily enough he was actually the nicest boss I had as a young solicitor - he was far nicer to me than the top City corporate type partners I ended up working for.

I went to use a telephone box to ring my Dad to pick me up. I had a mobile phone but it was cheaper to use the local telephone box. I can't remember now but either I opened the door for him or him for me but it was a man calling the police to say he'd killed both his parents.

the person who had a relative, ?uncle, who was mentally deranged and had murdered several people, was one of the victims a clergyman ?

i remember reading about when the national crime agency was being set up, in ? early 90s. having read of what their remit was,
i contacted them about a person whom i had reason to believe was unsuitable to be working in boarding schools. to put it mildly.
i did some very preliminary enquiries and found he had left one school hurriedly after a complaint of touching a child's knee in piano lessons.
i did not want to give the nca my details, and took measures to be untraceable.

a cynical stale pale and male detective was uninterested as i did not want to identify myself.
i said i felt duty bound to bring him to their attention, and they could just look into places he had worked.
the detectives attitude was barely concealed boredom, annoyance.
he just wanted to get rid of me.
on way out i went to the loo, the junior woman officer who had also been present followed me in, and was almost apologetic and urged me to contact them again. she was much more respectful; but i gave up. it was actually quite exhausting.
years later, i read that a group of men reported that person for abusing them as children, in one case following the child to senior school to continue the abuse. it was horrific. even during a flying lesson.
he was sent down for only 3 years at lewes crown court. dead now.
connections with churches, choirs, private schools, music and maths teaching, civil aviation, and southern africa.
in case that rings any bells, also worth abbey (rc). kent, sussex latterly. several of the schools since closed down.
the piano lesson knee incident was at a co-ed prep school in staffordshire. previously he was at a rc boys school in st albans.
the prosecution had nothing to do with the nca.
i'd be interested to know if anyone had come across him, or their DH/P/brothers/' friends did.
but, there's so many of them, aren't there.

@alexdgr8

I just wanted to say... I am appalled by your experience but sadly not surprised...

Please take heart in the knowledge that you stood up and did the right thing .. you trusted your instincts.. you should be proud in the knowledge that you spoke out... Im so sorry that you were treated so badly and this person was free to destroy lives for many more years... due to real complacency and utter incompetence ..

I hope there are others like you.. out there.. strong enough to say.. this doesn't feel right.. please take a closer look..

I wonder how victims would feel knowing that someone tried to help ..

bless you 🌸

Jimmy Saville. I lived opposite Stoke mandeville hospital and used to see him around the hospital and the local shop. He used to go and talk to schoolgirls at the bus stop. I didn't really pay him much attention but the hospital nurses hated him.

DH was in the same year at school on the Isle of Man with the island’s only serial killer. In the 1990s this guy murdered elderly people when he was only in his teens. It’s still not clear how many he killed - pushing off cliffs etc. DH says he was a quiet, polite kid, family from Nigeria and he suffered a lot of racist bullying. I see from this that he killed himself in prison when he was 21. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Akinmurele

@ilovepixie

Jimmy Saville. I lived opposite Stoke mandeville hospital and used to see him around the hospital and the local shop. He used to go and talk to schoolgirls at the bus stop. I didn't really pay him much attention but the hospital nurses hated him.

Its such a shame that most nurses who knew him were either scared they wouldn't be believed, told to shut up etc.

I re-watched the When Louis Met Jimmy documentary - it's all there in black and white and Louis fell for it.

@ilovepixie

Jimmy Saville. I lived opposite Stoke mandeville hospital and used to see him around the hospital and the local shop. He used to go and talk to schoolgirls at the bus stop. I didn't really pay him much attention but the hospital nurses hated him.

I can absolutely confirm this. A freind was a young nurse at Stoke Mandeville. When Savile was due for a visit or seen lurking with intent, Matron used to tell nurses to scarper & avoid him.

My auntie also had people in her training cohort who went to Stoke Mandeville & a couple of other spots Savile patronised. She also confirms the staff weren't keen on his visits and watched their backs and each other.

Dennis Nielsen approached my dad at Euston train station when he was 16 in the early 80s, offered to put him up for the night as he had gone to London for a football match with friends and got separated from them. He was drunk and thankfully told him no. My dad said he got a weird vibe from him although he didn’t push it he just said ok if you’re sure. When it all came out a few years later he said he knew his face instantly and said he had the distinctive Scottish accent. If my dad had agreed, I wouldn’t be here writing this most likely!

Work within the criminal justice system so yeah met many and do so everyday. It's good to read others experiences though.

@RantyAunty

Far too many

Doctor who raped patients, performed unknown abortions, drugged and induced labor on a woman and stole her baby.

Couple from school, murder suicide by him

Man in neighbourhood who robbed and murdered an elderly neighbor

Brother of a close friend who hid in a carpark and attacked several women and raped them.

I think all these men had common behaviours which is hard to describe. I would describe them as intense in a way with minimal social boundaries.

Bloody hell where do you live 😂 sounds interesting.

@Jaysmith71

Anyone who used Waterloo Station in the 70s and early 80s and came in and out via the Waterloo Road side entrance would pass the flower seller, who was Great Train Robber Buster Edwards.

The small twin I grew up in had a florists shop that was opened in the 1940’s. The couple who ran the florists were arrested in the aftermath of the Great Train Robbery and questioned in connection to it. Years later they sold it and there was talk that the new owner was the daughter of one of the robbers and the shop had been purchased by way of thanking the former owners for their discretion during questioning by the police!!

[quote Hugoslavia]@Cissyandflora

I think that you have to say 'accused of murdering' rather than having 'murdered' given that he was found not guilty, despite it being down to the terrible deficiencies of the judicial system. Obviously most people believe that he did it. He used to live near to me. I never met him, but was thoroughly prepared to heckle him if ever I saw him. Such a travesty of justice. I feel for her poor family.[/quote]
Yes accused of murdering. I was too nervous to say anything to him. I’ve seen him a couple of times. With (I assume) his boyfriend. Once arguing with him in the street. He’s a big guy. Her poor family.

O Rolf Harris, had forgotten this. Was out near Ealing Studios with my daughter years ago, she was about 9, and she recognised him, very excited. He was absolutely lovely to her. Didn't find him remotely creepy.

My mums half-brother, murdered (technically manslaughter but yeah) and mutilated his girlfriend. He’s out.

I saw an article with her dad protesting the murderers release...I feel so sorry for her family. Life should mean life.