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** This is an archived, static copy of the Casebook messages boards dating from 1998 to 2003. These threads cannot be replied to here. If you want to participate in our current forums please go to https://forum.casebook.org **
The Mabel Leyshon Murder , Anglesey , Wales , UK , 24/11/ 2001
Casebook Message Boards: Beyond Whitechapel - Other Crimes: The Mabel Leyshon Murder , Anglesey , Wales , UK , 24/11/ 2001
Author: Simon Owen
Saturday, 27 July 2002 - 06:04 pm |        | I thought I would place details of this case here as it was a grisly murder involving mutilation , rare in the UK , and has relevence to the Ripper crimes :
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/wales/1670368.stm
The Murder of Mabel Leyshon , 24th November 2001
Police investigating the murder of a 90-year-old woman on Anglesey have revealed her heart was removed by the killer.
Detectives said Mabel Leyshon's heart was removed from her body and taken to another location in the sitting room in her house at Llanfairpwll.
North Wales Police revealed the new facts to journalists on Wednesday more than three weeks after the pensioner's body was found by a meals-on-wheels volunteer.
Detective Superintendent Alan Jones, who is leading the hunt, said he believed the offender lived locally and was mentally ill.
"If we are looking for somebody who is prepared to undertake an attack of that nature it is probably somebody with mental health problems," he said.
"I am reaching out to the community to say that if they have concerns about any individual through their behaviour, that they should contact North Wales Police as a matter of urgency."
Efforts to explain the significance of the two pokers in a cross formation laid at Mrs Leyshon's feet have so far been unsuccessful.
Officers have consulted experts in the field of the occult and witchcraft, and said there was nothing to suggest there is any connection.
More than 100 people have already given DNA samples.
Police are considering a wider screening programme but no firm decision has been made.
Det Supt Jones has appealed to anyone with information to come forward.
" If we are looking for somebody who is prepared to underake an attack of that nature it is probably somebody with mental health problems " said Detective Superintendent Alan Jones.
" That includes social services, the health service and the probation service to help further inquiries who may know someone they feel suspicious about."
Detectives from the North Wales force are continuing to communicate with detectives in Suffolk who are investigating the death of an elderly woman near Ipswich at the weekend.
Police say there are similarities between Mrs Leyshon's murder and that of 79-year-old Joan Albert at her home in Capel St Mary, near Ipswich
But there is nothing to link them formally, they said.
Mrs Albert had been stabbed repeatedly and was found in her nightdress at the bottom of the stairs.
Mrs Leyshon died in a frenzied attack, which North Wales Police described as "callous and brutal".
Mrs Leyshon was last heard from on the Saturday afternoon two weeks ago when she spoke to a friend in Birkenhead, Merseyside, on the phone.
Detectives have studied CCTV footage from the area,and the case is to be featured on the BBC Crimewatch programme on Thursday.
Article dated : 19th December 2001
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/wales/1684844.stm
Police investigating the murder of an elderly woman appealed for information from anyone who saw a friend or relative with blood on their clothes over the weekend.
In a press conference on Friday, detectives said the person responsible for the "frenzied" attack must have been bloodstained.
Mabel Leyshon, 90, who lived alone in Llanfairpwll, was the victim of a frenzied attack at her home between 1430GMT on Saturday and 1230GMT on Sunday.
She had been repeatedly stabbed in an attack that has been labelled "callous and brutal" by police officers.
Everyone who was in the Llanfairpwll area last weekend has been asked by police to retrace their steps on Saturday and Sunday.
Detectives hope to interview pedestrians and motorists in the Lon Pant area over the weekend, as they search for further clues in the investigation.
On Thursday, North Wales police announced they would be examining CCTV film of traffic on the Britannia Bridge in the search for the attacker.
Police want to trace the driver of a light-coloured - possibly blue - van, seen parked in Ms Leyshon's driveway in the days before her death.
Despite repeated appeals, the owner of the van has not come forward.
Police are keen to locate the driver, even if it is to eliminate him from the inquiry.
"We want the person who did this arrested as soon as possible and everything, and I emphasise everything, possible is being done," said Chief Superintendent Keith Humphreys
"We can't be satisfied until this person is arrested and facing prosecution," he said.
Detectives had already enlisted the help of the national crime faculty and a criminal psychologist to create a profile of Ms Leyshon's attacker.
Meanwhile, officers continue to search for the murder weapon, which they describe as "some kind of bladed weapon".
Details of a salesman seen in Llanfairpwll on Friday were also released.
It has emerged that Mrs Leyshon had spoken to a friend from Birkenhead, Liverpool, on the telephone on Saturday at 1430GMT.
But what happened between that point and when she was found on Sunday remains a mystery.
Mrs Leyshon had lived in Lon Pant for 40 years and neighbours said she was a private but active and independent woman.
Article dated : 30th November 2001
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Author: Simon Owen
Saturday, 27 July 2002 - 07:05 pm | | Now a series of articles from The Mirror newspaper in the UK on the case :
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http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/page.cfm?objectid=11490841&method=full
RITUAL KILLER CHOPS OUT MABEL'S HEART
By Jason Lamport
A CRAZED killer stabbed a 90-year-old widow to death - and then cut her heart out in a gory ritual.
The deranged knifeman also laid a homemade cross next to Mabel Leyshon's body after the murder.
Her heart was found in a separate room from the mutilated body in her village retirement home.
It was so skilfully removed murder squad detectives say they are hunting a killer with medical training.
North Wales police yesterday revealed the grisly details in the month-old case to appeal to doctors, nurses or mental health workers who may know the murderer.
Det Supt Alan Jones said he feared the killer may strike again. Police also admitted they were investigating links with the murder of widow Joan Albert in Capel St Mary, Suffolk, five days ago.
Both women were killed after break-ins. Mabel's body was discovered when a meals-on-wheels volunteer couldn't get a reply at her door.
Police are still trying to trace a mystery van driver at Mabel's Anglesey home. But Mr Jones denied any link to witchcraft.
He said: "Her heart was recovered at the scene. No other organs were removed. If we're looking for somebody prepared to undertake an attack of this kind, it's probably someone with mental health problems."
The killing will be featured on BBC1's Crimewatch UK tonight.
( December 20th 2001 )
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http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/page.cfm?objectid=12039626&method=full
A 17 year old youth was arrested and charged with the crime , in July 2002 the case has come to court :
SACRIFICED
Mabel, 90, had heart cut out by vampire boy who drank her blood from a pan, court is told
By Jan Disley
A TEENAGE boy obsessed with becoming a vampire stabbed an old lady to death as a sacrifice, then cut out her heart and drank her blood, a court heard yesterday.
Widow Mabel Leyshon, 90, suffered 22 stab wounds after the 17-year-old art student broke in to her seaside home, it was said.
One was a deep gash to her chest, almost eight inches long and nine inches wide, through which her heart was literally torn out.
It was wrapped in newspaper and put near the body in a saucepan covered by a silver platter.
Several deep gashes were made along the legs to drain blood, it was alleged, after the widow had been stripped of most of her clothing and placed on an armchair with her legs propped up on a stool.
The pan bore a tide-mark and lip-print on the rim, indicating blood had been drunk from it.
Two pokers were left in the shape of a cross in front of the corpse, a red candle had been balanced on the mantlepiece, and there was a candleholder on the floor of Mrs Leyshon's bungalow.
The teenager, who denies murder and cannot be named for legal reasons, stood expressionless in the dock in a grey suit with grey and yellow tie.
He was fascinated by vampires and believed in them, said prosecutor Roger Thomas.
The QC added: "He believed that they existed, believed that they drank human blood and that they could achieve immortality."
Weeks before Mrs Leyshon's death in LlanfairPG, Anglesey, in November last year, the youth had allegedly attacked a 16-year-old girl - begging her to bite him saying: "Please make me a vampire."
He had said LlanfairPG was perfect for vampires, the court heard, because there were so many old people - if one went missing, no one would notice. Mr Thomas said: "By November 24, 2001, the defendant had learned quite a lot about vampires, certainly enough to satisfy his two main questions - how do I become a vampire and how do I become immortal?
"He had decided what he had to do - a sacrifice, the murder of another human being was necessary to achieve his ends.
"And with his parents away, he committed what we submit to you was a planned, deliberate murder to satisfy his own grotesque and selfish ends."
Mr Thomas said the youth was perfectly sane and told the jury at Mold Crown Court: "There is no medical issue. He is entirely responsible for his actions."
Mrs Leyshon had a sharp mind, but was very deaf with poor eyesight. The youth threw a slab through her back door window while she was watching TV, the court heard.
He attacked her from behind, it was said, inflicting eight wounds to the shoulder and breast, three to the neck and five in the back. Mr Thomas called it "an incident that a person has taken some time over".
The newspaper which held the heart was not saturated with blood - "the heart has had time to dry out," said the QC.
The girl allegedly assaulted by the youth was in lodgings near him. They had long discussions about vampires, the jury heard.
Mr Thomas said: "He grabbed her, pushed her on to the bed and repeatedly said 'Bite me'." The girl said he shouted, "I'm a believer, I'm a believer."
The youth, who had a part-time job in a hotel, claimed to have been under the influence of cannabis at the time.
He and the girl met later. She told the jury: "He wanted to know if getting bitten by a vampire and then killing someone old would make you a vampire. I said no."
DNA found at the death scene had a one in 73 million chance of not being his, the court was told.
A knife found in his jacket allegedly bore traces of blood, and there was a one in 110,000 chance that it was not Mrs Leyshon'. The case continues.
(July 17th 2002 )
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http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/page.cfm?objectid=12042890&method=full
VAMPIRE BOY SAID 'BITE ME'
THE vampire-mad teenager accused of murdering a 90-year-old widow was arrested nine weeks before the killing - telling a policeman: "Bite my neck."
A jury heard yesterday how the defendant had attacked a 16-year-old German girl in her home.
Her landlady returned home to find the boy, 17, on top of the girl. She said: "He was trying to grab the girl's neck. He said she was a vampire."
Arresting officer Sgt Peter Nicholson said: "He didn't make coherent responses. All he would say was 'bite my neck'."
He said he never made a connection between that incident last September and Mabel Leyshon's death two months later.
She had her heart cut out and the blood drained from her body in Anglesey, North Wales. The case continues.
( July 18th 2002 )
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http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/page.cfm?objectid=12045938&method=full
PROUD OLD ' VICTIM OF VAMPIRE '
By Patrick Mulchrone
THE victim of an alleged vampire ritual killing was a proud old lady with a lively mind, a court heard yesterday.
The jury was given a glimpse of 90-year-old Mabel Leyshon's daily routine.
A 17-year-old art student, said to be obsessed with vampires, allegedly stabbed her 22 times, ripped her heart out and drank her blood.
Mrs Leyshon's cousin Beatrice Williams told the court how the pensioner, a widow for 30 years, was a "very, very private person".
She locked the doors of her bungalow at Anglesey, North Wales, when she was in.
Mrs Leyshon walked with a stick and had poor eyesight, but she cared about her appearance.
Mrs Williams said: "The first thing she would do in the mornings was to put lipstick on and she would like to have her hair done regularly."
The student, who can't be named, denies murder. The trial at Mold crown court continues.
( 19th July 2002 )
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No further news on the case of yet , but I will post to keep this thread up-to-date.
Simon Owen |
Author: Divia deBrevier
Saturday, 27 July 2002 - 07:28 pm | | Dear Simon:
It just goes to show you: stupidity is everywhere.
He may have been sane, but he definitely needed help.
Thanks for posting; this case is interesting!
Warm regards,
Divia |
Author: Simon Owen
Saturday, 27 July 2002 - 07:58 pm | | There are a couple of interesting facts about this case worth pointing out ( presuming the youth did actually kill Mrs Leyshon of course ) :
1) The police originally believed that the killer had medical training when in fact it appears he had none - this might shed interesting light on the Ripper case !
2) There was a ritual element to the killing - the youth believed cutting out the heart and drinking the blood would turn him into a vampire. This suggests very strongly that there was some ritual element in the Ripper killings ( cutting the throat to kill suggests similar ) although it doesn't seem to have been an acknowledged occult ritual.
3) The killer was an art student , obviously he had some sensitivity about him and he felt inferior ( he wanted vampiric powers maybe to overcome this problem ) , was he a sociopath ? Or driven by desperation to commit this terrible crime ?
Does this suggest that Thomas Cutbush might have been the Ripper after all ? |
Author: Howard Brown
Sunday, 28 July 2002 - 08:26 am | | | Divia....This is precisely what I meant in another posting about cut and dried theories( not that you make them up.)........What frame of reference do we use to catch a person like this? One who asks a cop to bite his neck? Removes a heart for ha-ha's?..Attacking 2 females ALMOST from different centuries,let alone different age groups?.....and also uses marijuana? Marijuana? Isn't that the drug of choice for the laid back? I could understand methamphetamine or PCP,but weed?....Go figger........ |
Author: Divia deBrevier
Sunday, 28 July 2002 - 01:59 pm | | Dear Howard:
Marijuana is a depressant, meaning that it slows down the body. The heart beats slower, the brain processes slower, etc. This does not mean that it makes everyone mellow. Some people react differently under its influence, just as they will react differently under the influence of alcohol (another depressant).
Some people do become violent under its influence. It depends on the person, how much they use, if they ate anything before using, etc. It also releases inhibitions, making it easier for people to do things that they normally wouldn't do.
If you look at Ritalin (a stimulant), it calms hyperactive children and allows them to focus... but someone that is not hyperactive will "speed up" if they take Ritalin because it is an amphetamine. This is the reason why it is a controlled substance.
There are too many factors to discuss. When you combine drugs with an unstable mind, the path becomes much more complex.
Divia |
Author: R Court
Monday, 29 July 2002 - 07:39 am | | Hi all,
Interesting, when also highly regretable, incidents. We see newspaper reports giving wrong information (Heart in other room etc.), suppositions of surgical skill, macarbre symbols evidently coupled to the crime. We now know of acts carried out by a medically sane person that most of us could not even imagine...
If the Student had never been caught, how would this crime have been recorded to history? Had it occurred in Whitechappel in 1888 ......?
Best regards,
Bob |
Author: Divia deBrevier
Monday, 29 July 2002 - 01:35 pm | | Dear Bob:
I often wonder if the police deliver the facts incorrectly to the public deliberately. Certainly, they want to protect their information in the event that the case goes to trial.
But I do believe that, more often than not, people are misquoted or the facts are turned to sell more papers.
Warm regards,
Divia |
Author: R Court
Tuesday, 30 July 2002 - 04:45 am | | Hi Divia,
It is of course possible that the Police do, although having to know that you'll be proved wrong every time in the end is disheartening.
We have a dreadful newspaper, BILD (eng: picture), here in Germany that typifies, when in the extreme, such reporting at its worst. Jokes like 'Mass-murder yesterday! BILD speaks with the dead!' and 'BILD first with the news! Aircraft crash next week!' go the rounds.
Interesting is, however, that even unimportant matters are garbled, which seems to mean that to get things wrong is the usual trait. At a scientific conference I was at, one rag managed to show a waiter as the reading professor and even got the name and purpose of the do wrong!
Best regards,
Bob |
Author: Christopher T George
Tuesday, 30 July 2002 - 08:01 pm | | Hi, Simon:
Thank you for so assiduously posting the news reports about this grisly murder. I think it a shame this individual's name has not been released. Why is that? The names of Thompson and Venables, the killers of Jamie Bulger in Liverpool in 1993, then aged 10 and 11, were released--but maybe that was only when they were tried and convicted?
I take your point that there was speculation before the alleged killer was identified that the murdererer who cut out Mrs Leyshon's heart had medical training, and the boy who has been arrested has none. A good parallel and touchstone to the Ripper case, as you say.
Please do keep us up to date with this fascinating case, Simon.
Best regards
Chris George |
Author: Ivor Edwards
Wednesday, 31 July 2002 - 08:45 pm | | | Chris, I must have known at least a dozen or more killers who cut their victims up. One was a slaughterman, while none of the others had any medical experience. I knew one convicted killer who cut his victim's throat and he had been trained in the army to cut throats in a certain manner. If a person has no experience or knowledge in such matters then no experience or knowledge will be in evidence and it is that simple.In the case of the ripper experience and knowledge were in evidence. |
Author: Christopher T George
Thursday, 01 August 2002 - 01:30 pm | | Hi, Ivor:
I agree with you. Interesting though, isn't it, that your own suspect, D'Onston, wrote that he did not think the murderer of Mary Jane Kelly evinced any skill? Smoke and mirrors, Ivor? 
Chris |
Author: Ivor Edwards
Thursday, 01 August 2002 - 07:20 pm | | | Chris, D'Onston said what suited his purpose at any given time.For example he is the only person I know of who has ever stated that the Graffito was at Mitre Square. He knew damm well it was not at Mitre Square. Something else interesting is the description given by Miss Emily Marsh of the man with the Irish accent.Every aspect ( apart from the dark beard ) of her description fits D'Onston like a glove. The Lusk letter was written to give the impression that it was written by an Irishman. |
Author: Simon Owen
Friday, 02 August 2002 - 05:09 pm | | From Ananova:
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http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_642617.html?menu=
YOUTH GUILTY OF VAMPIRE RITUAL KILLING
A teenager has been found guilty of murdering his elderly neighbour and drinking her blood in a vampire ritual.
Art student Mathew Hardman, 17, butchered Mabel Leyshon at her home in Llanfairpwll, Anglesey, last November.
He has been jailed for a minimum of 12 years.
The 90-year-old widow's heart was cut out and her blood appeared to have been drunk from a saucepan.
The teenager was said to be obsessed by vampires and killed Mrs Leyshon in a bid to become one of the creatures.
He had denied any involvement in the murder and claimed his alleged fascination with vampires was no more than a "subtle interest".
Hardman was convicted by a unanimous verdict at Mold Crown Court.
After the verdict was reached, trial Mr Justice Richards lifted an order banning his identification.
The 17-year-old wept when the male foreman read out the verdict and his mother shrieked and sobbed in the public gallery.
Judge Mr Justice Richards says all the evidence pointed to the fact Hardman believed he could achieve immortality by killing Mrs Leyshon and drinking her blood.
Story filed: 14:57 Friday 2nd August 2002
Matthew Hardman (above)
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Author: Christopher T George
Sunday, 04 August 2002 - 05:49 pm | | More news stories on the guilty verdict in the Leyshon murder case. . .
Life for teenage 'vampire'
Prayers for victim and 'vampire' |
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